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HISTORY 

OF 


IDAHO 


The  Gem  of  the  Mountains 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  II 


CHICAGO 

THE  S.  J.  CLARKE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
1920 


Biographical 


HON.  JAMES  H.   HAWLEY. 


Hon.  James  H.  Hawley,  Idaho  pioneer  in  many  parts  of  the  state,  a  dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  bar,  governor  from  1910  until  1912,  his  record  has 
ever  been  such  as  has  reflected  credit  and  honor  upon  the  state  that  has  honored 
him.  Born  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  January  17,  1847,  he  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Annie 
(Carr)  Hawley,  who  were  natives  of  Brooklyn  and  of  Cooperstown,  New  York, 
respectively.  In  the  paternal  line  he  comes  of  English  ancestry  with  an  Irish 
strain,  while  on  the  distaff  side  he  is  of  Irish,  Holland  and  English  lineage.  One 
of  his  great-grandfathers  in  the  maternal  line  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  while  his  grandfather  was  a  soldier  ot  the  War  of  1812.  Mr.  Hawley's 
mother  died  when  he  was  an  infant,  and  his  father  went  to  California  in  1849, 
leaving  the  boy  with  relatives.  His  father  resided  in  California  until  1856,  when 
he  removed  to  Texas  and  lived  there  until  his  death  a  number  of  years  later. 

James  H.  Hawley  acquired  a  common  and  high  school  education  in  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  being  there  graduated  with  the  class  of  1861.  He  became  a  resident  of 
Idaho  in  1862  and  in  October,  1864,  left  Placerville,  Boise  county,  for  California 
to  pursue  a  college  course,  and  was  a  student  in  the  City  College  of  San  Fran- 
cisco for  three  years,  taking  a  scientific  course.  In  the  meantime  he  had  engaged 
in  mining  and  prospecting  in  Idaho  from  April,  1862,  until  October,  1864,  save 
for  the  winter  of  1863-4.  when  he  acted  as  agent  and  distributor  at  Placerville, 
Idaho,  for  the  Boise  News,  the  first  paper  published  in  the  state.  While  pursuing 
his  college  course  in  San  Francisco  he  also  read  law  under  the  direction  of  the 
firm  of  Sharpstien  &  Hastings  of  that  city,  having  previously  familiarized  him- 
self to  some  extent  with  law  principles  before  going  to  San  Francisco.  Follow- 
ing his  return  to  Idaho  in  1868  he  resumed  mining  but  incidentally  continued 
his  law  reading  and  was  admitted  to  the  supreme  court  of  Idaho  on  the  14th  of 
February,  1871.  Mr.  Hawley  has  pioneered  in  every  part  of  the  state.  He  was 
among  the  first  to  reach  nearly  all  of  the  placer  camps  and  was  identified  with 
mines  and  their  operation  in  many  sections  of  Idaho  in  early  times.  Since  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  bar  he  has  practiced  law  throughout  the  state,  devoting 
most  of  his  efforts  to  mining,  irrigation  and  criminal  law;  has  had  an  extensive 
practice  in  all  these  lines;  and  has  the  reputation  of  having  tried  more  murder 
cases  than  any  other  member  of  the  bar  in  the  United  States.  Soon  after  his 
admission  he  was  appointed  deputy  district  attorney  for  the  second  district  of  Idaho 
and  attended  to  the  duties  of  that  office  4n  the  western  part  of  Boise  county  in 
connection  with  the  mining  enterprises  in  which  he  was  engaged.  In  1878  he 
removed  to  Idaho  City  and  since  that  time  has  practiced  law  exclusive  of  other 
business.  He  has  been  interested  in  a  great  many  mining  enterprises  in  Idaho 
and  other  western  states  and  has  also  been  interested  in  several  townsites  and 
additions  to  townsites  and  various  other  business  activities  in  which  he  has 
made  financial  investment,  but  the  practice  of  law  has  been  his  real  life  work. 
He  was  one  of  the  promoters,  became  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  and 
the  vice  president  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce  of  Burley,  Idaho,  so  continuing  in 
1909  and  1910.  He  was  chosen  president  of  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  of 
Rigby,  Idaho,  and  has  been  connected  with  several  other  matters  quasi-public 
in  character. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  experiences  of  pioneers  in  the  Indian  fighting  of 
early  days  in  Idaho,  Governor  Hawley  was  second  lieutenant  of  a  mounted  com- 
pany in  the  service  of  the  state,  organized  in  the  Nez  Perce  war,  but  was  not 
actually  engaged  in  the  hostilities.  He  was  also  commander  of  a  company  in  the 
Bannock  war  but  saw  very  little  actual  service. 


4  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  politics  Governor  Hawley  has  always  been  a  supporter  of  the  democratic 
party.  He  made  his  first  campaign  for  the  party  in  1870  and  has  been  active  in 
every  political  campaign  in  Idaho  since  that  time,  stumping  the  state  on  each 
occasion  save  in  1918,  when  there  was  no  speaking  campaign  on  account  of  in- 
fluenza. Also  on  that  occasion  he  refused  to  support  the  major  part  of  the 
democratic  state  ticket  because  it  was  nominated  by  the  Non-Partisan  League  fol- 
lowers who  had  taken  possession  of  the  party.  He  has  been  elected  to  attend  five 
national  conventions  of  the  democratic  party  and  has  attended  all  congressional 
and  state  conventions  of  the  party  since  1870.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  of  the  Idaho  legislature  in  1870  and  in  1872'  served  as  chief  clerk 
in  the  house  of  representatives.  In  1874  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  senate 
and  in  1876  was  made  chief  clerk  of  the  upper  house.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner  of  Boise  county  and  in  1878  was  elected  district 
attorney  of  the  second  judicial  district  of  Idaho,  being  reelected  to  that  position 
in  1880,  and  was  compelled  to  attend  to  most  of  the  criminal  work  of  the  territory. 
In  1884  he  was  a  candidate  for  delegate  to  congress  on  the  democratic  ticket  but 
was  defeated  by  one  vote  at  the  convention.  In  1885  he  was  United  States  dis- 
trict attorney  for  the  district  of  Idaho  and  occupied  that  position  for  four  years. 
In  1889  he  was  the  democratic  candidate  for  delegate  to  congress  but  was  de- 
feated by  a  few  votes  by  the  Hon.  Fred  L.  Dubois.  In  1902  his  fellow  townsrnen 
elected  him  mayor  of  Boise,  in  which  position  he  served  for  two  years,  and  in 
1910  he  was  elected  governor  of  Idaho,  filling  the  office  of  chief  executive  of  the 
state  for  two  years.  In  1912  he  was  defeated  for  a  second  term  as  governor  by 
less  than  one  thousand  votes  by  the  Hon.  John  M.  Haines.  He  was  several  times 
selected  as  candidate  for  the  United  States  senate  by  the  democrats  in  the  legis- 
lature and  in  1914  was  democratic  candidate  before  the  people  for  the  United 
States  senate,  being  defeated  by  J.  H.  Brady.  Since  leaving  the  office  of  governor 
he  has  occupied  no  public  position  save  in  connection  with  the  war  activities. 
He  had  charge  of  the  first  Red  Cross  drive  in  Idaho  and  was  state  director  of 
War  Savings  Stamps  drives  and  engaged  in  several  other  matters  of  that  kind. 
Upon  the  conclusion  of  his  term  as  governor  he  again  resumed  the  private  practice 
of  his  profession,  in  'which  he  is  actively  engaged  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Hawley  &  Hawley,  having  an  extensive  clientage  throughout  southern  Idaho.  He 
was  selected  by  the  state  authorities  in  1906  to  manage  in  behalf  of  the  state  the 
prosecution  growing  out  of  the  assassination  of  Governor  Steunenberg,  his  chief 
associate  in  these  cases  being  the  present  Senator  Borah.  For  the  past  forty  years 
he  has  been  connected  with  nearly  all  the  important  water  litigation  in  Idaho  and 
has  done  much  to  formulate  and  settle  the  law  on  this  important  subject.  In  this 
matter,  as  upon  other  subjects  to  which  his  attention  has  been  directed  in  the 
courts,  he  has  sought  not  only  to  win  the  case  being  tried  but  also  to  better  con- 
ditions in  the  future.  Since  his  admission  to  practice  he  has  always  occupied  a 
commanding  position  at  the  bar  and  has  twice  been  president  of  the  State  Bar 
Association  of  Idaho. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1875,  at  Quartzburg,  Boise  county,  Idaho,  Governor 
Hawley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bullock,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Bullock,  who  were  pioneers  of  Idaho,  arriving  in  Boise  county  in 
the  early  '60s  and  residing  there  throughout  the  period  of  early  development  in 
the  state.  Mrs.  Hawley  was  born  in  New  York  city,  and  passed  away  in  Boise 
in  1916.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  they  took  up  their  resjdence  at  Quartzburg 
but  in  1878  removed  to  Idaho  City,  then  the  county  seat,  following  Governor 
Hawley's  election  as  district  attorney  for  the  second  district.  In  1884  a  further 
removal  was  made  to  Hailey  and  from  that  city  to  Boise  in  1886.  Mrs.  Hawley 
was  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith 
and  are  now  communicants  of  that  church.  The  eldest  son,  Edgar  T.  Hawley, 
married  Jessie  Williams,  of  Spokane.  Jess  B.,  who  is  now  practicing  law  in  part- 
nership with  his  father,  married  Genevieve  Smith,  of  Boise.  Emma  C.  became 
the  wife  of  Reilley  Atkinson,  of  Boise.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  E.  W.  Tucker,  of 
Boise.~  James  H.,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Mary  Dunn,  of  Portland,  Oregon.  Harry  R., 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  now  a  student  in  the  George  Washington  University 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  other  children  are  all  residents  of  Boise.  Governor 
Hawley  now  has  eight  living  grandchildren,  four  being  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jess  B.  Hawley,  three  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atkinson,  while  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tucker  have  one  child.  That  patriotism  has  ever  been  a  marked  character- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  5 

• 

istic  of  the  family  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  the  eldest  son,  Edgar  T.  Hawley, 
served  in  the  Philippines  during  the  Spanish-American  war  as  lieutenant  of  the 
First  Idaho  Regiment  and  became  a  captain  in  the  aviation  service  of  the  World 
war.  The  second  son,  Jess  B.  Hawley,  was  prominently  Identified  with  the  war 
work  in  Idaho  and  the  third  son,  James  H.,  Jr.,  was  a  first  lieutenant  of  infantry 
in  the  conflict  with  Germany,  while  the  youngest  son,  Harry  R.  Hawley,  was  a 
sergeant  in  the  field  hospital  service.  The  sons  had  an  inspiring  example  in  the 
record  of  their  father,  whose  patriotism  and  Icyal  support  of  the  country  was 
manifested  not  only  in  the  early  days  of  Indian  fighting  but  throughout  his  entire 
career  in  his  unfaltering  support  of  all  those  interests  which  have  had  to  do  with 
the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth. 

Governor  Hawley  is  a  well  known  representative  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  was  exalted  ruler  of  Boise  Lodge, 
No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  K  .  in  1902  and  1903  and  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the 
work  of  the  organization  since  that  time.  He  is  also  a  past  grand  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  and  has  membership  in  the  University,  Country,  Commercial  and 
Boise  Rotary  Clubs  of  Boise  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  Club  of  New  York  city. 
By  reason  of  his  long  connection  with  the  state,  his  active  participation  in  the 
public  life  of  Idaho  and  in  many  of  the  most  important  business  enterprises  of  the  state 
for  many  years,  Governor  Alexander  when  called  upon  by  the  managers  of  the  great 
San  Francisco  Exposition  to  name  the  foremost  citizen  of  Idaho,  unhesitatingly  selected 
Governor  Hawley  for  that  honor. 


VERY  REV.  ALWARD  CHAMBERLAINS. 

The  Very  Rev.  Alward  Chamberlaine,  dean  of  St.  Michael's  Cathedral  in  Boise, 
was  born  in  Maryland,  December  17,  1870,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Henrietta  Maria  (White) 
Chamberlaine.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he  entered  into  business  life  at  an  early 
age  and  later  began  the  study  of  civil  engineering.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  Mr. 
Chamberlaine  made  an  extensive  trip  to  Europe  and  spent  many  mouths  in  travel  and 
study.  He  had  always  been  interested  in  religious  affairs,  having  served  as  choir  boy 
at  old  St.  Paul's  church  in  Baltimore  and  later  as  lay  reader  in  the  parish  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school.  It  was  his  work  along  these  lines  which  directed 
his  mind  to  the  ministry  and  led  him  ultimately  to  give  his  life  entirely  to  the  service 
of  the  church.  He-  became  a  postulant  under  Rev.  Dr.  J.  S.  B.  Hodges,  rector  of  St. 
Paul's  in  Baltimore,  and  was  enrolled  a  candidate  for  holy  orders  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Paret,  bishop  of  Maryland.  Mr.  Chamberlaine  entered  the  Virginia  Theological 
Seminary  at  Alexandria  and  in  1903  came  to  Idaho  as  missionary  of  the  Episcopal 
church  and  was  located  by  Bishop  Funsten  at  Montpelier,  with  missions  at  various 
other  places  in  Idaho  and  southwestern  Wyoming. 

On  the  1st  of  July.  1905,  Mr.  Chamberlaine  married  Miss  South  Williams,  of  Mary- 
land, and  brought  her  to  Idaho  as  his  bride.  On  June  3,  1906,  he  was  ordained  deacon 
in  St."  Michael's  Cathedral  of  Boise,  and  on  March  15,  1908,  was  ordained  priest  in 
St.  Paul's  church,  Blackfoot,  Idaho.  While  rector  of  St.  Paul's  in  Blackfoot,  Rey. 
Chamberlaine  also  hod  charge  of  the  Episcopal  Indian  Mission  School  at  Fort  Hall, 
St.  James  church  in  St.  Anthony,  Ascension  church  at  Twin  Falls  and  other  points. 

In  1908  the  bishop  placed  Rev.  Chamberlaine  as  rector  of  the  growing  work  in 
Twin  Falls  and  surrounding  towns.  Here  he  remained  for  two  years,  improving  the 
property,  building  up  the  strength  of  the  parish  and  acquiring  further  gains.  In  the 
summer  of  1910  he  received  an  urgent  call  from  Holy  Trinity  parish  of  Wallace,  Idaho. 
After  a  visit  to  that  city  he  decided  to  accept  the  call.  He  began  his  ministry  at  Wal- 
lace in  November,  1910,  and  extended  it  to  all  the  surrounding  points  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alenes.  A  fine,  new  church  at  Wallace  was  built  to  supplant  the  old  one  established 
twenty  years  before,  the  work  at  Wardner  was  revived,  the  parish  of  Emmanuel  was 
organized  at  Kellogg  and  a  beautiful  frame  church  erected,  and  the  work  at  Mullan 
and  Murray  was  strengthened. 

In  March,  1914,  Rev.  Chamberlaine  was  appointed  archdeacon  of  Boise,  with  super- 
vision of  all  the  missions  in  southwestern  Idaho,  which  position  he  held  until  he  was 
called  to  be  dean  of  St.  Michael's  Cathedral. 

At   the  seventh  annual  convocation  in  April,  1914,  Archdeacon  Chamberlaine  was 


6  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

elected  secretary  of  the  district  of  Idaho  and  reelected  each  year  until  1918,  when  he 
declined  further  election.  He  served  on  all  the  important  committees,  such  as  finance, 
missionary,  state  of  the  church,  Sunday  school,  etc.,  and  was  chairman  of  most  of 
them.  In  1916  he  became  president  of  the  Council  of  Advice,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  In  October,  1915r  he  was  elected  dean  of  St.  Michael's  Cathedral  and  experienced 
the  joy  of  raising  all  debt  upon  that  historic  structure  and  assisting  Bishop  Funsten 
and  Bishop  Tuttle  in  the  service  of  consecration  on  the  15th  of  September,  1918.  At 
the  convocation  of  1918  the  bishop  appointed  him  to  the  position  of  examining  chaplain 
for  the  district  of  Idaho. 

Dean  Chamberlaine  has  represented  the  church  in  Idaho  at  several  meetings  of 
the  provincial  synod  and  as  alternate  and  deputy  at  the  general  convention.  He  is 
the  author  of  the  Canons  of  the  District  of  Idaho,  A  Catechism  of  Church  History, 
Sermons,  and  Addresses. 

Dean  Chamberlaine  was  president  of  the  Ministerial  Association  of  Boise  during 
the  year  1917-1918;  was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Idaho  food  ad- 
ministration during  the  war  with  Germany,  and  served  on  all  the  Liberty  Loan  drives. 
He  has  recently  been  appointed  president  of  the  Idaho  committee  of  the  nation-wide 
survey  and  campaign  organized  by  the  Episcopal  church. 


TIMOTHY   REGAN. 

In  the  historic  canvas  painted  by  the  hand  of  time  the  harsher  lines  of  the  past 
are  softened,  the  hardships  and  privations  are  in  a  degree  blotted  out  and  events 
and  incidents  blend  into  a  harmonious  whole,  creating  the  annals  of  a  community 
or  the  record  of  an  individual.  The  historian  writes  of  the  picturesque  pioneer  days, 
but  one  who  has  lived  through  the  period  of  early  development  and  progress  knows 
that  back  of  the  steady  advancement  resulting  in  successful  accomplishment  there 
were  days  of  most  earnest  and  unremitting  toil  when  the  individual  was  denied  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  the  older  east  and  had  to  summon  all  his  resolution 
and  courage  to  meet  existing  conditions.  Through  this  period  passed  Timothy  Regan, 
and  starting  upon  his  career  in  the  northwest  empty  handed,  he  through  the  inherent 
force  of  his  character,  his  indomitable  energy,  his  unfaltering  perseverance  and  his 
keen  sagacity  reached  a  place  ambng  Boise's  wealthiest,  most  prominent  and  influ- 
ential men.  The  story  of  what  he  accomplished  should  serve  to  inspire  and  encour- 
age others,  showing  what  may  be  done  through  individual  effort.  He  reached  an  hon- 
ored old  age,  passing  away  October  7,  1919. 

Timothy  Regan  was  born  near  Rochester,  New  York,  on  the  14th  of  November. 
1843,  a  son  of  Morgan  and  Mary  (Burke)  Regan,  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  having 
been  born  in  Cork  and  the  latter  in  Dublin.  The  two  eldest  of  their  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, Helen  and  Mary,  were  born  in  Ireland  prior  to  the  year  1831,  when  the  parents 
emigrated  with  their  little  family  to  the  United  States.  The  elder  daughter,  now  Mrs. 
Helen  Partridge,  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years  and  makes 
her  home  in  Waukegan,  Illinois.  Eight  children  were  added  to  the  family  circle 
after  the  arrival  in  the  United  States  and  three  of  these  are  still  living,  namely:  Mrsv 
Katharine  Edwards,  of  Seattle;  Mathias  J.,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  and  Mrs.  Nona 
Lauderdale,  of  Tacoma,  Washington.  The  parents  lived  for  a  time  in  Maine  but  after- 
ward removed  to  New  York  and  thence  to  Chicago,  from  which  point  they  made  their 
way  to  a  farm  in  Wisconsin.  There  the  father  passed  away  in  1878,  while  the  mother 
survived  until  1897.  They  were  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  people 
of  the  highest  respectability. 

Amid  the  environment  of  the  Wisconsin  farm  Timothy  Regan  was  reared,  attend- 
ing the  district  schools,  at  which  time  the  curriculum  was  most  limited,  and  spending 
the  summer  months  in  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  started  out  independently  when  a 
youth  of  nineteen  and,  determining  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west,  he  sailed  from  New 
York  In  1864  with  California  as  his  destination.  He  traveled  by  the  Isthmus  route, 
reaching  Aspinwall,  now  Colon,  whence  he  crossed  Panama  by  rail  and  thence  pro- 
ceeded by  steamer  to  San  Francisco.  He  then  went  up  the  river  by  steamer  to  Sac- 
ramento, traveled  by  rail  to  Folsom  over  the  only  railroad  line  in  California  and  by 
stage  proceeded  to  Hangtown,  now  Placerville.  From  that  point  he  walked  to  Virginia 
City,  Nevada,  and  on  to  Dun  Glen,  where  he  spent  six  weeks  and  then  started  with  a 
wagon  train  of  ox  teams,  loaded  with  flour,  fruit  and  salt,  for  the  mines  of  Owyhee 


TIMOTHY  REGAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  9 

county,  Idaho.  Mr.  Regan  walked  all  the  way,  accompanied  by  four  or  five  members 
of  Price's  army.  Each  night  they  had  to  stand  guard  owing  to  possible  attacks  from 
the  Piute  or  the  Bannock  Indians.  On  one  occasion  they  had  to  march  all  night  in 
order  to  get  away  from  the  red  men.  On  arriving  at  Jordan  Valley,  Oregon,  in  early 
November  of  1864.  they  felt  that  danger  was  over  and  all  of  the  party  went  to  bed 
to  enjoy  a  good  night's  rest.  Before  morning  dawned,  however,  the  Indians  had  stolen 
their  entire  bunch  of  cattle,  which  they  never  recovered. 

The  following  morning  Mr.  Regan  started  to  walk  to  Silver  City.  A  soft  snow  l;iy 
upon  the  ground,  making  progress  difficult.  At  length  he  reached  Wagontown,  which 
contained  but  one  shack,  the  lone  occupant  of  which  was  a  jack  that  had  been  left 
there  because  it  could  go  no  further  through  the  snow.  Mr.  Regan  felt  unable  to  travel 
a  greater  distance  that  day  and  there  camped  for  the  night,  going  to  bed  without 
supper.  At  dawn  the  next  morning  he  set  out  for  Booneville,  where  he  arrived  in 
the  afternoon.  In  speaking  of  this  trip  he  said  he  always  recalled  the  plaintive  call 
of  distress  of  the  jack  as  it  echoed  through  the  canyon  when  he  proceeded  on  his  way. 
A  two  dollar  and  a  half  gold  piece  constituted  his  entire  capital  when  he  reached 
Booneville,  rendering  immediate  employment  a  necessity,  and  he  began  chopping  wood 
on  War  Eagle  mountain,  receiving  six  dollars  per  day  for  his  work,  the  wood  being 
furnished  to  the  Oro  Fino  mine.  From  that  period  forward  Mr.  Regan  was  for  many 
years  actively  connected  with  the  mining  interests  of  the  state.  He  accepted  the  work 
of  timbering  the  Oro  Fino  mine,  and  when  that  mine  became  insolvent  in  the  fall  of 
1866,  its  owners  were  indebted  to  Mr.  Regan  in  the  sum  of  nearly  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  no  cent  of  which  he  ever  collected.  Civilization  in  the  northwest  was  somewhat 
chaotic  in  those  days,  as  in  the  absence  of  courts  cud  lawyers  men  took  affairs  into 
their  own  hands  and  more  than  one  fight  was  staged  in  the  mining  districts. 
In  one  of  these  a  cannon  was  used  that  is  now  doing  duty  as  a  historical  relic  in 
Silver  City,  where  it  is  known  as  "Old  Grover."  Mr.  Regan  was  employed  for  some 
time  in  the  Poorman  mine  and  when  it  was  closed  down  in  fall  of  1866  he  joined 
with  five  others  in  organizing  a  wood  chopping  outfit,  being  employed  in  that  con- 
nection during  the  succeeding  winter.  In  the  winter  of  1868  he  was  in  Salt  Lake 
City  and  with  the  discovery  of  the  Ida  Elmore  mine  at  Silver  City  he  resumed  his 
activities  in  the  mining  region.  By  the  fall  of  that  year,  however,  he  decided  that  he 
wished  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
John  Callon  in  hauling  quartz  and  lumber  for  the  mines.  They  also  operated  a 
sawmill,  whipsawing  the  lumber,  which  sold  for  three  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars  per  thousand,  and  the  two  men  could  easily  saw  two  hundred  feet  a  day. 
Mr.  Regan  also  engaged  in  teaming,  being  thus  employed  until  1875,  when  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  Idaho  Hotel  at  Silver  City,  becoming  a  partner  of  Hosea 
Eastman,  whose  interest  in  the  business  he  bought  in  1877.  remaining  as  the  popular 
proprietor  of  that  hotel  until  1889.  In  the  meantime  events  were  shaping  themselves 
in  connection  with  the  mining  developments  of  the  northwest  that  brought  Mr.  Regan 
again  into  active  connection  with  mining  interests.  In  1875  the  failure  of  the  Bank 
of  California  caused  heavy  losses  to  the  miners  of  Silver  City  and  vicinity,  and  with 
the  adjustment  of  the  claims  of  the  creditors  the  Oro  Fino  finally  came  into  possession 
of  Mr.  Regan.  Careful  management  and  wise  investment  at  length  made  him  the 
owner  of  the  Ida  Elmore,  the  Golden  Chariot,  the  Minnesota,  the  South  Chariot  and 
the  Mahogany  mines,  which  he  afterward  sold  to  a  Philadelphia  company,  and  he 
also  had  a  two-fifths  interest  in  the  Stoddard  mine,  which  eventually  he  sold  to  the 
Delamar  company  for  eighty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  He  held  valuable 
mining  interests  in  Owyhee  county,  while  his  business  interests  at  Boise  were  exten- 
sive and  important.  He  was  the  president  of  the  Boise  Artesian  Hot  &  Cold  Water 
Company  and  the  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Overland  Company,  Limited. 
He  was  likewise  a  large  stockholder  in  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  and  was  one 
of  the  officers  and  stockholders  of  the  Weiser  Land  &  Improvement  Company.  In 
all  these  connections  he  displayed  sound  business  judgment  that  made  his  coopera- 
tion of  the  utmost  value  in  the  successful  management  of  the  corporations  indicated. 

In  1878  Mr.  Regan  was  married  to  Miss  Rose  Blackinger,  a  native  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  who  came  with  her  parents  by  wagon  t across  the  plains  in  1862,  living 
for  a  time  in  Oregon  and  then  removing  to  Ruby  Cfty,  Idaho,  where  she  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Regan,  who  sought  her  hand  in  marriage.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Lily  and  Harold,  deceased;  William  V.,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Boise;  and  Lieutenant  John  M.  Regan,  who  gave  his  life  in  the  cause 


10  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  world  democracy  in  the  recent  great  European  war  and  who  is  mentioned  at 
length  elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  Regan  home,  a  palatial  residence  built  in  colonial 
style,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Boise.  It  is  finished  throughout  in  hardwood  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  broad  lawn  adorned  with  beautiful  flowers  and  stately  trees. 

One  of  the  local  papers,  writing  of  Mr.  Regan,  said:  "Timothy  Regan  is  the 
ripe  flower  and  fruitage  of  Idaho  pioneer  days.  He  is  one  of  the  Argonauts  who 
have  blazed  the  trails  and  helped  lay  here  the  foundations  of  an  empire.  Simple  as 
a  child  in  his  tastes,  easily  approached,  bearing  his  honors  and  the  prestige  his  well 
earned  wealth  give  him,  meekly,  a  firm  and  unfailing  friend,  a  generous  but  vigilant 
enemy,  in  charities  abundant,  he  passes  down  the  golden  slope  towards  the  sunset, 
and  when,  at  last,  he  goes  over  the  'Great  Divide,'  he  will  leave  behind  the  memory 
of  a  life  well  and  nobly  lived  and  his  name  will  be  carved  high  on  the  marble  shaft 
of  Idaho's  heroic  pioneers." 

A  little  time  after  those  words  were  written,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1919,  Timothy 
Regan  passed  away,  having  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  his  death  undoubt- 
edly being  hastened  through  the  deep  grief  which  he  felt  over  the  death  of  his 
son  on  one  of  the  battlefields  of  Europe.  When  the  final  summons  came  there  were 
hundreds  who  paid  tribute  to  his  memory,  commenting  on  the  integrity  of  his  char- 
acter, his  high  purposes,  his  generosity  and  his  loyalty  to  the  ideals  which  he  ever 
kept  before  him.  Abraham  Lincoln  said:  "There  is  something  better  than  making 
a  living — making  a  life."  While  Timothy  Regan  won  wealth,  it  was  only  one  aim  of 
his  career,  for  he  never  forgot  his  obligations  to  his  fellowmen,  his  country  or  his 
church.  He  indeed  "made  a  life"  that  should  serve  as  a  source  of  inspiration  and 
encouragement  to  all  who  knew  him  and  an  example  for  those  who  follow. 


SAMUEL  W.   DENNIS. 

Samuel  W.  Dennis  is  a  well  known  representative  of  journalism  in  Idaho,  being  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Dennis  &  Snyder,  publishers  of  the  Idaho  Palls  Times.  He  was 
born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  January,  1867,  a  son  of  O.  H.  and  Ardella  (Fogleman) 
Dennis,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  North  Carolina. 
Her  parents  made  the  journey  across  the  country  to  the  Hoosier  state  by  team  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  hewed  out  a  farm,  experiencing  all  of  the  hardships  of 
pioneer  life  and  spending  their  remaining  days  in  that  locality.  It  was  the  father 
of  O.  H.  Dennis  who  built  the  second  cabin  on  White  river,  near  Indianapolis.  He 
had  journeyed  across  the  country  by  team  from  Pennsylvania  and  there  in  the  midst 
of  a  large  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land  he  too  developed  a  farm  and  made  his  home 
thereon.  He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  William  Henry  Harrison.  O.  H.  Dennis  like- 
wise followed  agricultural  pursuits  but  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  put  aside  all  busi- 
ness and  personal  considerations  and  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Seventy- 
ninth  Indiana  Infantry.  He  served  under  two  enlistments,  for  on  one  occasion  he 
was  obliged  to  return  home  on  account  of  sickness.  He  later  reenlisted  and  served 
until  he  was  injured  at  Lookout  Mountain  in  the  battle  above  the  clouds.  He  then 
returned  to  his  home  in  Plainfield,  Indiana,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his 
death  occurring  in  August.  1904.  He  had  for  several  years  survived  his  wife,  who 
passed  away  in  1900. 

Samuel  W.  Dennis  was  reared  and  educated  in  Indianapolis  and  Plainfield,  Indiana, 
a  suburb  of  the  capital  city.  He  there  learned  the  printer's  trade  and  in  February, 
1890,  he  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  west,  making  his  way  to  -Eagle  Rock  in  the 
territory  of  Idaho,  which  town  afterward  became  Idaho  Falls.  There  he  established 
the  Idaho  Falls  Times  and  still  has  one  of  the  old  presses  as  a  relic  of  his  first  print- 
ing venture.  He  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper  for  two  years  but  at  the  end 
of  that  time  suffered  losses  that  caused  him  to  direct  his  efforts  into  other  channels. 
He  filed  on  land,  securing  a  quarter  section  a  mile  from  the  city,  and  has  since  greatly 
developed  and  improved  this  property,  which  was  a  tract  of  sagebrush  when  it  came 
into  his  possession,  the  brush  growing  to  such  a  height  that  a  horse  would  be  hidden 
in  passing  through  it.  Mr.  Dennis  continued  the  development  and  operation  of  his 
farm  until  1915,  when  he  rented  the  ranch  and  returned  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  W.  S.  Snyder  in  the  purchase  of  the  paper  which  he  had 
some  years  before  established.  The  firm  of  Dennis  &  Snyder  has  since  continued  the 
publication  of  the  Idaho  Falls  Times  arid  have  made  it  a  most  attractive  journal 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  11 

•devoted  to  local  interests  and  to  the  dissemination  of  general  news.  Moreover,  Mr. 
Dennis  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  and  best  Improved  ranches  In  this  county. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1896,  Mr.  Dennis  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  F.  Smith,  a 
native  of  Macedon,  New  York,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 
Samuel  J.,  who  has  recently  been  discharged  from  the  United  States  navy,  enlisted 
in  April,  1917,  and  the  government  put  him  through  an  electrical  school  at  Mare 
island.  He  afterward  entered  the  Westinghousa  Electrical  School  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  school  he  hopes  to  graduate.  Harrison  is  attending  the 
University  of  Washington  at  Seattle,  to  which  city  he  went  to  enter  the  naval  training 
school,  but  the  plan  for  instruction  of  that  character  fell  through  and  he  entered  upon 
a  five  year  law  course.  The  other  children  of  the  family  are  Burr,  Joseph,  Betsey, 
William  and  Charles,  twins,  John,  Thomas,  Dossie  and  Seth. 

Mr.  Dennis  has  devoted  considerable  time  to  political  activity  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  state  democratic  central  committee  for  the  past  four  years.  His  opinions 
carry  weight  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  Idaho  and  he  has  done  not  a  little  to  shape 
public  thought  and  action  along  political  lines.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
in  which  he  has  attained  high  rank,  being  now  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
stands  for  progress  and  improvement  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  public  life  of  the 
community  and  has  made  his  paper  the  champion  of  every  plan  and  measure  for  the 
general  good.  At  the  same  time  he  is  a  most  enterprising  and  progressive  business 
man  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  modern  newspaper  plant  and  a  fine  ranch,  on  which 
he  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Duroc-Jersey  and  Poland  China  hogs. 


LUCIEN  P.  McCALLA,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Lucien  P.  McCalla,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Alcorn  county, 
Mississippi,  August  23,  1865,  his  parents  being  James  Moore  and  Anne  Eliza  (Irion) 
McCalla.  The  father,  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  was  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Virginia,  and  later  completed  the  courses  both  in  medicine  and  in  law  at  the  same 
university.  Ill  health,  however,  largely  prevented  his  active  practice  of  either  profes- 
sion and  influenced  him  to  devote  his  attention  more  largely  to  interests  that  would 
keep  him  out-of-doors.  He  therefore  took  up  stock  raising  and  the  last  days  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  the  Vicinity  of  Corinth,  Mississippi,  where  he  passed  away  in  1878, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  He  was  not  only  well  versed  in  the  professions  of  law 
and  of  medicine  but  was  also  a  distinguished  linquist.  He  exerted,  too,  a  strongly 
marked  influence  over  political  thought  and  action  in  the  south  but  would  never  con- 
sent to  become  a  candidate  for  office,  although  frequently  urged  to  enter  the  race  for 
congressional  honors.  At  the  time  of  growing  disquiet  in  the  south  over  the  subject 
of  secession  he  strongly  opposed  the  attitude  of  the  southern  states  and  was  most 
earnest  in  his  advocacy  of  the  Union  cause  and  heartily  approved  of  the  vigorous 
policies  of  President  Lincoln,  of  whom  he  was  a  most  ardent  admirer.  This  made  for 
a  certain  degree  of  unpopularity  with  him  among  his  friends  and  neighbors,  but  he 
never  faltered  in  a  course  which  he  believed  to  be  right.  His  wife  was  greatly  loved 
for  her  many  acts  of  kindness  and  benevolence  during  that  trying  period.  Born  in 
western  Tennessee,  her  last  days  were  spent  in  Texas,  where  she  passed  away  in  1888, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

Dr.  McCalla  was  the  tenth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  that  numbered  seven  sons 
and  four  daughters,  most  of  whom  reached  adult  age.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  state  he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  Tulane  University  of  New 
Orleans  and,  having  determined  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  life  work,  he  then 
began  preparation  for  the  profession  in  the  medical  department  of  Washington  Univer- 
sity at  St.  Louis.  Upon  his  graduation  in  1888  he  received  his  professional  degree 
and  at  once  entered  upon  active  practice  in  central  Texas,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years.  At  later  periods  he  did  post-graduate  work  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University 
of  Baltimore,  which  he  attended  for  two  years,  and  in  leading  medical  universities 
of  England,  Austria  and  Germany.  On  leaving  central  Texas  he  removed  to  Trinidad, 
Colorado,  where  he  spent  two  years  in  active  practice,  while  through  an  equal  period 
he  followed  his  profession  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

In  April,  1898,  Dr.  McCalla  became  a  resident  of  Boise,  where  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed, and  he  readily  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  eminent  surgeons  of  the  north- 
west, displaying  marked  ability  in  that  branch  of  professional  activity.  He  has  always 


12  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

kept  abreast  with  the  trend  of  modern  scientific  thought  and  investigation  and  has 
greatly  broadened  his  knowledge  through  the  interchange  of  ideas  in  the  Ada  County 
Medical  Society,  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society,  the  Southern  Medical  Society  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  Of  the  second  and  third  mentioned  he  has  been 
honored  with  the  presidency  and  for  six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Idaho  state 
board  of  medical  examiners,  while  for  thirteen  years  he  served  on  the  pension  exam- 
ining board  for  Ada  county  and  was  also  chosen  president  thereof. 

Dr.  McCalla  was  married  August  23,  1894,  in  Taylor,  Texas,  to  Miss  Cecelia 
McDonald,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Michael  McDonald. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  McCalla  have  a  son,  Randolph,  who  spent  two  years  at  Harvard  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Georgetown  University  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  the  medical 
department  of  Columbia  University;  and  a  daughter,  Eileen,  who  attended  St.  Theresa 
Academy  in  Boise  and  was  graduated  from  the  Georgetown  convent,  Washington,  D. 
C.,  and  later  studied  music  in  New  York,  being  an  exceptional  harpist  and  vocalist. 
The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church  and  fraternally  the 
Doctor  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  political 
allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  republican  party,  with  ready  recognition  of 
the  duties  and  obligations  as  well  as  the  privileges  of  citizenship.  Public  honors  and 
emoluments,  however,  have  had  no  attraction  for  him,  as  he  has  ever  felt  that  there 
is  no  higher  service  which  an  individual  can  render  mankind  than  through  the  capable 
and  conscientious  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  in  his  professional  work  he 
has  ever  held  to  the  highest  ideals. 


HOSEA  B.  EASTMAN. 

Before  Idaho  was  organized  as  a  territory  Hosea  B.  Eastman  took  up  his  abode 
within  its  borders  and  for  many  years  he  remained  a  most  active  and  prominent  factor 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  capital  city.  Every  phase  of  pioneer  life  is  familiar  to  him. 
All  of  the  hardships  and  privations  occasioned' by  remoteness  from  the  advantages 
of  the  older  civilization  of  the  east,  also  the  Indian  fighting  in  an  effort  to  plant 
the  seeds  of  civilization  on  the  western  frontier  and  in  fact  every  form  of  activity 
that  led  at  length  to  the  establishment  of  the  great  empire  of  the  northwest,  are  to 
him  not  a  matter  of  hearsay  or  of  history  but  a  matter  of  actual  experience.  He 
came  to  be  one  of  the  most  forceful  factors  in  the  financial  and  commercial  development 
of  Boise,  where  he  took  up  his  abode  in  1863,  and  just  as  his  ancestors  aided  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  civilization  upon  the  Atlantic  coast,  he  has  borne  his  full  share  in  the 
work  of  development  upon  the  Pacific  coast. 

Mr.  Eastman  is  a  native  of  Whitefield,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  born  in  the  year 
1835  and  is  descended  from  a  family  that  was  founded  on  American  soil  in  early 
colonial  days,  when  this  country  was  still  numbered  among  the  possessions  of  Great 
Britain.  His  grandfather,  Ebenezer  Eastman,  was  numbered  among  tfie  colonial 
troops  that  fought  for  the  independence  of  the  nation.  Following  the  surrender  of 
Lord  Cornwallis  he  returned  to  his  home  and  devoted  his  attention  to  the  occupation  of 
farming.  Among  his  children  was  Caleb  Eastman,  father  of  Hosea  B.  Eastman. 

The  last  named  spent  his  youthful  days  upon  a  New  England  farm  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  but  the  opportunities  of  the  west  attracted 
him  when  he  was  a  young  man  and  in  1862,  he  crossed  the  continent,  taking  up  his  abode 
in  Idaho,  although  the  territory  was  not  yet  created.  The  following  year,  however, 
Idaho  came  into  existence  and  at  that  time  embraced  the  greater  part  of  the  states  of 
Montana  and  Wyoming.  It  was  on  the  21st  of  October,  1862,  that  Mr.  Eastman,  ac- 
companied by  his  brother,  Benjamin  Manson,  sailed  from  New  York  city  and  at  Aspin- 
wall  they  started  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  thence  made  their  way  up  the 
Pacific  coast  to  California.  For  a  brief  period  they  were  connected  with  ranching  in 
that  state  and  in  1862,  with  a  thirty  mule  pack  train,  started  for  Canyon  City,  Oregon. 
A  few  months  later  Hosea  B.  Eastman  was  at  Silver  City,  Idaho,  where  he  gave  his 
attention  to  mining  for  a  number  of  years,  mining  and  milling  some  of  the  first  gold 
quartz  ever  sold  in  the  state.  The  journey  to  Idaho  had  been  made  with  a  company 
of  adventurous  miners,  who  traveled  on  snowshoes  from  Canyon  City,  Oregon,  to 
Auburn.  While  en  route  they  lost  their  way  and  for  several  days  Mr.  Eastman  had 
no  food  save  bacon  rinds  that  had  been  retained  to  rub  on  the  bottoms  of  the  snow- 
shoes  to  keep  them  free  from  packed  snow.  At  Silver  City  the  brothers,  H.  B.  and 


HOSEA  B.  EASTMAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  15 

B.  M.  Eastman,  owned  and  conducted  the  old  Idaho  Hotel  for  a  number  of  years  and 
on  disposing  of  that  property  came  to  Boise,  where  they  purchased  the  old-time  Over- 
land Hotel,  long  one  of  the  best  known  hostelries  of  the  west. 

Before  coming  to  Boise,  however,  Mr.  Eastman  had  taken  part  in  various  fights 
with  the  Indians  and  on  one  occasion,  at  the  time  of  the  South  Mountain  fight,  he 
was  wounded.  He  felt  that  the  bullet  should  be  removed,  but  there  was  no  one  to 
undertake  this  task.  He  insisted  that  a  hospital  steward,  who  knew  nothing  of  surgery, 
should  do  it.  The  man  at  first  refused,  but  Mr.  Eastman  insisted,  placed  himself  on  a 
small  table  and  without  any  anaesthetic  permitted  the  crude  probing  by  means  of 
which  the  bulh  t  was  finally  extracted.  He  and  four  companions  had  stood  out  against 
a  band  of  more  than  three  hundred  Indians.  It  was  in  such  ways  that  the  courage  and 
valor  of  Mr.  Eastman  and  other  heroic  pioneers  was  continually  manifest. 

Removing  to  Boise,  Mr.  Eastman  became  a  prominent  factor  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  city,  with  which  he  has  been  connected  in  many  ways  and  through 
many  years.  He  took  up  his  abode  in  the  city  when  it  was  a  small  and  inconsequential 
village.  He  aided  its  advancement  in  every  possible  way  and  as  the  years  passed  he- 
came  a  dominant  figure  in  its  business  circles,  connected  with  many  commercial  and 
financial  enterprises  which  have  had  to  do  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  capital  and  the 
establishment  of  its  high  civic  standards.  He  became  the  president  of  the  Pacific  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Boise  and  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  City  National 
Bank.  When  the  old  Overland  Hotel,  which  was  long  a  popular  hostelry  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Eastman,  was  torn  down  he  erected  upon  that  site  the  Overland 
office  building,  one  of  the  fine  structures  of  the  city,  and  remained  president  of  the 
company  owning  the  building  for  an  extended  period.  He  was  the  general  manager 
of  the  Boise  Artesian  Hot  and  Cold  Water  Company  and  installed  the  first  water 
system  in  the  old  Overland  Hotel.  It  was  this  company  that  also  built  the  great 
Natatorium  on  Warm  Springs  avenue  in  Boise.  He  became  a  prominent  factor  in  the 
ownership  and  conduct  of  an  extensive  hardware  business  conducted  under  the  -name 
of  the  Eastman  &  Teller  Hardware  Company,  of  which  he  was  vice  president  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  until  the  business  was  sold  on  the  1st  of  August,  1912. 

While  a  resident  of  Silver  City,  Mr.  Eastman  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Blackinger,  who  shared  with  him  in  all  of  the  privations  and  hardships  incident 
to  the  struggles  of  the  early  days  and  also  lived  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  later  pros- 
perity. To  them  were  born  two  sons.  Frank  M.,  who  was  born  May  30,  1878,  attended 
the  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  and  afterward  completed  the  full 
literary  course  in  Yale  University,  where  he  won  the  Bachelor's  degree.  He  passed 
away  May  5,  1912.  The  younger  son,  Ben  Sherman  Eastman,  was  born  in  Boise  and, 
like  his  brother,  attended  the  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  while  later  he  entered 
Yale  and  completed  the  scientific  course  in  that  institution,  being  graduated  as  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1902,  on  which  occasion  the  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  degree  was 
bestowed  upon  him. 

Such  in  brief  is  the  life  history  of  Hosea  B.  Eastman,  a  man  whom  to  know  is 
to  esteem  and  honor.  For  much  more  than  half  a  century  he  has  resided  in  Boise  and 
there  is  no  phase  of  development  and  progress  in  the  northwest  with  which  he  is  not 
thoroughly  familiar.  At  all  times  he  has  borne  his  share  in  the  work  of  development 
and  improvement  and  has  met  the  changing  conditions,  ready  for  any  emergency  and 
for  any  opportunity.  The-e  are  no  esoteric  phases  in  his  entire  career,  nothing 
sinister  and  nothing  to  conceal.  He  has  been  straightforward  in  all  of  his  business 
relations,  has  stood  loyally  by  his  honest  convictions  and  in  the  development  of  his 
business  affairs  has  employed  constructive  methods  that  have  made  his  efforts  a 
feature  in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  community  as  well  as  a  factor  in  the 
promotion  of  his  own  fortunes. 


GUY  Q.  SUNDBERG. 

Guy  Q.  Sundberg,  now  a  deputy  examiner  in  the  state  department  of  finance,  to 
which  he  was  appointed  on  March  1,  1920,  by  Commissioner  C.  B.  Walker,  was  formerly 
deputy  county  clerk,  recorder  and  auditor  of  Madison  county  and  makes  his  home  at 
Rexburg.  He  was  born  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  March  13,  1894,  his  parents  being  An- 
drew F.  and  Hannah  M.  (Broberg)  Sundberg,  who  were  natives  of  Sweden.  They  came 
to  America  with  their  respective  parents  in  childhood,  crossing  the  Atlantic  about  1865. 


16  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

The  Sundberg  family  settled  first  in  Chicago,  where  they  lived  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  followed  that  business  in  Chicago  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  McCormick  Company  for  a  considerable  period.  He  afterward  went  to 
Utah  and  settled  at  Pleasant  Grove  after  a  short  residence  in  Salt  Lake.  He  pur- 
chased property  at  Pleasant  Grove,  where  he  has  since  worked  at  his  trade,  thus  being 
actively  identified  with  building  operations  in  that  locality.  His  wife  is  also  living. 

Guy  Q.  Sundberg  was  reared  and  educated  in  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  where  he 
attended  high  school,  and  later  he  became  a  student  in  Ricks  Academy  at  Rexburg, 
Idaho.  He  then  took  up  bookkeeping  and  clerical  work  and  for  six  months  was  con- 
nected with  the  railway  mail  service.  After  finishing  his  education  he  remained  in 
Rexburg  and  on  the  18th  of  September,  1917,  he  joined  the  United  States  army.  On 
the  6th  of  July,  1918,  he  was  sent  to  France,  whence  he  returned  on  the  28th  of  April, 
1919.  His  service  was  of  a  most  active  character,  for  he  was  in  the  St.  Mihiel,  Ypres- 
Lys  and  Argonne  offensives,  but  while  he  had  several  narrow  escapes  he  was  never, 
injured,  although  on  one  occasion  his  field  glasses  were  smashed  by  a  piece  of  shell. 
The  glasses  were  hanging  against  his  stomach,  showing  how  narrow  was  his  escape. 
Twice  the  pack  on  his  back  was  pierced  by  enemy  bullets,  so  that  he  had  several  close 
calls.  He  was  cited  for  cool  and  courageous  conduct  under  heavy  shell  fire.  At  the 
beginning  of  his  service  he  was  made  mess  sergeant,  later  became  platoon  sergeant, 
subsequently  first  sergeant,  and  during  the  last  three  months  of  his  military  experi- 
ence was  battalion  sergeant  major.  He  was  mustered  out  May  13,  1919,  at  Camp  Lewis, 
Washington.  He  then  returned  to  Rexburg  and  on  the  15th  of  May  was  appointed 
deputy  county  clerk,  recorder  and  auditor. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  1917,  Mr.  Sundberg  was  married  to  Miss  Wanda  Ovard  and 
one  child  was  born  to  them  just  before  Mr.  Sundberg  sailed  for  France — Guy  W., 
whose  birth  occurred  May  15,  1918.  He  was  the  first  child  born  in  Madison  county 
whose  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  World  war. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Sundberg  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  the  republican  party.  He  is 
a  progressive  and  energetic  young  man,  alert  and  enterprising,  and  in  civic  office  is 
making  the  same  excellent  record  which  distinguished  him  as  a  soldier  in  some  of 
the  fiercest  struggles  of  the  great  World  war. 


HON.   WILLIAM   McKENDREE   MORGAN. 

Hon.  William  McKendree  Morgan,  who  in  January,  1919,  became  chief  justice  of 
the  supreme  court  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  December 
2,  1869,  a  son  of  John  Milton  and  Mary  (Gooding)  Morgan.  The  father,  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  is  now  living  retired  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  15,  1837,  and  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
His  wife  was  born  at  Warsaw,  Illinois,  May  12,  1840,  and  their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated on  the  22d  of  August,  1862.  Mrs.  Morgan's  ancestors  had  also  been  residents  of 
Kentucky,  so  that  in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  the  Judge  is  descended 
from  old  families  of  that  state.  His  mother  passed  away  in  1907,  survived  by  her 
husband,  a  daughter  and  two  sons.  The  daughter,  Belle,  is  now  the  wife  of  John 
Russell,  of  Van  Nuys,  California.  The  sons,  William  M.  and  Albert  L.,  have  both 
become  members  of  the  bar,  the  latter  practicing  at  Moscow,  Idaho.  He  is  five  years 
the  junior  of  Judge  Morgan,  who  is  a  stalwart  democrat,  while  the  younger  brother  is 
equally  strong  in  his  advocacy  of  republican  principles.  The  brothers  were  law  part- 
ners until  January  1,  1915,  when  the  older  brother  was  elected  to  the  supreme  bench. 
But  although  closely  associated  in  their  professional  and  social  interests,  they  held 
to  extremely  opposite  political  views  and  during  campaigns  each  worked  earnestly  to 
support  the  principles  in  which  he  had  avowed  his  belief,  making  many  campaign 
addresses  throughout  the  state. 

When  Judge  Morgan  was  but  nine  months  old  his  parents,  in  1870,  removed  to 
Crawford  county,  Kansas,  locating  on  a  farm  near  the  present  site  of  Pittsburg,  that 
state,  although  the  city  had  not  then  come  into  existence.  In  1881  the  family  removed 
to  Bourbon  county,  Kansas,  and  the  Judge  spent  his  early  life  upon  Kansas  farms. 
His  preliminary  education  was  acquired  in  the  country  schools  and  later  he  attended 
the  Kansas  Normal  College  at  Fort  Scott.  In  1890,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he  set 
out  to  win  a  fortune  in  the  far  west.  Making  his  way  to  Idaho,  he  located  at  Moscow 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  17 

and  secured  employment  on  ranches  in  that  vicinity.  During  the  winter  of  1890-91  he 
took  up  the  study  of  law  and  on  the  9th  of  October,  1894,  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  been  called  to  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  of  Latah  county, 
serving  in  that  position  from  the  1st  of  January,  1893,  until  1895,  when  he  began 
practice  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  his  legal  work.  At  various  times,  how- 
ever, he  has  been  called  upon  for  important  public  service.  He  was  from  1897  until 
1899  a  member  of  the  Idaho  legislature  and  in  1906  was  elected  mayor  of  Moscow  for 
a  two  years'  term.  In  1911  he  was  again  called  upon  for  legislative  work  and  as  a 
democrat  was  the  minority  leader  in  the  house  until  1913.  In  1897  he  was  appointed 
private  secretary  to  Henry  Heitfeld,  United  States  senator,  and  continued  in  that  posi- 
tion for  five  years  or  until  1902,  spending  most  of  the  period  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
While  thus  engaged  he  pursued  a  course  in  the  law  department  of  Georgetown  Univer- 
sity of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  in  1899  the  degree  of  Master  of  Laws  was  con- 
ferred upon  him.  That  he  has  won  prominence  and  distinguished  honors  at  the  bar 
is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  in  1914  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  Idaho  supreme 
court  and  by  natural  rotation  became  chief  justice  on  the  1st  of  January,  1919.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  Association  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  eminent 
attorneys  and  jurists  of  the  northwest. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1895,  Judge  Morgan  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  May  Fried- 
line,  then  a  resident  of  Moscow,  Idaho,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Pearl  and  Grace. 
The  former  is  a  senior  in  the  Idaho  State  University,  while  the  latter  is  attending 
high  school.  The  second  child  of  the  family  was  a  son,  Arthur  Percival,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  months. 

Fraternally  Judge  Morgan  is  connected  with  Moscow  Lodge,  No.  249,  B.  P.  O.  E., 
of  which  he  is  a  past  exalted  ruler,  and  he  likewise  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  Such  interests,  however,  have  always  been  subsidiary  to  his  law  practice  and 
his  important  public  service.  He  wears  his  honors  with  becoming  modesty,  but  his 
position  is  established  by  the  consensus  of  public  opinion,  which  accords  him  high 
rank  as  a  representative  of  the  Idaho  bench  and  bar. 


MISS  BERTHA  L.  ATKIN. 

Miss  Bertha  L.  Atkin,  of  Pocatello,  superintendent  of  schools,  was  born  In  Pe- 
toskey,  Michigan,  in  1884.  Her  parents,  who  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
have  both  passed  away.  Their  family  numbered  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom 
are  yet  living:  Edith  I.,  now  a  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  Normal  University  of 
Normal,  Illinois;  Albert  S.;  Ina  E.;  Louis  H.;  Bertha  L.;  Charles  W.;  Mabel  G., 
deceased;  Leon  R.;  Walter  K.;  Arthur  William;  and  Marjorie  E. 

Miss  Atkin  of  this  review  pursued  her  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
her  native  city  and  passed  through  consecutive  grades  to  her"  graduation  from  the 
high  school.  She  then  taught  in  the  country  schools  for  two  years,  after  which  sh« 
became  a  pupil  in  the  normal  school  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  and  then  devoted  three 
years  to  teaching  in  Petoskey.  Hearing  of  the  greater  possibilities  of  the  west  and 
especially  of  Idaho,  she  came  to  this  state  in  order  to  fulfill  her  ambition  and  desire 
for  greater  things.  She  arrived  in  Pocatello  in  1909  and  immediately  began  teaching 
in  the  graded  schools  of  this  city.  At  the  expiration  of  five  years,  or  in  1914,  she 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  district  superintendent  of  schools  of  the  state  of  Idaho. 
Upon  election  she  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  of  her  predecessor  and  was  returned 
to  office  in  1916.  She  had  as  an  assistant  Miss  Delia  Cooper,  who  has  been  a  teacher 
in  Bannock  and  Oneida  counties  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Agricultural  College  of 
Utah  at  Logan.  She  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  distinguished  families  of 
Idaho,  her  father  having  been  for  two  terms  sheriff  of  Bannock  county  and  a  well 
known  pioneer  settler. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Miss  Atkin  has  had  the  assistance  of  Miss  Cooper 
in  her  work,  most  heavy  responsibilities  and  duties  have  devolved  upon  her.  She  has 
had  one  hundred  and  sixty  teachers  under  her  supervision  and  besides  it  has  been 
her  duty  to  disseminate  various  forms  of  knowledge  and  information  throughout  the 
country  schools  and  also  to  have  the  country  school  children  furnish  a  census  of  the 
agricultural  districts  and  report  to  her.  Because  of  added  duties  and  responsibilities 
she  found  it  impossible  to  give  the  proper  attention  to  the  visiting  of  country  schools 
and  teachers  which  is  a  part  of  the  work  of  a  school  superintendent  of  the  state  of 
vol.  ir—  2 


18  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Idaho.  Miss  Atkin  feels  that  these  conditions  will  no  doubt  be  changed  in  the 
future,  for  the  work  as  at  present  outlined  is  more  than  can  be  successfully  accom- 
plished by  any  one  incumbent.  On  the  expiration  of  her  term  she  took  over  the 
Atkin  Floral  Store,  which  had  been  conducted  by  her  sister,  Mabel  G.,  until  her  death. 
Her  work  has  indeed  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  district  which  she  has  served  as 
superintendent  and  to  the  schools  in  which  she  has  been  a  teacher. 

Miss  Atkin  is  a  lady  of  dignified  but  of  genial  manner  who  easily  wins  the  co- 
operation of  teachers  and  pupils.  She  was  chairman  of  the  Junior  Red  Cross,  an 
association  formed  for  the  purpose  of  sending  out  tracts,  booklets,  pamphlets  and 
bulletins  in  relation  to  the  war  and  the  many  problems  incident  thereto.  She  keeps 
in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  thought  and  especially  with  all  that  has  to  do 
with  educational  interests,  and  her  life  has  been  one  of  great  activity  and  usefulness. 


JOHN  LEMP. 

John  Lemp,  winning  his  initial  success  in  Boise  in  the  brewery  business,  extended 
his  efforts  into  other  fields  and  became  a  most  successful  investor  in  real  estate  and  the 
promoter  of  irrigation  interests  of  great  value  to  the  district  in  which  he  operated. 
While  he  started  out  in  the  business  world  empty-handed,  he  came  to  be  known  as 
one  of  the  men  of  affluence  in  Boise  and,  moreover,  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  resided 
for  a  continuous  period  in  the  city  longer  than  any  other  of  its  residents.  Many  phases 
of  Idaho's  development  and  progress  were  perfectly  familiar  to  him  and  in  substantial 
measure  he  contributed  to  the  work  of  upbuilding  along  material  lines. 

John  Lemp  was  born  in  Neiderweisel,  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  April  21,  1838, 
his  parents  being  John  Jacob  and  Anna  Elizabeth  (Jung)  Lemp.  He  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen 
years.  He  was  a  lad  of  twelve  when  his  father  died  and  his  mother,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  came  to  Boise,  where  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 
John  Lemp,  on  reaching  the  age  of  fourteen,  started  for  the  new  world,  having  deter- 
mined to  try  his  fortune  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  It  was  in  1852  that  he  landed 
at  New  York,  whence  he  made  his  way  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he  resided  for 
seven  years,  largely  devoting  that  time  to  clerking  in  one  of  the  leading  mercantile 
establishments  of  the  city.  Attracted  by  gold  discoveries  in  California,  he  started  for 
Pike's  Peak  in  1859  and  there  engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  but  without  any 
large  measure  of  success.  With  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Montana,  then  a  part  of  Idaho 
territory,  he  traveled  to  that  state  in  a  company  of  which  William  A.  Claftt,  after- 
ward United  States  senator  from  Montana  and  one  of  America's  most  prominent  cap- 
italists, was  of  the  number.  After  they  had  reached  a  point  within  the  present 
boundaries  of  Idaho  Mr.  Clark  and  his  companions  proceeded  to  Bannock,  Montana, 
while  Mr.  Lemp  and  others  continued  the  journey  to  West  Branch,  now  Boise,  Idaho, 
where  they  arrived  July  8,  1863.  They  found  a  little  frontier  settlement  composed  of 
a  postoffice  and  a  few  dwellings,  together  with  a  smaller  group  of  business  houses  of 
most  primitive  character.  Mr.  Lemp  soon  went  from  Boise  to  Idaho  City  but  after 
a  brief  period  there  passed,  returned  to  the  future  capital  of  the  state  and  remained  a 
resident  thereof  until  his  demise.  In  the  early  '70s  he  established  a  brewery  in  South 
Mountain,  then  a  mining  camp,  and  for  a  teacup  of  gold  dust  purchased  a  small  and 
thoroughly  equipped  brewery  in  Boise.  He  built  what  was  then  considered  an  ex- 
tensive brewery  and  from  time  to  time  remodeled  the  plant  and  increased  its  facilities 
in  order  to  meet  the  growing  demands  of  the  trade.  As  he  prospered  in  this  under- 
taking he  made  investments  in  Idaho  real  estate,  his  judgment  proving  most  sound  in 
the  placing  of  his  purchases.  It  was  largely  the  increase  in  real  estate  values  that  made 
him  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  his  adopted  state.  His  land  holdings  included  more 
than  five  thousand  acres  and  he  also  had  extensive  and  valuable  properties  in  Boise, 
adding  to  the  development  and  beauty  of  the  city  through  the  improvements  which 
he  placed  upon  his  land.  He  erected  and  owned  the  Capitol  Hotel  building  and  the 
Shainwald  block,  also  built  many  residences  and  business  blocks  and  transformed  un- 
sightly vacancies  into  beautiful  residential  sections.  He  took  great  delight  in  Boise's 
growth  and  improvement,  for  from  the  time  when  he  settled  within  the  borders  of  the 
little  frontier  town  his  interests  centered  here. 

Mr.  Lemp  did  a  most  important  work  in  connection  with  the  promotion  of  irriga- 
tion projects.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  supporters  of  the  Settlers 


JOHN  LEMP 


MRS.  CATHERINE  LEMP 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  23 

canal,  one  of  the  first  and  most  important  irrigating  systems  of  the  state.  The  work  was 
scarcely  under  way  when  others  associated  with  him  lost  heart  and  became  disc  -ur- 
aged  concerning  the  prospect,  but  Mr.  Lemp  never  faltered  and  largely  financed  the 
undertaking,  which  cost  him  a  fortune.  He  encountered  many  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  slides,  quicksands  and  breaks,  but  at  length  the  canal  was  completed  and  proved  of 
the  greatest  value  and  importance  to  the  district,  supplying  an  abundance  of  water  for  the 
irrigation  of  extensive  tracts  in  the  Boise  valley.  Mr.  Lemp  also  figured  in  banking 
circles,  becoming  an  extensive  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boise  and 
served  for  a  number  of  years  as  its  president.  He  was  also  one  of  the  promoters 
and  large  stockholders  of  the  Boise  Rapid  Transit  Company,  which  built  the  first 
electric  street  car  line  in  the  capital,  now  the  property  of  the  Boise  Railroad  Company. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1865.  Mr.  Lemp  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Kohlhepp,  a 
native  of  Marburg,  Hesse-Cassel,  Germany,  born  November  20,  1850,  and  a  daughter 
of  William  Kohlhepp.  who  brought  his  family  to  America  during  the  early  girlhood 
of  his  daughter  Catherine,  so  that  she  was  reared  in  Muscatine,  Iowa.  In  1864  the 
family  started  across  the  plains  for  the  northwest.  An  immigrant  party  that  had 
preceded  them  had  been  massacred  by  the  red  men  and  there  was  much  danger  at- 
tendant upon  the  trip,  for  the  party  took  with  them  a  fine  herd  of  cattle,  always  an 
attraction  to  the  Indians.  Mrs.  Lemp,  however,  was  largely  instrumental  in  preventing 
any  hostilities,  for  she  would  invite  the  Indians  to  partake  of  meals  with  the  party 
of  immigrants  and  before  breaking  camp  she  always  contrived  to  make  delicious  bis- 
cuits for  them  and  thus  gained  their  goodwill.  It  was  after  the  Kohlhepp  home  was 
established  in  Boise  that  she  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Lemp.  who  sought  her 
hand  in  marriage,  and  for  about  forty-three  years  they  traveled  life's  journey  happily 
together,  being  separated  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lemp,  which  occurred  on  the  7th  of 
January,  1908,  while  -Mr.  Lemp  survived  until  July  18,  1912.  They  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  married 
William  B.  Conner;  Augusta,  the  wife  of  A.  Roderick  Grant,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Ada, 
now  Mrs.'  Edwin  G.  Hurd;  Louise,  who  married  Marshall  C.  Simonson;  Albert  C.; 
Herbert  F.;  and  Bernard  L. 

Mr.  Lemp  gave  his  political  support  to  the  republican  party,  of  which  he  was  a 
stanch  advocate,  and  he  was  at  all  times  an  interested  student  of  the  problems  of  vital 
import  to  the  government.  For  twenty  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Boise  and  in  1874  was  elected  mayor,  giving  to  the  city  a  progressive  and 
liberal  administration.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  lodge,  in  which  he  filled  all  of  the 
offices,  including  that  of  worshipful  master,  and  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  served  as  treasurer  for  ten  years,  and  was  past  grand 
patriarch  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  belonged  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and 
the  Boise  Turn  Verein  and  he  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Hi*  was 
a  man  of  firm  friendships,  of  undoubted  loyalty  to  his  convictions  and  of  most  char- 
itable and  benevolent  spirit.  At  the  time  of  his  demise  the  Boise  Evening  News  said 
of  him:  "Many  of  the  early  pioneers  visited  the  Lemp  home  this  morning  and  in- 
formed the  bereaved  children  of  good  deeds  which  their  father  had  done  and  many 
of  which  were  previously  unknown  to  them.  One  of  the  visitors  who  had  known  and 
been  close  to  Mr.  Lemp  for  years  stated  that  the  deceased  had  done  more  for  charity 
than  any  other  man  in  the  state,  as  he  was  aways  lending  a  helping  hand  to  those  who 
were  down,  giving  generously  and  helping  them  onward,  and  he  here  provided  for  a 
number  of  men  for  several  years  after  their  day  of  work  was  done  and  they  were  with- 
out the  means  with  which  to  live." 


JOHN  S.  HICKEY. 

Among  those  who  were  the  real  promoters  of  Nampa's  development  and  con- 
tributed in  substantial  manner  to  her  upbuilding  was  numbered  John  S.  Hickey,  whose 
personal  worth  and  business  ability,  whose  progressive  citizenship  and  high  standards 
were  attested  by  the  large  circle  of  warm  friends  whom  he  left  behind  when  death 
called  him.  Mr.  Hickey  was  born  at  Peekskill,  New  York,  April  8,  1845,  and  was  a 
lad  of  but  nine  years  when  in  1854  the  family  removed  to  Illinois.  He  pursued  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  two  states  and  in  1868,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
three  years,  made  his  way  westward,  settling  at  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  there  taking  up 
his  abode  during  the  days  when  the  Union  Pacific  was  being  completed  as  the  first 


24  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

transcontinental  line.  From  that  time  until  1890  he  remained  in  the  employ  of  the 
Union  Pacific  in  various  executive  positions.  From  1884  until  1890  he  was  located 
at  Pocatello.  Idaho,  as  master  mechanic  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  and  in 
October  of  the  latter  year  he  accepted  the  superintendency  of  the  foundry  department 
of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Company  at  Anaconda,  Montana,  where  he  resided 
until  the  fall  of  1906. 

At  that  date  he  became  a  resident  of  Nampa.  While  absent  from  the  state  for  a 
brief  period  in  Montana,  Mr.  Hickey  regarded  Idaho  as  his  home  from  1884,  at  which 
time  he  settled  at  Eagle  Rock.  It  was  in  1887  that  he  took  up  a  homestead  at  Nampa, 
securing  land  that  is  now  the  center  of  the  city,  and  in  the  intervening  period  between 
that  date  and  his  death  he  contributed  in  notable  measure  to  the  industrial  develop- 
ment and  the  financial  and  moral  progress  of  Nampa.  He  was  the  builder  of  the  first 
brick  block  in  the  city  and  it  stood  until  the  fire  of  1908,  since  which  time  it  has  been 
replaced  by  a  modern  brick  structure.  He  was  likewise  the  builder  of  the  Commer- 
cial building,  in  which  the  Nampa  postoffice  is  housed,  and  at  Pocatello  he  erected 
four  brick  blocks  after  the  Indian  reservation  lands  were  opened  to  the  public.  His 
activities  were  ever  of  a  character  that  contributed  in  marked  measure  to  general 
advancement  and  improvement. 

In  1871  Mr.  Hickey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Rockwell,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  three  children:  C.  R.,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  real  estate 
and  insurance  men  of  southern  Idaho,  with  offices  at  Nampa;  Cora,  deceased;  and 
Juliet.  The  family  circle  was  again  broken  by  the  hand  of  death  when  on  the  19th 
of  January,  1913,  John  S.  Hickey  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  Some  time  prior  to  his 
death  he  erected  a  beautiful  residence  in  Nampa  that  is  still  occupied  by  his  widow. 

Mr.  Hickey  belonged  to  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Laramie,  Wyoming,  having  become 
a  member  during  his  early  residence  in  that  section.  The  universality  of  his  friend- 
ships indicated  the  breadth  of  his  intellectual  vision  and  spirit.  Every  pioneer  citizen 
of  southern  Idaho  was  glad  to  call  him  friend  and  in  all  circles  of  life  he  enjoyed  the 
warm  regard  and  confidence  of  those  who  knew  him.  Coming  to  Idaho  in  pioneer 
times,  he  recognized  the  possibilities  and  opportunities  of  the  state  and  took  advan- 
tage of  conditions  to  upbuild  his  fortunes  and  provide  a  comfortable  competence  for 
his  family.  At  the  same  time  his  activities  were  ever  of  a  character  which  contrib- 
uted to  the  general  welfare  as  well  as  to  individual  advancement.  His  worth  was 
recognized  by  all  and  there  are  few  names  on  the  pages  of  Nampa's  history  which 
are  spoken  of  with  more  honor  and  respect  than  that  of  John  S.  Hickey. 

The  following  tribute  has  been  written  in  memory  of  John  S.  Hickey  by  F.  G. 
Mock,  a  former  business  associate  and  long  time  friend.  It  was  written  Wednesday, 
during  the  hour  of  the  funeral,  while  Mr.  Mock  was  confined  to  his  bed,  unable  to  be 
in  attendance: 

"His  sun  has  gone  down  at  noontime,  , 

When  the  shadows  had  just  begun  to  lengthen." 

"Up  from  the  habitation  of  poverty,  as  down  from  the  dwellings  of  the  rich,  came 
an  unison  of  sincere  regret,  for  none  knew  John  S.  Hickey  but  to  honor,  and  none 
were  ever  closely  associated  with  him,  but  loved  him.  In  all  his  social  relations  he 
was  true  as  steel,  and  his  business  relations  were  marked  by  an  undeviating  cour.se  of 
integrity  and  honor. 

"In  the  business  enterprises  of  the  city,  his  purse  was  ever  open  beyond  his  means, 
and  he  stood  at  the  front  of  everything  that  pertained  to  the  advancement  and  well 
being  of  his  beloved  Nampa.  We  do  not  claim  that  he  was  perfect,  but  we  can,  with 
perfect  consistency  claim  that  his  sins  of  omission  as  well  as  commission,  were  more 
often  directed  against  himself  than  any  other  human  being.  To  his  enemies  he  was 
open,  bold  and  aggressive,  but  to  his  friends  he  was  true  as  the  needle  to  the  north. 

"Yes,  'His  sun  has  gone  down  at  noontime,  when  the  shadows  had  just  begun  to 
lengthen.' 

"His  rebuke  was  sharp  and  pointed.  I  have  felt  it  many  a  time,  but  realizing 
his  great  love,  I  knew  it  was  intended  for  my  good,  and  loved  him  all  the  more. 

"But  in  his  family  relations  he  shone  most  conspicuously.  As  a  husband,  father 
and  brother,  he  may  be  taken  as  a  model  of  earnest  devotion  and  filial  regard.  And 
while  the  grief  of  a  sorrowing  community  is  mingled  over  his  remains,  the  universal 
sentiment  is  to  repay  the  loyalty  arid  devotion  that  he  has  manifested  toward  Nampa 
and  its  citizens. 

"But  always  in  the  passing,  the  living  are  wounded,  and  always  consolation  is 
found.  Even  in  a  case  like  ours  today,  the  palliation  is  concealed  beneath  the  pain. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  25 

'This  world  at  best  is  only  a  little  journey  towards  the  Infinite.'  The  paths  of  some 
lie  in  pleasant  places,  beneath  a  sky  of  clearest  blue — a  land  flooded  with  sunshine. 
But  into  most  lives  must  stalk  the  grim  figure  of  tragedy.  With  some  it  is  a  con- 
stant companion,  with  others  only  a  chance  acquaintance.  No  human  being  lives  long 
without  it,  whether  he  is  called  at  'noontime'  or  'journeys  on  unafraid  into  the 
lengthening  shadows.'  But  for  him,  there  will  be  no  more  tears,  no  more  suffering. 
The  grief  of  his  family  and  friends  is  too  great  today  to  allow  of  any  thoughts,  except 
their  sorrow,  but  this  is  because  they  do  not  understand.  Other  days  will  come,  soothe 
our  grief — not  in  forgetfulness — but  in  the  knowledge  that  the  'Good  God  doeth  all 
things  well.' 

"Yes,  our  friend  is  gone  and  will  greet  us  here  no  more.  But  we  are  all  better  for 
having  known  John  S.  Hickey,  and  can  only  say,  alas!  alas!!  a  good  man  has  gone. 

'"His  sun  has  gone  down  at  noontime,  when  the  shadows  had  just  begun  to 
lengthen.'  " 


HON.  JOHN  CAMPBELL  RICE. 

Hon.  John  Campbell  Rice,  of  Boise,  a  justice  of  the  Idaho  supreme  court  since 
1916,  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  January  27,  1864,  a  son  of 
Elbert  G.  and  Mary  Ann  (Camp)  Rice,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The 
father,  a  fanner  by  occupation,  was  born  in  Maury  county,  Tennessee,  in  1823,  and  was 
a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Katie  (Baldridge)  Rice.  Having  arrived  at  years  of  ma- 
turity, he  was  married  in  1847  to  Mary  Ann  Camp,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Scott 
county,  Illinois,  in  1825.  She  was  a  descendant  of  William  Putnam,  who  was  a  brother 
of  General  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolutionary  war  fame.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elbert  G.  Rice 
became  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  while  nine  are 
still  living.  One  son,  W.  P.  Rice,  is  a  farmer  of  Lincoln  county,  Idaho. 

Judge  Rice,  the  only  other  representative  of  the  family  in  this  state,  was  but  four 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  a  farm  near  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  upon 
which  he  spent  his  youthful  days,  dividing  his  time  between  the  work  of  the  fields 
and  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom.  He  attended  a  country  school  until  he  reached. the 
age  of  twelve  years  and.  later  he  had  the  benefit  of  instruction  in  the  Illinois  College 
of  Jacksonville,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1885.  He  afterward 
engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Chapin,  Illinois,  during  1885  and  1886 
and  through  the  following  school  year  was  instructor  in  mathematics  in  his  alma 
mater — Illinois  College.  In  1888  he  became  a  law  student  in  the  University  of  Michigan 
and  in  1889  resumed  his  law  studies  at  Cornell  University  in  Ithaca,  New  York,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1890  with  the  LL.  B.  degree. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Judge  Rice  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Caldwell,  where 
he  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  continued  success- 
fully at  that  place  for  twenty-six  years.  His  seems  to  be  a  natural  discrimination  as  to 
legal  ethics  and  his  analytical  mind  enables  him  to  readily  determine  the  most  salient 
points  in  his  case,  which  he  presents  with  a  clearness  and  cogency  that  never  failed 
to  impress  court  or  jury.  While  practicing  at  Caldwell  he  also  served  as  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature,  to  which  he  was  elected  on  the  democratic  ticket  in  1897  for  a 
two  years'  term,  and  during  that  period  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee. In  1901  he  was  elected  to  the  mayoralty  of  Caldwell  for  a  year's  term.  In 
1916  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Idaho  supreme  court  and  has  since  sat  upon  the 
bench  of  the  highest  tribunal  of  the  state.  He  has  also  been  active  in  business  out- 
side the  strict  path  of  his  profession,  being  well  known  in  financial  circles,  for  he 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Caldwell  Commercial  Bank  and  has  served  continu- 
ously as  its  president  since  1894  save  for  the  period  from  1903  until  1907,  still  remain- 
ing at  the  head  of  the  institution. 

Judge  Rice  was  married  on  the  2d  of  October,  1895,  to  Maude  M.  Beshears,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  and  they  have  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Elbert  G., 
Homer  B.,  Martha  B.,  Mary  Lois  and  Josephine  Eva.  Both  Elbert  and  Homer  are 
now  in  the  military  service  of  the  country,  being  members  of  the  Second  Idaho  Regi- 
ment, on  active  duty  in  France.  The  second  daughter,  Mary  Lois,  is  the  wife  of 
John  L.  Heathcote,  who  is  a  member  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

Judge  Rice  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  in  the  work  and  support  of  which 
he  has  taken  a  most  active  and  helpful  part.  He  is  also  a.  trustee  of  the  College  of 
Idaho  at  Caldwell.  He  belongs  to  Mount  Moriah  Lodge,  No.  39,  A.  F.  <fc  A.  M.,  of 


26  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Caldwell,  of  which  he  is  a  past  master,  and  he  is  likewise  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  life  work,  directed  in  the  line  of  his  native  powers 
and  acquired  ability,  has  made  his  career  one  of  signal  service  and  benefit  to  the  state 
and  bis  name  is  written  high  on  the  roll  of  Idaho's  distinguished  attorneys  and  jurists. 


NATHAN  FALK. 

Boise's  history  could  not  be  written  without  extended  mention  of  Nathan  Falk. 
For  thirty-nine  years  a  citizen  of  the  capital,  he  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  its 
leading  merchant.  But  not  only  was  he  a  successful  business  man,  he  v.as  as  well  a 
prominent  and  representative  citizen  who  ever  felt  and  manifested  the  keenest  inter- 
est in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  Boise,  who  stood  as  the  champion  of  its  school 
system,  a  promoter  of  its  civic  development  and  a  leader  in  many  of  its  lines  of  activity 
that  have  constituted  sources  of  its  growth  and  greatness.  It  is  no  wonder  then  that 
Nathan  Falk  with  his  marked  ability,  his  sympathy  and  his  generosity  was  termed 
"the  best  beloved  citizen  of  Boise." 

A  native  of  Bavaria,  Nathan  Falk  was  born  in '  Egenhausen,  July  12,  1847,  and 
pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Germany  and  France.  When  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  left  the  schoolroom  to  take  passage  on  a  westward  bound  steamer  with 
America  as  his  destination,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  1862.  After  a  brief  period  passed 
in  New  York  city,  he  sailed  for  San  Francisco,  making  the  voyage  by  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  spent  a  short  time  in  San  Francisco,  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
and  at  The  Dalles,  but  the  spring  of  1864  found  him  a  resident  of  Boise,  where  he 
continued  to  make  his  home  until  death  called  him  in  1903.  •  He  entered  upon  his 
business  career  here  as  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of  Hessberg  &  Company,  with  whom 
he  remained  for  two  years,  and  in  1868  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  David,  opening  a  little  mercantile  establishment  in 
a  small  building  on  Main  street,  a  few  feet  from  the  corner  of  Eighth  street,  under 
the  firm  style  of  David  Falk  &  Brother,  on  the  19th  of  September.  The  beginning 
was  a  very  modest  one,  the  stock  being  limited,  while  Boise  at  that  time  was  a 
little  frontier  town.  The  firm  used  a  wheelbarrow  for  the  delivery  of  goods  and 
there  was  little  to  foreshadow  the  greatness  which  the  establishment  was  to  reach 
in  the  future.  The  methods  of  the  Falk  Brothers,  however,  were  most  progressive  and 
they  catered  to  the  public  through  honorable  dealing  and  an  earnest  desire  to  please 
their  patrons.  The  business  steadily  grew  and  after  fifteen  years,  or  in  1873,  they 
were  joined  by  their  brother,  Sigmund  Falk,  who  was  admitted  to  a  partnership. 
From  the  beginning  the  firm  maintained  a  most  enterprising  and  progressive  pol- 
icy, and  by  1891  the  trade  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  a  corporation  was 
formed  to  carry  on  the  business  under  the  style  of  the  Falk-Bloch  Mercantile  Com- 
pany with  Nathan  Falk  as  the  president.  Another  change  in  the  personnel  occurred 
in  1900,  when  Mr.  Bloch  disposed  of  his  interest  to  the  other  active  members  of  the 
firm,  and  the  name  of  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company  was  then  adopted.  For  many 
years  Nathan  Falk  directed  the  course  of  the  enterprise  which  he  had  established 
and  developed  it  into  one  of  the  important  and  extensive  commercial  interests  of 
the  northwest.  The  indelible  impress  of  his  personality  today  still  dominates  the 
policy  pursued  by  the  company  which  bears  his  name.  His  was  a  simple  creed: 
"Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others  do  unto  you  and  do  it  now."  His  ster- 
ling integrity,  keen  foresight  and  executive  ability  made  hosts  of  friends  for  him, 
and  his  advice  was  eagerly  sought  by  rich  and  poor  alike  and  given  as  freely  and 
honestly  to  one  as  to  the  other. 

Mr.  Falk's  life  was  one  of  unselfish  devotion  to  his  family.  On  the  22d  of 
August,  1878,  in  Bavaria,  having  returned  on  a  visit  to  his  native  country  from  the 
United  States,  Mr.  Falk  was  married  to  Miss  Rosa  Steinmeier,  a  native  of  Munich 
and  a  daughter  of  Ignatz  and  Emalie  Steinmeier.  For  a  number  of  years  Mrs. 
Falk  was  a  semi-invalid  and  her  husband's  devotion  to  her  welfare,  comfort  and 
happiness  was  ideal.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children:  Bella,  now  the 
wife  of  Stanley  Gordon  Smith;  Anne,  the  wife  of  Samuel  M.  Rothchild;  Leo,  who 
married  Helen  Friendly,  of  Elmira,  New  York;  Ralph,  a  practicing  physician,  who 
married  Marion  Citron,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Harry  N.,  who  married  Eleanor  Walker 
White,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut;  and  Theodore.  The  sons  have  all  located  in  Boise 


NATHAN  FALK 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  29 

and  are  emulating  the  characteristics  and  virtues  of  their  father  in  his  relation  to 
the  commercial  and  civic  interests  of  the  city. 

It  was  while  visiting  in  his  native  land  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  that  Mr. 
Falk  was  arrested  by  the  military  authorities  for  having  left  the  country  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  without  having  served  in  the  army.  Germany  even  at  that  time  was 
most  militaristic  and  the  people  feared  the  enmity  of  the  military  power.  Mr.  Falk's 
friends  and  relatives  begged  him  to  pay  his  fine  and  let  the  matter  drop,  but  he  was 
obdurate  and  refused. '  He  stood  for  his  rights  as  an  American  citizen  and  fought  the 
matter  out  to  a  complete  victory.  He  was  always  most  bitter  in  his  feeling  against 
imperial  Germany  and  foresaw  years  ago  where  such  a  policy  would  finally  end. 

Mr.  Falk  was  both  a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow  and  was  a  most  prominent  representa- 
tive of  the  Independent  Order  of  B'nai  B'rith.  He  had  no  ambition  along  political 
lines,  yet  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  in  various  other  positions 
of  honor  and  trust  in  Boise  at  the  request  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  To  his  devotion 
to  the  schools  is  largely  due  the  upbuilding  of  the  educational  system  of  Boise  and 
its  attainment  to  its  present  high  standard  of  excellence.  The  hand  of  his  genius 
was  visible  in  many  other  directions.  For  many  years  he  served  as  a  director  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  as  such  his  name  was  closely  associated  with  the 
good  work  accomplished  by  that  body  for  advancing  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Idaho's  capital.  At  his  death  one  wrote  of  him  as  "a  man  who  was  peculiarly  dear 
to  the  hearts  of  our  whole  people  and  chiefly  because  public  spirit,  probity  and  kind- 
ness were  ingrained  in  his  nature.  Mr.  Falk  always  took  the  initiative  in  steps  of 
enterprise  and  magnitude  and  invariably  embarked  his  whole  soul  in  every  cause 
dedicated  to  the  betterment  of  Boise,  a  city  largely  the  child  of  his  enterprise  and 
the  object  of  his  almost  paternal  devotion.  He  was  indeed  a  man  with  great  breadth 
of  mind  and  reach  of  vision,  one  who  could  make  his  way  through  many  difficulties 
and  win  and  hold  the  respect  of  any  community;  a  man  who  was  morally  brave,  the 
soul  of  integrity,  and  whose  influence  and  presence  broadened  and  ennobled  his  fel- 
lows. Splendid  are  the  material  monuments  Mr.  Falk's  industry  and  integrity  have 
erected  to  perpetuate  his  memory,  but  the  place  he  filled  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
those  who  knew  him  best  is  his  most  enviable  monument  and  encomium." 

The  death  of  Mr.  Falk  occurred  in  Hailey,  July  22,  1903.  He  had  gone  to  join 
two  of  his  sons  in  an  outing  near  Ketchum,  and  becoming  ill,  was  taken  to  Hailey. 
where  the  best  possible  medical  aid  was  summoned,  but  all  to  no  avail.  At  the  re- 
quest of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  all  the  business 
houses  of  the  city  closed  at  the  time  of  his  funeral  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  city  council,  the  schoof  board  and  every  fraternal  and  civic  organization  with 
which  he  was  identified  passed  resolutions  of  respect  which  were  memorials  to  his 
high  personal  worth  and  his  valuable  contribution  to  the  city's  development  and 
growth.  From  the  poorest  and  the  humblest  to  the  highest  and  the  greatest  of  Boise's 
population  there  were  heard  expressions  of  the  deepest  sorrow  and  regret.  The  news 
of  his  demise  carried  with  it  a  sense  of  personal  bereavement  to  every  resident  of 
Boise  and  all  who  knew  him  throughout  the  state.  Perhaps  no  better  expression  of 
the  character,  ability  and  valuable  life  work  of  Mr.  Falk  can  be  given  than  by  quoting 
those  who  were  long  associated  with  him.  Frank  R.  Coffin,  who  for  forty  years  was 
a  friend  of  Mr.  Falk,  associated  with  him  in  many  important  enterprises,  said:  "I 
feel  that  I  should  not  let  my  old  friend.  Nathan  Falk,  go  to  his  last  home  without 
paying  at  least  a  brief  tribute  to  his  memory.  Our  acquaintance  dates  back  forty 
years  and  we  were,  I  am  proud  to  say,  always  friends. 

"We  came  to  Boise  in  the  same  year,  1865.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  Hessberg 
&  Company,  whose  business  was  on  the  corner  where  the  First  National  Bank  is 
located.  I  went  to  work  in  the  tin  shop  of  George  H.  Chick,  who  was  where  the 
Telephone  building  now  stands. 

"Mr.  Falk  went  into  business  for  himself  in  1868  and  I  followed  him  in  1870,  and 
nearly,  if  not  the  last  time  we  met — indulging  in  reminiscences  of  our  young  days — 
we  discovered  that  we  were  the  only  two  of  the  old-time  merchants  of  Boise  left  who 
were  yet  in  business. 

"The  passing  of  Nathan  Falk  is  to  me  a  loss  and  bereavement  which  I  deeply 
feel.  He  was  a  noble  and  generous  friend,  a  public-spirited  and  unselfish  citizen." 

Of  Nathan  Falk  Mayor  Hawley  said:  "During  all  the  many  years  of  my  ac- 
quaintance with  Nathan  Falk  I  never  knew  him  to  have  anything  to  do  with  what 
was  wrong,  nor  fail  to  be  interested  in  what  was  right.  He  was  a  loyal,  progressive 
citizen,  a  man  whose  personality  appealed  to  all  classes  and  whose  purse  was  ever 

. 


30  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

open  when  money  was  needed  for  a  good  purpose.  His  loyalty  to  Boise  and  the  city's 
interests  grew  with  every  hour  of  his  residence  among  us  and  he  was  always  a  safe 
man  to  appeal  to  in  emergencies.  In  serving  the  public  in  what  were  often  thank- 
less positions,  he  bestowed  that  careful  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  people  that 
he  did  to  his  own  and  not  a  detail  ever  escaped  him. 

"In  commercial  circles  and  private  business  transactions  his  word  was  as  good 
as  United  States  bonds.  I  never  heard  of  his  doing  a  mean  act  in  his  life.  He  was 
a  public  benefactor  in  every  sense  of  the  word  and  by  his  death  every  citizen  of  Boise 
has  lost  a  friend." 

"I  have  known  Nathan  Falk  for  thirty-six  years,"  said  Peter  Sonna,  "and  in  my 
opinion  his  death  is  a  serious  loss  to  the  community.  I  became  acquainted  with  him 
in  1867,  when  I  moved  here  from  Idaho  City,  and  during  all  the  years  that  have 
elapsed  I  have  had  many  business  dealings  with  him.  I  have  always  found  him  to  be 
a  man  of  fine  honor  in  his  business  relations.  His  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond; 
whatever  he  said  he  would  do,  he  has  always  fulfilled.  In  every  way  he  has  been 
very  prompt  and  honorable  in  all  his  business  engagements. 

"He  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  men  that  I  have  ever  met  in  this  section.  He 
was  a  leader  in  everything  tending  to  the  advancement  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lived.  He  has  been  in  the  lead  in  all  the  public  movements  of  all  the  years  he 
has  lived  here. 

"He  was  wonderfully  well  liked  for  a  man  who  had  the  extensive  business  dealings 
he  had.  Everyone  seemed  to  love  him.  He  was  universally  respected  and  esteemed, 
and  I  take  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  telling  what  I  can  of  his  character  to  honor  his 
memory. 

"I  can  only  repeat  that  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Faik,  Boise  has  suffered  an  almost 
irreparable  loss.  It  was  a  great  loss  to  the  town,  to  the  community  and  to  this  part 
of  Idaho." 

Bishop  Glorieux,  on  learning  of  the  death  of  the  deceased  merchant,  said:  "I  had 
the  honor  to  serve  on  committees  with  Nathan  Falk  for  sixteen  years  and  we  had  not 
worked  together  long  before  I  grew  to  respect  the  man  and  value  his  judgment. 
While  at  all  times  an  optimist,  there  was  nothing  bombastic  about  Mr.  Falk.  He 
had  a  way  of  sifting  everything  and  getting  all  the  facts.  When  he  differed  with 
you  he  presented  his  side  of  the  case  in  a  nice,  manly  way  and  was  never  arbitrary. 
He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  the  very  soul  of  honor.  Boise  can  ill  afford  to. 
lose  such  a  citizen.  I  feel  that  I  have  lost  a  dear  friend  and  counselor  and  I  sym- 
pathize most  deeply  with  his  family  in  their  bereavement." 

Editorially  the  Daily  Statesman  wrote:  "In  the  untimely  death  of  Nathan 
Falk  this  city  and  the  state  of  Idaho  sustain  a  loss  so  great  that  it  seems  almost 
irreparable.  He  was-  one  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  the  state  and  occupied  a 
very  large  place  in  the  commercial  and  social  affairs  of  the  capital  city.  His  interests 
here  were  very  large,  but  still  larger  was  the  influence  that  he  exerted  upon  the 
development  of  the  city  and  its  trade  interests,  upon  its  business  methods  and  upon 
its  character  as  a  municipality. 

"No  city  can  afford  to  lose  such  a  man  and  The  Statesman  voices  a  universal 
sentiment  in  saying  there  are  few  if  any  others  whoso  death  could  create  such  a  void. 
Yesterday  was  a  day  of  mourning  throughout  the  entire  city,  for  all  our  people  hon- 
ored the  dead  merchant  and  all  feel  a  sense  of  personal  loss  in  his  taking  off. 

"Nathan  Falk  was  a  model  man  of  business,  a  model  husband  and  father,  a  model 
member  of  society.  There  is  no  point  at  which  one  can  touch  his  character  and 
disclose  a  flaw.  He  was  keen,  alert  and  masterful  in  his  business  dealings,  and,  above 
all,  he  was  guided  by  the  spirit  of  honesty  and  kept  his  escutcheon  so  bright  that 
no  rival  could  ever  challenge  his  methods  or  his  purposes.  He  had  'the  great  virtue 
of  doing  well  what  he  had  to  do  for  himself  and  those  dependent  upon  him;  he  had 
the  equally  great  virtue  of  doing  vigorously  and  with  wise  discretion  what  he  was 
called  upon  to  do  in  the  interest  of  the  public ;  and  he  had  the  still  greater  virtues  of 
honesty  and  truth  and  charity.  He  was  diligent  in  all  things;  he  was  effective  in 
all  things;  he  was  above  reproach  in  all  things  and  thus  not  only  won  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  but  commanded  their  affection  in  a  remarkable 
degree. 

"It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  Mr.  Falk  was  beloved  by  this  people  to  an  extent 
that  is  seldom  enjoyed  by  any  member  of  a  community.  His  friends  were  found 
everywhere,  embracing  the  entire  list  of  those  who  had  any  degree  of  acquaintance 
with  him,  and  among  those  who  enjoyed  a  measure  of  close  acquaintance  this  friend- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  31 

ship  ripened  into  deep  affection  for  him.  Thus  it  comes  about  that,  in  addition  to  the 
universal  feeling  that  the  city  has  lost  one  who  cannot  be  replaced  easily,  there 
exists  in  hundreds  of  breasts  today  a  sense  of  personal  bereavement  that  cannot  be 
lightly  dismissed. 

"In  the  hour  of  their  deep  affliction  the  members  of  the  family  have  the  tender 
sympathy  of  a  great  multitude  who  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the  departed.  While 
nothing  can  assuage  their  grief,  they  have  the  satistaction  of  knowing  that  his  work 
was  well  done;  that  he  was  prepared  for  the  summons,  and  that  he  has  left  a  record 
in  which  they  and  those  to  come  after  them  in  the  family  line  will  have  cause  to 
feel  abounding  pride.  He  was  one  who  did  not  live  in  vain.  His  example  is  set 
before  the  people  of  this  city  as  a  shining  light,  and,  though  his  body  be  consigned 
to  the  darX  and  silent  grave,  those  who  shed  the  bitter  tear  over  the  casket  as  they 
take  their  last  look  upon  those  familiar  features  may  console  themselves  with  th^ 
thought  that  he  has  gone  to  the  reward  that  is  the  heritage  of  those  whose  lives  are 
guided  by  the  light  of  duty,  who  do  justice,  who  love  honesty,  who  practice  charity 
and  forbearance,  who  are  faithful  in  all  things  and  who  strive,  while  shaping  their 
own  lives  aright,  to  assist  others  in  securing  a  firm  grasp  upon  those  virtues  that 
constitute  the  foundations  of  character." 


E.  CURTIS  WARREN. 

Among  the  substantial  moneyed  institutions  of  Idaho  is  numbered  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Burley,  of  which  E.  Curtis  Warren  is  the  president.  To  his  onerous 
and  responsible  duties  in  this  position  he  brings  broad  experience  gleaned  from  pre- 
vious service  in  connection  with  banking  interests,  and  in  the  conduct  of  the  First 
National  Bank  he  is  displaying  keen  sagacity  combined  with  a  progressiveness  that 
is  tempered  by  a  wise  conservatism. 

He  was  born  in  Lincoln  county,  Nevada,  December  28,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  V.  and  Maud  (Newman)  Warren.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  his  native 
state  and  his  early  education  was  there  acquired,  while  later  he  attended  the  University 
of  Utah  at  Salt  Lake  City,  being  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  class 
of  1905.  His  early  business  training  was  received  in  the  Walker  Brothers  Bank,  in 
which  he  occupied  a  clerical  position,  and  after  leaving  Salt  Lake  City  in  1912  he 
removed  to  Burley,  Idaho,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Cassia 
county.  In  1913  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank  with  a  capital  stock  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  The  bank  was  established  in  the  Terhune  building  and  in  1915  the 
present  bank  building  was  erected,  the  first  floor  being  used  for  the  bank,  while  the 
upper  floor  serves  as  a  hotel.  Mr.  Warren  remains  as  the  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  and  is  al«o  vice  president  of  the  Warren-Thompson  Furniture  Company 
of  Burley,  so  that  he  is  closely  associated  with  the  business  development  and  enter- 
prise of  the*  town. 

Mr.  Warren  is  a  western  man  by  birth  and  training  and  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
western  enterprise  and  progress  that  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  wonderful 
development  of  this  section  of  the  great  west.  His  plans  are  at  all  times  carefully  made 
and  promptly  executed  and  the  results  achieved  constitute  factors  not  only  in  the 
upbuilding  of  his  personal  fortunes  but  in  the  advancement  of  public  prosperity  as  well. 


ETHEL  EMILY  REDFIELD. 

Ethel  Emily  Redfield,  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Idaho  and 
a  resident  of  Lewiston,  was  born  in  Kamiah,  Idaho,  April  22,  1877,  a  daughter  of 
Francis  M.  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Farrell)  Redfleld,  who  came  from  Oregon  to  Idaho  in 
1872.  The  father  was  born  in  Vermont,  September  6,  1842,  but  became  one  of  the 
pioneers  on  the  Pacific  coast  and  is  now  living  in  Oregon.  He  was  In  the  United 
States  federal  service  on  the  Nez  Perce  Indian  reservation.  The  Redfield  family 
comes  of  New  England  ancestry  that  was  represented  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Ethel  E.  Redfield  was  reared  in  Albany,  Oregon,  and  attended  the  public  schools 
there,  after  which  she  won  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  on  the  completion  of  the 
classical  course  in  the  Albany  College  in  1897.  The  following  year  the  B.  S.  D.  degree 


32  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

was  conferred  upon  her  by  the  normal  department  of  Albany  College.  Taking  up  the 
profession  of  teaching,  she  was  identified  with  rural  and  town  schools  in  Oregon  for 
five  years  and  for  eight  and  a  half  years  was  at  the  head  of  the  Latin  department  of 
the  high  schools  of  Albany,  Oregon,  and  of  Lewiston,  Idaho,  spending  three  years 
at  the  former  place  and  five  and  a  half  years  at  the  latter.  In  the  fall  of  1912  she 
was  elected  county  superintendent  of  Nez  Perce  county,  in  which  position  she  served 
for  two  terms,  and  in  November,  1916,  public  franchise  called  her  to  the  office  of  state 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Idaho.  She  is  one  of  the  eight  women  state 
superintendents  in  the  Untied  States  and  the  first  native  daughter  of  Idaho  to  be  so 
honored.  She  belongs  to  the  National  Education  Association  and  has  been  identified 
with  many  movements  and  projects  of  far-reaching  importance  and  benefit.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  state  board  of  land  commissioners  of  Idaho,  is  national  secretary 
of  the  Women's  Executive  League  and  is  one  of  the  vice  presidents  of  the  National 
Federation  of  College  Women's  Clubs.  During  the  year  1918-1919  she  was  president 
of  the  Inland  Empire  Teachers  Association,  an  association  embracing  the  states  of  Oregon, 
Washington,  Montana  and  Idaho.  Her  father  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  Miss  Redfield 
has  become  a  member  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Her  religious  faith  is  indi- 
cated by  her  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  She  is  a  close  student  of  all 
the  vital  questions  which  have  to  do  with  the  welfare  of  state  aad  nation  and  par- 
ticularly along  the  line  of  educational  development.  Her  work  as  state  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  is  giving  marked  satisfaction,  for  she  is  actuated  by  the 
highest  ideals,  while  at  the  same  time  her  methods  are  most  practical  and  resultant. 


HON.  JOHN  W.  HART. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Rigby  and  of  this  section  of  the  state  is 
the  Hon.  John  W.  Hart,  who  has  served  in  the  general  assembly  of  Idaho,  first  as 
representative  and  then  as  state  senator,  and  who  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the 
important  business,  political  and  religious  activities  of  Jefferson  and  neighboring  coun- 
ties. He  was  born  in  Ogden,  Utah,  November  14,  1866,  the  son  of  John  I.  and  Martha 
(Barton)  Hart,  natives  of  England,  who  on  coming  to  America  in  1853,  went  directly 
to  Ogden,  Utah,  and  there  settled.  The  father  immediately  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  which  he  carried  on  steadily  until  1899,  when  he  began  his.  well  earned 
retirement.  He  resides  now  at  Hooper,  Utah,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years. 
The  mother,  however,  is  not  living,  her  death  occurring  in  November,  1904,  when  she 
was  54  years  of  age. 

Until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  John  W.  Hart  lived  in  Utah  and  it  was  in 
the  city  of  Ogden  that  he  received  his  early  schooling.  After  he  had  reached  man's 
estate  he  started  out  on  his  own  account,  engaging  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  in 
which  he  has  been  more  or  less  interested  ever  since.  It  was  not  until  1895  that 
he  decided  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  people  of  Idaho,  and  in  that  year  he  left  his  native 
state  and  with  his  family  located  in  that  part  of  Fremont  county  which  later  became 
a  part  of  Jefferson  county.  Here  he  bought  a  farm  which  he  still  operates,  carrying 
on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  • 

Since  his  coming  to  Jefferson  county,  Mr.  Hart  has  not  devoted  himself  entirely  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  a  fact  which  is  shown  in  one  way  by  the  deep  interest  he  has 
taken  and  is  taking  in  the  development  of  the  business  activities  of  this  section,  espe- 
cially banking.  In  1913,  he,  with  other  men  of  the  community,  purchased  the  Rigby 
State  bank,  which  they  operated  under  the  same  charter  until  1919.  For  some  time 
it  seemed  to  Senator  Hart  and  his  associates  that  the  economic  development  of  this 
section  demanded  that  the  credit  facilities  of  the  Rigby  State  bank  be  extended;  accord- 
ingly the  capital  was  increased  and  the  bank  converted  from  a  state  to  a  national  bank 
in  1919  under  the  national  banking  laws  of  the  United  States  and  it  now  does  business 
under  the  name  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rigby  with  a  capital  stock  of  sixty 
thousand  dollars  and  surplus  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  Especially  marked  has 
been  the  growth  of  the  bank  in  the  last  six  years  since  its  purchase,  at  which  time 
its  deposits  were  fifty-three  thousand  dollars  while  opposite  the  same  item  on  the  bank's 
most  recent  financial  statement  is  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Besides 
Mr.  Hart,  who  is  president,  the  other  officers  of  the  bank  are  Josiah  Call,  vice  president; 
F.  B.  Ellsworth,  cashier,  and  Clarence  Hart,  assistant  cashier.  In  November,  1918,  Sena- 
tor Hart  with  others  organized  the  Jefferson  State  Bank  at  Menan,  Jefferson  county,  and 


JOHN  W.  HART 


Vol.  II— 3 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  35 

of  this  he  is  also  president.  In  addition  to  his  banking  interests  in  Jefferson  county 
he  is  a  director  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  bank  at  Idaho  Falls. 

Aside  from  banking,  Mr.  Hart  has  business  interests  of  a  more  general  and  varied 
nature.  He  is  president  of  the  C.  A.  Smith  Mercantile  Company  of  Menan;  president 
of  the  City  Pharmacy  of  Rigby;  president  of  the  Hart-Ellsworth  Auto  Company  of  Rigby 
and  Rexburg,  Idaho;  and  general  superintendent  of  the  Woods  Live  Stock  Company  of 
Jefferson  and  Clark  counties.  The  last  mentioned  is  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the 
state,  and,  in  addition  to  raising  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  they  also  carry  on  general 
farming  on  an  extensive  scale. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Hart  has  taken  a  very  prominent  part  in  the  publlq 
and  political  affaire  of  his  state  and  community.  He  is  a  stanch  republican  and  has 
devoted  much  of  his  time  and  talents  to  furthering  the  Interests  of  that  party  both  locally 
and  nationally,  having  served  for  the  past  seven  years  as  a  member  of  the  republican 
national  committee.  He  has  twice  had  the  honor  of  nominating  Senator  Borah  for  the 
United  States  Senate  and  Senator  Heyburn  once.  He  was  chosen  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  sixth  session  of  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  and  on  the 
expiration  of  his  term,  his  constituents  were  so  fully  satisfied  with  the  quality  of  hia 
work  that  he  was  chosen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  senate  during  the  eighth 
session,  serving  continuously  until  the  fourteenth  session  with  the  exception  of  the 
eleventh.  An  interesting  sidelight  of  his  senatorial  experience  occurred  when  Mr.  Hart 
who,  for  two  sessions  was  president  pro  tempore  of  the  upper  body,  served  as  governor 
of  the  state  for  thirty  days  during  the  absence  of  the  governor  and  lieutenant  governor. 

On  December  2,  1886,  Senator  Hart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  J.  Hogge 
and  to  this  union  have  been  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  two  are  deceased,  namely: 
Vera,  who  died  in  1911,  and  Martha,  whose  death  occurred  in  1898.  The  others  are  as 
follows:  John  W.,  Jr.,  a  rancher  in  Jefferson  county;  Elizabeth  E.,  the  wife  of  Alvin 
S.  Green,  who  is  cashier  of  the  Jefferson  State  bank  at  Menan;  Clarence,  the  assistant 
cashier  of  the  First  National  bank  of  Rigby;  Charles  O.  and  George  L.,  both  farmers 
living  near  Menan;  Sarah  Z.,  the  wife  of  David  H.  Manwaring,  a  resident  of  Rexburg, 
Idaho;  and  Veda,  David  F.,  Cecil  E.,  Joseph  I.,  and  Ivey  Katherine,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home. 

Both  the  senator  and  his  wife  are  stanch  and  valued  members  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  Rigby,  and  Mrs.  Hart  has  served  as  state  president 
of  the  Woman's  Relief  Society.  Mr.  Hart  has  also  served  the  church  for  a  number 
of  years  in  official  capacity.  Under  his  administration  the  splendid  stake  tabernacle 
was  erected  in  Rigby,  and  in  1886-87,  he  did  missionary  work  in  the  southern  states. 
For  several  years  he  was  bishop  of  the  ward  of  Menan,  which  position  he  relinquished 
to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Rigby  stake,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  for  the 
last  five  years.  All  during  the  World  war  Mr.  Hart  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his  time 
to  the  government  war  activities,  being  chairman  of  each  Liberty  Loan  drive  in 
Jefferson  county,  which  exceeded  its  quota  each  time  and  that  without  one  penny's 
cost  to  the  government. 


WILLIAM  HARRY  HOLDEN. 

William  Harry  Holden,  attorney  at  law  practicing  at  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in 
Ottumwa,  Iowa,  February  14,  1868,  a  son  of  William  C.  and  Louise  (Ross)  Holden, 
who  were  natives  of  Indiana  and  of  Iowa  respectively.  The  father's  people  were  of 
English  lineage,  while  the  mother  was  of  Scotch  descent.  William  C.  Holden  was  a 
newspaper  man  throughout  his  entire  life  save  for  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  K, 
Second  Iowa  Infantry.  He  served  for  four  years  and  six  months  and  was  twice 
wounded,  having  participated  in  some  of  the  most  hotly  contested  engagements  which 
led  up  to  the  final  victory  that  crowned  the  Union  arms.  When  the  war  was  over 
he  returned  to  Iowa  and  again  engaged  in  newspaper  publication  at  Ottumwa,  while 
later  he  was  a  newspaper  man  of  Red  Oak.  He  resided  in  Iowa  until  1869,  when  he 
removed  to  Nebraska  and  conducted  a  paper  at  Melrose  for  a  number  of  years.  Later 
he  established  his  home  at  Kearney,  where  he  conducted  the  Central  Nebraska  Press  for 
several  years.  He  next  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  published  a  paper 
for  a  long  time,  and  then  went  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  to  visit  a  daughter.  While  there 


36  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  passed  away  in  the  summer  of  1900  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  His  widow  sur- 
vives and  now  lives  at  Idaho  Falls. 

William  H.  Holden,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  and  educated 
largely  at  Kearney,  Nebraska,  and  after  mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in 
the  public  schools  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Thompson  &  Oldham  of  that 
place.  That  firm  of  well  known  attorneys  directed  his  studies  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  entered  the  State  University  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and 
was  graduated  on  the  completion  of  a  law  course  with  the  class  of  1893.  In  1895  he 
came  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with  H.  K.  Linger,  with  whom 
he  was  associated  for  a  time,  but  afterward  practiced  independently.  He  has  since 
had  several  partners,  however,  during  the  past  twenty-five  years  and  is  now  associated 
with  his  brother,  E.  M.  Holden.  There  were  eleven  children  in  his  father's  family, 
of  whom  four  died  in  infancy.  The  four  sons  who  reached  adult  age  are  all  lawyers 
in  Idaho  Falls,  these  being  William  H.,  Edward  M.,  Arthur  and  Wesley.  Some  years 
ago  all  four  were  associated  in  a  law  partnership.  The  daughters  of  the  family  were: 
Cora,  who  became  the  wife  of  Marion  Lloyd  and  died  in  October,  1905,  leaving  two 
children:  Catherine,  the  wife  of  Charles  Eckhart,  of  Boise,  Idaho;  and  Nellie  L.  The 
family  name  has  become  a  prominent  and  honored  one  in  Idaho  Falls  and  is  especially 
well  known  in  legal  circles. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1896,  Mr.  Holden  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Clark,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Geraldine,  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
who  is  attending  the  University  of  California;  Harriet  L.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  who 
has  just  completed  the  freshman  year  in  the  University  of  California;  W.  Harold,  Jr., 
a  lad  of  fifteen,  also  attending  school  at  Berkeley,  California;  Robert,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  four  years  and  four  months;  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years  and 
eight  months;  Richard,  who  passed  away  March  30,  1918,  when  eight  years  of  age; 
and  Mary,  who  is  in  her  first  year.  Mr.  Holden's  family  has  resided  in  Berkeley, 
California,  for  the  past  four  years. 

Mr.  Holden,  however,  maintains  his  connection  with  the  bar  of  Idaho  Falls  and 
has  a  most  elegantly  appointed  law  office,  containing  a  fine  library,  with  the  contents 
of  which  he  is  largely  familiar.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which 
he  has  attained  high  rank,  and  has  become  identified  with  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Politically  he  is 
independent,  and  his  religious  belief  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Through  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  he  has  become  widely  and  favorably 
known,  his  ability  in  the  practice  of  law  having  gained  him  high  standing  at  the 
Idaho  bar. 


GEORGE   RUSSEL    HITT. 

George  Russel  Hitt,  cashier  of  the  Overland  National  Bank  of  Boise  and  formerly 
state  bank  commissioner,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Missouri,  November  12,  1870.  His  fa- 
ther, J.  S.  Hitt,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  has  now  passed  away,  but  the  mother,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Phoebe  Moore,  is  living  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
for  among  her  ancestors  were  those  who  fought  for  the  independence  of  the  nation.  Her 
immediate  ancestors  were  residents  of  Illinois  and  those  of  a  more  remote  period 
lived  in  New  Hampshire.  Both  the  father  and  mother  of  George  R.  Hitt  were  natives 
of  Illinois.  The  father  was  born  in  Scott  caunty,  Illinois,  June  13,  1842,  while  the 
mother's  birth  occurred  in  Brown  county,  that  state,  on  the  24th  of  August,  1841.  They 
were  married  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  December  19,  1865,  and  became  parents  of 
five  children  but  only  two  are  now  living,  the  daughter  being  Mrs.  Cynthia  Roberts, 
of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  The  father's  death  occurred  in  April,  1912. 

George  R.  Hitt  was  reared  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years  upon  a  farm  in  Saline 
county,  Missouri,  and  the  district  schools  afforded  him  his  educational  opportunities. 
He  afterward  completed  a  course  in  Brown's  Business  College  of  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
and  subsequently  spent  a  year  with  a  large  lumber  concern  in  Arkansas.  In  1891 
he  arrived  in  Idaho,  settling  at  Idaho  Falls.  For  four  years  he  occupied  the  position 
of  deputy  postmaster  there,  covering  the  period  from  1893  until  1897,  and  in  the  latter 
year  he  became  deputy  state  treasurer  under  George  H.  Storer  and  filled  the  position 
until  1899.  During  the  succeeding  four  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  .     37 

business  at  Boise  but  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  returned  to  Idaho  Falls,  where 
he  successfully  conducted  a  lumberyard  for  four  years.  He  was  then  made  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Anderson  Brothers  Bank  at  Idaho  Falls  and  occupied  that  position 
most  acceptably  for  eight  years.  In  February,  1915,  he  was  appointed  state  bank 
commissioner  by  Governor  Moses  Alexander  and  the  duties  of  that  position  he  most 
promptly,  systematically  and  efficiently  discharged  until  January  27,  1919,  when  he 
became  cashier  of  the  Overland  National  Bank  of  Boise. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1896,  Mr.  Hitt  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  Clark,  a  native 
of  Oregon  and  a  daughter  of  Robert  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Enderby)  Clark,  who  were 
pioneers  of  that  state.  They  removed  to  Oregon  from  Illinois  in  early  life,  Mrs.  Clark, 
then  in  her  maidenhood,  accompanying  her  parents  to  the  northwest  in  1850.  She  was 
then  but  nine  years  of  age  and  the  journey  was  made  with  team  and  wagon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hitt  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in  social  circles 
occupy  an  enviable  position,  having  many  warm  friends  in  Idaho  Falls,  in  Boise  and 
in  fact  throughout  the  state.  Mr.  Hitt  has  always  voted  with  the  democratic  party 
and  has  ever  been  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  principles  in  which  he  believes.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  he  is  a  Mason,  an  Elk  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  in  the  first  named 
he  has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree  of  the  York  Rite  and  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert  with  the  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  truly  a  self-made  man  and  one  who  deserves  all  the  credit 
which  that  term  implies.  He  has  wisely  used  his  time,  talents  and  opportunities 
and  the  recognition  of  his  ability  on  the  part  of  his  fellowmen  has  for  a  number  of 
years  continued  him  in  important  public  positions. 


JUDGE  OTIS  M.  VAN  TASSEL. 

Judge  Otis  M.  Van  Tassel,  of  St.  Anthony,  a  member  of  the  Idaho  bar  since  1914 
and  also  connected  with  the  Home  Realty  Company  and  furthermore  widely  known 
in  political  circles  of  the  state  as  a  stalwart  republican,  was  born  at  Kingston,  Michigan, 
August  19,  1875,  his  parents  being  James  M.  and  Etta  (Van  Tassel)  Van  Tassel,  who 
are  natives  of  Ohio  and  New  York  respectively  and  come  of  Holland  ancestry.  The 
first  of  the  family  in  the  new  world  emigrated  to  New  York  city  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago.  The  father  went  to  Michigan  as  a  pioneer  and  filled  various  political  posi- 
tions in  that  state.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-third  Ohio  Cavalry  and  after 
serving  for  three  months  reenlisted  for  the  three-year  period.  He  was  wounded, 
his  injury  occasioning  the  loss  of  his  right  eye.  He  went  with  Sherman  on  the  cele- 
brated march  to  the  sea  and  was  ever  a  most  faithful  defender  of  the  Union  cause. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  Otis  H.  Van  Tassel,  for  whom  Judge  Van  Tassel  of  this 
review  was  named,  also  served  throughout  the  entire  war  and  for  six  months  was 
incarcerated  in  Andersonville  prison.  The  paternal  and  maternal  grandfathers  of 
Judge  Van  Tassel  were  brothers.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  family  on  American 
soil  patriotism  and  loyalty  to  this  country  have  been  numbered  among  their  marked 
characteristics.  Following  the  Civil  war  James  M.  Van  Tassel,  the  father  of  Judge 
Van  Tassel,  removed  to  Tuscola  county,  Michigan,  where  he  was  called  upon  to 
serve  in  various  positions  of  public  honor  and  trust.  He  was  elected  county  treasurer 
and  removed  to  Caro,  the  county  seat,  where  he  filled  the  office  for  four  years.  He 
was  then  elected  probate  judge  and  occupied  that  position  for  four  years.  He  wan 
later  in  several  different  lines  of  business  but  finally  retired  and  removed  to  Flint, 
Michigan,  where  he  and  his  wife  still  make  their  home. 

Judge  Van  Tassel  was  reared  and  educated  in  Michigan.  Following  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  high  school  at  Ann  Arbor  with  the  class  of  1894  he  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  in  that  city  for  one  year  and  afterward  entered  the  Detroit  College 
of  Law,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1899.  On  the  24th  of  April  of 
that  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar,  after  which  he  engaged  in  several  differ- 
ent lines  of  business  until  1905.  He  then  came  west  to  Idaho  and  took  up  his  abode 
at  Sugar,  where  he  followed  mercantile  pursuits  until  1909.  He  then  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as  attorney  for  an  implement  company  at  Rexburg  and  in  November,  1912,  was 
elected  probate  judge  of  the  county.  In  1913  he  removed  to  St.  Anthony  and  acted  as 
probate  judge  for  two  years.  He  was  admitted  to  the-  Idaho  bar  on  the  llth  of  May, 
1914,  and  he  has  since  engaged  in  practice,  in  addition  to  which  he  is  connected  with 
the  Home  Realty  Company,  which  he  organized  and  incorporated  in  January,  1917.  He 


38  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

is  likewise  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Lemhi  Union,  a  lead  and  silver  mining 
company  in  the  Spring  Mountain  district  near  Gilmore,  Idaho. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  1901,  Judge  Van  Tassel  was  married  to  Miss  Maude  Hess 
and  they  have  two  children:  Hazel  M.,  who  was  born  March  27,  1903;  and  Iris  A., 
whose  birth  occurred  April  16,  1914. 

In  his  political  views  Judge  Van  Tassel  has  always  been  a  stalwart  republican 
and  at  Sugar  he  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  named  as  a  candidate 
of  his  party  for  secretary  of  state  in  the  primary  election.  In  1916  he  was  chosen 
an  alternate  to  the  republican  national  convention,  held  in  Chicago.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  been  chief  of  staff  on  the  staff  of 
the  brigadier  general  of  the  Patriarch  Militant  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Idaho,  with  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
is  a  man  of  progressive  spirit,  keenly  interested  in  the  vital  questions  of  the  day,  and 
at  all  times  keeps  thoroughly  informed  concerning  those  interests  which  have  to  do 
with  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  community. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 

Several  months  prior  to  the  establishment  of  Fort  Boise,  Thomas  Jefferson 
Davis  had  pitched  his  tent  and  taken  a  homestead  upon  the  banks  of  the  Boise 
river  for  land  which  is  all  within  the  present  townsite  of  Boise  and  a  part  of 
which  was  in  the  original  townsite.  For  the  irrigation  of  this  land  he  constructed 
the  first  irrigation  ditch  from  the  Boise  river,  and  under  the  decree  of  the  district 
court,  establishing  priorities  for  irrigation  purposes,  he  was  given  the  first  right 
to  the  waters  of  that  river,  and  this  right  is  today  the  property  of  his  children,  who 
hold  jointly  the  estate  left  by  the  father,  having  incorporated  the  same  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  of  Idaho  under  the  name  of  the  Thomas  Davis  Estate.  The 
United  States  land  office  was  first  opened  at  Boise  in  January,  1868,  and  on  the 
opening  day  Thomas  Davis  made  the  first  proof  and  received  cash  certificate  No.  1, 
of  which  he  was  always  justly  proud,  and  the  government  records  today  testify 
that,  by  five  months,  he  was  the  first  agricultural  settler  in  the  Boise  land  dis- 
trict. Assisted  by  George  D.  Ellis,  who  was  at  the  time  a  business  partner,  about 
six  months  after  his  first  settlement,  he  built  the  first  house  in  Boise.  A  few 
years  afterward  and  just  prior  to  his  marriage,  he  built  another  house,  upon  his 
homestead,  and  it  was  in  this  house  that  all  of  his  children  were  born. 

Mr.  Davis  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  January  2,  1838,  and,  having  lost  his 
father  in  boyhood,  was,  under  the  custom  of  that  time,  "bound  out,"  and  labored 
on  the  farm  of  Alexander  Claycomb,  near  Monmouth,  Illinois,  and  attended  winter 
school.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  and  his  brother  Francis  joined  a  party 
of  seventy-five,  which  was  bound  for  Florence,  the  great  gold  camp.  He  and  his 
brother  were  outfitted  with  mule  teams,  wagons  and  supplies  by  Alexander  Clay- 
comb  before  leaving  Illinois.  After  a  hard  trip  across  the  country  this  band  of 
pioneers  were  lured  by  men  who  had  designs  on  their  property,  to  go  by  way  of 
a  most  inaccessible  route  over  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mountains,  which  necessitated  the 
abandonment  of  their  sun-bonneted  wagons,  in  which  they  had  spent  two  months 
creeping  along  the  Indian  trail,  and  most  of  their  provisions,  or  the  sale  of  these 
at  a  shameful  sacrifice  to  their  traitorous  guides,  who  offered  five  dollars  for  out- 
fits that  cost  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Davis  determined 
not  to  be  made  a  victim  of  such  intrigue  and,  after  advising  with  the  others,  their 
supplies  were  piled  together  and  burned  with  the  wagons,  the  party  completing1 
its  journey  to  Elk  City,  Idaho,  on  horseback  carrying  a  few  supplies  on  pack  horses. 
Upon  their  arrival  in  Elk  City,  owing  to  depressing  reports  from  Florence,  they 
abandoned  the  trip  to  that  place  and  went  to  Walla  Walla.  From  Walla  Walla, 
Mr.  Davis  went  to  Auburn,  Oregon,  and  then  to  Idaho  City,  where  he  mined  with 
fair  results,  and  in  December,  1862,  came  to  what  is  now  Boise,  where  he  made 
his  home  continuously  until  his  death,  June  10,  1908. 

During  the  forty-six  years  in  which  he  resided  in  Boise,  Thomas  Davis  was 
a  careful  business  man  and  one  of  the  city's  most  substantially  progressive  citi- 
zens. He  was  a  pioneer  horticulturist  and,  as  early  as  1864,  planted  an  orchard 
of  seven  thousand  apple  trees,  which  he  purchased  at  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  each, 
this  being  the  pioneer  apple  orchard  of  Maho,  and,  in  later  years  he  planted  addi- 


THOMAS  J.  DAVIS,  SR. 


MRS.  JULIA  DAVIS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  43 

tional  orchards  of  pears,  peaches,  prunes  and  cherries,  and  built  a  dryer,  where 
he  prepared  a  portion  of  his  fruit  crop  for  the  trade  in  the  interior,  where  fresh 
fruit  could  not  be  delivered.  During  the  growth  of  his  orchards  to  maturity  he 
successfully  engaged  in  gardening  and  marketed  vegetables  over  the  country  as 
far  as  the  mining  camps  in  the  Owyhees,  having  regular  days  for  his  wagons  to 
visit  the  various  camps.  In  addition  to  being  a  pioneer  horticulturist  and  gardener, 
Mr.  Davis  was  a  pioneer  in  every  line  of  commercial  and  business  activity  of  Idaho, 
except  that  ever  present  pioneer,  the  saloon.  He  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  and 
horse  business,  ranging  horses  from  the  Snake  river  into  Nevada,  with  his  ranch 
headquarters  on  the  Bruneau;  and  ranging  cattle  on  Smith's  Prairie  and  later  in 
Long  valley.  His  range  cattle  were  of  the  highest  type,  all  being  "white  faces," 
and  being  for  many  years  the  only  herd  of  Hereford  cattle  in  Idaho.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  cattle  business,  he  acquired  large  land  holdings  in  Long  valley,  and 
in  the  Boise  valley  what  is  known  as  the  "Government  Island  Ranch,"  the  latter 
being  for  a  number  of  years  withheld  from  settlement  as  a  hay  reserve  for  Fort 
Boise.  This  ranch,  which  is  located  just  across  the  river  from  the  city  of  Boise, 
contains  about  eight  hundred  acres  and  a  large  portion  of  it  is  today  in  vegetable 
gardens,  which  are  quite  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  the  traveler  entering  or  leaving 
the  city  by  train  or  trolley.  He  was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years,  as  a  partner 
of  the  late  Charles  Himrod  in  the  mercantile  business,  their  establishment  occupy- 
ing the  building  which  today  houses  the  Delano-Thompson  Shoe  Company,  and  in 
connection  with  this  enterprise  they  operated  freight  teams  between  Boise  and 
Kelton.  He  was  a  stockholder  in  the  old  Bank  of  Commerce  and  one  of  the 
reorganizers  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  of  which  he  became  one  of  the 
largest  stockholders. 

During  all  the  years  of  his  life  in  Boise  and  Idaho,  Mr.  Davis  never  sought 
political  office,  but  he  was  a  faithful  and  conscientious  elector,  taking  sufficient 
activity  in  public  affairs  to  assert  himself  in  favor  of  everything  that  went  for 
the  best  interest  of  the  city,  state  and  nation.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  and 
cast  his  vote  with  the  republican  party,  standing  firm  with  a  handful  of  personal 
friends  when  Boise  and  Idaho  became  free-silver  mad.  He  cared  absolutely  nothing 
for  public  opinion  of  himself.  He  desired  but  few  friends  and  these  he  wanted 
constantly  with  him. 

In  1869,  Julia  McCrum  came  from  her  home  in  Gault,  Ontario,  Canada,  to 
visit  with  her  uncle,  who  was  an  army  surgeon  stationed  at  Fort  Boise,  and  on 
April  26.  1871,  she  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Davis.  They  had  a  family  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters:  Marion,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Harry,  who 
was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  and  died  September  28,  1910;  Edwin  Horace, 
now  president  of  the  Thomas  Davis  Estate,  incorporated;  Thomas  Jefferson,  man- 
ager of  the  Davis  Meat  Company;  Etta  Davis  Quinn,  wife  of  W.  L.  Quinn,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  and  Hazel  Davis  Taylor,  wife  of  Rowland  C.  Taylor,  of  Boise,  Idaho. 

Julia  Davis  was  one  of  the  active  pioneer  women  of  Boise.  She  took  great 
pleasure  in  making  the  women  in  the  families  of  the  new  arrivals  in  the  great 
west  feel  welcome  and  was  generally  the  first  to  call  upon  a  new  family  arriving 
in  Boise,  going  at  times  to  greet  them  where  their  tents  were  pitched  beside  the 
wagon  trains  and  before  they  were  definitely  located.  She  was,  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  September  19,  1907,  active  and  prominent  in  the  social  life  of 
Boise.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  always  loyally  followed 
Its  teachings  and  liberally  contributed  to  its  support. 

Her  death  so  greatly  affected  Mr.  Davis,  because  of  his  advanced  age,  that  he  fol- 
lowed her  in  less  than  a  year  and  during  that  time  there  was  coupled  with  his  great 
love  for  her  memory  a  desire  to  perpetuate  her  name  in  Boise — the  city  which  he  loved 
and  knew  he  must  soon  leave,  after  having  watched  it  grow  from  a  sagebrush  wilder- 
ness. As  a  memorial  to  this  much  loved  pioneer  woman  he  gave  to  the  city  a  tract  of 
forty-three  acres  extending  along  the  water-front  from  Eighth  street  to  Broadway,  to 
be  always  known  as  Julia  Davis  Park.  This  today  is  Boise's  chief  park  and  has  been 
developed  with  vast  acres  of  velvety  lawns,  plentifully  supplied  with  shade  trees,  with 
flowers,  walks  and  driveways  winding  in  and  out,  forming  attractive  landscape  features. 
There  is  also  a  menagerie  of  wild  animals  and  the  park  affords  pleasure  for  thousands 
of  visitors  year  by  year,  and  band  concerts  are  given  there  on  Sundays  during  the 
summer  season. 

It  would  have  been  a  great  pleasure  to  Thomas  Davis  to  have  lived  to  witness  a 
crowd  at  a  Sunday  band  concert  in  Julia  Davis  Park.  He  was  passionately  fond  of 


44  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

music,  was  a  violinist,  and  in  the  early  days  was  a  member  of  the  Boise  band.  He 
never  missed  an  opportunity  of  hearing  good  music  and  on  the  evening  of  June  9,  1908, 
he  could  not  deny  himself  the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  Damrosch  orchestra,  although 
he  had  not  been  out  of  the  house  for  two  weeks,  and  on  the  morning  after  attending 
this  concert  he  was  found  in  his  bed,  as  though  quietly  sleeping,  but  life  had  fled. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Davis  is  the  manager  of  the  Davis  Meat  Company  of  Boise  and 
has  other  important  business  interests  in  Idaho,  while  for  ten  years  he  was  a  resident 
of  Alaska.  He  is  the  eldest  son  and  second  child  of  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Julia  Davis, 
who  are  mentioned  above.  Born  in  Boise  on  the  7th  of  March,  1875,  he  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  city  and  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school,  after 
which  he  went  to  New  England,  where  he  attended  the  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  of 
New  Hampshire.  Later  he  attended  the  King's  high  school  in  Dresden,  Germany,  for 
more  than  three  years.  He  has  been  an  active  business  man  through  much  of  his  life 
and  spent  about  a  decade  in  Alaska,  where  he  was  active  along  various  business  lines. 
One  of  his  ventures  in  Alaska  is  a  farm  on  Fairmount  island,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  raising  the  blue  fox,  and  the  place  is  known  as  the  Fairmount  Fox  Farm.  He  is  yet 
interested  in  that  business,  having  a  partner,  who  manages  the  farm.  In  the  fall  of 
1918  he  returned  to  Boise,  since  which  time  he  has  been  the  manager  of  the  Davis 
Meat  Company,  one  of  the  principal  packing  interests  of  the  city,  while  in  Alaska 
he  also  has  oil  and  mining  interests.  He  is  watchful  of  every  opportunity  pointing  to 
success  and  his  activities  have  been  an  element  in  the  commercial  development  of 
this  section  of  the  state. 

In  Seattle,  Washington,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1912,  Mr.  Davis  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  Roberts,  who  was  born  in  Illinois.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
he  has  njpny  friends  in  those  organizations.  His  experiences  by  reason  of  his  sojourn 
in  Alaska  have  been  broad  and  varied.  In  going  to  the  northwest  he  manifested  the 
same  qualities  which  brought  his  honored  father  as  a  pioneer  to  Idaho.  He  displays 
the  same  splendid  business  characteristics  and  is  making  the  Davis  meat  plant  one 
of  the  most  important  industries  of  this  section  of  the  state. 


EDWIN  H.  DAVIS. 

Edwin  H.  Davis  is  the  president  of  the  Thomas  J.  Davis  Estate,  Inc.,  and  is  thus 
active  in  the  management  of  real  estate  interests  of  large  value.  He  is  a  young  man 
of  marked  business  ability  and  enterprise  whom  Boise  is  proud  to  number  among  her 
native  sons.  He  was  here  born  on  the  21st  of  November,  1882,  and  is  the  fifth  child 
and  third  son  of  the  late  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Julia  Davis,  who  were  Boise  pioneers, 
very  prominent  in  the  business,  industrial  and  social  life  of  the  community,  where  they 
remained  until  death  called  them.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away 'September  19, 
1907,  and  the  father  died  on  the  10th  of  June  1908.  They  are  mentioned  at  length  on 
another  page  of  this  work. 

Their  son,  Edwin  H.  Davis,  was  born  and  reared  in  Boise  and  in  the  acquire- 
ment of  his  education  passed  through  consecutive  grades  in  the  public  schools,  becoming 
a  high  school  pupil.  He  afterward  entered  Notre  Dame  University  of  Indiana  and 
later  studied  in  the  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  of  New  Hampshire.  From  early  manhood 
he  has  been  an  active  factor  in  business  life  and  since  his  father's  death  has  been 
manager  and  president  of  the  Thomas  J.  Davis  Estate,  Inc.,  which  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  this  section  of  Idaho.  He  was  the  chief  ^organizer  of  the  Davis  Meat  Com- 
pany, which  is  an  important  and  prosperous  packing  industry,  constituting  one  of  the 
leading  productive  industries  of  Boise.  The  plant  is  located  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Boise  river  about  a  mile  west  of  Boise,  on  property  which  the  father  owned.  The  plant 
consists  of  one  large  main  building  of  solid  concrete  and  various  smaller  buildings 
and  pens  for  live  stock,  together  with  several  cottages  that  are  occupied  by  those 
conducting  the  plant.  The  entire  plant  is  fashioned  and  designed  along  the  most 
modern  scientific  lines  and  is  fully  equipped  with  the  latest  improved  machinery  such 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  45 

as  is  found  in  every  modern  packing  house.  It  is  supplied  with  electric  lights  and  a 
water  system  and  its  product  is  chiefly  sold  in  Boise.  The  Thomas  J.  Davis  Estate 
also  embraces  large  realty  interests  both  within  and  outside  of  Boise,  the  -realty  outside 
including  about  seven  hundred  acres  of  fine  lands  in  the  Boise  valley  along  the  river 
just  west  of  the  city — lands  that  are  most  fertile  and  productive  and  which  include  the 
beautiful  and  famous  Chinese  gardens,  visible  to  and  admired  by  all  travelers  on  the 
Nainpa  Interurban  Railway  line,  which  follows  the  crest  of  the  hill  above  the  gardens, 
and  they  are  seen  as  well  by  all  who  travel  the  public  highway  along  the  hillcrest. 
These  Chinese  gardens  are  all  on  the  Thomas  J.  Davis  estate  and  constitute  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  sights  in  the  valley  of  Boise  through  the  summer  seasons. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1907,  Edwin  H.  Davis  was  married  to  Miss  Marcella 
Torrance,  who  was  born  in  Denver,  Colorado,  November  25,  1882,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Samuel  and  Anna  (Shepard)  Torrance.  She  was  reared  chiefly  in  Boise,  where 
her  father  established  and  conducted  the  first  foundry  of  the  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis 
have  four  children:  Julia,  who  was  born  May  10,  1913,  and  was  named  for  her  grand- 
mother; Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  born  August  4,  1915,  and  was  named  for  his 
grandfather;  Marcella,  who  was  born  February  11,  1917,  and  was  named  for  her  mother; 
and  Mary,  born  September  18,  1918.  Mrs.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  having  become  connected  with  the  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  and  Knight  Templar  Commandery,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  a  most  progressive  business  man  who,  thoroughly  trained  by  his  father 
in  business  methods,  has  become  a  most  active  factor  in  the  care  and  conduct  of 
important  interests.  Opportunities  that  others  pass  heedlessly  by  win  his  recognition 
and  in  the  utilization  of  these  he  has  steadily  advanced  the  business  interests  which 
are  controlled  by  the  estate.  His  life  work  has  added  new  laurels  to  an  untarnished 
family  name. 


HON.  ALBERTUS   L.  FREEHAFER. 

Hon.  Albertus  L.  Freehafer,  president  of  the  state  public  utilities  commission 
and  a  resident  of  Council,  Idaho,  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  by  Governor 
Moses  Alexander  in  January,  1915,  and  has  displayed  marked  faithfulness  and  efll 
ciency  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  His  entire  career  has  been  marked  by  a  steady 
progress  that  indicates  the  fit  utilization  of  his  time,  talents  and  opportunities.  He 
was  born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  February  12,  1868,  a  son  of  Andrew 
and  Martha  (Kinton)  Freehafer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same  county. 
The  father  died  in  Idaho  in  1915,  while  the  mother's  death  occurred  in  Ohio  in  1911. 
Two  sons  of  the  family  survive,  the  brother  being  William  E.  Freehafer,  also  a  resi- 
dent of  Council,  Idaho. 

Albertus  L.  Freehafer  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  his  native  county  to  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen,  when  he  entered  the  high  school  at  Bellville,  Ohio,  in  which 
he  pursued  his  studies  for  two  years.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  country 
school  teacher  and  followed  the  profession  for  three  years.  With  the  money  thus 
earned  and  supplemented  by  money  acquired  through  labor  as  a  farm  hand  during 
vacations  he  paid  his  tuition  at  the  Ohio  Northern  University  of  Ada,  Ohio,  which 
he  entered  when  twenty-three  years  of  age.  There  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1893.  Following  the  completion  of  his  course  he  accepted  the 
superintendency  of  the  high  school  at  Lucas,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  three  years 
in  that  position.  He  regarded  this,  however,  merely  as  an  initial  step  to  other  profes- 
sional labor,  for  it  was  his  earnest  desire  to  become  a  member  of  the  bar  and  in 
1896  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  an  attorney  at  Mansfield,  Ohio.  Not  long 
afterward  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk  of  Richland  county  and  held  that 
position  until  1900,  at  the  same  time  keeping  up  his  law  studies.  In  May,  1900,  he 
removed  to  Scofield,  Utah,  where  he  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  for  two  years, 
and  his  wife  was  also  one  of  the  teachers  there. 

It  was  on  the  18th  of  August,  1897,  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  that  Mr.  Freehafer  was 
married  to  Miss  Olive  Robinson,  who  was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  same 
neighborhood  in  which  her  husband's  youth  was  passed.  In  fact  they  were  school- 
mates. She  also  is^a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Northern  University  and,  like  him,  she  be- 
came a  teacher.  In  August,  1902,  they  removed  to  Council.  Idaho,  and  Mr.  Freehafer 


46  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

was  principal  of  the  schools  of  that  place  for  three  years,  his  wife  teaching  during 
the  same  time.  In  the  meantime  he  had  continued  his  law  studies  and  in  June,  1905, 
successfully  passed  the  required  examination  that  secured  him  admission  to  the  bar.  He 
then  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Council,  where  he  re- 
mained from  1905  until  1915,  when  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  public  utilities 
commission  by  Governor  Alexander  and  is  still  continuing  in  that  office,  in  which  he 
is  making  an  excellent  record.  This  is  not  his  first  public  service  in  Idaho,  however. 
He  was  for  one  term,  from  1907  until  1909,  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives 
and  was  the  democratic  minority  leader  in  the  assembly.  He  afterward  served  for 
two  terms  in  the  state  senate,  from  1909  until  1913,  representing  Washington  county. 
During  that  period  he  was  the  author  of  the  bill  which  created  Adams  county  from 
a  portion  of  Washington  county  and  was  connected  with  other  important  legislation. 
Mr.  Freehafer  had  taken  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Council 
in  1905  and  is  still  the  owner  of  that  property. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freehafer  have  become  the  parents  of  two  living  children,  Marie  and 
Paul,  the  former  now  a  graduate  of  Idaho  State  University.  The  religious  faith  of  the 
family  is  that  of  the  Congregational  church,  in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an  active 
and  helpful  interest,  Mr.  Freehafer  serving  at  the  present  time  as  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school  in  the  First  Congregational  church  at  Boise.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  while  along  the  strict  path  of  his  profession  he  has  membership  with 
the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association  and  the  American  Bar  Association. 


ALBERT  JASON  KNOLLIN. 

Albert  Jason  Knollin  is  a  man  of  fine  physical  proportions  whose  physique  is  but 
the  index  of  his  character.  He  is  a  big  man  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term — broad- 
minded,  progressive,  enterprising,  who  is  not  only  a  leader  in  local  affairs  but  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  most  prominent  sheepmen  of  the  entire  west.  There  are  perhaps 
few  others  who  have  contributed  so  largely  to  the-  development  of  the  sheep  industry 
in  America  as  Albert  Jason  Knollin,  who  is  still  a  prominent  stockman  of  Idaho. 

He  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  New  York,  April  21,  1862,  and  is  a  sjn  of 
James  and  Cornelia  Knollin.  His  father,  a  native  of  New  Brunswick,  born  in  1831, 
came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  assisted  in  preparing  the 
first  ties  for  railroad  use  in  Canada.  After  crossing  the  boundary  into  this  country  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  raising  of  live  stock.  His  wife  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1832  and  after  residing  for  some  time  in  that  state  they  removed  to  Macoupin 
county,  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Knollin  engaged  in  the  live  stock  business.  Later  he  became 
a  well  known  live  stock  man  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

Albert  J.  Knollin,  previous  to  the  completion  of  his  public  school  education  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  had  served  an  apprenticeship  at  farming,  taking  up  active  work 
along  that  line  when  a  little  lad  of  eleven.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began 
dealing  in  live  stock,  largely  handling  sheep  and  butchering  in  St.  Louis.  In  1883  he 
established  a  butchering  business  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  in  1888  sold  a  half  in- 
terest in  his  business  to  Swift  &  Company  of  Chicago.  From  1885  until  1890  he  bought 
sheep  for  the  Swift  corporation  on  a  commission  basis  and  in  1890  assumed  charge 
of  their  entire  sheep  interests,  having  disposed  of  his  remaining  interest  in  the 
Kansas  City  butchering  business  to  them.  During  his  association  with  Swift  &  Com- 
pany at  Kansas  City  they  established  feed  yards  in  both  Kansas  and  Nebraska  so  as  to 
insure  a  supply  of  sheep  at  all  times.  Mr.  Knollin  bought  the  first  sheep  ever  brought 
from  Texas  for  northern  consumption.  To  stock  the  feed  yards  he  found  it  necessary  to 
ship  sheep  from  the  Lone  Star  state,  also  from  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  In  many  in- 
stances the  sheep  had  to  be  driven  many  miles  before  reaching  the  nearest  railroad 
point.  On  one  occasion  he  drove  his  sheep  from  the  south  as  far  as  Hutchinson,  Kan- 
sas, to  be  fed  and  later  shipped  on  by  rail.  This  was  in  1890.  In  1888  and  1889  the 
company  bought  hay  at  from  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  per  ton  to  feed  the 
sheep,  also  paid  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel  for  corn  and  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
cents  per  bushel  for  oats,  delivered  at  the  feed  yards.  Mr.  Knollin  remained  with 
Swift  &  Company  until  1891,  his  headquarters  being  in  Chicago  the  last  year. 

He  then  returned  to  Kansas  City,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  sheep  raising, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1891  he  again  began  sheep  buying  on  his  own  Account,  following 


ALBERT  J.  KNOLLIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  49 

this  throughout  Utah.  It  was  during  the  winter  of  that  year  that  he  established  the 
present  method,  which  later  became  universal,  of  feeding  lambs  and  yearlings.  In 
1894  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Edward  F.  Swift  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  J. 
Knollin  &  Company  and  they  built  up  a  very  large  business,  handling  over  eight 
hundred  thousand  head  of  sheep  per  year,  buying  in  Montana,  Washington,  Idaho, 
California,  Nevada,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  trailing  and  shipping  from  those  states 
to  the  corn  belt  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska  and  owning  at  one  time  as  many  as  four 
hundred  thousand  head  of  sheep  in  ten  different  states  and  territories.  At  the  same 
time  they  engaged  in  farming  operations  in  Nebraska,  Kansas  and  Illinois  and  owned 
ranches  in  Utah,  Idaho  and  New  Mexico,  their  wool  clipping  running  as  high  as  two 
million  pounds  per  year.  In  1899  it  was  almost  impossible  to  sell  their  wool  clip  at 
any  price.  Some  of  the  wool  was  freighted  by  wagon  from  the  Little  Lost  River 
country  to  Dubois,  Idaho,  at  a  cost  of  one  cent  per  pound,  netting  them  but  eight  cents 
per  pound.  During  this  period  on  his  visit  to  Idaho,  Mr.  Knollin  became  convinced  that 
the  state  possessed  advantages  over  other  states  for  the  raising  of  sheep  and  lambs,  so 
the  firm  centered  its  business  in  Idaho,  with  ranches  throughout  the  state  and  with  the 
main  office  at  Soda  Springs,  while  ranch  headquarters  were  maintained  at  Rexburg, 
Dubois,  Lost  River,  Emmett,  Bruneau  and  Raft  River.  At  the  same  time  the  firm 
owned  other  ranches  in  New  Mexico  and  Utah.  In  1902  Mr.  Knollin  dissolved  his 
partnership  with  Mr.  Swift  but  continued  in  the  sheep  business  in  New  Mexico  and 
Idaho.  In  1912  he  disposed  of  his  New  Mexico  interests  but  still  owns  a  fifteen  hundred 
acre  farm  located  about  eight  miles  from  the  city  limits  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  which 
he  purchased  in  1885. 

In  1898  Mr.  Knollin  turned  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  thoroughbred  stock,  for 
which  he  has  a  demand  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  In  1919  he  shipped  breed- 
ing stock,  including  Shropshires,  Hampshires,  Oxfords,  Cotswolds,  Lincolns,  Ram- 
bouillets  and  Romneys,  the  latter  being  imported  from  New  Zealand,  the  shipments  being 
made  to  California,  Oregon,  Washington,  Montana,  North  Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas, 
Utah,  Colorado,  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Iowa,  Illinois  and 
Virginia,  as  well  as  a  great  number  being  distributed  in  the  state  of  Idaho.  He  also 
had  inquiries  from  every  state  in  the  Union  but  could  not  supply  the  stock,  although  he 
is  the  largest  breeder  of  pure  bred  sheep  in  the  entire  country.  He  also  has  the  pure 
bred  Belgian  horse  on  his  farm  in  Kansas  and  shorthorn  cattle  and  Berkshire  hogs 
in  Idaho.  He  has  repeatedly  captured  the  first  prizes  at  state  and  national  expositions 
and  has  never  lost  the  trophy  for  carload  lots  of  fat  lambs  bred  and  fed  in  Idaho.  In 
exhibiting  his  prizes,  ribbons  and  cups  at  the  various  expositions  he  has  done  more  to 
advertise  Idaho  than  perhaps  any  other  individual.  There  is  not  a  road  or  path  in 
this  state  that  he  has  not  either  ridden  or  driven  over,  and  he  has  done  more  for  sheep 
raising  in  the  states  of  Idaho,  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Utah  than  any  one  individual. 
Many  of  the  most  successful  sheepmen  of  the  present  day  in  Idaho  were  at  one  time  his 
employes.  In  1894  he  established  the  first  exclusive  commission  sheep  business  in 
Kansas  City  with  C.  J.  Booth.  This  business  prospered  so  well  that  in  1900  the  firm 
established  commission  houses  in  South  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  Omaha,  Nebraska.  In 

1903  Mr.  Knollin  purchased   Mr.  Booth's   interest  and   opened   a  house   in   Chicago   in 

1904  and  one  in  Denver  in  1905  but  in  1916  discontinued  those  houses.     The  business 
was  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Knollin  Sheep  Commission  Company.    They  were 
the  largest  handlers  of  sheep  on  a  commission  basis,  averaging  about  eight  thousand 
double  deck  cars,  or  two  million  sheep,  per  year.     Mr.  Knollin  estimates  that  he  has 
probably  handled  as  many  sheep  during  his  career  as  there  are  in  the  United  States 
today,  during  which  time  he  has  had  many  trials  to  contend  with  but  persistency  of 
purpose  has  enabled  him  to  overcome  all   obstacles  and  reach  a  foremost  position  of 
leadership  in  connection  with  the  sheep  industry  in  America. 

Mr.  Knollin  first  came  to  Idaho  in  1894,  making  his  home  at  Soda  Springs.  In 
1917  he  returned  to  this  state  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Pocatello.  He  owns  eight 
thousand  acres  of  agricultural  land  in  Bannock,  Butte  a«d  Caribou  counties,  on  which 
he  raises  all  his  own  feed  and  hay,  last  year  harvesting  forty-four  hundred  tons  of  hay 
and  two  and  a  half  million  pounds  of  grain.  He  employs  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  men  in  this  state  alone.  During  the  last  few  years  he  has  been  locating  farmers  on 
his  land  on  the  Little  Lost  river,  where  he  maintains  a  school  with  an  attendance 
of  twenty-five  pupils,  all  living  upon  his  ranch.  The  Child  Welfare  League  reported 
seventeen  children  five  years  of  age  and  under.  The  value  of  his  service  in  the  devel- 
opment of  Idaho  cannot  be  overestimated. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1891,  Mr.  Knollin  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  Wells,  of 
Vol.  n— 4 


50  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Almira  (Mason) 
Wells.  Her  father  was  born  in  New  York  but  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  naval  officer  under  Farragut  at  New  Orleans  and  in  Mobile  bay 
during  the  Civil  war.  The  mother  was  born  in  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  a  niece  of  Newton  E.  Mason,  a  retired  admiral  of  the  United  States  navy,  who  was 
officer  in  charge  of  Admiral  Schley's  flagship  in  Cuba  during  the  Spanish-American 
war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knollin  became  the  parents  of  the  following  children.  James 
Charles,  the  eldest,  is  editor  of  the  Orchard  &  Farm  of  Los  Angeles,  California.  Loyal  C. 
was  a  member  of  the  Gas  and  Flame  Corps,  serving  as  corporal  with  Company  A  of  the 
First  Gas  Regiment  in  France.  This  work  took  the  company  to  the  front  with  all  the 
allied  armies  save  that  of  Italy.  Before  going  to  the  war  Loyal  C.  Knollin  had  man- 
aged his  father's  farm  in  Kansas.  His  splendid  military  record  is  but  the  expression  of 
the  name  which  he  bears.  Albert  J.,  Jr.,  attending  the  Wisconsin  State  University,  was 
graduated  from  the  Westport  high  school  of  Kansas  City  in  1918  and  is  now  pursu- 
ing a  civil  engineering  course.  The  youngest  child,  Mabel  Mary,  is  attending  Miss 
Barstow's  School  for  Girls  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  in  which  her  mother  taught  be- 
fore her  marriage.  This  daughter  owns  a  flock  of  pure  bred  sheep  on  the  range  in 
Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knollin  also  lost  two  sons:  Edgar,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
months ;  and  Robert,  when  but  three  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Knollin  is  over  six  feet  in  height  and  of  athletic  build,  appearing  much  younger 
than  he  really  is.  He  is  a  man  of  polished  manner  and  his  wife  is  an  accomplished 
lady,  their  home  being  one  of  comfort  and  refinement.  His  success  is  due  to  no  unusual 
circumstances.  He  had  no  special  educational  training  but  throughout  his  life  he  has 
been  alert  to  every  opportunity  for  advancement  and  has  used  his  opportunities  wisely 
and  well.  Each  forward  step  that  he  has  made  has  brought  him  still  broader  chances — 
but  such  as  any  other  man  might  have  won.  It  has  been  because  he  has  used  his 
opportunities  that  Albert  Jason  Knollin  stands  today  as  the  foremost  raiser  of  pure 
bred  sheep  in  the  United  States. 


MRS.  STELLA  B.  BALDERSTON. 

Mrs.  Stella  B.  Balderston,  state  librarian  of  Boise,  has  held  that  position,  per- 
forming its  exacting  duties  in  a  most  capable  manner,  since  1914,  when  she  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  place  by  the  state  supreme  court.  She  is  the  widow  of  the  late  William 
Balderston,  who  passed  away  in  1914,  at  which  time  he  was  register  of  the  United 
States  land  office.  Previously,  for  eighteen  years,  he  had  been  editor  of  the  Idaho 
Daily  Statesman.  William  Balderston  was  born  in  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  August 
30,  1856,  and  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  Quaker  families  of  that  state. 
In  the  maternal  line  he  was  a  great-grandson  of  Betsy  Ross,  who  made  the  first 
American  flag.  William  Balderston  acquired  his  education  in  a  Quaker  school  at  West- 
town,  Pennsylvania.  Throughout  his  business  career  he  was  identified  with  news- 
paper interests  and  for  many  years  'before  coming  to  Idaho  was  editor  of  papers  in 
both  Colorado  and  Utah.  For  several  years  he  was  editor  of  the  Aspen  Times  of 
Colorado  and  later  of  the  Salt  Lake  (Utah)  Times.  Coming  to  Boise,  he  assumed  the 
editorship  of  the  Daily  Statesman  in  the  early  '90s.  He  did  much  to  develop  that 
paper  and  make  it  the  power  that  it  is  today.  He  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
woman  suffrage  cause  and  was  largely  responsible  for  its  ultimate  victory  in  Idaho. 
The  first  suffrage  meeting  ever  held  in  the  state  was  at  his  home  in  Boise.  He  stood 
stanchly  for  every  cause  in  which  he  believed  and  was  a  fearless  supporter  of  any 
project  or  plan  which  he  considered  of  real  value  and  worth  to  community  or  common- 
wealth. 

In  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  6th  of  June,  1891,  William  Balderston  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Stella  B.  Sain,  who  at  the  time  was  a  teacher,  having  for  six  years  prior 
to  her  marriage  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Aspen,  Colorado.  She  was  born  in 
Hocking  county,  Ohio,  August  2,  1864,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  F.  Sain,  who  was 
born  in  Vinton  county,  Ohio,  and  was  of  French  descent.  His  life  was  devoted  to  the 
practice  of  law,  for  which  profession  he  early  qualified.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Balderston 
were  born  four  children,  a  son  and  three  daughters:  Elizabeth  Canby,  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  Drexel  Institute  of  Philadelphia,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Water 
Lindsey;  Katharine  Canby,  who  was  graduated  from  Wellesley  College,  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  is  now  a  student  at  Harvard  University;  William,  who  during  his  junior 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  51 

year  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin  entered  the  Officers  Reserve  Training  School  at 
Camp  Dodge,  Iowa;  was  later  commissioned  second  lieutenant  at  Camp  Taylor,  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  first  lieutenant  at  Camp  Mead,  Maryland,  being  ready  to  sail  when 
the  armistice  was  signed;  and  Stella  Marl,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high 
school  and  is  now  a  student  at  Wellesley  College,  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

The  family  has  long  occupied  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles  of  the  city, 
especially  where  the  individual  is  rated  by  personal  worth  and  intellectual  force  rather 
than  by  wealth.  Mrs.  Balderston,  like  her  husband,  has  ever  been  deeply  interested 
in  the  questions  of  the  day,  especially  those  relating  to  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of 
her  adopted  city  and  state,  and  her  capability  led  to  her  selection  for  the  important 
office  which  she  is  now  filling  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  who  was  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  of  Idaho — a  man  who  in  his  editorial  and  official  capacity  contributed  in 
large  measure  to  the  development  of  the  state. 


JAMES  H.  LOWELL. 

James  H.  Lowell  has  for  many  years  been  a  prominent  figure  in  banking  circles 
and  in  connection  with  the  development  of  the  irrigation  interests  of  the  state.  He 
has  always  carefully  noted  the  trend  of  the  times  and  with  marvelous  prescience  has 
recognized  the  opportunities  and  conditions  of  the  future,  laboring  to  utilize  the  one 
and  meet  the  other  in  a  way  contributory  to  the  growth  and  improvement  of  the  state 
at  large. 

Mr.  Lowell  was  born  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  May  4,  1860,  and  completed 
his  education  by  graduation  from  the  high  school  of  Bloomington,  Illinois,  with  the 
class  of  1877.  He  afterward  went  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  farm  work  and 
also  in  teaching  school  in  Lassen  county.  He  afterward  entered  the  employ  of  Andy 
Miller  in  Humbug  valley,  near  Susanville,  California,  where  he  remained  for  two  years, 
while  later  he  was  teacher  of  a  country  school  near  Chico,  California.  He  next  went 
to  Los  Angeles  and  after  teaching  there  for  a  year  turned  his  attention  to  the  land 
business,  buying  and  subdividing  property.  He  there  continued  until  1884,  when  he 
removed  to  Hunter  Springs,  near  Livingston,  in  Park  county,  Montana,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  sheep  raising  until  1892.  He  afterward  became  a  resident  of  Zillah,  Yakima 
county,  Washington,  and  was  one  of  the  builders  and  promoters  of  the  town,  in  which 
he  sold  land  for  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1893  he  arrived  in  Roswell,  Idaho,  where,  in 
company  with  A.  J.  Wiley,  W.  P.  Hard  and  D.  W.  Ross,  he  built  the  Riverside  canal  for 
irrigation  purposes  covering  about  fifteen  thousand  acres.  He  managed  the  project 
until  1904. 

It  was  in  the  latter  year  that  Mr.  Lowell  came  to  Caldwell  and  in  connection  with 
R.  S.  Madden  entered  the  real  estate  business,  in  which  he  continued  until  1909.  He 
then  returned  to  Roswell  and  became  associated  with  E.  M.  Kirkpatrick  in  the  irri- 
gation and  development  of  the  Roswell  Park  district.  There  he  made  his  home  until 
1918,  when  he  returned  to  Caldwell  and  spent  a  year  of  active  work  in  the  Caldwell 
Commercial  Bank  of  which  he  has  been  vice  president  since  1907.  Mr.  Lowell  became 
associated  with  the  late  Governor  A.  K.  Steunenberg,  with  John  C.  Rice  and  others, 
in  the  incorporation  of  the  Caldwell  Banking  &  Trust  Company,  the  predecessor  of 
the  Caldwell  Commerical  Bank.  There  was  perhaps  no  other  man  in  Idaho  more  closely 
associated  with  the  late  Governor  Steunenberg  or  a  closer  friend  than  Mr.  Lowell,  the 
tragic  death  of  the  former  executive  being  a  blow  to  Mr.  Lowell  greater  than  words 
can  express.  In  1898  he  was  associated  with  Governor  Steunenberg,  I.  B.  Perrine  and 
S.  B.  Milner  as  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Twin  Falls  Land  &  Water  Com- 
pany, which  made  one  of  the  first  surveys  and  obtained  the  segregation  of  the  Twin 
Falls  tract  under  the  Carey  act.  An  important  event  in  the  history  of  Idaho  and 
one  that  will  ever  make  the  name  of  Mr.  Lowell  synonymous  with  the  growth  of  the 
state  was  the  saving  of  the  Twin  Falls  irrigation  project,  embracing  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  acres  of  what  is  now  the  most  productive  and  valuable  land  of  the  state 
from  becoming  a  government  preserve  under  the  forestry  act.  While  Mr.  Lowell  and 
his  associates  were  making  their  surveys  for  the  segregation  of  this  tract  and  had 
spent  thousands  of  dollars  in  the  work  Mr.  Glendenning  of  Utah,  supervisor  of  forestry 
for  the  state  of  Idaho,  had  submitted  a  recommendation  to  congress,  in  which  he  had 
very  forcefully  recommended  the  setting  aside  of  this  valuable  tract  of  land  as  a 
great  government  preserve.  His  report  had  been  so  favorably  received  at  this  juncture 


52  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

that  it  looked  as  though  the  work  of  Mr.  Lowell  and  his  associates  and  their  great 
dream  of  peopling  the  district  and  converting  it  into  valuable  homes  and  farm 
properties  would  be  a  failure.  At  the  recommendation  of  Governor  Steunenberg  and 
Senator  Shoop,  Mr.  Lowell  and  Frank  Gooding,  afterward  governor  of  Idaho,  went 
to  Spokane,  Washington,  which  at  that  time  was  the  home  of  Mr.  Glendenning,  for  the 
purpose  of  interceding  with  him  to  withdraw  his  recommendation  to  congress  to  set 
aside  the  Twin  Falls  tract  as  a  forest  preserve,  in  lieu  of  which  to  recommend  the 
segregation  of  this  tract  for  agricultural  pursuits,  as  outlined  under  the  plans  of  the 
Twin  Falls  Land  &  Water  Company.  When  Mr.  Lowell  and  Mr.  Gooding  approached 
Mr.  Glendenning  he  seemed  adamant,  determined  to  carry  through  his  original  project, 
and  it  was  only  after  long  and  forceful  argument  that  he  was  made  to  see  the  injustice 
that  would  be  done  to  the  state  of  Idaho  if  his  recommendation  was  carried  out.  He 
was  finally  persuaded  to  yield  and  to  sign  a  recommendation  to  congress  which  re- 
sulted in  the  setting  apart  of  this  land  for  agricultural  purposes  and  the  great  Twin 
Falls  irrigation  project  was  thus  carried  to  a  successful  termination,  so  that  instead 
of  its  being  to-day  a  mere  playground  for  the  people  of  the  United  States  it  is  now  a 
great  productive  district,  supporting  thousands  of  happy  homes,  with  the  city  of  Twin 
Falls,  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  cities  of  the  state,  as  its  distributing  center.  Mr. 
Lowell  has  since  disposed  of  all  interests  in  the  Twin  Falls  project.  He  was  one 
of  the  promoters  of  the  Caldwell  Building  &  Loan  Association  and  is  interested  in  some 
of  the  best  improved  property  of  Caldwell,  including  the  Lowell  block  and  the  Com- 
mercial block.  He  was  actively  interested  in  the  organization  of  the  Boise-Payette 
Water  Users  Association,  became  its  first  president  and  active  executive  officer.  In  fact, 
his  labors  were  a  most  potent  element  in  the  development  of  the  association,  as  he  car- 
ried on  the  work  until  the  government  became  interested  through  his  efforts  and  put 
through  the  project.  In  this  connection  he  found  it  necessary  to  visit  Washington 
and  put  the  matter  before  Secretary  Hitchcock,  who  approved  it.  Mr.  Lowell  remained 
president  of  the  association  until  1909.  Another  important  field  of  labor  which  has 
claimed  his  attention  is  that  of  the  Gem  irrigation  district,  comprising  about  thirty 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Owyhee  county.  Of  this  he  became  manager  and  his  previous 
experience  in  the  development  of  irrigation  projects  made  his  labors  there  of  direct 
account. 

It  was  in  1898  that  Mr.  Lowell  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  E.  Hard,  a  daughter 
of  W.  P.  Hard,  and  they  are  now  the  parents  of  an  interesting  family  of  four  sons: 
Wade  Hv  Blake  J.,  Douglas  W.  and  Edwin  G. 

While  a  resident  of  Roswell,  Mr.  Lowell  was  a  director  of  the  school  board  from 
1901  until  1917,  during  which  time  the  rural  high  school  district  was  organized.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  from  Canyon  county  in  1902-3  and  during 
that  session  was  chairman  of  the  joint  committee  on  irrigation,  at  which  time  the 
first  comprehensive  law  on  irrigation  was  put  through,  Mr.  Lowell  being  largely  responsi- 
ble for  its  passage.  Following  that  session  of  the  general  assembly  he  was  appointed 
state  irrigation  commissioner  by  Governor  Morrison  and  was  afterward  reappointed 
by  Governor  Brady,  remaining  in  the  office  until  1910,  when  he  resigned.  From  the 
standpoint  of  a  citizen,  however,  he  still  takes  a  deep  interest  in  politics.  He  is  thor- 
oughly informed  concerning  the  subject  of  irrigation,  and  his  contributions  to  maga- 
zines on  this  subject  are  most  interesting  and  instructive. 


JOSEPH  PINKHAM. 

A  history  of  Idaho  would  be  incomplete  if  mention  were  not  made  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  now  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  a  former  territorial  United  States  mar- 
shal and  by  appointment  from  President  Harrison  in  1891  became  the  first  United  States 
marshal  of  Idaho  after  statehood,  and  an  Indian  fighter,  stage-driver  and  for  a  number 
of  years  in  charge  of  the  United  States  assay  office  in  Boise  but  now  living  retired  in 
enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest. 

Joseph  Pinkham  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  December  15,  1833,  a  son  of  Hanson 
and  Rachel  (Pickle)  Pinkham,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New  Brunswick,  Maine. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Richard  Pinkham,  who  came  to  America  in  1633. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Idaho  Magazine,  February,  1906: 

"In  Joseph  Pinkham  we  find  a  man  who  has  given  the  best  of  his  life  to  the  service 
of  Idaho.  During  most  of  the  years  he  has  lived  here,  both  before  and  since  Idaho 


JOSEPH   PINKHAM 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  55 

became  a  state,  he  has  been,  in  one  capacity  and  another,  a  servant  of  the  public.  He 
has  discharged  his  duties  faithfully  and  conscientiously.  Public  criticism  has  never 
been  able  to  chalk  up  a  black  mark  on  his  record  sheet  His  every  effort  has  been  aimed 
at  the  betterment  of  Idaho,  towards  the  advancement  of  the  interest  of  her  inhabitants, 
and  towards  the  enforcement  of  her  laws.  He  has  helped  to  make  Idaho  a  state  de- 
sirable for  homeseekers.  When  fourteen  years  of  age,  his  father  died,  and  at  seventeen 
years  he  left  his  boyhood  home,  went  to  New  York,  and  shipped  on  board  a  sailing 
vessel,  bound  for  San  Francisco  around  Cape  Horn.  The  voyage  was  an  uneventful 
one  and  consumed  eight  months.  He  arrived  at  his  destination  in  the  fall  of  1850  and 
secured  work  in  a  hay  market.  During  the  following  two  or  three  years  he  worked  as 
a  clerk  in  the  stores  and  at  other  employment  in  Sacramento,  Shasta  City  and  Yreka. 
In  1853  Mr.  Pinkham  spent  several  months  in  mining  about  Pitt  River,  California, 
later  returning  to  Yreka  and  joining  his  brother  Ebenezer  in  a  trip  to  Oregon.  They 
arrived  at  Jacksonville,  Oregon,  on  the  very  day  when  the  famous  Rogue  River  Indian 
war  began.  They  remained  there  during  the  war,  helped  subdue  the  red  men  and,  at 
intervals,  engaged  in  mining.  In  1855  Mr.  Pinkham  engaged  in  packing  freight  from 
Crescent  City,  California,  to  various  points  in  Oregon.  In  1856  he  became  engaged  in 
cattle  raising.  This  venture  turned  out  to  be  disastrous,  for  during  the  severe  weather 
of  the  spring  of  1861,  their  herd  of  about  fiye  hundred  caltle  was  reduced  to  thirty-five. 
In  1863  he  went  to  Umatilla,  where  for  over  four  years  he  acted  as  agent  for  the  Over- 
land Stage  Company.  He  helped  out  the  first  stage  stock  on  the  Blue  Mountains,  over 
the  same  route  now  followed  by  the  S.  L.  Railroad.  In  1868  the  two  Pinkham  brothers 
moved  to  Idaho  City  and  purchased  the  stage  lines  running  between  Boise  and  Idaho 
City,  and  across  the  Basin,  under  the  name  of  the  Boise  Basin  Stage  Company.  Mr. 
Pinkham  was  thus  engaged  until  March  15,  1870,  when  he  received  from  President  Grant 
his  first  appointment  as  United  States  marshal  for  Idaho.  This  office  he  held  for  several 
months  over  two  terms,  being  reappointed  at  the  beginning  of  President  Grant's  second 
term.  During  the  Bannock  Indian  war  and  the  Nez  Perce  Indian  uprising,  1877-78,  Mr. 
Pinkham  traveled  with  the  regular  army,  and  acted  as  purchasing  agent  for  the  boys  in 
blue.  After  these  disquietudes  he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Ketchum, 
a  small  mining  camp  in  the  Wood  river  country,  where  he  remained  until  1888. 

"Mr.  Pinkham's  fearlessness,  his  executive  ability  and  the  grand  record  he  had 
made  during  his  two  terms,  eight  years,  as  United  States  marshal  created  a  demand 
that  he  be  again  entrusted  with  that  important  office.  He  received  his  third  appoint- 
ment as  United  States  marshal  for  the  district  of  Idaho,  March  3,  1891,  from  President 
Harrison,  thus  becoming  the  first  United  States  marshal  for  Idaho  after  her  admission 
to  statehood. 

"Many  and  thrilling  are  the  stories  that  might  be  told  of  the  exploits  and  hair- 
breadth escapes  of  Joseph  Pinkham  during  his  service  as  United  States  marshal,  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  he  Is  singularly  averse  to  relating  accounts  of  his  own  experiences. 
No  fear  of  personal  danger  was  ever  known  to  deter  him  from  the  performance  of 
a  duty.  The  signal  achievement  of  his  last  term  as  marshal  was  his  wholesale  round-up 
of  the  notorious  Coxie  Army.  These  hoboes  roamed  over  the  state,  taking  possession 
of  whole  trains  of  cars  and  committing  other  depredations,  threatening  much  violence 
and  bloodshed.  Marshal  Pinkham  with  his  deputies,  ran  them  to  Montpelier,  and  there 
captured  the  leader  of  the  gang  and  put  him  in  irons.  The  hoboes  captured  a  freight 
train  and  escaped  to  Green  River,  where  the  marshal  managed  to  have  them  coralled 
by  the  regular  troops.  The  whole  army,  numbering  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  men, 
was  brought  to  Boise,  given  trials,  and  turned  over  to  the  marshal  for  imprisonment  for 
various  periods,  according  to  his  discretion,  up  to  six  months.  This  was  all  accomplished 
without  the  loss  of  a  drop  of  blood.  During  Jhe  A.  R.  U.  strike,  shortly  afterwards, 
Marshal  Pinkham  used  such  good  Judgment  inlmndling  the  crisis  in  his  territory  that 
he  was  especially  commended  by  the  officials  over  him.  Attorney  General  Olney  re- 
marked at  one  time,  before  a  gathering  of  senators,  that  Marshal  Pinkham  had  handled 
the  Coxie  Army  and  the  strike  affairs  with  better  success  than  any  of  the  other  United 
States  marshals  in  the  other  districts. 

"After  finishing  his  third  term  and  several  extra  months  as  marshal,  Mr.  Pink- 
ham  busied  himself  with  his  personal  affairs,  principally  mining  investements,  until 
February  17,  1905,  when  he  was  deservedly  appointed  assayer  of  the  United  States 
assay  office  in  Boise,"  assuming  his  duties  March  3,  1905,  which  office  he  continued 
to  fill  creditably  until  his  retirement  on  July  1,  1915,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Curtis 
F.  Pike;  and  since  his  retirement  he  has  spent  his  summer  months  at  Coeur  d'Alene  with 
his  nephew,  John  P.  Gray,  a  prominent  attorney  there,  while  his  winters  are  passed 


56  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

at  his  home  in  Boise.  "He  owns  some  valuable  real  estate  in  Boise  and  some  valuable 
mining  properties,  being  interested  in  a  group  of  mines  in  the  Smoky  and  Wood  River 
countries,  which  are  now  being  worked  on  contract  by  New  York  parties. 

"Mr.  Pinkham  has  always  been  an  aggressive  republican,  always  active  in  political 
affairs  and  a  warrior  in  every  campaign  since  1870.  He  has  been  known  as  a  'square 
fighter/  and  his  clean  methods  of  warfare  have  made  even  the  most  stanch  democrats 
his  friends.  He  has  several  times  been  at  the  head  of  the  republican  state  central  com- 
mittee, and  the  present  strength  of  the  party  in  Idaho  is  largely  due  to  his  past 
efforts. 

"Although  now  eighty-seven  years  of  age,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  not 
a  few  of  the  years  of  his  life  were  strenuous  indeed,  Mr.  Pinkham  is  well  preserved. 
His  step  is  firm,  his  eye  is  still  keen,  and  his  mental  faculties  are  still  alert.  The 
spirit  of  progress  is  still  within  him  and  his  patriotism  for  Idaho  is  still  burning." 

Mr.  Joseph  Pinkham  was  married  January  14,  1858,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Gray,  who 
was  born  in  Jackson,  Cape  Girardeau  county,  Missouri,  March  24,  1839,  and  studied 
in  Sharon  Academy,  Missouri.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  F.  Gray,  a  well  known 
Methodist  minister,  and  of  Flora  A.  Young.  She  crossed  the  plains  in  1853:  "The  best 
woman  on  earth,"  who  passed  away  May  3,  1918. 


MISS   BRITTOMART   WOLFE. 

Educational  advancement  and  a  more  efficient  school  system  find  a  warm  champion 
in  Miss  Brittomart  Wolfe,  who  now  holds  the  important  position  of  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  Twin  Falls  county.  She  is  a  native  of  Shelton,  Nebraska,  and  a 
daughter  of  Wilson  B.  Wolfe,  who  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  of  New  Jersey 
parentage.  In  early  life  the  father  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  married  Ruth  Allan 
Roberts,  a  native  of  that  state  and  a  daughter  of  John  Roberts,  who  was  a  pioneer 
of  Lucas  county,  Iowa.  Later  they  removed  to  Nebraska,  thence  to  Colorado,  and  sub- 
sequently to  Idaho.  During  her  childhood  Miss  Wolfe  accompanied  her  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Greeley,  Colorado,  and  for  ten  years  she  made  that  city  her  home. 
She  next  was  for  a  year  in  Boise  and  subsequently  took  up  her  residence  in  Twin 
Falls.  Miss  Wolfe  received  her  education  in  the  high  school  at  Greeley,  Colorado,  and 
also  took  special  courses  at  Berkeley  and  Oakland,  California.  She  received  her  busi- 
ness education  in  a  commercial  school  at  Boise.  In  1916  she  was  elected  to  her  present 
position  as  county  superintendent  and  so  well  did  she  discharge  her  duties  that  in 
1919  she  was  reelected.  In  her  political  affiliations  she  is  a  republican,  and  her  re- 
ligious faith  is  that  of  the  Christian  Science  church. 


HON.  CHARLES  P.  MCCARTHY. 

Hon.  Charles  P.  McCarthy,  judge  of  the  third  judicial  district  of  Idaho,  was  born 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  the  7th  of  August,  1881,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  A. 
(Penderghast)  McCarthy,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland,  while  the  latter  was  born 
in  the  old  Bay  state.  The  Judge  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Massachusetts,  in  Harvard  University  and  in  the  Harvard  Law  School.  He  won  his 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  upon  graduation  with  the  class  of  1902  and  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  upon  the  completion  of  his  law  course  in  1904.  Thus  equipped  for  active  pro- 
fessional duties,  he  came  to  Idaho  in  <!905  and  opened  an  office  in  Boise,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  His  knowledge  of  the  law  is  comprehensive  and  exact  and  he  ever 
prepared  his  cases  with  the  utmost  thoroughness  and  care,  so  that  he  was  ready  to 
present  his  cause  in  clear  and  logical  form,  his  ability  being  attested  by  the  court 
records.  In  1907  he  became  assistant  city  attorney  of  Boise  and  in  1908  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  for  Ada  county;  was  reelected  in  1910  and  served 
until  1912,  when  he  was  appointed  district  judge  by  Governor  J.  H.  Hawley.  In  1914 
and  1918  he  was  elected  to  the  office  and  has  continuously  served  upon  the  district  bench 
since  1912.  His  decisions  are  characterized  by  a  marked  fairness  and  impartiality 
in  his  rulings.  He  belongs  to  both  the  Idaho  State  and  the  American  Bar  associations. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1909,  Judge  McCarthy  was  married  to  Ethel  C.  Stewart, 
a  daughter  of  the  late  Justice  George  H.  Stewart  of  the  Idaho  supreme  court,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  57 

they  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters,  Marion  and  Elizabeth.  The  religious  faith 
of  Judge  and  Mrs.  McCarthy  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Boise  Rotary  Club, 
of  which  he  is  the  vice  president,  and  his  political  allegiance  has  ever  been  given  to 
the  republican  party. 


THOMAS  E.  HARPER. 

Thomas  E.  Harper,  probate  judge  of  Cassia  x:ounty  and  a  resident  of  Burley,  was 
born  at  Calls  Fort,  Boxelder  county,  Utah,  August  18,  1857,  his  parents  being  Thomas 
and  Hannah  (Jones)  Harper.  While  spending  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  state  he 
pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  afterward  went  to  southern  Utah  to 
assist  in  the  development  of  a  cotton  plantation  and  vineyard  for  the  Brigham  City 
Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution.  There  he  remained  for  two  years.  He  afterward 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  northern  Utah,  where  he  followed  farming  until  the  spring 
of  1884,  when  he  removed  to  Albion,  Idaho.  He  then  invested  in  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  farm  land,  which  he  cultivated  and  improved  until  1889.  In  that  year  he  bought 
the  contract  of  J.  E.  Miller  to  carry  the  mail  from  Minidoka  to  Albion  and  spent  three 
years  at  that  work. 

In  November,  1898,  after  having  in  the  meantime  spent  a  short  period  upon  the 
farm  of  Mr.  Harper  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Cassia  county  and  has  served  con- 
tinuously since  save  for  the  period  of  1908-9.  His  frequent  reelections  are  unmistak- 
able proof  of  the  capability  and  fidelity  which  he  has  displayed  in  office.  He  is  most 
systematic  in  his  work  and  has  made  an  excellent  probate  judge.  He  has  also  served 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Albion  and  at  all  times  gives  loyal  support  to  every 
plan  or  measure  for  the  general  good.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given 
to  the  republican  party,  and  he  does  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and 
secure  its  success. 

In  1878  Judge  Harper  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Van  Orden,  a  native  of  Utah  and  a 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Martha  (Knight)  Van  Orden.  Mrs.  Harper  passed  away  in  1882, 
when  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  leaving  three  children:  Thomas  E.,  Edmond  and 
Albert.  In  May,  1888,  Judge  Harper  was  married  to  Miss  Celia  A.  Phippen,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  F.  and  Mary  J.  (Hudson)  Phippen  and  a  native  of  Coalville,  Summit  county, 
Utah.  There  are  eight  children  of  this  marriage:  Ella  May,  Bernice  Jane,  Joseph  Free- 
man. Leslie  T.,  R.  E.,  Ora  C.,  Loretta  and  Rulon  J. 

The  religious  faith  of  Judge  Harper  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  His  has  been  an  active  and  useful  life  in  which  he  has  improved  his  oppor- 
tunities wisely  and  well,  not  only  in  the  advancement  of  his  individual  fortunes  but 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community  at  large.  He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  and  all  who 
know  him  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  warm  regard. 


ALVA  D.  STANTON. 

Alva  D.  Stanton,  a  director  and  the  cashier  of  the  Meridian  State  Bank  of  Meridian, 
Idaho,  was  born  at  Valley  Mills,  near  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  September  11,  1876,  and  is 
the  eldest  of  the  four  sons  of  William  S.  and  Edith  (Bowles)  Stanton.  The  father, 
•who  in  early  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  afterward  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, died  at  Northbranch,  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  in  1893,  when  still  under  forty 
years  of  age.  The  mother  yet  survives  and  is  now  the  wife  of  William  W.  Worth,  of 
Wichita.  Kansas.  The  three  brothers  of  .Alva  D.  Stanton  are:  Irvin  J.,  who  is  with  the 
United  States  Steel  Corporation  at  Chicago  end  is  married  and  has  two  children;  Edwin 
M.,  a  farmer  of  Colorado,  who  is  married  and  has  two  children;  and  William  L.,  who  was 
recently  graduated  from  the  Friends'  University  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  and  is  now  a 
teacher  in  Guatemala,  Central  America.  The  Stantons  are  a  Quaker  family,  the  ances- 
try long  being  connected  with  the  people  of  that  faith,  as  was  the  Bowles  family. 

When  only  eight  years  of  age  Alva  D.  Stanton  removed  with  his  parents  from  Indi- 
ana to  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and  was  there  reared  upon  a  farm.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  state  and  in  a  Quaker  academy  at  Northbranch,  Jewell  county. 
He  spent  five  years  as  a  student  and  teacher  in  that  academy,  being  engaged  to  instruct 


58  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

•4 

pupils  in  mathematics.  He  graduated  from  that  school  in  1898  and  afterward  taught  for 
three  years  in  a  Friends'  academy  at  Washington,  Kansas,  while  later  he  engaged  in 
business  at  that  place.  In  1907  he  began  his  banking  career  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Wash- 
ington National  Bank  of  Washington,  Kansas,  being  thus  employed  for  one  year.  Later 
he  was  cashier  of  the  Hollenberg  State  Bank  of  the  same  county  and  in  1910  he  came 
to  Idaho,  first  making  his  way  to  Boise,  where  he  was  bookkeeper  in  a  real  estate  office. 
Subsequently  he  became  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Sweet  at  Sweet,  Idaho,  and  thus  served 
for  five  years.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1918,  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Merid- 
ian State  Bank  together  with  Frank  I.  Newhouse,  who  was  chosen  president  of  the 
bank  and  still  fills  that  position,  while  John  W.  Hudson,  also  one  of  the  organizers, 
remains  as  vice  president,  and  Mr.  Stanton  was  made  cashier  and  yet  continues  in  that 
office.  The  bank  is  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Federal  Reserve  System.  Mr.  Stanton  still  retains  his  interest  and  stock  in  the  Bank 
of  Sweet,  of  which  he  is  vice  president  and  one  of  the  directors.  The  Meridian  State 
Bank  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bankers  Association  and  of  the  Idaho  State  Bank- 
ers Association. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1900,  Mr.  Stanton  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Perry,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin  and  a  graduate  of  the  Northbranch  Academy  of  Kansas.  She  became 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  that  state,  teaching  for  some  time  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage. She  and  her  husband  were  students  in  the  academy  at  the  same  time.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stanton  has  been  born  a  son,  Gilbert  Lewis,  whose  birth  occurred  November 
5,  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanton  are  members  of  the  Meridian  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
although  he  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  she  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian church.  They  are  much  interested  in  school  work  and  in  all  those  forces  which 
make  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  betterment  of  the  community  at  large. 
Mrs.  Stanton  takes  a  most  active  and  helpful  interest  in  church  work.  Mr.  Stanton  is 
a  republican  in  politics  but  not  an  office  seeker.  He  gives  the  major  part  of  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  increasingly  important  banking  interests  and  has  contributed  in 
marked  measure  to  the  success  of  the  institution  in  which  he  is  serving  as  cashier. 


MONTIE  B.  GWINN. 

Intense  and  well  directed  energy  have  brought  Montie  B.  Gwinn  to  the  position 
of  secretary  of  the  Malheur  Live  Stock  &  Land  Company,  to  official  connection  with 
various  banks  and,  more  than  that,  to  a  point  of  leadership  in  connection  with  vital 
problems  of  war  service.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Boise  since  1871.  He  was  born 
in  Boone,  Boone  county,  Iowa,  September  16,  1857,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Robert  M. 
Gwinn,  a  Methodist  minister,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  rendered  active  service  at  the  front  in  defense  of  the  Union  cause.  The 
.mother  died  during  the  infancy  of  her  son  Montie  B.,  and  the  father  afterward  mar- 
ried again,  removing  to  Boise  with  his  family  in  1871  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  this  city,  which  he  thus  served  for  two  years.  Later 
he  removed  to  California,  where  his  death  occurred. 

Montie  B.  Gwinn,  however,  remained  in  Boise  and  practically  his  entire  life  has 
been  spent  in  Idaho  and  Oregon,  in  which  states  he  is  widely  known  as  a  representative 
of  banking  and  financial  interests,  of  real  estate  dealing  and  the  sheep  industry.  His 
education  has  been  largely  acquired  in  the  school  of  experience.  Removing  with 
the  family  to  Boise  when  he  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  years,  he  entered  a  store,  in  which 
he  remained  as  clerk  until  he  attained  his  majority.  He  was  ambitious,  however,  to 
engage  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  the  years  1879  and  1880  found  him  actively 
connected  with  the  lumber  trade  in  Boise  as  proprietor  of  a  yard.  In  the  latter  year 
he  took  up  merchandising  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  having  in  the  meantime  opened  a  store 
at  Middleton,  while  later  he  also  became  connected  with  mercantile  interests  at  De- 
Lamar,  Idaho,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1893.  From  1894  until  1898  he  was  managing 
director  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  for  Idaho  and  eastern  Oregon, 
with  headquarters  at  Boise,  and  for  the  past  third  of  a  century  he  has  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  sheep  industry  and  with  the  banking  business  in  Idaho  and 
Oregon.  In  1906  he  became  the  owner  of  a  bank  at  Pendleton,  Oregon,  which  he  na- 
tionalized under  the  name  of  the  American  National  Bank.  He  continued  its  conduct 
until  1908,  when  he  sold  the  bank  and  returned  to  Boise.  While  at  Pendleton  he 
served  for  one  year  as  president  of  the  Oregon  State  Bankers  Association,  a  position 


MONTIE  B.  GWINN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  61 

which  indicated  his  high  standing  in  the  banking  fraternity  there.  He  was  likewise 
chosen  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Bankers  Association  in  1918,  to  fill  a  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  Governor  Davis  from  that  position.  This  was  another 
recognition  of  his  business  standing  and  gives  him  the  added  distinction  of  having  been 
at  the  head  of  the  state  banking  association  of  two  states.  He  is  now  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Boise  but  at  the  present  time  is  giving  the  greater  part  of 
his  attention  and  energy  to  the  management  of  the  business  of  the  Malheur  Live 
Stock  &  Land  Company  of  Boise,  of  which  he  is  the  secretary.  This  company  operates 
extensively  in  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  where  it  has  large  landed  interests.  Mr. 
Gwinn  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  company  in  1903  and  for  many  years  has 
made  the  conduct  of  the  business  his  chief  concern,  with  offices  in  the  Overland  build- 
ing in  Boise.  The  company  owns  and  controls  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Malheur, 
Grant  and  Harney  counties  of  Oregon  and  its  operations  are  leading  to  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  that  section  of  the  country. 

The  live  stock  feature  of  the  business  has  made  Mr.  Gwinn  an  authority  upon  the 
subject  of  sheep  raising  and  he  was  called  before  the  Idaho  Bankers  Association 
at  its  convention  held  in  Pocatello  in  June,  1918,  to  speak  upon  the  subject  of  the 
future  of  the  sheep  industry  in  the  state.  His  figures,  gleaned  from  statistics,  In- 
dicate a  decline  in  the  sheep  industry,  with  an  increased  consumption  of  mutton  in  the 
United  States,  while  the  annual  imports  of  the  country  were  over  one-half  of  the  wool 
consumed.  In  this  connection  Mr.  Gwinn  said:  "Recognizing  the  need  for  a  sub- 
stantial increase  in  the  sheep  industry  in  Idaho  in  the  future,  it  occurs  to  me  that  one  of 
the  most  needed  things  to  bring  this  about  is  to  have  a  thorough  revision  of  public 
sentiment.  The  people  of  our  communities  must  look  upon  it  with  friendly  interest 
and  discard  absolutely  any  attitude  of  suspicion  or  doubt  or  antagonism.  It  must  be 
recognized  for  what  it  is,  an  upbuilder  of  our  state  and  nation,  an  industry  to  be 
fostered  and  encouraged,  and  not  as  an  intruder  in  our  communities  or  a  menace  to  our 
farmers  and  other  residents,  for  that  it  is  not.  And  here,  perhaps  as  much  as  any- 
where, the  banker  can  serve  an  important  part,  not  only  to  the  sheep  industry  but  to 
his  community  as  well.  Bankers  are  really  the  hub  around  which  everything  revolves 
in  the  small  communities.  From  time  immemorial  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  the 
Danker  to  pass  upon  all  matters  of  importance,  not  only  financially  but  in  most  every 
civic  way,  in  his  community.  The  sheep  industry  is  one  of  the  staple  industries  of  the 
state  of  Idaho  and  should  receive  the  bankers'  attention  and  support,  not  only  because 
of  the  opportunities  of  loaning  money  on  the  sheep  and  the  wool,  etc.,  but  because  he 
should  be  interested  in  the  things  that  will  improve  and  develop  any  industry  that 
is  a  material  source  of  revenue,  one  of  the  best,  to  his  community.  He  should,  therefore, 
encourage  it,  and  he  can  do  much,  perhaps  more  than  any  other,  to  mould  public  senti- 
ment and  direct  it  along  the  right  channel  and  bring  about  an  attitude  of  interest, 
encouragement  and  appreciation  of  one  of  Idaho's  greatest  industries. 

"The  great  ranges,  being  practically  occupied  at  the  present  time,  could  and  should 
be  made  to  yield  their  maximum,  and  this  could  be  accomplished  by  'range  classifica- 
tion.' There  was  a  time  in  Idaho  when  the  cattle  industry  occupied  the  greater 
part  of  the  range;  now  the  sheep  do,  for  a  flock  of  sheep  can  go  into  the  nooks  and  the 
by-ways,  eating  weeds  and  covering  a  range  that  has  no  value  for  cattle.  A  thorough 
classification  of  ranges,  so  that  they  might  be  utilized  scientifically  and  to  their  ut- 
most capacity,  would  increase  the  sheep  industry  and  be  of  lasting  benefit.  The 
banker  can  aid  in  the  work  of  bringing  about  such  classification. 

"A  plan  whereby  the  banker  may  help  his  community  in  the  promotion  and  advance- 
ment of  the  sheep  industry,  which  has  been  tried  out  in  other  western  states  is  known 
as  'The  Bank  Sheep  Club.'  Our  bankers  can  be  of  tremendous  assistance  in  encourging 
the  farm  flock  idea.  A  bank  may  purchase  a  band  of  sheep  and  distribute  them  in  lots 
of  twenty-five,  fifty  or  one  hundred  to  the  farmers  residing  nearby,  and  these  will 
consume  weeds,  feed  around  fence  corners,  etc.,  that  could  not  otherwise  be  utilized. 
There  is  no  opportunity  in  this  paper  to  deal  extensively  with  the  subject,  but  every 
Idaho  banker  should  investigate  the  matter  of  a  Bank  Sheep  Club  and  see  if  he  cannot 
put  it  into  practical  operation  in  his  community. 

"I  have  dealt  briefly  with  but  a  few  of  the  things  that  can  help  the  sheep  industry 
of  the  future,  more  especially  where  the  banker  can  be  of  assistance.  The  matter  of 
educating  the  public  to  understand  the  sheep  grower  and  know  him  as  a  friend,  the 
matters  of  range  classification,  of  a  'county  agent  or  adviser,  of  thoroughbred  sheep 
and  of  the  Sheep  Bank  Club — these  are  all  things  in  which  you.  Mr.  Banker,  can  help 
the  sheep  growers  of  Idaho  and  increase  their  production  and  thereby  better  serve  our 


62  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

'country.  And  in  closing  I  urge  upon  you  that  you  not  only  give  these  things  your 
thought,  but  that  you  likewise  take  home  with  you  a  determination  to  help  carry 
them  out.  Our  meetings,  our  conferences  such  as  these,  may  develop  ideas,  they  may 
give  us  new  thoughts,  but  unless  we  put  them  into  operation  they  are  nothing,  and  we 
have  gained  nothing.  So  I  give  you  the  Idaho  Slogan— 'IDAHOANS,  DON'T  DEBATE 
IT!  DO  IT!'"  :  /'• 

Mr.  Gwinn's  address  awakened  deep  interest,  for  his  position  as  a  business  man 
of  keen  sagacity  and  sound  judgment  is  well  known  and,  moreover,  he  is  the  vice 
president  of  the  Idaho  State  Bankers  Assocjation,  which  he  was  addressing. 

Many  problems  of  public  moment  Mr.  Gwinn  has  studied  thoroughly,  delving  to  the 
root  of  the  matter  and  taking  many  an  initial  progressive  step  leading  to  desired  re- 
sults. He  early  turned  his  attention  to  questions  of  irrigation  and  was  chairman 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Fourteenth  National  Irrigation  Congress,  which  was 
held  in  Boise  from  the  3d  to  the  8th  of  September,  1906.  When  matters  of  national 
concern  demanded  the  attention  and  cooperation  of  leading  business  men  of  the  country 
he  gave  of  his  time  and  energy  as  well  as  his  means  to  support  the  interests  of  the 
government.  He  was  made  vice  chairman  for  Idaho  during  the  first,  second  and 
third  Libetry  Loans  and  chairman  of  the  fourth  Liberty  Loan,  held  in  October,  1918, 
and  the  fifth  or  Victory  Loan  in  May,  1919.  For  a  third  of  a  century  he  has  been  a 
most  earnest  and  generous  supporter  of  all  measures  which  have  had  to  do  with  the 
upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  state,  and  his  broad  vision  and  sound  judgment  have 
enabled  him  to  readily  recognize  the  possibilities  of  every  situation  and  the  value 
of  every  opportunity.  People  like  men  who  do  things.  They  also  admire  those  who 
are  always  on  the  firing  line — who  make  opportunities,  not  wait  for  opportunities. 
In  Idaho,  as  in  other  states,  there  are  those  who  have  been  pathfinders  so  to  speak — 
who  have  blazed  the  way  for  others  who  came  later.  Such  pioneering  has  not  been 
confined  to  any  one  line  of  activity,  and  it  has  sometimes  fallen  to  the  lot  of  one 
person  to  have  been  useful  and  prominent  in  several  lines  of  constructive  work.  Such 
a  man  is  Montie  B.  Gwinn.  Coming  to  the  then  territory  of  Idaho  when  a  mere  lad,  he 
did  real  pioneering  from  the  first,  and  has  never  faltered  when  called  upon  to  help 
in  the  development  of  the  state's  material  resources  or  to  assist  in  the  things  pertain- 
ing to  its  civic  betterment. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1881,  Mr.  Gwinn  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  Lake,  of  Portland, 
Oregon.  Matters  of  personal  interest  to  him  cover  his  connection  with  several  fraternal 
organizations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in  the  first  named  he  is  a 
prominent  figure,  having  served  as  the  fourth  grand  master  in  Idaho  and  as  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  order  in  the  state  in  1883.  His  work  has  been  continued,  he 
having  served  in  the  position  of  representative  to  the  Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  of  that 
order  for  many  years  and  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Home,  which  is  soon  to  be  built  at  Caldwell,  the  site  for  which  was  donated  by  Mr. 
Gwinn.  He  is  also  one  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  College  of  Idaho,  having  given 
liberally  to  that  institution,  and  is  active  in  the  effort  to  see  it  well  endowed. 


MAJOR  ANDREW  F.  CALDWELL. 

Major  Andrew  F.  Caldwell,  now  living  retired  in  Pocatello,  has  for  thirty-seven 
years  been  a  resident  of  Idaho.  He  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Illinois,  June  2,  1846,  a 
son  of  Thomas  Jackson  and  Mary  (Allen)  Caldwell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Greene  county,  Illinois.  Spending  his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof,  Major 
Caldwell  attended  the  district  schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and 
then  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
joined  the  Union  army  and  served  for  a  year  as  a  private  in  Company  A  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  engaged  in  what  was 
then  known  as  bushwhacking.  Mr.  Caldwell  had  responded  to  President  Lincoln's 
last  call  and  when  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  services  he  returned  to  his  home 
and  again  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  which  he  followed  until  1882.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Idaho  on  account  of  his  wife's  health  and  on  the  1st  of  May,  1886,  took  up 
his  abode  in  Pocatello.  He  began  work  in  a  post  trader's  store,  where  he  remained 
for  five  years  and  was  then  made  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county,  which  position  he  filled 
for  a  period  of  four  years.  When  President  McKinley  was  elected  he  appointed  Mr. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  63 

Caldwell  to  the  office  of  postmaster  of  Pocatello,  but  after  two  years  spent  in  that  posi- 
tion the  latter  resigned,  at  the  request  of  some  of  the  political  leaders  of  the  district,  to 
take  charge  of  the  Fort  Hall  Indian  reservation,  upon  which  he  remained  for  ten  years 
or  until  the  1st  of  October,  1910,  when  he  retired  from  active  business.  During  his  con- 
nection with  the  Indian  agency  he  was  instrumental  in  erecting  the  fine  brick  school 
building  there  found.  He  now  spends  his  time  between  Pocatello  and  California,  giving 
his  attention  to  the  supervision  of  his*  investments,  which  represent  valuable  property 
holdings. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1869,  Major  Caldwell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cora 
Oilman,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Fred  G.,  who  is  interested  in  the  Idaho  Loan  &  Invest- 
ment Company  of  Pocatello;  Orrin  A.,  who  died  in  Mexico  eight  years  ago  while  engaged 
in  mining  in  connection  with  the  Guggenheim  interests;  and  Uluetta,  the  wife  of  James 
Prinsen,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  is  connected  with  the  Western  Powder  Company. 

Mr.  Caldwell  has  been  an  earnest  republican  since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  while  serving  with  the  army.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
city  council  but  has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  usually  accepted  sense  of  seeking 
office.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  he  is  one  of  the 
widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Pocatello,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  pioneer  times.  As  the  years  have  passed  he  has  taken  active  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare and  progress  of  his  state,  contributing  in  large  measure  to  its  upbuilding  along 
various  lines. 


HON.  FRANK  MARTIN. 

Hon.  Frank  Martin,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Boise,  whose  ability  Is  attested  in  the 
large  and  distinctively  representative  clientage  accorded  him,  first  came  to  Idaho  in  1878 
and  has  resided  continuously  within  the  borders  of  the  state  since  1886,  while  since  1892 
he  has  successfully  followed  his  profession  at  the  capital.  He  was  born  in  Arkansas 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1864,  the  younger  of  the  two  sons  of  Captain  Benjamin  Franklin 
Martin,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Pilot  Knob  during  the  Civil 
war  in  the  fall  of  1864,  while  commanding  a  company  that  was  serving  in  an  Arkansas 
regiment  under  General  Sferling  Price. 

(  In  1878  his  son,  Frank  Martin,  came  to  Idaho  with  his  mother,  a  brother  and  a 
sister,  'the  family  lived  for  a  year  in  Ada  county  and  then  removed  to  Oregon,  where 
they  resided  for  three  years.  Mr.  Martin  of  this  review  taught  school  in  early  life  both 
in  Oregon  and  Idaho  but  regarded  this  merely  as  an  initial  step  to  other  professional 
labor.  Even  while  teaching  school  he  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  law  and  in 
1892  he  was  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor.  On  the  completion  of  his  course  he  at  once  returned  to  Idaho  and  entered  upon 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boise,  where  his  developing  powers  have  brought 
him  notable  success.  He  is  now  the  senior  partner  of  the  law  firm  of  Martin  &  Martin, 
located  in  the  Idaho  building,  his  partner  being  his  nephew,  Thomas  L.  Martin.  The 
only  brother  of  Frank  Martin  is  Thomas  B.  Martin,  five  years  his  senior,  who  recently 
served  as  United  States  marshal  for  the  state  of  Idaho. 

Frank  Martin  has  several  times  been  called  upon  for  public  service.  He  has  ever 
been  a  stalwart  democrat  and  has  taken  active  part  in  both  local  and  state  politics.  He 
served  as  chairman  of  the  democratic  central  committee  of  Ada  county  for  several 
terms  and  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  democratic  state  convention  in  1896  and  again 
in  1918.  He  also  served  as  presidential  elector  in  1912  and  again  in  1916.  He  has 
never  been  defeated  for  political  office  and  yet  he  is  not  an  aspirant  for  political  honors 
and  emoluments.  In  1901  and  1902,  however,  he  served  as  attorney  general  of  Idaho, 
consenting  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  position  on  the  solicitation  of  many  friends. 
He  considers  the  pursuits  of  private  life  as  in  themselves  abundantly  worthy  of  his  best 
efforts.  Well  versed  in  the  learning  of  his  profession  and  with  a  deep  knowledge  of 
human  nature  and  the  springs  of  human  conduct,  with  great  shrewdness  and  qagacity 
and  extraordinary  tact,  he  is  in  the  courts  an  advocate  of  great  power  and  influence,  and 
judges  and  juries  always  hear  him  with  attention  and  deep  interest.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  much  important  litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  the  state  and  his  increasing 
ability  has  gained  him  distinction  as  one  of  Boise's  most  able  lawyers.  He  belongs  to 
the  American  Bar  Association  and  also  to  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association,  of  which  he 


64  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

•has  been  honored  with  the  presidency.  In  addition  to  his  law  practice  he  is  interested 
in  ranching  in  this  state.  He  owns  a  fine  stock  farm  of  five  hundred  acres  near  Merid- 
ian, Ada  county,  nine  miles  from  Boise,  and  takes  the  greatest  interest  in  its  develop- 
ment and  conduct. 

In  December,  1893,  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  L.  Hall,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  New  England  families  that  rendered  patri- 
otic service  to  the  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  have  become 
parents  of  two  sons.  Frank  Jr.,  and  Homer.  The  former  went  to  camp  Hancock,  Augusta, 
Georgia,  as  a  private  in  the  United  States  army.  He  was  a  student  in  the  University  of 
Michigan  when  the  war  broke  out  and  would  have  graduated  in  1918,  having  finished 
his  junior  year  at  Ann  Arbor.  The  younger  son,  Homer,  is  a  high  school  student. 

Mr.  Martin  has  always  been  interested  in  educational  progress  and  development  and 
was  regent  of  the  Idaho  State  University  from  1897  until  1899  inclusive.  He  is  prom- 
inently known  as  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  a  past  grand  master  of  the  order  in  the  state. 
He  has  also  represented  Idaho  in  the  Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  for  the  past  ten  years. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  personal  worth  and  of  progressive  citizenship,  and  his  endorsement 
of  any  public  measure  insures  to  it  a  large  following. 


CHARLES  H.  WOODMANSEE. 

Honored  and  respected  by  all,  no  man  occupied  a  more  enviable  position  in  the 
financial  and  business  circles  of  Rexburg  and  Madison  county  than  did  Charles  H. 
Woodmansee.  His  activities  covered  a  broad  scope  and  his  efforts  were  of  a  char- 
acter that  contributed  to  general  progress  and  prosperity  as  well  as  to  individual 
success.  He  was  for  several  years  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rex- 
burg,  was  for  some  time  extensively  connected  with  the  sheep  industry  and  was  the 
original  promoter  of  dry  farming  in  this  section.  He  also  owned  vast  tracts  of  irri- 
gated lands  and  his  extensive  farming  interests  classified  him  with  the  leading  agri- 
culturists of  Idaho.  The  state  therefore  lost  a  valued  and  prominent  citizen  when  he 
was  called  to  his  final  rest. 

Mr.  Woodmansee  was  born  in  Ogden,  Utah,  June  4,  1867,  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Harriet  E.  (Porter)  Woodmansee,  the  latter  a  native  of  Vermont.  The  father  was  a 
merchant  in  early  life  and  in  the  pioneer  period  in  the  development  of  Utah  became 
a  resident  of  that  state,  settling  first  at  Salt  Lake,  while  afterward  he  removed  tp 
Ogden,  where  he  engaged  in  general  merchandising.  He  remained  there  for  several 
years  as  a  merchant  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  business  and  to 
speculative  building.  He  erected  a  large  number  of  business  houses  in  the  city  which 
are  still  owned  by  the  estate,  and  his  widow  yet  remains  a  resident  of  Ogden.  His 
death  occurred  in  1893. 

Charles  H.  Woodmansee  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ogden  and  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  worked  for  his  father  until 
1887,  when  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  in  Rexburg,  then  a  part  of  Oneida  county,  but 
now  Madison  county.  He  bought  land  five  miles  east  of  Rexburg,  on  Moody  creek, 
and  he  owned  and  farmed  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  irrigated  land,  which  he 
improved  and  continued  to  cultivate  until  1900,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  bought 
dry  land.  He  thus  introduced  dry  farming  into  the  region.  He  bought  a  relinquish- 
ment,  as  did  James  W.  Webster,  and  later  on  they  consolidated  their  interests  and 
built  a  thirty  thousand  dollar  canal.  They  owned  twenty-five  hundred  acres,  which 
they  cultivated  together  for  several  years.  Mr.  Woodmansee  was  the  business  man 
of  the  company  and  they  continued  together  as  partners  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  2d  of  December,  1911,  after  an  illness  extending  over  two  or  three  years, 
although  he  attended  to  his  business  interests  until  within  three  months  of  his  death. 
Most  of  their  farm  land  was  devoted  to  the  raising  of  Turkey  Red  wheat.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Woodmansee  sold  her  interest  in  the  farm  property  to 
Mr.  Webster.  Mr.  Woodmansee  did  not  confine  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
however.  He  helped  organize  and  was  made  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Rexburg  and  his  sound  judgment  constituted  an  important  element  in  the  success 
of  every  enterprise  with  which  he  was  connected. 

Mr.  Woodmansee  was  married  on  the  26th  of  October,  1887,  to  Miss  Vilate  Pin- 
cock,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Isabella  (Douglas)  Pincock,  who  were  natives  of  Eng- 
land and  came  to  America  at  an  early  day,  settling  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  the 


CHARLES  H.  WOODMANSEE 


Vol.  II— 5 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  67 

father  was  employed  in  various  ways.  Later  they  went  to  Utah,-  establishing  their 
home  in  Davis  county,  and  afterward  they  were  residents  of  Ogden,  Weber  county, 
Utah.  Mr.  Pincock  was  connected  with  railroading  for  several  years  and  finally  re- 
tired. His  death  occurred  December  15,  1905.  His  wife  passed  away  August  15,  1918. 
Their  daughter,  Mrs.  Woodmansee,  was  born  in  Ogden,  August  24,  1867.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  ten  children.  Grace,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  E.  A. 
Beasley,  a  resident  of  Rexburg.  Charles  R.  died  in  May,  1911,  in  Switzerland,  where 
he  was  filling  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  being  at 
that  time  nineteen  years  of  age.  Pearl  died  at  the  age  of  one  month.  Clyde  is  at 
Jiome.  Glenn  married  Ruby  Johnson  and  resides  in  Rexburg.  Harvey  and  Henry  are 
twins.  Harvey  married  Ritta  Sherwood  of  Rigby.  Ethel  died  at  the  age  of  five  weeks. 
Marion  and  John  are  also  with  their  mother. 

Mr.  Woodmansee  was  a  very  public-spirited  citizen  and  was  connected  with  many 
enterprises  that  were  of  general  benefit  to  the  community.  He  took  an  active  interest 
in  educational  affairs  and  efficiently  served  as  school  director.  He  had  charge  of  the 
construction  of  a  large  part  of  the  Yellowstone  branch  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Rail- 
road and  also  assisted  in  the  building  of  the  sugar  factory  at  Rexburg.  His  political 
allegiance  was  given  to  the  democratic  party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  served  as  counselor  to  the  president  of  Fremont 
stake,  Thomas  E.  Bassett,  for  several  years.  His  son  Glenn  filled  a  mission  in  the 
eastern  states  for  twenty-seven  months.  The  sterling  personal  worth,  the  business 
ability  and  the  progressive  citizenship  of  Mr.  Woodmansee  made  him  one  of  Rex- 
burg's  valued  and  honored  residents.  His  widow  survives  and  has  recently  completed 
a  modern  brick  bungalow  in  Rexburg  which  she  is  now  occupying.  She  has  reared  a 
family  of  which  she  has  every  reason  to  be  proud,  and  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city 
they  occupy  an  enviable  position. 


LE  ROY  C.  JONES. 

Le  Roy  C.  Jones,  United  States  marshal  for  the  district  of  Idaho  and  a  resident  of 
Boise,  was  born  in  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  February  12,  1864,  the  youngest  of  the  seven 
sons  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (Pethoud)  Jones,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  They  became  residents  of 
Nebraska  in  1857,  and  there  the  father  passed  away  in  1872,  while  the  mother  later 
removed  to  Idaho,  her  last  days  being  spent  in  Gooding,  where  her  death  occurred  in 
1872.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Le  Roy  C.  Jones  was  reared  upon  a  Nebraska  farm  and  early  became  familiar  with 
the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  crops.  The  winter  seasons  were 
devot&d  to  the  acquirement  of  a  public  school  education  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen  years.  When  a  youth  of  eighteen  he  left  home  and  soon  became  a  cowboy  in 
western  Nebraska.  In  the  spring  of  1882  he  arrived  in  Idaho  and  has  since  made  his 
home  at  Gooding.  He  followed  farming  and  the  raising  of  live  stock  in  that  vicinity 
and  still  owns  his  farming  interests  there.  His  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his 
worth  and  ability  and  his  devotion  to  the  public  welfare,  elected  him  to  the  office  of 
sheriff  of  Lincoln  county  in  1898  upon  the  democratic  ticket.  He  served  for  one  term 
at  that  time  and  again  was  chosen  to  the  position  in  1906  for  a  two  years'  term.  In  1915 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Alexander  fish  and  game  warden  of  the  state  of  Idaho  and 
occupied  the  position  until  May  7,  1918,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  United 
States  marshal  for  the  district  of  Idaho,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  President  Wil- 
son. He  is  now  acting  in  that  capacity,  being  capable  and  fearless  in  the  discharge  of 
hi?  duties. 

In  1885,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  at  Hailey,  Idaho,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Johnston,  who  was  born  in  England  and  was  brought  to  America  by  her 
mother  during  her  infancy.  She  was  largely  reared  in  Indiana  and  Colorado.  Her 
father.  Martin  Johnston,  was  a  railroad  man.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  have  been  born 
ten  children,  eight  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  seven  sons  and  two  daughters  are 
yet  living.  Their  eldest  child  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Gooding,  at  which  time 
the  town  was  called  Toponis.  The  names  of  the  children  are  Norah,  John  B.,  Charles 
A.,  Stephen  Le  Roy,  Joseph  M.,  Samuel  *W.,  Mary  Myrtle,  Frank  G.,  Alvin  and  Jerome 
and  all  are  living  with  the  exception  of  Stephen  Le  Roy,  who  passed  away  in  childhood. 


68  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Charles  A.,  Joseph.  M.  and  Samuel  W.  were  in  the  United  States  army,  the  two  latter 
being  on  active  duty  in  Prance.  The  daughter  Norah  is  assistant  postmaster  of  Gooding. 
Mr.  Jones  has  long  been  prominent  in  democratic  politics  in  Lincoln  county,  serving 
as  chairman  of  the  democratic  central  committee  for  several  terms  and  also  as  a  member 
of  the  state  central  committee.  His  opinions  carry  weight  in  the  councils  of  the  party, 
and  he  has  done  much  to  shape  its  policy  and  direct  its  activities  in  this  state. 


HON.  ISAAC  NEWTON  SULLIVAN. 

Hon.  Isaac  Newton  Sullivan,  whose  high  professional  attainments  are  attested  by 
the  fact  that  for  twenty-six  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Idaho  supreme  court, 
serving  for  eleven  years  of  that  period  as  chief  justice,  is  now  giving  his  attention  to 
the  private  practice  of  law  as  a  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Sullivan  &  Sullivan  of 
Boise.  He  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  November  3,  1848,  a  son  of  Aaron  Sulli- 
van, who  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  near  Urbana,  where  he  was  reared,  educated 
and  married.  He  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  New  Hampshire  and 
it  is  believed  that  from  the  same  ancestry  came  John  Sullivan,  who  was  a  delegate 
from  New  Hampshire  to  the  first  continental  congress  at  Philadelphia  in  1774.  Aaron 
Sullivan  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  married  Jane  Lippincott, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Logan  county,  Ohio,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in  1838. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  in  their  native  county  but  in  1844  removed  westward 
to  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  where  their  remaining  days  were  passed.  They  were  early  set- 
tlers of  that  locality  and  for  many  years  were  rated  among  its  most  substantial  and 
valued  citizens.  The  mother  passed  away  in  1887  and  the  father,  who  was  born  Febru- 
ary 21,  1811,  died  in  1894  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He  was  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  Delaware  county  and  at  one  time  owned  about  a  section  of  land.  The 
close  connection  of  the  family  with  the  representatives  of  that  name  in  New  Hamp- 
shire comes  through  John  Sullivan,  the  paternal  grandfather,  who  was  born  in  the 
Old  Granite  state,  while  his  parents  came  to  the  new  world  from  the  north  of  Ire- 
land and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aaron  Sullivan  were  born 
nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  Mary  Rebecca,  Samuel  Parker, 
Sarah  Ellen,  Andrew  Jackson,  Isaac  Newton,  Jane  A.,  Aaron  Rudolphus,  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Lucius  Matlack.  Singular  to  state,  the  six  sons  all  survive,  while  the 
three  daughters  have  passed  away.  Two  of  the  sons  are  residents  of  Iowa,  two  of 
Idaho,  one  of  Montana  and  one  of  California.  The  brother  of  the  Judge  living  in 
Idaho  is  Andrew  Jackson  Sullivan,  of  Emmett,  Idaho,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising. 

Judge  Sullivan  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Delaware  county,  Iowa, 
with  the  usual  experiences  of  the  farmer  boy.  He  attended  the  country  schools  to 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  and  afterward  had  the  advantage  of  instruction  in  a  select 
school.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  county,  his  object  being  to  thus  acquire  the  necessary 
means  for  a  college  education.  He  received  his  collegiate  training -in  Adrian  College 
of  Michigan,  which  thereafter  conferred  upon  him  the  Master  of  Laws  degree. 

Judge  Sullivan  was  but  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  on  the  14th  of  February. 
1870,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Christine  Josephine  Moore,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  they  have  since  traveled  life's  journey  happily  together.  Mrs.  Sullivan  took  a 
most  helpful  interest  in  Red  Cross  work  and  other  war  activities. 

Judge  Sullivan  continued  to  engage  in  teaching  both  before  and  after  his  mar- 
riage and  in  1872  and  1873  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Coffeyville,  Kansas. 
Returning  to  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  he  served  at  Delhi  as  deputy  county  clerk  for 
a  year  or  more  and  also  taught  school  until  1875.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been 
studying  law,  devoting  every  leisure  hour  to  that  task  for  several  years,  and  in  1875 
he  successfully  passed  the  required  examination  at  Delhi  that  secured  him  admission 
to  the  Iowa  bar.  He  did  not  settle  down  to  the  actual  practice  of  law,  however,  until 
1880,  although  for  a  brief  period  he  followed  his  profession  at  Delhi. 

In  1881  Judge  Sullivan  arrived  in  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  at  Hailey,  where 
he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Texas  Angel,  who  had  come  to  Idaho  from  Wis- 
consin. The  firm  of  Angel  &  Sullivan  was  maintained  until  November  3,  1890,  when 
the  junior  partner  was  elected  a  justice  of»the  Idaho  supreme  court.  He  not  only 
became  a  member  of  the  first  supreme  court  of  the  state  but,  drawing  the  short  term 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  69 

of  office,  also  became  the  first  chief  justice.  With  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was 
reelected  and  later  reelections  continued  him  upon  the  bench  for  twenty-six  consecu- 
tive years,  with  eleven  years'  service  as  chief  justice.  He  has  been  associated  with 
many  of  the  strongest  and  most  capable  men  of  the  Idaho  bar  and  is  the  peer  of  any 
who  have  sat  in  the  court  of  last  resort  In  two  decades  he  participated  in  the  con- 
sideration and  disposition  of  about  three  thousand  cases,  nearly  all  of  which  are  writ- 
ten opinions  and  may  be  found  in  volumes  III  to  XXX  of  the  Idaho  Reports.  He  has 
displayed  a  rare  combination  of  talent,  learning,  tact,  patience  and  industry,  and  his 
decisions  indicate  strong  mentality,  careful  analysis,  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law 
and  an  unbiased  judgment.  He  retired  from  the  supreme  court  bench  January  1,  1917, 
enjoying  the  distinction  of  serving  thereon  for  a  much  longer  period  than  any  other 
jurist  of  Idaho,  his  nearest  competitor  having  been  James  P.  Ailshie,  who  served  for 
about  eleven  and  a  half  years.  With  his  retirement  he  formed  the  law  firm  of  Sullivan 
&  Sullivan  and  is  now  engaged  in  private  practice. 

The  sons,  Willis  Eugene  and  La  Verne  Latimer,  the  only  children  of  Judge  and 
Mrs.  Sullivan,  are  graduates  of  the  Columbian  University  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  where 
they  completed  their  course  in  law,  and  both  are  now  well  known  members  of  the 
Idaho  bar.  They  have  offices  in  both  Boise  and  Hailey  and  their  clientage  is  of  a  most 
extensive  and  important  character. 

While  Judge  Sullivan  has  ever  been  a  most  discriminating  student  of  the  law, 
he  has  also  kept  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  thought  and  research  along  scien- 
tific and  literary  lines.  Those  who  meet  him  find  him  a  man  of  very  broad  learning, 
liberal  in  his  judgment  and  clear  in  his  reasoning.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
stalwart  republican,  but  as  a  contemporary  biographer  has  expressed  it,  "He  is  more 
than  a  republican — he  is  a  broad-minded,  sincere,  capable,  honest  and  incorruptible 
American  citizen." 


WILLIS  E.  SULLIVAN. 

Willis  E.  Sullivan,  attorney  at  law  of  Boise,  whose  professional  standing  is  in- 
dicated in  the  fact  that  he  is  now  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association,  is  prac- 
ticing as  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Sullivan  &  Sullivan,  the  senior  partner  of  which 
firm  is  his  father,  the  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Sullivan,  the  other  partners  being  the  two  sous, 
Willis  E.  and  La  Verne  L.  The  birthplace  of  Willis  E.  Sullivan  was  Coffeyville,  Kan- 
sas, and  his  natal  day,  August  24,  1874.  He  came  to  Idaho  with  his  parents  in  July, 
1883,  the  family  home  being  established  at  Hailey.  There  he  attended  the  high  school 
until  1891,  in  which  year  he  entered  Willamette  University  at  Salem,  Oregon,  where 
he  studied  for  a  year.  He  next  became  a  student  in  the  Portland  University,  at  Port- 
land, Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  or  until  his  graduation  with  the  class 
of  1894.  He  had  completed  the  scientific  and  Latin  courses  and  he  afterward  spent  a 
year  in  study  at  the  Valparaiso  University  of  Indiana.  In  1896  he  matriculated  in 
the  law  department  of  the  Columbian  University  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  now  the  George 
Washington  University,  and  spent  three  years  in  that  institution,  winning  the  LL.  B. 
degree  upon  his  graduation  with  the  class  of  1898.  The  following  year  he  received  the 
LL.  M.  degree  from  his  alma  mater,  and  during  that  year  was  president  of  his  class. 
For  three  years  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  and 
for  one  year  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  bar.  In  1903  he  returned  to  Hailey,  Idaho, 
and  the  firm  of  Sullivan  &  Sullivan  was  formed.  The  father  was  at  that  time  chief 
justice  of  the  state.  The  law  office  at  Hailey  is  still  maintained  in  charge  of  La  Verne 
L.  Sullivan.  The  Boise  office  was  opened  in  1907  and  with  the  father's  retirement  from 
the  state  supreme  bench  in  1917  he  joined  his  two  sons  as  a  member  of  the  firm,  which 
occupies  a  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  profession  in  the  state.  Willis  E.  Sullivan 
Is  strictly  a  lawyer,  devoting  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  his  pro- 
fessional interests,  yet  he  has  made  judicious  investments  along  other  lines,  being  now 
the  owner  of  farm  and  orchard  lands  and  of  banking  interests.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Pacific  National  Bank,  for  which  the  firm  of  Sullivan  &  Sullivan  acts  as  attorneys. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1910,  in  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Sullivan  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Helen  T.  Ford,  her  father  being  Charles  P.  Ford,  a  coal  operator 
of  Scranton.  They  have  become  parents  of  two  children:  Willis  E.,  Jr.,  who  is  eight 
years  of  age;  and  Helen  Ford,  aged  one. 

Fraternally  Mr.   Sullivan   is  an   Elk.     His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  re- 


70  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

publican  party  and  he  keeps  well  versed  on  the  vital  questions  and  issues  of  the  day, 
nor  does  he  hesitate  to  express  his  honest  convictions,  but  he  has  never  been  a  poli- 
tician in  the  sense  of  office  seeking,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  energies 
upon  his  professional  duties,  and  his  devotion  to  his  clients'  interests  has  become 
proverbial. 


FRANK  FISK  JOHNSON. 

Frank  Fisk  Johnson,  whose  active  connection  with  the  business  interests  and  de- 
velopment of  Boise  is  best  stated  in  the  fact  that  he  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Boise 
City  National  Bank  and  the  president  of  the  Idaho  Power  Company,  comes  to  the  west 
from  Wisconsin,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Shawano,  that  state,  on  the  15th  of 
November,  1862.  His  father,  Albert  Johnson,  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts, 
November  4,  1837,  a  son  of  Benjamin  F.  Johnson  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
old  New  England  families.  Albert  Johnson  was  a  civil  and  mining  engineer  who  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin  in  1860  and  in  1864  became  a  resident  of  Colorado,  where  he  was 
later  appointed  surveyor  general  of  the  state.  His  last  days  were  passed  in  the  home 
of  a  daughter  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  where  his  death  occurred  November  11, 
1912.  On  the  17th  of  October,  1861,  he  had  wedded  Elizabeth  S.  Fisk,  of  Fort  Howard, 
Wisconsin,  who  was  born  at  Green  Bay,  that  state,  on  the  9th  of  October,  1841,  and 
died  May  21,  1906,  at  which  time  she  and  her  husband  were  making  their  home  in 
Spokane,  Washington.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Joel  S.  Fisk,  a  very  prominent  citizen 
of  Green  Bay  and  of  Fort  Howard,  Wisconsin.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the 
mother  of  two  children,  the  younger  being  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Annie  R.  Jones,  now  living 
in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 

Frank  F.  Johnson,  the  elder,  was  reared  at  Georgetown,  Colorado,  and  his  education, 
largely  acquired  in  the  schools  of  that  state,  included  a  course  in  the  Denver  high 
school,  which,  however,  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute 
of  Technology,  in  which  he  pursued  the  studies  of  chemistry  and  mining.  Returning 
to  Colorado,  he  took  part  as  a  civil  engineer  in  government  survey  work  and  also  gave 
some  attention  to  cattle  raising  in  that  state.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Idaho,  arriving  at 
Murray  on  the  21st  of  March  of  that  year.  There  he  engaged  in  the  banking  business, 
serving  as  assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Murray.  In  1891  he  founded  the  Bank  of 
North  Idaho  at  Murray  and  has  been  continuously,  actively  and  successfully  identified 
with  the  banking  business  in  this  state  throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  within 
its  borders.  He  sold  the  Bank  of  North  Idaho  in  1895.  In  the  meantime,  or  in  1892, 
he  had  removed  to  Wallace,  Idaho,  where  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank,  of 
which  he  became  president,  remaining  an  active  factor  in  the  financial  circles  of  that 
city  until  1910,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  bank  of  Wallace  and  removed 
to  Boise.  Here  he  became  cashier  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  and  in  1915  was 
elected  to  the  vice  presidency,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  served,  his  opinions 
and  activities  being  an  influencing  factor  in  shaping  the  policy  of  the  institution, 
which  is  one  of  the  strong  financial  concerns  of  the  state.  He  has  also  been  the 
president  of  the  Idaho  Power  Company  since  1916  and  is  thus  identified  with  another 
of  the  important  corporate  interests  of  the  state.  He  is  likewise  the  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  which  he  organized  in  March,  1905,  and 
associated  with  him  in  the  founding  of  that  bank  was  John  M.  Maxwell,  who  has 
continuously  served  as  its  cashier  and  manager.  Another  associate  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Twin  Falls  bank  was  Samuel  H.  Hays,  now  mayor  of  Boise,  also  Philip  Weisner, 
now  deceased,  and  I.  B.  Perrine.  Mr.  Johnson  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Farmers  State  Bank  of  Nez  Perce,  Idaho,  in  which  undertaking  he  was  associated  with 
L.  N.  Swift,  who  has  continuously  been  its  president,  and  F.  W.  Katenbaugh.  In 
large  measure,  as  indicated,  Mr.  Johnson  has  contributed  to  the  establishment  and 
development  of  the  banking  interests  of  the  state,  recognizing  at  all  times  that  the 
bank  is  most  worthy  of  credit  and  support  that  most  carefully  safeguards  the  interests 
of  its  depositors.  His  progressiveness  therefore  has  been  tempered  by  a  safe  conserva- 
tism and  results  achieved  have  been  most  satisfactory  to  the  general  public  as  well  as 
to  the  stockholders. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1888,  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Marie  L.  Gieson, 
a  native  of  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  three  children:  Albert  Donnan,  who  was  born 
October  14,  1889,  and  became  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Three  Hundred  and  Eighteenth 


FRANK  F.  JOHNSON 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  73 

• 

Engineers,  on  duty  in  France;  Clara  Louise,  who  was  born  March  16,  1891,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Pasco  B.  Carter,  of  Boise;  and  Ellsworth  Egbert,  who  was  born  January  14, 
1896.  Both  sons  are  graduates  of  Harvard  College  and  the  only  daughter  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Dana  Hall  School  for  Young  Ladies  at  Wellesley,  Massachusetts. 

In  politics  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  republican  but  not  bound  by  party  ties.  He  served 
as  treasurer  of  Shoshone  county,  Idaho,  in  1891  and  1892  but  has  never  been  a  politician 
in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  However,  in  1904  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  repub- 
lican county  committee  of  Shoshone  county.  He  is  a  member  and  ex-president  of  the 
Boise  Commercial  Club  and  a  trustee  of  the  Children's  Home  Finding  Association. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  he 
is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  a  past  exalted 
ruler  of  the  lodge  at  Wallace.  During  the  period  of  the  war  he  has  been  very  active 
in  support  of  all  interests  upholding  national  plans,  was  the  state  chairman  of  the 
first  Liberty  Loan  campaign  in  Idaho  and  was  state  treasurer  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  for  three  years  or  until  the  office  was  abolished.  His  life  work  has  reached  out 
along  many  lines  of  usefulness  which  have  been  highly  resultant  and  as  a  business 
man  and  citizen  he  stands  among  the  foremost  representatives  of  Idaho. 


WALTER  S.  BRUCE. 

Walter  S.  Bruce,  president  of  the  Bruce  &  Fuld  Loan  &  Trust  Company  of  Boise 
and  until  recently  a  member  of  the  Idaho  state  board  of  education,  was  born  in  San 
Francisco,  California,  March  28,  1865.  His  father,  Captain  James  H.  Bruce,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Maine,  who  went  to  California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  in  1850  and  made  his  home 
in  that  sunny  state  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was  a  sea  captain  on  the 
Pacific  for  many  years  and  after  retiring  from  the  sea  was  prominent  in  shipping 
circles  of  San  Francisco  for  thirty  years  preceding  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Berke- 
ley, California,  in  1908.  The  name  of  "Jim"  Bruce  is  still  a  familiar  one  among  men 
most  prominently  identified  with  the  shipping  industry  of  the  Pacific  coast.  His  wife, 
who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Sarah  Louise  Cookiugham,  was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  and  is  still  living,  now  making  her  home  in  Alameda,  California.  Both  par- 
ents were  representatives  of  old  Revolutionary  stock,  and  Walter  S.  Bruce  has  mem- 
bership with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  His  ancestry  can  be  traced  back 
to  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
and  therefore  one  of  the  earliest  of  New  England's  settlers. 

Walter  S.  Bruce,  reared  and  educated  in  San  Francisco,  supplemented  his  public 
school  training  by  a  business  course  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  secured  the  posi- 
tion of  bookkeeper  in  a  wholesale  dry  goods  house  in  his  native  city.  Two  years  after- 
ward he  entered  the  employ  of  a  wholesale  hardware  firm  in  San  Francisco  as  a  clerk 
and  thus  continued  for  four  years.  In  1887,  or  when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  came 
to  Idaho,  and  Boise  has  since  been  his  home.  During  the  first  twenty  years  of  his 
residence  in  this  city  he  was  assistant  cashier  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank,  having 
removed  to  Idaho  in  order  to  assume  the  duties  of  that  office.  He  resigned  in  1907  to 
engage  in  business  on  his  own  account.  He  first  became  general  agent  of  the  Fidelity 
&  Deposit  Company  of  Maryland  for  the  state  of  Idaho  and  acted  in  that  capacity  while 
at  the  same  time  he  conducted  a  general  insurance  and  loan  business.  He  divided  his 
time  and  retention  between  the  two  interests  for  several  years,  or  until  1911,  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Sidney  C.  Fuld  in  organizing  and  incorporating  the  Bruce 
&  Fuld  Loan  &  Trust  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Bruce  has  since  been  the  president,  with 
Mr.  Fuld  as  the  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  firm  has  its  home  office  in  Boise,  and 
aside  from  the  business  indicated  by  the  title  they  conduct  a  general  insurance  busi- 
ness. They  also  continue  to  represent  the  Fidelity  &  Deposit  Company  of  Maryland 
as  general  agents  in  Idaho  and  eastern  Oregon  and  their  clientage  is  extensive  and 
important. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1890,  Mr.  Bruce  was  married  in  San  Francisco  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth M.  Bibbins,  a  native  of  that  city,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Helen  Louise,  the  wife  of  Irving  W.  Stoddard;  Warren  Richardson;  and  James 
Stewart.  The  two  sons  are  twenty-four  and  fifteen  years  of  age  respectively.  The  for- 
mer served  in  the  United  States  army  during  the  great  war  as  a  first  lieutenant  in  the 
aviation  service  in  France. 

Mr.   Bruce   is   a   stalwart   republican  in   his  political  views  and   served   for  four 


74  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

years  as  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  education,  from  April,  1913,  until  April,  1917, 
by  appointment  of  Governor  Haines.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Rotary  Club,  and  aside  from  holding  mem- 
bership with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  he  is  a  member  and  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Boise. 


CHARLES  W.  POMEROY. 

Charles  W.  Pomeroy,  filling  the  office  of  county  clerk  of  Bannock  county  and  re- 
siding at  Pocatello,  was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  17th  of  November,  1876,  his  birthplace 
being  a  farm  near  the  village  of  Potomac  Mills,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  river. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Teresa  Ann  (Trew)  Pomeroy,  both  now  deceased.  In  the 
family  were  four  sons,  one  of  the  brothers  of  Charles  W.  Pomeroy  residing  at  Bethle- 
hem, Pennsylvania,  while  two  are  yet  living  in  Virginia.  The  ancestry  in  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  lines  can  be  traced  back  through  four  generations  of  Virginians. 

Charles  W.  Pomeroy  pursued  his  education  in  the  Oak  Grove  Academy  of  Virginia, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1898.  He  also  pursued  a  course  in  the  Bethlehem 
(Pa.)  Business  College,  after  which  he  was  employed  at  the  Bethlehem  steel  works, 
while  later  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1903.  That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where  he  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  as  chief  clerk  in  the  engineering 
department.  He  remained  until  1913,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  county 
clerk,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  served,  covering  a  period  of  almost  a  decade. 
That  he  has  made  a  most  commendable  record  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
so  frequently  reelected  to  the  office.  He  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to 
the  republican  party  and  is  a  stalwart  advocate  and  supporter  of  its  principles,  being 
recognized  as  one  of  the  local  leaders  of  the  party  in  Idaho.  Mr.  Pomeroy  has  also 
been  admitted  to  the  bar.,  for  he  devoted  his  leisure  hours  for  many  years  to  the  read- 
ing of  law  and  thus  qualified  for  the  profession,  which  he  expects  soon  to  take  up  as 
an  active  life  work. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1904,  Mr.  Pomeroy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret 
Frances  McConkay,  of  Iowa.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is 
fond  of  tennis  and  other  outdoor  sports  and  is  a  very  versatile  young  man  of  pleas> 
ing  appearance  and  a  most  interesting  talker.  His  wide  acquaintance  and  his  per- 
sonal qualifications  are  such  as  seem  to  insure  success  at  the  bar  when  he  enters  upon 
the  practice  of  law.  In  the  meantime  he  is  proving  a  most  capable  official  in  the 
office  of  county  clerk  and  strong  endorsement  of  his  administration  is  given  in  the 
fact  that  he  has  so  frequently  been  called  to  the  position. 


CHRISTOPHER  W.  MOORE. 

In  the  year  1862  Christopher  W.  Moore  became  a  resident  of  northern  Idaho  and 
the  following  year  removed  to  Boise.  Through  the  intervening  period  to  the  time 
of  his  death  he  figured  most  actively  and  prominently  in  connection  with  the  business 
upbuilding  and  substantial  development  of  the  capital  city  and  of  the  state  at  large. 
He  was  identified  with  various  mercantile  interests  in  different  cities  of  the  state  and 
for  many  years  was  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Idaho  at  Boise.  He 
was  ever  a  forceful  representative  of  the  community,  strong  in  his  ability  to  plan 
and  perform,  strong  in  his  honor  and  his  good  name.  He  was  born  in  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, November  30,  1835,  a  son  of  Christopher  and  Eliza  (Crawford)  Moore  and  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  parents  spent  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  in  or  near 
Toronto,  the  father  devoting  his  attention  to  farming  and  merchandising.  The  father 
passed  away  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  while  the  mother  was  sixty-six  at  the  time 
of  her  demise. 

Christopher  W.  Moore,  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  was  a  young  lad  when  his 
parents  removed  from  Toronto  to  Wisconsin  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the 
schools  of  both  districts  in  which  the  family  lived.  On  the  5th  of  May,  1852,  when 
a  youth  of  sixfeen,  he  started  for  the  Pacific  coast  in  company  with  his  parents  and 
others  of  the  family,  who  traveled  with  a  party  that  made  the  long  and  arduous  journey 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  75 

«• 

across  the  plains  with  teams,  experiencing  many  of  the  privations  and  hardships  in- 
cident to  travel  according  to  that  method  and  in  that  period.  There  was  always  danger 
of  Indian  attack  and  it  behooved  the  travelers  to  be  cautious  and  on  the  alert  at 
all  times.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  Mr.  Moore  and  his  companion,  who  were 
in  charge  of  the  live  stock,  found  it  necessary  to  go  forty  miles  in  search  of  feed  aflft 
water.  At  length  they  reached  Snake  river  and  across  the  stream  they  could  see  an 
abundance  of  luxuriant  grass.  Mr.  Moore  and  another  young  man  of  about  his  age 
undertook  the  task  of  swimming  the  river  in  order  to  learn  the  possibilities  on  the 
other  side,  but  his  companion  and  his  horse  were  caught  in  a  whirlpool,  and  although 
the  young  man  was  an  excellent  swimmer,  he  was  hampered  by  his  heavy  boots  and 
clothing  and  could  make  little  headway  against  the  stream.  Before  Mr.  Moore  could 
reach  him,  he  sank  from  view.  Such  were  some  of  the  hardships  and  sorrows  which 
came  to  the  settlers  as  they  journeyed  westward,  and  after  reaching  their  destination 
there  were  many  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  as  they  established  homes  upon  the 
western  frontier.  They  bravely  faced  all  hardships  and  privations,  however,  and  laid 
broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  present  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  state. 

Christopher  W.  Moore  took  a  most  active  and  helpful  part  in  promoting  the  develop- 
ment of  the  northwest  throughout  the  years  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  and  before  com- 
ing to  this  state  he  engaged  in  buying,  selling  and  raising  live  stock,  which  he  shipped 
principally  to  Puget  Sound  and  Victoria,  B.  C.  It  was  in  that  way  that  he  gained  his 
financial  start  in  life.  The  year  1862  witnessed  his  arrival  in  northern  Idaho  and  a 
year  later  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Boise,  although  the  present  beautiful  capital  city 
was  then  entirely  a  thing  of  the  future.  However,  he  camped  on  the  site  of  the  city, 
having  at  the  time  no  intention  of  remaining,  but  events  caused  him  to  continue  his 
residence  here  and  as  the  years  passed  he  became  one  of  the  foremost  merchants  in 
his  part  of  the  state.  He  not  only  conducted  a  large  and  profitable  store  in  Boise,  but 
extended  his  efforts  into  other  fields,  becoming  connected  with  stores  at  Booneville, 
Ruby  City  and  Silver  City.  He  was  the  first  merchant  in  Owyhee  county  and  thus  he 
left  his  name  indelibly  impressed  upon  its  history.  He  recognized  not  only  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  moment  but  the  opportunities  of  the  future  and  in  the  conduct  of  his 
business  affairs  worked  always  toward  a  greater  Boise.  In  1867  he  became  associated 
with  B.  M.  DuRell,  William  Roberts  and  D.  W.  Ballard  in  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Idaho  at  Boise,  Mr.  DuRell  becoming  the  first  president,  while  Mr. 
Moore  was  elected  the  first  cashier,  and  he  remained  the  last  of  the  survivors  among 
the  organizers  of  the  bank.  For  nine  years  he  filled  the  position  of  cashier  and  then 
withdrew  from  that  office,  remaining  until  1890  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors. 
He  was  afterward  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  bank,  in  which  position  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  and  by  reason  of  his  constructive  effort,  his  administrative  di- 
rection and  executive  ability  he  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  success  and  growth 
of  the  institution,  making  it  one  of  the  strongest  moneyed  concerns  of  the  state.  What- 
ever he  undertook  he  carried  forward  to  successful  completion.  His  plans  were  care- 
fully formed  and  were  promptly  executed.  From  the  time  of  its  organization  until  his 
death  he  served  as  president  of  the  Artesian  Hot  and  Cold  Water  Company,  supplying 
hot  and  cold  water  to  the  best  residential  districts  of  Boise,  and  it  was  Mr.  Moore 
who  established  the  hot  water  heating  system  in  Boise,  his  own  home  having  the  first 
heating  plant  of  the  kind  in  jthe  city.  For  a  long  period  he  represented  the  directorate 
of  the  Capital  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  and  for  an  extended  period  he  was 
also  connected  with  agricultural  interests  and  stock  raising.  Every  concern  with  which 
he  became  connected  profited  by  his  cooperation.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  business 
judgment  and  his  keen  sagacity  and  enterprise  proved  salient  features  in  the  attain- 
ment of  success  with  every  concern  with  which  he  was  associated. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1865,  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine 
Minear,  of  West  Virginia,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: Alice,  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  L.  Bettis;  Laura  B.,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Cunningham; 
Crawford;  Anna  L.,  the  wife  of  F.  H.  Parsons;  Marion  P.;  and  Raymond  H.  The  wife 
and  mother  passed  away  March  26,  1911.  She  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Boise  and  was  a  lady  of  many  splendid  traits  of  heart 
and  mind,  so  that  her  loss  was  deeply  deplored.  It  was  in  1916  that  Mr.  Moore  was 
called  to  the  home  beyond  and  in  his  passing  Boise  mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  her 
most  prominent  and  representative  citizens  and  pioneers.  He  contributed  in  most  ^sub- 
stantial and  extensive  measure  to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  city,  cooperat- 
ing heartily  in  every  movement  that  was  calculated  to  advance  the  public  welfare. 
His  political  allegiance  was  always  given  to  the  republican  party,  and  while  he  never 


76  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

sought  or  desired  office,  he  ever  stood  loyally  in  support  of  measures  for  the  general 
good.  He  belonged  to  the  Pioneer  Society  of  Idaho  and  for  many  years  was  honored 
with  its  presidency.  His  support  of  any  public  measure  was  sure  to  secure  for  it  a 
large  following  because  of  the  confidence  which  his  fellow  townsmen  had  in  his  judg- 
ment and  in  his  integrity.  Coming  to  the  Pacific  northwest  in  young  manhood,  he 
recognized  its  opportunities  and  advantages  and  as  the  years  passed  on  so  directed 
his  efforts  that  he  gained  the  substantial  rewards  of  labor  and  at  the  same  time  bore 
an  unsullied  name.  The  most  envious  could  not  grudge  him  his  success,  so  worthily 
was  it  won  and  so  honorably  used. 


ROBERT  NOBLE. 

Robert  Noble  had  reached  the  Psalmist's  allotted  span  of  three  score  years  and 
ten  when  on  the  5th  of  November,  1914,  death  called  him.  He  had  been  for  many  years 
a  most  prominent,  honored  and  valued  resident  of  Idaho  and  within  the  borders  of 
the  state  had  advanced  from  a  humble  position  in  the  business  world  to  one  of  mas- 
terful leadership,  being  a  leading  figure  in  financial  circles  as  the  president  of  the 
Idaho  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  of  Boise.  He  was  likewise  the  promoter  of  many  other 
important  business  interests  which  contributed  to  the  welfare  and  development  of  the 
state  in  notable  manner,  so  that  his  name  is  indelibly  impressed  upon  the  annals  of 
the  commonwealth. 

A  native  of  England,  Robert  Noble  was  born  in  Cumberland  on  the  19th  of  October, 
1844,  being  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Noble,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  country, 
where  was  born  to  them  a  family  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  Robert  being  the 
fourth  of  those  who  reached  adult  age.  Robert  Noble  was  ten  years  of  age  when  in 
1854  his  parents  left  England  for  the  new  world,  making  their  way  to  Kingston, 
Ontario,  where  the  mother  died,  being  a  victim  to  the  cholera  epidemic.  The  family 
continued  their  journey  to  a  point  near  Niagara  Falls,  Canada,  but  in  1857  crossed 
the  border  into  the  United  States,  settling  at  Tonawanda,  New  York,  where  they  lived 
for  many  years. 

Robert  Noble  received  somewhat  meager  educational  advantages  as  he  accompan- 
ied his  father  from  point  to  point  and  at  an  early  age  he  started  out  to  provide 
for  his  own  support.  It  was  in  1870,  when  twenty-six  years  of  age,  that  he  came  to 
Idaho  a  stranger  and  practically  without  money.  A  few  years  later  his  eldest  brother, 
John,  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Eleanor  Williams,  also  came  to  Idaho  but  afterward  re- 
moved to  California.  At  a  still  later  period  Robert  Noble  was  joined  at  his  home 
on  Reynolds  creek  in  Owyhee  county  by  his  aged  father,  who  there  remained  until 
his  death  in  January,  1905,  being  then  in  the  one  hundredth  year  of  his  age. 

Ambitious  to  gain  a  start,  Robert  Noble  scorned  no  honest  employment  that  would 
yield  him  a  living  and  his  first  year  in  Idaho  was  spent  as  tender  of  a  ferry  on  the 
Snake  river.  He  then  secured  a  position  on  the  Davis  ranch  near  Boise,  where  he 
remained  for  four  seasons,  carefully  saving  his  earnings  until  his  untiring  industry 
and  strict  economy  enabled  him  to  begin  sheep  raising  in  a  small  way  in  1875.  He 
continued  the  business  in  the  neighborhood  of  Reynolds  creek  until  1906,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  ranch  and  removed  to  Boise.  In  the  meantime  his  close  application, 
indefatigable  energy  and  sound  business  judgment  had  enabled  him  to  steadily  de- 
velop his  flocks  and  he  had  become  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful  sheepmen  of 
the  state. 

With  his  removal  to  Boise,  Mr.  Noble  became  a  prominent  factor  in  the  business 
life  of  the  city  and  of  the  state.  He  purchased  stock -in  the  Idaho  Trust  &  Savings 
Bank  and  appreciation  of  his  ability  led  to  his  election  to  the  office  of  president  on 
the  2d  of  January,  1912.  He  continued  at  the  head  of  the  institution  until  his  demise. 
He  largely  financed  the  construction  of  the  Boise  Valley  Railroad  and  electric  lines 
from  Boise  to  Nampa  and  Meridian,  the  line  being  completed  and  put  in  operation  in 
1909,  with  Mr.  Noble  as  manager  until  1911.  He  became  also  the  owner  of  seven 
thousand  acres  of  fine  land  in  the  Boise  valley  and  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
was  planted  to  fruit,  making  him  one  of  the  foremost  orchardists  of  the  state.  His 
real  estate  holdings  in  Boise  were  most  extensive  and  his  property  interests  also 
included  much  valuable  realty  at  Nampa  and  Caldwell.  He  always  did  much  to  in- 
crease the  value  of  his  property  and  thus  promoted  the  prosperity  of  the  community 
in  which  he  had  placed  his  investments. 


ROBERT  NOBLE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  79 

In  1876,  on  Reynolds  creek,  Mr.  Noble  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna 
Peters.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living.  Nellie 
is  the  mother  of  two  children,  Thelma  Louise  Handy  and  Dorothy  McDonald,  the 
former  by  her  first  husband  and  the  latter  by  her  second  husband,  Angus  McDonald. 
Robert  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Idaho  Trust  ft  Savings  Bank.  Prank  looks  after 
the  Noble  buildings  and  realty  in  Boise,  Nampa  and  Caldwell  and  all  other  interests 
lying  outside  of  the  capital  city.  Ernest,  who  is  assistant  cashier  In  the  Idaho  Trust 
&  Savings  Bank,  is  married  and  has  two  children,  Margaret  Eleanor  and  Elizabeth 
Lauretta.  Lillian  May  is  the  wife  of  Scott  M.  Banbury  and  the  mother  of  one  child, 
Bernice  Noble  Banbury.  Rasella  Noble  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Noble  displayed  the  democratic  spirit  characteristic  of  the  western  pioneer. 
He  was  always  ready  to  recognize  true  worth  in  others  and  he  judged  men  by  their 
personal  worth  and  not  by  their  wealth.  He  left  to  his  family  the  priceless  heritage 
of  a  good  name  and  to  the  state  the  inspiration  of  a  noble  character  whose  labors  were 
crowned  with  successful  achievement.  The  members  of  his  family  were  reared  in  the 
faith  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  attained  thirty-two  degrees  of  Masonry,  taking 
his  blue  lodge  degrees  at  Silver  City  and  being  initiated  in  the  chapter  and  the  Shrine 
at  Boise.  He  also  joined  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Silver  City.  Politically  he  was  a 
republican  but  never  sought  office.  The  family  residence  is  a  handsome  home  at 
No.  317  North  Ninth  street  in  Boise. 


CARL  J.  HAHN. 

Carl  J.  Hahn,  vice  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  ft  Trust  Company  at  Twin 
Falls,  Idaho,  was  born  at  Hanover,  Germany,  April  21,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  L.  C.  and 
Martha  Hahn.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1881,  when  a  youth  of  sixteen  years, 
becoming  a  resident  of  Fremont,  Nebraska.  He  started  out  in  the  business  world  in 
connection  with  the  lumber  and  grain  trade  and  after  receiving  his  preliminary  train- 
ing in  that  direction  he  turned  his  attention  to  banking,  becoming  cashier  of  the  State 
Bank  of.  Hooper,  Nebraska,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1898.  He  then  removed 
to  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  where  he  held  various  positions  with  the  McCormick  Company, 
bankers.  In  1905  he  removed  to  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  to  accept  his  present  position  as 
vic^e  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  ft  Trust  Company,  which  is  a  branch  bank  of  the 
McCormick  interests  of  Salt  Lake,  and  was  established  by  W.  S.  McCormick  at  Twin 
Falls  in  1905.  The  bank  was  opened  on  lot  No.  10,  block  No.  103.  In  1908  the  bank 
was  incorporated  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  at  the  same  time  was  pur- 
chased the  site  on  which  has  been  erected  the  present  fine  bank  building,  one  of  the 
most  modern  in  construction  and  equipment  in  the  state.  Mr.  Hahn  is  active  in  the 
control  and  management  of  the  business,  which  has  steadily  grown,  his  efforts  constitut- 
ing an  important  element  In  the  success  of  the  undertaking.  He  has  also  become  in- 
terested in  farm  lands  in  this  section  of  the  country  and  in  city  real  estate  and  has 
negotiated  a  number  of  important  realty  transfers. 

In  1902  Mr.  Hahn  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Matgen,  a  native  of  Moline.  Illi- 
nois, who  became  a  resident  of  Dodge  county,  Nebraska.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Carl,  Lewis  and  John. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Hahn  is  an  Elk  and  also  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  His  political  al- 
legiance is  given  the  republican  party  and  while  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the  ques- 
tions and  issues  of  the  day  he  neither  seeks  nor  desires  office.  He  is  a  loyal  sup- 
porter, however,  of  all  those  interests  which  make  for  the  development  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  community,  giving  his  aid  and  influence  at  all  times  on  the  side  of  progress 
and  improvement. 


MONTFORD  PARR  MEHOLIN. 

The  business  career  of  Montford  Parr  Meholin  has  been  characterized  by  con- 
structive measures  in  which  sound  judgment  has  constituted  an  even  balance  for  pro- 
gressiveness.  He  is  now  the  president  of  the  Pacific  National  Bank  of  Boise,  bring- 
ing to  his  present  connection  with  the  banking  interests  of  Idaho  broad  practical  expe- 
rience when  he  removed  to  this  city  in  1903. 


80  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  February  14,  1864,  the  only 
son  of  James  J.  and  Melissa  (Parr)  Meholin,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  Jef- 
ferson county,  the  former  born  in  1832  and  the  latter  in  1837.  The  father  devoted  his 
life  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Meholin,  who  came  from 
Ireland  in  1791  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  casting  in  his  lot  with 
its  first  settlers.  He  built  what  is  known  as  the  Old  Stone  Spring  House,  an  historic 
landmark  of  Jefferson  county.  It  is  located  on  a  sixty-acre  tract  of  land  about  twelve 
miles  from  Steubenville,  Ohio,  which  tract  became  his  first  homestead  and  is  still  in 
possession  of  one  of  his  heirs.  Thomas  Meholin  married  a  Miss  Jackson,  a  first  cousin 
of  Andrew  Jackson,  the  hero  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  and  later  president  of  the 
United  States. 

Montford  Parr  Meholin  was  the  younger  in  a  family  of  but  two  children,  his 
sister  being  Mrs.  Anna  Cunningham,  of  Alliance,  Nebraska.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  county,  spending  his  youthful  days  upon  his  father's  farm  and  be- 
ginning his  education  in  the  district  schools,  while  later  he  attended  Hopedale  Col- 
lege in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  when  a  youth 
of  eighteen  years.  He  afterward  taught  a  six  months'  term  of  school  but  otherwise 
remained  upon  the  home  farm  and  gave  his  father  the  benefit  of  his  assistance  in  the 
work  of  the  fields  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  then  left  home  to  start  out 
independently  in  the  world,  going  to  Nebraska,  where  he  spent  eighteen  years.  In  1887 
he  organized  the  Bank  of  Norden  at  Norden,  Nebraska,  of  which  he  became  the  first 
president,  continuing  as  its  chief  executive  officer  until  1893.  He  then  sold  his  in- 
terests in  the  bank  and  removed  to  Butte,  Nebraska,  where  he  organized  the  Bank 
of  Butte  and  again  became  president.  For  a  decade  he  was  identified  with  that  institu- 
tion, after  which  he  disposed  of  his  stock  in  the  bank  and  came  to  Boise.  Through  the 
intervening  period,  covering  more  than  fifteen  years,  he  has  been  continuously  iden- 
tified with  the  banking  business  in  the  capital.  He  was  formerly  receiver  of  the  Capi- 
tal State  Bank  and  paid  its  depositors  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar.  In  1908  he 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Idaho  and  was  elected  its  vice  president. 
Two  years  later  this  was  nationalized  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Pacific  National 
Bank.  He  remained  as  vice  president  throughout  the  existence  of  the  institution  until 
January,  1919,  when  he  was  elected  president  and  has  had  considerable  voice  in  shap- 
ing its  policy  and  directing  its  business  interests.  He  is  a  close  student  of  every  phase 
of  the  banking  business  and  bears  a  well  deserved  reputation  for  thoroughness  and  sys- 
tem in  all  that  he  undertakes. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1889,  Mr.  Meholin  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Gardner,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  three  daughters:  Mabelle,  now  the 
wife  of  C.  F.  Scott,  of  Boise;  Marguerite  and  Mildred,  who  are  at  home. 

Since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise,  Mr.  Meholin  has  been  a  stanch 
advocate  of  republican  principles  but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  He  belongs 
to  the  Commercial  Club  of  Boise  and  is  interested  in  all  of  its  projects  to  promote  the 
upbuilding  of  the  city  and  advance  its  welfare.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Country  Club 
and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Through  the  recent  period  of  hostili- 
ties largely  involving  the  civilized  countries  of  the  world  he  has  been  very  active  in  war 
work,  spending  most  of  his  time  and  much  money  in  that  way.  No  one  questions  the 
statement  that  he  is  one  hundred  per  cent  American. 


JESSE  J.  WALLING. 

Important  real  estate  interests  at  Nampa,  Idaho,  claim  the  attention  of  Jesse  J. 
Walling,  who  was  born  at  Albany,  Oregon,  November  22,  1873.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Albany,  Hood  River  and  Portland,  Oregon,  but  when  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Idaho.  In  1886  the  father  established  the  present 
real  estate  business  at  Nampa  under  the  name  of  B.  F.  Walling,  but  in  1915  he  retired 
from  active  business  and  returned  to  Portland  to  live.  In  the  same  year  the  com- 
pany was  reorganized  and  is  now  operating  under  the  name  of  the  Walling  Land  Com- 
pany, Limited.  They  handle  principally  farm  lands  in  the  Boise  valley  but  also  do 
a  building  and  loan  business,  having  developed  this  department  of  the  enterprise  to 
extensive  proportions. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  one  of  Oregon's  famous  pioneers  of 
1847,  having  gone  to  that  state  from  Virginia.  He  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  81 

passing  through  the  Boise  valley  and  crossing  the  Snake  river  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Boise.  He  settled  at  Lincoln,  Polk  county,  six  miles  from  Salem,  and  there  engaged 
in  farming.  His  death  was  an  accidental  one  and  was  caused  in  his  fifty-sixth  year 
by  a  runaway  pet  horse.  On  the  maternal  side  Jesse  J.  Waiting's  grandfather  was 
J.  B.  Conmley,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  who  in  1851  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams 
to  Albany,  Oregon,  where  he  located.  Members  of  the  family  on  both  sides  have  been 
instrumental  in  the  early  growth  and  later  development  of  Portland,  Albany  and  Salem, 
Oregon,  and  also  of  Boise  and  Nampa,  Idaho,  and  the  impress  of  their  life's  labors  has 
remained  upon  these  states. 

B.  F.  Walling,  the  father,  was  born  on  the  home  farm  at  Lincoln,  Oregon,  in  the 
development  of  which  he  continued  until  his  removal  to  Nampa  in  1886.  For  three 
years  previous  to  that  date  he  had  cultivated  the  farm  independently  after  his  father's 
demise.  Arriving  at  Nampa,  he  found  that  the  town  had  just  been  platted  and  he 
bought  fifty-three  lots  and  also  purchased  a  relinquishment  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  just  north  of  the  town.  At  that  time  there  was  just  one  small  resi- 
dence on  the  north  side  of  the  tract,  the  next  sign  of  improvement  being  the  post- 
office,  a  small  frame  building,  which  now  stands  in  the  rear  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants 
Bank.  In  1887  a  branch  railroad  was  built  to  Boise  and  the  depot  on  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  was  moved  from  King  Hill  to  Nampa,  In  the  fall  of  1890  the  first  irrigation 
canal — the  Phyllis  canal — was  built,  this  irrigating  about  forty-five  hundred  acres.  In 
1900  it  was  enlarged  to  irrigate  thirty-four  thousand,  five  hundred  acres.  The  Riden- 
baugh  canal  was  put  in  operation  in  1891.  With  the  advent  of  irrigation  real  estate  re- 
ceived a  great  impetus  and  B.  F.  Walling,  having  foreseen  the  future  of  the  town,  came 
in  for  a  large  share  of  the  profits.  In  1904,  after  the  government  had  begun  to  develop 
the  irrigation  possibilities  of  the  section,  Nampa  took  on  a  new  lease  of  life  and  be- 
gan to  expand  accordingly.  B.  F.  Walling  had  much  to  do  with  the  continued  and  help- 
ful development  of  the  town,  his  being  the  oldest  real  estate  firm  in  Nampa,  of  which 
town  he  also  is  the  pioneer. 

B.  F.  Walling  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Polk  county,  Oregon,  November  24,  1848,  while 
his  wife,  who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Georgia  M.  Conmley,  was  born  at  Albany,  Oregon, 
in  1854.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  Dora  M.,  the  deceased  wife  of  D.  A. 
Baxter,  who  was  for  many  years  superintendent  of  schools;  Frankie  G.,  living  at  La 
Grande,  Oregon;  Ben  F.,  Jr.,  in  business  in  Portland,  Oregon;  and  Jesse  J.,  of  this 
review. 

Jesse  J.  Walling  rounded  out  the  public  school  education  already  referred  to  by  two 
years'  attendance  at  Albany  College,  Oregon,  where  he  was  a  student  in  1892  3.  He 
subsequently  gave  his  close  attention  to  his  real  estate  interests,  ably  cooperating  with 
his  father.  The  continued  success  of  the  firm  is  largely  due  to  his  rare  foresight  and 
close  study  of  local  conditions.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  best  informed  real  estate 
men  in  his  district  and,  moreover,  enjoys  the  highest  reputation  for  reliability.  It  is 
therefore  but  natural  that  success  in  large  measure  has  come  to  him.  In  1904  Mr. 
Walling  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Boise-Payette  Water 
Users  Association,  H.  A.  Partridge  being  the  other  member  from  this  district,  but 
after  the  water  was  turned  into  the  canals  they  retired  from  the  board.  Outside  of  his 
real  estate  business  in  Nampa,  Mr.  Walling  is  also  successfully  engaged  in  farming  near 
this  city. 

On  March  10,  1896,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ella  Madden,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
F.  Madden,  who  was  numbered  among  the  honored  pioneers  of  this  state.  Mr.  Madden 
died  in  January,  1919,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wall- 
ing have  many  friends  in  Nampa  and  are  very  popular  in  the  social  set  of  this  city 
and  vicinity.  They  are  ever  ready  to  cooperate  in  measures  and  movements  undertaken 
on  behalf  of  the  development  of  their  city  and  district  and  are  public  spirited  Amer- 
ican citizens. 


HON.  FRANK  T.  WYMAN. 

Hon.  Frank  T.  Wyman,  an  attorney  of  the  Boise  bar  who  has  also  aided  in  fram- 
ing the  laws  of  the  state  as  a  member  of  the  Idaho  legislature,  was  born  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  October  1,  1868,  a  son  of  George  H.  and  Lucy  (Mahan)  Wyman.  The  father,  who 
was  also  a  lawyer  by  profession,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1822.  He  prac- 
ticed law  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  for  many  years  and  passed  away  in  Boise,  Idaho,  in  1892. 
vol.  n— e 


82  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

The  Wyman  family  comes  of  New  England  ancestry,  the  line  being  traced  back  to 
Francis  Wyman,  who  sailed  from  England  about  1640  and  established  his  home  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. With  the  trouble  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  members 
of  the  family  espoused  the  American  cause  and  fought  for  national  independence.  The 
Mahan  family  is  of  Scotch  descent.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Wyman,  who  died  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1880,  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Asa  Mahan,  the  first  president  of  Ober- 
lin  College. 

The  early  life  of  Frank  T.  Wyman  was  passed  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  the  states 
of  California,  Michigan  and  in  Colorado.  His  father's  health  was  greatly  impaired  and 
this  caused  their  frequent  removals  in  the  hope  that  a  change  of  climate  would 
prove  beneficial  to  him.  On  this  account  he  came  to  Boise  in  1889  and  Frank  T.  Wyman 
accompanied  him.  The  latter  had  already  studied  law  under  the  direction  of  his  father, 
who  had  also  tutored  him  in  other  studies,  being  a  college  bred  man  and  of  broad  and 
liberal  education  along  many  lines.  The  son  thus  had  the  advantage  of  being  greatly 
assisted  by  his  father  and  after  thorough  preliminary  reading  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Boise  on  the  17th  of  January,  1890.  He  at  once  entered  upon  active  practice, 
in  which  he  has  since  continued.  Advancement  at  the  bar  is  proverbially  slow  and 
yet  Mr.  Wyman  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  proving  his  ability  to  handle  in- 
tricate and  involved  legal  problems.  The  recognition  of  his  ability  on  the  part  of 
his  fellowmen  came  to  him  in  1895  in  his  election  to  the  Idaho  state  legislature,  in 
which  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee.  He  again  served  another 
term  in  1907  and  again  received  recognition  of  his  high  standing  in  legal  circles  by 
appointment  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  judiciary  committee.  He  has  at  all  times  taken 
a  great  interest  in  legislative  matters  and  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  mining  and 
irrigation  laws  of  Idaho  enacted  during  the  periods  when  he  has  been  a  member.  On 
both  occasions  he  was  elected  to  office  on  the  republican  ticket  and  he  is  a  recognized 
active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  that  party,  and  for  many  years  was  treasurer  of  the  state 
central  committee.  In  1898  he  was  the  republican  candidate  for  the  office  of  attorney 
general  of  Idaho  but  was  defeated  by  the  free  silver  element. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1902,  Mr.  Wyman  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  Thayer  Corbus 
and  they  have  two  children,  Frank  Theodore  and  Lucy  Corbus,  aged  respectively  fifteen 
and  thirteen  years. 

Mr.  Wyman's  high  position  as  a  representative  of  the  Idaho  bar  is  indicated  by 
his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the  state  Bar  Association.  He  belongs  to  the  Com- 
mercial club  and  he  is  one  of  only  seven  thirty-third  degree  Masons  in  Idaho.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  fond  of  hunting  and  fishing,  to  which  he  turns 
for  recreation  when  leisure  permits.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  member- 
ship in  the  congregation  of  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church  and  his  aid  and  influence 
are  always  given  on  the  side  of  those  projects  which  have  to  do  with  the  welfare  and  up- 
building of  community  and  commonwealth  and  the  adoption  of  higher  ideals. 


JOSEPH  TAYLOR  YOUNG. 

Joseph  Taylor  Young,  of  Pocatello,  may  well  be  termed  a  man  of  business  genius. 
His  qualities  are  those  of  leadership  combined  with  executive  ability  and  he  possesses 
marked  initiative.  His  interests  throughout  Idaho  are  extensive  and  varied  and  have 
ever  been  of  a  nature  which  have  contributed  directly  to  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of 
the  state.  The  recognized  soundness  of  his  judgment  has  enabled  him  to  readily  secure 
the  cooperation  of  others  and  his  efforts  have  been  a  most  potent  force  in  advancing 
Idaho's  development. 

Mr.  Young  was  born  upon  a  ranch  in  Utah,  about  six  miles  from  Logan,  December 
1,  1880,  being  the  first-born  of  his  family  in  America.  His  father,  J.  R.  Young,  is  a 
native  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  was  educated  in  the  famous  University  of  Edin- 
burgh. He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1878  and  is  now  a  merchant  of  Rexburg,  Idaho, 
classed  with  the  representative  business  men  of  that  city.  He  has  reached  the  age 
of  sixty  years  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Annie  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Young,  is  also  living  at 
Rexburg,  where  they  have  made  their  home  since  1883,  building  the  seventh  house  in 
the  town.  Two  of  their  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  great  World  war,  these  being  First 
Lieutenant  J.  R.  Young,  who  became  orthopedic  surgeon  at  Camp  McArthur  at  Waco, 
Texas,  and  W.  L.  Young,  who  served  as  a  corporal  in  France. 

Joseph  Taylor  Young,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  but  three  years  old 


JOSEPH  T.  YOUNG 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  85 

when  his  parents  removed  to  Rexburg  and  there  he  was  reared  and  acquired  his  primary 
education  in  the  public  schools.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  student  in 
Ricks  Academy  of  Rexburg,  studying  there  for  one  year.  During  summer  vacations  he 
obtained  his  initial  knowledge  of  merchandising,  for  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  general 
store  of  Henry  Flamm  &  Company,  a  firm  that  is  now  numbered  among  Mr.  Young's 
best  customers.  He  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
St.  Anthony  Lumber  Company,  which  was  engaged  in  cutting  ties  and  bridge  timbers  for 
the  railroad  from  Idaho  Falls  to  St.  Anthony.  Mr.  Young  had  charge  of  the  commissary 
and  received  the  logs  from  the  choppers  on  the  banks  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Snake 
and  Warm  rivers.  The  logs  were  then  floated  down  the  river  to  St.  Anthony.  As  a 
trusted  employe  Mr.  Young  was  associated  in  that  enterprise  with  James  E.  Fogg, 
John  L.  Jacobs,  Jesse  Floyd  and  C.  H.  Thompson  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  next  took 
a  position  with  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  Company  as  building  material  clerk 
and  assisted  in  building  their  depots  at  St.  Anthony,  Sugar,  Rexburg  and  Rigby  and 
also  assisted  in  fencing  the  entire  right  of  way  from  Idaho  Falls  to  St.  Anthony.  He 
was  then  given  a  position  by  L.  Malloy,  the  superintendent  of  the  Montana  Division, 
as  freight  clerk  at  Dillon,  Montana,  and  after  nine  months  he  was  promoted  to  freight 
agent,  there  remaining  for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  organized  the  first  com- 
pany of  state  militia  of  Dillon,  Montana,  already  displaying  the  organizing  force  and 
initiative  which  have  been  dominant  qualities  in  his  success  in  life.  He  was  elected 
captain  by  the  militia  company  and  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Toole. 

Leaving  Montana  in  1904,  Mr.  Young  went  to  Ogden,  Utah,  where  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  H.  L.  Griffin  wholesale  fruit  and  produce  house  and  became  secretary 
and  general  manager  of  the  firm.  He  at  once  took  his  place  among  the  representative 
business  men  of  that  district  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  Weber  Club  of  Ogden,  in 
connection  with  which  he  organized  and  had  charge  of  the  first  business  men's  ex- 
cursion to  Ely,  Nevada,  upon  the  completion  of  the  railroad  to  the  great  copper  camp. 
They  took  with  them  a  baggage  carload  of  fruits  and  vegetables  and  distributed  them 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  camp,  most  of  whom  were  Indians  and  who  still  remember 
that  excursion,  which  brought  to  them  the  first  fruits  and  vegetables  that  they  had  had. 
In  1905  Mr.  Young  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Utah  Association  of  Credit  Men  and 
has  been  reelected  to  the  same  position  every  year  since  that  time.  In  December, 
1908.  he  disposed  of  all  of  his  interests  in  Utah  and  in  January,  1909,  came  to  Pocatello, 
Idaho. 

With  the  history  of  this  state  and  its  development  Mr.  Young  has  since  been 
closely  and  prominently  associated.  In  connection  with  J.  I.  Hill  and  W.  P.  McDonald 
of  Coffeyville,  Kansas,  he  organized  the  Idaho  Wholesale  Grocery  Company,  of  which 
he  is  the  secretary  and  general  manager.  This  was  the  first  Idaho  corporation  to  en- 
gage in  the  wholesale  distribution  of  food  products  in  southern  Idaho.  Their  principal 
place  of  business  is  Pocatello,  but  they  have  branch  houses  also  at  Idaho  Falls,  Twin 
Falls  and  Burley.  This  company  financed  the  retail  merchants  so  that  they  could  carry 
the  farmers  until  their  crops  were  harvested  in  the  Minidoka  and  Twin  Falls  irriga- 
tion project  districts.  Such  a  plan  constituted  a  great  commercial  risk,  but  had  the 
farmers  not  been  financed  in  this  or  some  other  way,  they  could  not  have  held  out  and 
the  project  would  have  been  a  failure. 

In  1910  Mr.  Young  was  elected  president  of  the  Pocatello  Commercial  Club,  and 
following  his  association  with  this  club,  Pocatello  began  to  take  on  new  life.  Mr. 
Young  financed  and  organized  the  Smith  Candy  Company,  the  first  company  to  engage 
in  the  manufacture  of  confectionery  for  the  wholesale  trade  in  southern  Idaho,  and 
of  the  company  he  remains  the  president.  The  business  has  been  built  up  to  extensive 
proportions,  employment  being  furnished  to  ninety  people.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Idaho  Loan  &  Investment  Company,  which  builds  homes  for  the  people  of  Pocatello, 
planning  helpful  methods  of  payment.  He  has  furthermore  supported  and  promoted 
various  business  interests  in  Pocatello  and  throughout  southern  Idaho.  His  invest- 
ments are  extensive  and  all  have  been  directly  or  indirectly  beneficial  to  the  city  and 
state.  He  is  the  secretary  of  the  Idaho  Portland  Cement  Company,  which  is  to  be  a 
two  and  a  half  million  dollar  corporation,  and  the  plant  will  be  located  eight  miles 
south  of  Pocatello. 

In  1911  Mr.  Young  was  married  to  Miss  Lou  Edith  Mitchell,  of  Ogden,  Utah,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Ralph  J.,  who  is  with  them  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  of 
this  city.  Mr.  Young  recognizes  the  fact  that  the  well  balanced  man  knows  not  only 
how  to  work  well  but  also  how  to  play  well  and  enjoys  social  activities  as  promoted  by 
the  various  organizations  to  which  he  belongs.  He  is  an  exemplary  Mason  and  is  a 


86  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

past  eminent  commander  of  Gate  City  Commandery,  No.  4.  He  is  also  a  past  pres- 
ident of  the  Shriners  Club  and  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Rotary  Club,  serving  as  its  president  for  the  third  term, 
and  was  elected  in  June,  1919,  district  governor  of  all  the  Rotary  Clubs  for  the  states 
of  Montana,  Idaho,  Utah  and  Wyoming.  Only  twenty-eight  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Pocatello,  he  was  endowed  with  the  genius  for  big  business  and  would  have  been  a 
leader  in  any  community.  He  deserves  classification  with  the  captains  of  industry  and 
has  already  left  an  indelible  impress  upon  the  commercial  annals  of  Pocatello  and 
the  state.  He  has  lately  organized  the  Idaho  Fire  Insurance  Company,  which  is  in- 
corporated under  the  laws  of  Idaho  with  a  capital  stock  of  half  a  million,  and  Mr. 
Young  was  elected  its  first  president.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  he  has  been  one  of  the  dominant  characters  in  naming  the  mayors  of  the 
city  since  1910.  His  interest  in  politics  is  that  of  a  progressive  citizen  and  broad- 
minded  man  who  recognizes  the  possibilities  for  achievement  and  who  believes  in 
a  businesslike  administration  of  public  affairs. 


WILLIAM  MILTON  DAVIS. 

The  name  of  William  Milton  Davis  figures  prominently  in  connection  with  com- 
mercial enterprise  in  Burley,  for  he  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Davis  Department  Store 
and  in  all  that  he  undertakes  displays  a  most  progressive  spirit  which  enables  him 
to  carry  forward  to  successful  completion  his  well  defined  plans  and  purposes.  He  is 
a  native  of  Texas,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  city  of  Dallas,  December  10,  1880, 
his  parents  being  A.  R.  and  Hepsey  M.  (Hawkins)  Davis.  When  their  son  Milton 
was  but  a  small  boy  the  parents  removed  to  northern  Arkansas,  settling  near  the  Mis- 
souri boundary  line.  There  he  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  the  father  carry- 
ing on  both  agricultural  pursuits  and  mercantile  interests,  being  proprietor  of  a  store, 
of  which  William  M.  Davis  subsequently  took  charge.  He  remained  in  control  of  the 
business  until  1904  and  then  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Henderson,  Arkansas,  for 
about  five  years,  from  1904  until  1908  inclusive.  He  then  removed  to  Gamaliel,  Ar- 
kansas, where  he  continued  in  business  until  1912,  which  year  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  Idaho. 

Mr.  Davis  made  his  way  at  once  to  Burley  and  established  what  has  since  been 
known  as  the  Davis  Mercantile  Company.  In  1917  he  removed  his  business  to  a  new 
location  which  had  been  especially  prepared  for  him  and  is  now  known  as  the  Davis  De- 
partment Store.  He  has  eight  thousand,  two  hundred  and  fifty  square  feet  of  floor  space 
and  has  one  of  the  finest  general  stores  in  southern  Idaho.  He  began  business  in  Burley 
with  a  stock  valued  at  seven  thousand  dollars  and  gradually  his  trade  has  increased 
until  he  now  carries  a  stock  worth  sixty-five  thousand  dollars,  while  his  sales  hare 
increased  from  thirty  thousand  to  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  annually.  He  car- 
ries an  extensive  line  of  apparel  for  men,  women  and  children  and  also  groceries,  and 
his  store  is  neat  and  tasteful  in  arrangement,  while  the  business  methods  which  he  has 
instituted  commend  him  to  the  confidence  and  continued  support  of  the  public.  Some- 
thing of  the  volume  of  his  business  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  twenty-five 
people  on  the  pay  roll.  He  always  demands  that  they  extend  the  most  courteous  treat- 
ment to  the  patrons  of  the  house,  for  he  has  ever  recognized  the  fact  that  satisfied  pa- 
trons are  the  best  advertisement.  Associated  with  Mr.  Davis  in  business  is  his  brother, 
N.  Carlyle  Davis,  who  is  store  manager  and  floor  director,  his  efforts  contributing  large- 
ly to  the  upbuilding  of  the  business.  Being  a  man  of  pleasing  personality,  he  has  the 
happy  faculty  of  making  and  keeping  friends  and  has  therefore  secured  a  large  pat- 
ronage for  the  store. 

William  M.  Davis  married  Miss  Ethel  Chase,  a  daughter  of  William  D.  and  Adaline 
(Spruell)  Chase  and  a  native  of  Arkansas.  Her  father  was  an  influential  millman  and 
lumber  producer.  Mrs.  Davis  has  three  brothers,  W.  A.,  W.  L.,  and  R.  H.  Chase,  who  are 
all  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Oklahoma  and  are  important  factors  in  that  state's 
politics.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  Darius,  Ellsworth,  Austin,  Vera 
and  Tine. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Davis  is  a  democrat,  having  stanchly  supported  the 
party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  His  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Christian  church  and  he  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in  its  growth,  develop- 
ment and  support.  He  is  now  serving  as  one  of  the  elders  and  also  as  the  treasurer 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  87 

of  the  church  and  does  everything  in  his  power  to  advance  its  upbuilding  and  extend 
its  influence.  His  life  has  ever  been  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles  and  the 
sterling  worth  of  his  character  is  attested  by  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact. 


DAVID  E.  RATHBUN. 

David  E.  Rathbun,  attorney  at  law  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
June,  1899,  and  since  1911  has  practiced  in  this  state.  He  was  born  in  Grant  City, 
Worth  county,  Missouri,  in  July,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  George  M.  and  Jane  (Garringer) 
Rathbun,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  contractor  and  builder  who 
in  early  life  removed  westward  to  Missouri  and  in  1872  became  a  resident  of  Sedan, 
Chautauqua  county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Nineteenth  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  with  which  he  served  for  four  years  and  three  months.  He  was  poisoned 
by  a  rebel  woman,  who  put  arsenic  in  the  water,  and  thus  hundreds  of  the  soldiers 
were  killed.  Mr.  Rathbun  was  unconscious  for  days  on  the  field,  but  eventually  his 
strong  constitution  triumphed  and  he  is  still  living  at  Sedan,  Kansas,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife  passed  away  in  April,  1907. 

David  E.  Rathbun  was  but  a  young  child  when  his  parents  removed  to  the  Sun- 
flower state  and  there  he  was  reared  and  educated.  He  afterward  took  up  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  nine  years,  and  during  that  period  he  de- 
voted his  leisure  to  reading  law  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Nichols  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  June,  1899.  He  then  opened  an  office  at  Sedan,  where  he  continued 
in  practice  until  1911,  when,  seeking  the  opportunities  of  the  west,  he  came  to  Idaho 
Falls  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  this  state  in  the  following  February,  He  has 
since  practiced  in  the  Idaho  courts  and  has  also  been  called  back  to  Kansas  for  the 
trial  of  several  cases  and  has  been  heard  In  the  Utah  courts.  He  is  a  man  of  recog- 
nized ability  in  his  profession,  and  while  in  Kansas  he  served  as  county  attorney. 
He  is  also  well  known  in  financial  circles,  being  a  stockholder  in  the  Idaho  Falls  Na- 
tional Bank  and  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ririe,  Idaho,  and  a  stockholder  in  the 
Darlington  Land  &  Irrigation  Company.  He  likewise  has  farming  interests. 

In  May,  1894,  Mr.  Rathbun  was  married  to  Miss  Lillie  Foster,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Anna  May,  whose  birth  occurred  in  September,  1905.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Rathbun  has  always  been  a  democrat,  giving  stanch  support  to  the  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Amer- 
ican Yeomen  and  he  has  membership  in  the  Baptist  church. 


HON.  CHARLES  F.  REDDOCH. 

Hon.  Charles  F.  Reddoch,  judge  of  the  third  judicial  district  of  Idaho  and  for  ten 
years  a  representative  of  the  Boise  bar,  was  born  in  southern  Mississippi,  October  3, 
1879,  at  a  place  called  Reddoch,  so  named  in  honor  of  the  family.  He  is  the  eldest 
of  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  whose  parents  were  James  H.  and 
Susan  A.  (Huff)  Reddoch,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  section  of  Mississippi, 
which  district  is  in  Jones  county.  The  father  is  still  living  in  Mississippi  but  the 
mother  passed  away  in  1902.  The  ancestry  in  the  paternal  line  is  Scotch-Irish  and  in 
the  maternal  line  Irish  and  Norwegian.  At  an  early  day  representatives  of  both 
the  Reddoch  and  Huff  families  lived  in  South  Carolina,  whence  a  removal  was  made 
to  Mississippi  at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  that  state.  Members  of  both 
families  largely  devoted  their  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

Charles  F.  Reddoch  was  reared  upon  a  Mississippi  cotton  plantation  and  in  his 
youthful  days  acquired  a  public  and  high  school  education.  He  afterward  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  Millsaps  College  at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  where  he  completed  two  years' 
work  in  one.  Finishing  his  course  there,  he  was  accorded  his  diploma  in  1904  and 
during  the  succeeding  five  years  he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  law  practice  in 
Williamsburg  and  Hattiesburg,  Mississippi.  In  1909  he  arrived  in  Boise  and  has  since 
been  an  active  member  of  the  bar  of  this  city.  He  quickly  grasps  the  salient  points 
of  a  case,  to  which  he  gives  due  prominence,  and  his  application  of  legal  principles  is 


88  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

seldom  if  ever  at  fault.  By  appointment  of  the  city  council  he  served  as  city  attorney 
of  Boise  from  May  27,  1912,  until  December  31,  1915,  and  his  record  in  that  office  was 
a  most  creditable  one. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1913,  Mr.  Reddoch  was  married  to  Miss  Flora  Herney,  of  Hast- 
ings, Michigan,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Margaret  Edith,  whose  birth 
occurred  November  2,  1917. 

Judge  Reddoch  is  a  republican  in  politics  and  as  the  candidate  of  the  party  was 
elected  to  his  present  position  in  November,  1918.  He  has  membership  in  the  Catho- 
lic church  and  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  is  also  identified  with  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  He  turns  to  fishing  and 
hunting  for  recreation  when  leisure  permits,  and  he  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the 
trend  of  professional  progress  through  his  membership  in  the  Ada  County,  the  Idaho 
State  and  the  American  Bar  Associations. 


JOHN  J.  GRAY. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1920,  John  J.  Gray  passed  on  to  "that  undiscovered  country 
from  whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns."  He  was  then  but  fifty-one  years  of  age  and  it 
seemed  that  he  should  have  been  spared  as  a  factor  in  the  activities  of  Idaho  for  many 
years  to  come;  yet  within  the  years  of  his  residence  in  this  state  his  life  was  one  of 
signal  service  through  the  vigor  which  he  lent  to  the  pioneer  era  in  making  this  region 
habitable,  in  bringing  its  resources  to  light  and  in  stamping  his  intensely  practical  ideas 
upon  one  of  its  chief  industries — that  of  sheep  raising.  Such  careers  are  too  near  us 
now  for  their  significance  to  be  appraised  at  its  true  value,  but  the  future  will  be  able 
to  trace  the  tremendous  effect  of  their  labors  upon  the  development  of  the  institutions  of 
their  time.  The  possibilities  of  the  attainment  of  notable  success  afforded  in  the  United 
States  to  industry  and  enterprise  were  never  better  illustrated  than  in  the  career  of 
Mr.  Gray.  Coming  to  Idaho  in  young  manhood,  he  worked  for  his  living  from  an  early 
age,  dependent  on  his  own  hands  for  whatever  the  world  was  to  bring  him  of  enjoyment 
or  honors.  He  died  possessed  of  wealth  and  received  and  merited  the  high  regard  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  In  his  later  years  he  removed  from  Bellevue  to 
Boise,  where  he  owned  and  occupied  one  of  the  finest  residences  of  the  capital  city. 
He  came  to  Idaho  in  1887  from  Utah  county,  Utah,  and  began  herding  sheep  in  Cassia 
county,  thus  taking  the  initial  step  which  brought  him  to  the  position  that  he  occupied 
as  one  of  the  foremost  sheepmen  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Gray  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Utah  county,  Utah,  March  23,  1869,  and  was  a 
son  of  Joseph  R.  and  Elizabeth  (Marshall)  Gray,  who  were  of  the  Mormon  faith  and  who 
died  when  he  was  a  little  child,  his  father's  death  occurring  when  the  son  was  but  six 
years  of  age,  while  the  mother  passed  away  a  few  months  later.  Thus  left  an  orphan, 
he  was  reared  in  the  home  of  an  elder  half-brother,  James  Gray,  who  was  also  a  resident 
of  Utah  county.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  began  work  on  a  ranch  in  his  native  state, 
working  for  his  board  on  a  place  owned  by  Dick  Norman,  two  miles  from  Lehi,  Utah. 
He  afterward  assisted  in  building  the  bath  house  and  in  constructing  the  fish  ponds  and 
making  other  improvements  at  Hot  Springs,  Utah,  four  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City,  being 
thus  employed  when  but  twelve  years  of  age.  In  the  school  of  experience,  however,  he 
learned  many  valuable  lessons  and  he  became  a  man  of  broad,  practical  business  educa- 
tion, who  in  the  conduct  of  his  affairs  displayed  notably  sound  judgment  and  keen  fore- 
sight. During  a  portion  of  his  youth  he  worked  in  a  logging  camp  and  he  also  did  some 
railroad  work  as  a  section  crew  helper.  He  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Idaho  and  began  work  as  a  sheep  herder,  being  thus  employed  between  the  ages 
of  seventeen  and  twenty-one  years,  receiving  thirty-five  dollars  per  month  for  two  years' 
labor  and  forty  dollars  per  month  during  the  last  year  in  which  he  herded  sheep.  On 
attaining  his  majority  he  purchased  a  fourth  interest  in  twenty-four  hundred  sheep, 
thus  starting  in  business  independently  in  1891.  In  1893  the  widespread  financial  panic 
which  swept  over  the  country  brought  disaster  to  the  sheep  raisers  of  Idaho  and  he  soon 
found  himself  without  funds.  In  fact  his  condition  was  worse  than  that,  for  he  was 
left  not  only  without  means  but  with  an  indebtedness.  He  was  undiscouraged,  however, 
and  never  lost  faith  in  the  sheep  industry,  but  with  resolute  purpose  sought  to  regain 
a  business  footing  and  eventually  became  one  of  Idaho's  wealthy  men,  having  "made  his 
stake"  in  the  sheep  and  cattle  industry  and  through  the  buying  and  selling  of  Idaho  lands 
in  Elaine  and  Minidoka  counties.  At  one  period  he  owned  a  controlling  interest  in  as 


JOHN  J.  GRAY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  91 

many  as  ninety  thousand  head  of  sheep.  In  September,  1917,  however,  he  closed  out  the 
greater  part  of  his  sheep  and  cattle  interests  for  a  sum  close  to  the  three-quarters  of  a 
million  mark.  He  still  remained  a  member  of  the  National  Wool  Growers  Association 
and  retained  important  live  stock  interests  which  returned  to  him  a  gratifying  annual 
income.  At  the  organization  of  the  Overland  National  Bank  in  1917  he  became  one  of 
the  stockholders  and  a  director  of  that  institution. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1894,  at  Oakley,  Cassia  county,  Idrfho,  Mr.  Gray  was  married 
to  Miss  Goldie  E.  Cummins,  who  was  born  at  Grantsville,  Utah,  January  21,  1877.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  Clarice,  the  eldest  daughter, 
who  obtained  her  education  at  St.  Teresa's  Academy,  Boise,  is  married  to  Walter  J. 
Gooding,  of  Gooding,  Idaho,  who  was  interested  with  Mr.  Gray  in  the  sheep  business. 
The  second  member  of  the  family,  John  Golden,  received  his  education  at  Santa  Clara 
University,  Santa  Clara,  California.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Gallimore,  of  San  Jose, 
California,  and  was  also  associated  with  his  father  in  the  sheep  business.  Hazel  Rose, 
a  young  lady  of  eighteen,  is  attending  St.* Teresa's  Academy  of  Boise  and  is  residing 
at  home.  Jack  Clifton,  nine  years  of  age,  is  the  youngest  of  the  surviving  children. 
Two  daughters,  Zilfa  and  Erma,  have  passed  away,  the  former  at  the  age  of  four  months 
and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  seven  months,  her  death  occurring  in  Los 
Angeles  in  the  winter  of  1919,  which  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  family. 

The  interests  of  Mr.  Gray  centered  in  his  family  and  he  counted  no  personal  effort 
on  his  part  too  great  if  it  would  enhance  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  members  of 
his  own  household.  Removing  to  Boise,  he  purchased  what  was  known  as  the  W.  E. 
Pierce  home  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-first  and  Irene  streets,  for  which  he  paid  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  This  is  one  of  the  palatial  residences  of  the  city.  It  was  erected 
by  Mr.  Pierce,  a  prominent  real  estate  dealer  and  business  man  of  Boise,  who  spared 
no  expense  in  the  construction  of  the  building  or  in  ornamenting  and  beautifying 
the  grounds.  The  premises  cover  a  full  city  block.  In  the  midst  of  which  stands  a 
large  and  handsome  two-story  residence.  It  Is  thoroughly  modern  in  every  particu- 
lar and  contains  the  latest  equipment  and  conveniences  known  to  architecture  which 
are  in  keeping  with  the  home,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  fine  lawns  and  ornamental 
trees  and  shrubbery. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Gray  was  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  likewise 
held  membership  with  the  Elks  and  with  the  Eagles,  and  politically  he  was  a  repub- 
lican. He  never  sought  to  figure  prominently  in  any  public  light  but  concentrated  his 
attention  and  efforts  upon  his  business.  Unfaltering  diligence  was  supplemented  by 
sound  judgment  in  his  career  and  his  progressiveness  brought  him  prominently  to 
the  front  until  his  opinions  were  largely  accepted  as  authority  upon  matters  of  sheep 
raising  in  Idaho.  Starting  out  to  earn  his  own  living  when  a  lad  of  but  ten 
years,  he  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  overcoming  the  drawbacks  of  poverty  and 
lack  of  education,  until  his  self-acquired  knowledge  as  well  as  his  self-acquired  wealth 
placed  him  in  the  ranks  of  Idaho's  representative  and  honored  men.  For  a  third 
of  a  century  John  J.  Gray  had  been  a  resident  of  Idaho  when  on  the  21st  of  March, 
1920,  death  claimed  him.  He  had  lived  and  labored  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  west, 
had  measured  up  to  high  standards  in  his  business  career,  in  his  love  and  devotion 
to  his  family  and  in  his  loyalty  to  his  country,  thus  displaying  the  qualities  that 
mark  the  line  of  a  noble  life.  He  commanded  the  respect  and  enjoyed  the  friendship 
of  all,  and  he  leaves  to  the  present  generation  an  example  that  is  indeed  worthy 
of  emulation. 


RUSSELL  G.  WILSON. 

Russell  G.  Wilson  is  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Wilson  Brothers,  dealers  in  dry 
goods,  hardware  and  shoes  at  Kimberly,  Twin  Falls  county.  He  was  born  in  Michigan 
on  the  4th  of  August,  1882,  and  is  a  son  of  Edgar  and  Julia  (Munger)  Wilson,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Michigan,  in  which  state  their  marriage  was 
celebrated.  The  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  in  Michigan  until  1874, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Hamilton  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  homesteaded 
land  and  began  the  development  of  a  farm,  upon  which  he  resided  for  twenty-eight 
years,  converting  it  into  valuable  property.  In  the  spring  of  1911  he  came  to  Idaho 
and  settled  upon  a  farm  south  of  Kimberly,  securing  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  which  he  further  developed  and  improved  until  1917,  when  he  retired  from 


92  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

active  business  life  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Kimberly,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  His  political  endorsement  has  always 
been  given  to  the  democratic  party. 

Russell  G.  Wilson  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  to  the 
age  of  twenty-six  years,  and  he  attended  business  college  at  York,  that  state.  He  was 
afterward  employed  in  the  general  passenger  office  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  at 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  for  five  years  and  in  1909  he  arrived  in  Kimberly,  where  he  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  A.  G.  Ellis  in  the  conduct  of  a  general  mercantile  business. 
They  started  in  a  small  way  but  the  business  steadily  increased  and  after  two  years 
Mr.  Wilson  purchased  his  partner's  interests  and  conducted  the  store  alone  until  the 
spring  of  1913,  when  he  sold  the  business  to  his  brother  Frank,  formerly  of  Illinois, 
who  conducted  the  store  for  sixteen  months.  In  the  fall  of  1915,  however,  Russell  G. 
Wilson  again  became  proprietor  and  in  the  fall  of  1918  he  and  his  two  brothers, 
Frank  and  Arthur  J.,  bought  out  the  interest  of  N.  W.  Swearingen,  who  was  asso- 
ciated with  Arthur  J.  Wilson,  and  established  the  business  now  conducted  under  the 
firm  style  of  Wilson  Brothers.  They  erected  a  new  building  in  1916  with  a  floor  space 
of  twenty-five  thousand  square  feet.  They  handle  an  extensive  line  of  general  mer- 
chandise, and  their  progressive  business  methods  and  thorough  reliability  have  won 
for  them  a  very  liberal  patronage.  In  connection  with  the  conduct  of  the  store  they 
engage  in  buying  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep,  which  constitutes  an  important  source  of 
revenue  to  them. 

In  1907  Russell  G.  Wilson  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  L.  Wrieth,  a  daughter  of  Hans 
and  Lena  Wrieth  and  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  two  children,  Lilah  and  Jean- 
nette.  Mr.  Wilson  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  democrat  and  was  the  first  mayor 
of  the  town.  He  has  also  been  connected  with  the  school  board  and  has  been  an  in- 
fluential factor  in  shaping  the  policy  and  directing  the  public  interests  of  Kimberly. 
Alert  and  energetic,  he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  under- 
takes and  in  his  vocabulary  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail.  With  the  passing  years 
he  has  developed  a  business  of  large  proportions,  and  his  energy  and  enterprise  have 
constituted  the  broad  foundation  upon  which  he  has  built  his  success. 


HON.  JOSEPH  THOMAS  PENCE. 

Hon.  Joseph  Thomas  Pence,  forceful  and  resourceful  and  always  careful  to  con- 
from  his  practice  to  the  highest  standard  of  professional  ethics,  has  made  for  himself 
an  enviable  place  as  a  practitioner  at  the  Boise  bar,  and  appreciation  of  his  loyalty  and 
capability  on  the  part  of  his  fellow  citizens  led  to  his  selection  for  mayor  in  1909. 
His  name  thus  figures  in  connection  with  the  records  of  the  capital.  He  was  born  on 
a  farm  near  Ottumwa,  Wapello  county,  Iowa,  November  9,  1869,  and  is  a  representative 
of  an  old  American  family  established  in  Pennsylvania  during  an  early  period  in  the 
colonization  of  the  new  world.  His  earliest  American  ancestor,  Peter  Pence,  was  with 
the  forces  under  Washington  and  was  with  that  section  of  the  army  which  followed 
General  Braddock  on  his  retreat  from  Fort  Duquesne.  He  was  afterward  in  active 
service  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  of  Virginia.  William  Pence,  the  father  of  our  im- 
mediate subject,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  but  a  boy  at  the  time  the  family 
removed  from  the  Keystone  state  to  Iowa  in  1839,  traveling  across  the  country  with 
team  and  wagon.  They  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Iowa  and  aided 
materially  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state.  William  Pence,  who  was 
reared  amid  the  conditions  and  hardships  of  frontier  life,  became  one  of  the  substan- 
tial farmers  and  stock  growers  of  Iowa  and  after  residing  there  for  many  years  took 
up  his  abode  at  Big  Piney,  Lincoln  county,  Wyoming.  Born  on  the  4th  of  May,  1835, 
he  neared  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey  and  died  February  13,  1915.  In 
early  manhood  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  Thomas,  who  was  born  in  Wales  and  was  brought 
to  America  in  her  girlhood  by  her  parents,  who  also  became  pioneer  residents  of  Iowa. 
Mrs.  Pence  passed  away  in  Wyoming  in  1905  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  There  were 
but  two  children  in  the  family,  the  elder  being  Margaret,  who  became  the  wife  of  E.  R. 
Noble,  of  Lincoln  county,  Wyoming. 

Joseph  T.  Pence,  of  this  review,  mastered  the  elementary  branches  of  learning 
taught  in  district  schools  of  Iowa  and  afterward  attended  Parsons  College  at  Fairfleld, 
Iowa,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1892,  winning  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.  He 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  93 

then  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching  and  for  four  years  held  the  chair  of  classical  lan- 
guages in  Graceland  College  at  Lamoni,  Iowa.  He  regarded  this,  however,  as  an  initial 
step  to  other  professional  labor  and  in  1898  entered  the  law  department  of  Georgetown 
University  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  he  studied  for  about  a  year  and  then  became 
a  law  student  in  Drake  University  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  won  the  Bachelor 
of  Laws  degree  upon  graduation  with  the  class  of  1900. 

It  was  in  the  same  year  that  Mr.  Pence  came  to  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
Boise  on  the  23d  of  April  of  that  year.  Throughout  the  intervening  period  he  has 
remained  in  active  practice  in  the  capital,  and  unfaltering  industry,  close  study  and 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  law  have  won  him  a  well  earned  reputation  as  a  leading 
member  of  the  Boise  bar.  He  holds  to  the  highest  professional  standards  and  believes 
it  the  duty  of  every  lawyer  to  assist  the  court  in  arriving  at  a  just  and  equitable 
decision. 

Mr.  Pence  was  married  January  17,  1906,  to  Miss  Lucia  Leonard,  a  daughter  of 
Emeric  and  Caroline  Leonard,  of  Boise,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  son,  Joseph  T., 
Jr.,  whose  birth  occurred  May  10,  1907.  The  parents  attend  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  Mrs.  Pence  is  an  active  member,  and  to  the  support  of  the  church  Mr. 
Pence  makes  liberal  contributions.  He  has  membership  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  in  the  first  named 
has  filled  all  of  the  offices  in  the  local  lodge.  He  is  ever  interested  in  community  affairs 
and  in  the  welfare  of  the  state  and  in  1902  received  appointment  from  Governor  Mor- 
rison to  the  office  of  trustee  of  the  Idaho  State  Normal  School  at  Albion.  He  ren- 
dered capable  service  in  that  connection,  as  was  indicated  in  his  reappointment  by 
Governor  Gooding  in  1904  and  1908,  so  that  his  term  of  office  continued  until  March, 
1913.  His  political  endorsement  has  always  been  given  to  the  democratic  party,  and 
in  1909  his  fellow  townsmen  sought  his  services  in  administering  the  affairs  of  the 
city,  electing  him  to  the  office  of  mayor  for  a  two  years'  term,  during  which  time  the 
Julia  Davis  park  was  improved  and  various  needed  reforms  and  public  measures 
brought  about.  He  has  been  very  earnest  in  support  of  all  war  activities  and  served 
as  vice  chairman  and  also  chairman  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense  and  member  of 
its  executive  committee,  in  which  connection  his  labors  have  been  far-reaching  and  re- 
sultant. 


PAUL  T.  PETERSON. 

Paul  T.  Peterson,  city  attorney  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  De  Kalb,  Illinois, 
January  30,  1892,  a  son  of  Gustaf  T.  and  Anna  (Peterson)  Peterson,  who  are  natives 
of  Sweden.  The  father  came  to  America  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  and  for  a  time 
was  a  resident  of  Iowa.  He  afterward  for  a  time  attended  a  theological  seminary  at 
Chicago  and  has  for  the  past  thirty  years  been  actively  connected  with  the  ministry. 
In  1909  he  came  to  Idaho  and  has  filled  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  New  Sweden, 
four  end  a  half  miles  from  Idaho  Falls,  throughout  the  intervening  period  of  ten  years. 
His  wife  is  also  living. 

Paul  T.  Peterson  was  reared  and  educated  largely  at  Pilot  Mound,  Iowa,  but  com- 
pleted a  high  school  course  at  Idaho  Falls.  A  year  later  he  entered  the  University  of 
Idaho,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of  law  and  was  graduated  in  1915.  He  then  returned 
home  and  was  associated  with  the  prosecuting  attorney,  James  S.  Byers,  for  nine 
months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  opened  an  office  and  continued  in  the  private 
practice  of  law  until  the  spring  of  1918,  when  he  enlisted  and  entered  the  officers  train- 
ing camp.  In  August  he  was  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant  and  was  stationed  at 
Camp  Lewis,  Washington,  until  discharged  in  December,  1918.  He  then  returned  home 
and  opened  an  office,  since  which  time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  practice  here. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1919,  Mr.  Peterson  was  appointed  city  attorney  and  is  now  ac- 
ceptably filling  that  office.  He  possesses  a  fine  law  library,  with  the  contents  of  which 
he  is  largely  familiar,  and  he  is  a  close  and  discriminating  student  of  his  profession, 
preparing  his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  care. 

Mr.  Peterson  is  now  president  of  the  Great  War  Veterans'  Association  of  Bonne- 
ville  county,  which  was  the  first  county  to  be  organized.  He  was  one  of  eight  state 
delegates  to  the  national  convention  at  St.  Louis  for  the  organization  of  all  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  took  part  in  the  great  war.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  his  religious 


94  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

adherence  to  the  Swedish  Mission  church.  He  is  chairman  of  the  citizens  non-partisan 
party  for  a  two  years'  term  and  takes  a  most  active  and  helpful  interest  in  everything 
that  pertains  to  public  progress  and  civic  betterment. 


RICHARD  FREDERICK  BICKNELL. 

Richard  Frederick  Bicknell,  well  known  in  business  circles  of  Boise  as  the  president 
of  the  Overland  National  Bank,  has  also  been  most  active  in  support  of  government  in- 
terests, serving  as  the  federal  food  administrator  for  the  state  of  Idaho  and  as  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense.  He  was  born  in  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  October  11,  1863,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Electa  (Parrott) 
Bicknell  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  New  England  families  founded  in 
Massachusetts  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  by  an  ancestor  who  came  from  England. 
The  family  history  has  been  published  by  Thomas  W.  Bicknell,  of  Providence,  Rhode 
Island.  Richard  Bicknell  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1806  and  became  a  farmer 
and  live  stock  breeder.  He  there  married  Electa  Parrott,  who  was  also  born  in  On- 
tario, a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Parrott,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Utica,  New  York,  and 
who  was  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  The  maternal  grandmother  of  Richard  F. 
Bicknell  was  a  member  of  the  Campbell  family  descended  from  the  well  known  Scotch 
clan  of  that  name.  Both  the  Bicknell  and  Parrott  families  were  represented  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Richard  Bicknell  continued  a  resident  of  Ontario,  Canada,  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  his 
widow  still  resides  there  at  the  advanced  age  of  eight-two. 

Richard  Frederick  'Bicknell,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  on  an 
Ontario  farm  and  acquired  a  public  and  high  school  education,  after  which  he  was  grad- 
uated from  a  business  college  at  Belleville,  Ontario.  He  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  took  him  into  partnership  in  his  farming  and  live  stock  interests, 
which  were  extensive,  including  a  thousand  acres  of  good  land,  in  which  the  son  was 
given  a  third  interest.  Their  business  relations  were  continued  until  the  father's 
death  in  1889.  R.  F.  Bicknell  of  this  review  then  located  on  a  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acre  farm  of  his  own  near  Bicknell's  Corners,  Ontario,  which  district  was 
named  for  his  family.  He  continued  to  cultivate  that  tract  of  land  for  several  years  but 
in  1830  rented  his  farm  and  became  the  owner  of  a  general  store  at  Camden  East,  near 
Bicknell's  Corners.  He  conducted  business  there  for  seven  years,  or  from  1890  until 
1897,  carrying  on  a  trade  in  general  merchandising  and  also  engaging  in  the  grain 
and  live  stock  business.  He  bought  everything  that  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  had  to 
sell  and  kept  everything  in  his  stock  which  would  supply  their  wants  from  a  needle  to 
a  threshing  machine.  In  1897  he  disposed  of  his  store  in  order  to  concentrate  his 
efforts  and  attention  upon  the  live  stock  business,  with  which  he  had  been  identified 
from  his  youth.  In  1899  he  crossed  the  border  into  the  United  States  and  after  giving 
his  attention  to  the  live  stock  business  in  Iowa  and  Illinois  for  two  years  he  removed 
to  Chicago  in  1901  and  there  continued  his  live  stock  interests  in  connection  with  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  until  1904.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided, carrying  on  business  throughout  the  entire  intervening  period  and  by  his 
activities  contributing  to  the  development  of  the  state.  In  1907  he  removed  his  family 
to  Boise.  He  owned  and  operated  ranch  interests  in  various  counties  of  Idaho, 
where  he  engaged  in  raising  sheep  and  cattle,  but  later  he  disposed  of  all  of  his 
ranch  interests  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  banking  business.  He  had  in  the 
meantime  become  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Overland  National  Bank  of  Boise  in 
1915  and  was  elected  its  vice  president,  continuing  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1918,  when  he  was  chosen  president  and  is  now  the  chief  executive  officer  of 
that  institution,  which  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  strong  moneyed  concerns  of  the 
state.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Boise  Live  Stock  Loan  Company,  which  was 
organized  March  1,  1917,  with  a  capital  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Idaho  State  Life  Insurance  Company  and  is  accounted  one  of  Boise's  men 
of  sound  judgment  and  keen  discrimination  in  business  affairs,  wisely  directing  his 
individual  interests  and  most  carefully  safeguarding  the  interests  entrusted  to  his 
care. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1882,  when  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Bicknell  was  married 
in  Ontario,  Canada,  to  Miss  Mary  Nettie  Stover  and  they  have  two  living  children: 


RICHARD  F.  BICKNELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  97 

Lillian  C.,  the  wife  of  Howard  H.   Harvey;     and   Myrtle  May,  the  wife  of  James  H. 
Black,  who  is  cashier  of  the  Overland  National  Bank. 

Mr.  Bicknell  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Boise  Country 
Club  and  the  Elks  Club.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  having  taken  all  of  the  degrees 
in  both  the  York  and  Scottish  Rites  except  the  honorary  thirty-third  degree.  He  is 
also  a  Shriner  and  he  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  been  made  an  honorary  life 
member  of  Prince  of  Wales  Lodge,  No  146,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Newburgh,  Ontario,  Canada. 
Since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  he  has  supported  the  republican  party 
but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office,  although  frequently  urged  to  let  his  name 
stand  in  connection  with  some  public  position.  In  the  year  1918  he  was  most  favorably 
spoken  of  as  a  candidate  for  governor  but  declined  to  consider  the  nomination.  He 
has  most  actively  supported  all  war  measures,  has  been  a  promoter  of  the  Liberty 
Loan  work  and  has  accomplished  effective  and  valuable  results  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense  and  as  food  administrator  for 
Idaho.  He  displays  ready  discrimination  concerning  the  values  of  life,  cooperating 
most  heartily  and  effectively  in  those  things  which  are  most  worth  while  for  the  in- 
dividual and  for  the  commonwealth  at  large. 


CLINTON  G.  PECK. 

Clinton  G.  Peck,  vice  president  of  The  State  Bank,  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  Onon- 
daga  county,  New  York,  in  January,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  DeWitt  Clinton  and  Salome 
(Kinne)  Peck,  also  natives  of  the  Empire  state,  the  former  born  in  Oswego  and  the 
latter  in  Onondaga  county.  The  father  followed  farming  in  New  York  throughout  his 
entire  life,  passing  away  in  October,  1902,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  while  'the 
mother  died  in  1895  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

Clinton  G.  Peck  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  York  and  in  early  life  took  up 
the  profession  of  teaching.  He  afterward  went  to  Wall  Lake,  Iowa,  he  and  two  of  his 
brothers  having  a  line  of  lumberyards  in  that  state,  conducted  under  the  firm  style  of 
the  W.  H.  Peck  Lumber  Company.  Clinton  G.  Peck  was  connected  with  the  firm  for 
sixteen  years  and  then  on  account  of  his  wife's  health  came  to  Idaho  in  1899,  settling 
at  Idaho  Falls.  In  April,  1900,  he  established  the  Farmers  State  Bank  and  in  1903  the 
institution  was  reincorporated  and  became  The  State  Bank.  Mr.  Peck  was  its  cashier 
for  a  long  period,  while  now  he  is  vice  president  of  the  institution,  having  thus  served 
for  some  time.  In  1905  the  bank,  which  is  capitalized  for  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  erected  a  modern  bank  building. 

In  May,  1878,  Mr.  Peck  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  Ferris,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  two  children:  Ethel  S.,  now  the  wife  of  B.  W.  Clark,  a  civil  engineer  resid- 
ing in  Custer  county,  Idaho;  and  Charles  C.,  who  is  residing  upon  a  homestead  in  Mon- 
tana. Since  coming  to  Idaho,  Mrs.  Peck  has  completely  recovered  her  health. 

In  politics  Mr.  Peck  is  a  republican  and  served  for  five  years  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council  and  for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


HON.  ROBERT  HAMILTON  DUNLAP. 

Robert  Hamilton  Dunlap,  judge  of  the  probate  court  of  Ada  county,  was  born  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  August  17,  1849,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  B.  and  Caroline 
(Easter)  Dunlap,  whose  family  numbered  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
Robert  H.  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  The  father  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  about  the  year  1816,  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Virginia.  He  de- 
voted his  life  to  the  Methodist  ministry  and  was  pastor  of  the  Caroline  Street  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  when  he  passed  away  in  1861. 

The  early  life  of  Robert  Hamilton  Dunlap  was  spent  in  various  places,  due  to 
the  itinerant  custom  of  the  Methodist  ministry  of  that  period.  He  was  only  twelve 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  he  was  thus  thrown  upon  his  own  resources. 
From  that  date  bo  the  present  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  when  a  youth 
of  fourteen  he  decided  to  follow  Horace  Greeley's  advice:  "Go  west,  young  man,  and 
grow  up  with  the  country."  Winning  his  mother's  consent,  he  made  his  way  to  Mis- 

Vol.  II— T 


98  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

souri  and  spent  many  years  in  that  state,  passing  the  greater  part  of  the  period  in 
St.  Charles  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  The  year  1899  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  Idaho  and  he  has  since  resided  in  Boise,  covering  a  period  of  two  decades.  For  a 
time  he  was  engaged  in  railroad  pursuits  and  later  became  a  bookkeeper.  Subsequently 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  business,  in  which  he  engaged  for  several  years, 
and  in  1911  he  was  appointed  police  judge  of  Boise  and  served  upon  the  bench  of  that 
court  until  1914,  when  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office — that  of  probate  judge  of 
Ada  county.  So  capably,  promptly  and  efficiently  did  he  discharge  his  duties  in  that 
position  that  he  was  reelected  in  1916  and  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term.  His 
political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  he  has  kept  well 
informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  tlay. 

On  the  8th  qf  November,- 1877,  Judge  Dunlap  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Ada 
Pearce,  a  native  of  Missouri,  who  passed  away  May  27,  1918,  after  a  happy  married 
life  of  forty-one  years.  She  left  a  son  and  four  daughters:  Bertha,  the  wife  of  John 
Baird,  of  Meridian,  Idaho;  Bessie;  S.  Ben,  who  is  probate  judge  of  Canyon  county; 
Ruth  H.,  the  wife  of  Adolph  Nelson,  of  Astoria,  Oregon;  and  Carrie  Ada,  a  young  lady 
who  is  in  the  service  of  the  Northwestern  Hospital  Association  of  Portland,  Oregon. 
Bessie  Dunlap  acts  as  her  father's  housekeeper. 

Judge  Dunlap  "is  a  very  prominent  and  active  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  do- 
ing everything  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  extend  its  influence.  He  is  also 
a  prominent  Odd  Fellow,  having  taken  all  branches  of  the  work.  'He  was  formerly 
state  adjutant  in  the  patriarchs  militant  and  has  a  fine  record  in  the  organization. 
His  record  is  indeed  a  creditable  one,  for  he  has  not  only  had  to  provide  for  his  own 
support  but  has  had  to  essentially  formulate  and  shape  his  own  character  from  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  left  his  mother's  home,  two  years  after  his  father's 
death,  to  seek  the  opportunities  of  the  west.  The  ideals  which  he  has  ever  held  before 
him  have  made  for  honorable  manhood  and  for  progressive  citizenship. 


STEPHEN  UTTER. 

Stephen  Utter,  clerk  of  the  district  court  and  ex-officio  auditor  and  recorder  of  Ada 
county,  has  continuously  been  in  office  since  1910 — a  record  that  needs  no  comment, 
for  reelection  has  attested  public  opinion  concerning  his  official  service.  Mr.  Utter 
is  a  native  of  New  York  city.  He  was  born  November  1,  1864,  of  the  marriage  of  John 
and  Maria  (Farrington)  Utter,  who  were  likewise  born  in  the  Empire  state  and  were 
representatives  of  two  of  its  old  and  honored  families.  The  father  died  during  the 
infancy  of  the  son,  and  Mrs.  Utter  afterward  became  a  resident  of  Boise,  living  with 
her  son  Stephen,  the  older  of  two  children.  The  younger  brother,  John  D.  Utter,  is 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  Ada  county. 

Through  the  period  of  his  boyhood  Stephen  Utter  was  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools 
of  Rhinebeck,  New  York,  in  which  town  he  remained  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  when  the  condition  of  his  health  made  it  imperative  that  he  seek  a  change 
of  climate  and  he  removed  to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  there  becoming  one  of  the  organizers 
of  a  company  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  crackers.  He  was  elected  the  first  secre- 
tary of  the  company  and  so  continued  until  the  plant  and  business  were  sold  to  the 
National  Biscuit  Company  in  1890. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  that  year  that  Mr.  Utter  removed  to  Boise  and  soon  after- 
ward he  made  investment  in  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  three  miles  from 
the  city,  after  which  he  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  the  further  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  that  place  until  1905.  It  was  at  that  date  that  he  was 
called  to  public  office  in  an  election  to  the  position  of  assessor,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  for  two  terms.  In  1910  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  auditor  and  has  since 
discharged  his  duties  in  that  connection,  having  been  reelected  in  1914  without  opposi- 
tion at  the  primary.  In  1914  he  had  received  a  majority  of  twelve  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  and  four  years  later,  such  was  his  increased  popularity  owing  to  his  capability 
and  efficiency. in  office,  he  was  reelected  over  his  democratic  opponent  by  a  majority  of 
fifteen  hundred. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1915,  Mr.  Utter  was  married  to  Miss  Amy  Fouch,  a  native 
of  Parma,  Idaho,  who  had  served  under  him  for  several  years  as  deputy  county  asses- 
sor. Her  maternal  grandfather  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Parma.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  99 

Utter  have  been  born  a  daughter,  Dorothy,  whose  birth  occurred  April  27,  1917,  and  a 
son,  Stephen  Utter,  Jr.,  born  August  24,  1919. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Utter  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  filled  various  offices.     His 
business  and  official  activity  in  the  west  have  closely  connected  him  with  Boise  and  its      ' 
best  interests  and  it  is  known  that  his  aid  and  support  can  at  all  times  be  counted 
upon  to  further  plans  and  measures  for  the  general  good. 


MRS.  ANNA  M.   MOODY. 

Mrs.  Anna  M.  Moody,  now  with  the  purchasing  department  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  a'nd 
formerly  county  treasurer  of  Ada  county  and  a  resident  of  Boise,  has  made  her  home 
in  Idaho  since  1898,  when  she  took  up  her  abode  in  Canyon  county,  there  remaining 
until  1904.  She  is  a  native  of  Missouri  and  was  educated  -in  the  schools  of  Franklin 
county,  that  state,  supplementing  her  public  school  course  by  two  years'  study  in  the 
College  of  Washington  at  Washington,  Missouri.  She  afterward  took  up  the  profes- 
sion of  teaching,  which  she  followed  for  seven  years,  five  years  in  Missouri  and  two  years 
In  Missoula,  Montana,  in  which  place  she  remained  for  four  years.  While  teaching 
she  acted  as  western  correspondent  of  the  St.  Louis  Globe  Democrat.  When  a  girl 
in  her  teens  back  in  Union,  Franklin  County,  Missouri,  she  had  held  positions  of 
various  kinds  in  the  office  of  the  Franklin  County  Record,  there  learning  to  set 
type,  write  news  items  and  do  other  work  in  connection  with  newspaper  publication. 
After  taking  up  teaching  she  also  acted  as  newspaper  correspondent,  and  as 
western  correspondent,  of  the  Globe  Democrat  while  residing  at  Missoula,  Montana,  she 
traveled  extensively  over  northern  Idaho  and  northwestern  Montana  in  search  of 
material  for  her  communications  to  that  paper.  While  thus  engaged,  on  one  of  her 
trips  to  northern  Idaho,  she  entered  the  Helena-Frisco  mine  in  Shoshone  county, 
being  the  first  woman  ever  to  enter  that  mine.  As  stated,  she  became  a  resident  of 
Boise  in  1904  and  was  elected  to  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Ada  county  on  the  republican 
ticket  in  1914.  In  1916  she  was  reelected  by  a  much  larger  majority,  having  no  oppo- 
sition at  the  primary. 

In  Washington,  Missouri,  on  the  7th  of  August,  1895,  Mrs.  Moody  was  married  and 
she  has  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Willis  Austin,  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  United  States  Navy;  Helen  Edna,  who  was  graduated 
from  St.  Theresa's  Academy  in  June,  1918;  and  Bruce  Edward,  a  youth  of  eighteen 
years,  attending  the  Mt.  St.  Charles  College  at  Helena,  Montana. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mrs.  Moody 
belongs  to  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  of  Boise,  also  to  the  Yeomen  Lodge,  No.  1120,  of 
Boise,  to  the  Catholic  Woman's  League,  to  the  National  Council  of  Women  Voters  and 
to  the  Good  Citizenship  Club.  She  was  also  a  charter  member  of  the  National 
Mothers  Congress.  She  is  interested  in  all  vital  questions  and  problems  of  the  day 
and  keeps  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  thought  and  progress  along  those  lines 
which  lead  to  individual  uplift  and  community  benefit. 


SAMUEL    L.    TIPTON. 

Samuel  L.  Tipton,  city  attorney  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio, 
September  15,  1863,  and  is  the  younger  of  two  sons  whose  parents  were  William  and 
Martha  (Strayer)  Tipton,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state,  wh«e 
they  spt-nt  their  entire  lives,  save  for  a  brief  period  passed  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river.  The  Tipton  family  is  of  English  descent,  the  ancestral  line  being  traced  back 
to  Gabriel  Tipton,  who  came  from  England  prior  to  the  war  for  independence  and 
settled  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  great-grandfather  of  Samuel  L.  Tipton,  another 
of  whose  great-grandfathers  was  James  Magaw,  who  served  with  the  rank  of  captain  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  His  grandfather,  James  Tipton,  was  a  boy  in  Harrison  county. 
Ohio,  when  the  War  of  1812  broke  out  and  he  played  the  fife  for  the  mustering  of 
troops.  William  Tipton  devoted  his  life  to  the  occupations  of  farming  and  tanning. 
He  removed  from  Ohio  to  Kansas  prior  to  the  Civil  war  but  after  a  few  years  re- 
turned to  his  native  state.  While  in  Kansas  he  took  part  in  the  stirring  incidents 


100  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  events  which  resulted  in  making  Kansas  a  free  state.  He  passed  away  in  1912 
at  the  notable  old  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  1918  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  these  being:  John 
Tipton,  now  living  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Eva  Heckler,  a  resident  of  Strasburg, 
Ohio;  and  Samuel  L.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  and 
acquired  his  early  education  chiefly  in  the  schools  of  Scio,  that  state.  He  became 
a  teacher  when  a  youth  of  seventeen  and  divided  his  time  between  teaching  and 
attendance  at  school  for  about  six  years.  He  paid  his  own  way  through  Scio  College 
with  funds  earned  as  a  teacher  and  was  there  graduated  with  the  class  of  1884.  He 
afterward  became  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Scio,  remaining  in  that 
position  for  four  years  with  eight  teachers  under  his  direction.  During  all  this 
period  he  was  devoting  the  hours  not  occupied  with  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom  to 
the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1889.  In  1890  he 
became  a  practicing  lawyer  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  in  1891  sought  the  opportuni- 
ties of  the  far  west,  removing  to  Boise,  Idaho,  where  he  arrived  on  the  24th  of  June. 
Opening  an  office,  he  practiced  law  in  this  city  with  success.  No  dreary  novitiate 
awaited  him  here.  His  ability  was  soon  recognized  and  he  early  demonstrated  his 
power  in  successfully  solving  involved  and  intricate  legal  problems.  From  1908  until 
1912  he  served  as  assistant  United  States  attorney  and  for  one  term  filled  the  office  of 
city  attorney  of  Boise  through  an  election  in  the  '90s.  Again  he  was  called  to  that  office 
by  Mayor  S.  H.  Hays,  so  that  he  is  the  present  incumbent  in  the  position.  This 
was  a  compliment  to  him  and  an  indication  of  his  ability  and  high  standing  at  the  bar 
for  Mr.  Tipton  is  a  republican  in  his  views,  while  the  mayor  is  a  democrat. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  1895,  Mr.  Tipton  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  McClin- 
tock,  of  Idaho  City,  and  they  have  three  children,  Marion,  Doris  and  Kenneth,  all  of 
whom  are  graduates  of  the  Boise  high  school,  while  Mary  has  been  a  student  in  the 
State  University  of  Idaho. 

Mr.  Tipton  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Order  of  Elks  and  along  professional  lines 
has  connection  with  the  Ada  County,  the  Idaho  State  and  the  American  Bar  Associations. 
He  is  a  hard  working  lawyer,  preparing  his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  care 
and  never  entering  the  courts  without  being  thoroughly  qualified  to  meet  the  attack 
of  opposing  counsel.  He  displays  keen  powers  of  analysis  as  well  as  strength  in  argu- 
ment, and  the  logic  of  his  deductions  seldom  fails  to  impress  court  or  jury. 


ROSS   J.   COMSTOCK. 

Ross  J.  Comstock  is  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rexburg,  which 
is  the  oldest  banking  institution  in  Madison  county.  He  was  born  in  Green  City, 
Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  July  22,  1875,  his  parents  being  Charles  B.  and  Flora  (Ross) 
Comstock,  who  were  natives  of  Indiana  and  in  1857  removed  to  Missouri,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  the  banking  business  until  1900.  He  then  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness life  and  established  his  home  in  California,  where  he  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years,  but  his  wife  passed  away  in  January,  1915,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three. 

Ross  J.  Comstock  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  city  and  since  the  age 
of  thirteen  years  has  been  providing  for  his  own  support.  He  is  truly  a  self-made 
man.  Having  started  out  when  a  youth  barely  in  his  teens,  he  has  always  depended 
upon  his  own  resources  and  by  dint  of  untiring  perseverance  and  undaunted  energy 
has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward.  Each  step  in  his  career  has  been  a  forward 
one.  He  worked  in  a  creamery  for  two  years  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the 
banking  business,  with  which  he  has  now  been  connected  for  twenty-seven  years. 
He  has  thoroughly  learned  the  business  and  step  by  step  has  progressed  in  banking 
circles.  In  1900  he  came  to  Rexburg  and  organized  the  Rexburg  Banking  Company 
in  connection  with  others.  He  was  chosen  cashier  and  has  since  been  an  active 
factor  in  the  development  and  conduct  of  the  bank,  which  in  1904  was  nationalized, 
becoming  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rexburg.  Mr.  Comstock  continued  to  act  as 
cashier  until  1909,  when  he  was  made  president  and  has  since  served  in  that  capacity. 
The  Rexburg  Banking  Company  was  capitalized  for  twelve  thousand  one  hundred  dol- 
lars in  1902  this  was  increased  to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  When  the  bank  was 
nationalized  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  today  the 


ROSS  J.  COMSTOCK 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  103 

bank  has  a  surplus  of  sixty  thousand  dollars  and  deposits  amounting  to  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars — facts  which  indicate  the  steady  and  substantial  growth  of  the 
business.  In  1904  a  modern  bank  building  was  erected,  which  was  rebuilt  in  1918. 
The  present  officers  are:  Ross  J.  Comstock,  president;  H.  J.  Flamm,  vice  president; 
and  R.  J.  Comstock,  Jr.,  cashier.  In  addition  to  his  financial  interests  at  Rexburg. 
Mr.  Comstock  is  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ririe  and  is  a  director 
of  the  Fremont  County  Bank,  and  has  farming  interests  in  Madison  county.  Tie  is 
likewise  president  of  the  Crystal  Lake  Irrigated  Lands  Company,  which  irrigate* 
ten  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Jefferson  county. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1893,  Mr.  Comstock  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  M.  Davis, 
a  daughter  of  John  E.  and  Fannie  M.  (Pfeiffer)  Davis,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Missouri  respectively,  the  father  becoming  a  pioneer  of  the  latter  state.  He  served 
all  through  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  and  throughout  his  remaining  days  gave 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  Missouri.  He  died  in  that  state  in  April,  1917, 
and  his  widow  yet  makes  her  home  in  Missouri.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comstock  have 
been  born  five  children.  Ross  J.,  Jr.,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rexburg, 
was  born  in  Green  City,  Missouri,  July  19,  1894,  and  for  a  year  was  a  pupil  in  the 
schools  of  that  state,  after  which  he  attended  the  graded  schools  of  Rexburg  and  spent 
three  years  in  All  Hallows  College  of  Salt  Lake  City.  He  entered  the  bank  with  his 
father  on  completing  his  education,  starting  in  a  humble  capacity  and  mastering  each 
phase  of  the  business,  and  he  thus  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  until  in  June, 
1916,  when  he  was  made  cashier.  He  was  married  June  17,  1917,  to  Gladys  M.  Bas- 
sett  and  they  have  one  son,  R.  J.  (III).  The  other  children  of  the  family  are  Mar- 
guerite, Ada,  Elma,  Jennie  and  Claire. 

Mr.  Comstock  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  political  allegiance 
is  given  to  the  republican  party,  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  has  led  a  busy,  useful  and  upright  life,  and  his  career  has  at  all  times 
been  such  as  would  bear  the  closest  investigation  and  scrutiny.  He  has  been  actuated 
by  a  laudable  ambition  that  has  prompted  close  application  and  indefatigable  energy, 
and  today  he  occupies  an  enviable  place  in  the  financial  circles  of  Madison  county. 


JOSEPH    KEEFER. 

Joseph  Keefer,  the  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  National  Bank,  occupies  an  envia- 
ble position  in  financial  and  business  circles  in  Idaho.  He  was  born  in  Ontario.  Can- 
ada, August  3,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Lizzie  Keefer.  When  he  was  but 
a  year  old  he  was  taken  by  relatives  to  Sidney,  Nebraska,  and  his  boyhood  was  there 
passed,  his  education  being  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Nebraska  and  of  Greeley, 
Colorado.  He  was  a  resident  of  the  latter  place  for  three  years  and  then  came  to 
Idaho,  settling  first  at  Pocatello,  while  later  he  removed  to  Shoshone.  No  substan- 
tial inheritance  enabled  him  to  start  out  well  in  the  business  world.  He  had  to  de- 
pend upon  his  industry  and  determination  to  gain  a  start  and  for  a  short  time  he 
worked  with  a  grading  outfit.  Later  he  was  connected  with  a  transfer  and  coal  busi- 
ness and  afterward  operated  a  stage  line  at  Shoshone  Falls.  Subsequently  he  became 
proprietor  of  the  Columbia  Hotel,  of  which  he  had  charge  for  seven  years,  and  on 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  became  actively  engaged  in  sheep  raising,  to  which 
he  devoted  twenty-one  years  of  his  life.  His  interests  in  that  connection  steadily  de- 
veloped and  he  became  one  of  the  prominent  sheepmen  of  the  northwest,  having 
thousands  of  sheep,  at  times  running  as  high  as  fifty  thousand.  He  never  stopped 
short  of  the  successful  accomplishment  of  his  purpose,  for  he  realized  that  when  one 
avenue  nf  opportunity  seemed  closed  he  could  reach  out  along  other  lines  that  would 
enable  him  to  attain  the  desired  goal.  As  he  prospered  in  his  sheep  raising  he  also 
extended  his  efforts  to  the  banking  business  at  Shoshona  and  was  thus  engaged  for 
eight  years,  being  president  of  the  Lincoln  County  National  Bank.  He  afterward  went 
to  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  while  subsequently  he  made  a  trip  to  Colorado  and  was  engaged 
in  feeding  sheep  in  that  state.  He  later  went  to  Sycamore,  Illinois,  but  returned  to 
Salt  Lake,  whence  he  came  to  Twin  Falls.  Here  he  established  his  present  business, 
being  now  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  National  Bank  and  also  the  president  of  the 
Lincoln  County  National  Bank  and  of  the  Jerome  Bank.  He  thoroughly  understands 
every  phase  of  the  banking  business  and  the  opportunities  for  development  along  that 


104  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

line,  not  only  the  development  of  the  bank  itself  but  of  the  community  in  which  it  is 
situated  through  its  cooperation  in  business  affairs.  Mr.  Keefer  was  the  organizer 
of  the  Twin  Falls  National  Bank.  He  purchased  the  Rogerson  Hotel,  which  he  re- 
built and  is  now  conducting,  at  the  same  time  maintaining  his  banking  business  on 
the  first  floor  of  the  building.  He  likewise  owns  the  drug  store  adjoining  on  the  left 
and  is  thus  prominently  and  closely  associated  with  the  business  development  of  Twin 
Falls.  His  bank  building  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state,  being  supplied  with  all 
modern  equipment,  and  the  business  of  the  bank  has  rapidly  and  substantially 
developed. 

In  1893  Mr.  Keefer  was  married  to  Miss  Maude  Gladden,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Henrietta  (McClure)  Gladden  and  a  native  of  Ottawa  county,  Kansas.  Her  par- 
ents came  to  Idaho  in  1880,  settling  at  Bellevue,  where  the  father  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  carpenter  and  contractor.  He  is  now  living  in  Spokane,  Washington,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years,  but  the  mother  passed  away  at  Downey,  Idaho.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Keefer  has  been  born  a  son,  Norvin. 

Mr.  Keefer  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  his  political  endorsement  is 
given  to  the  republican  party.  In  matters  of  citizenship  he  s'tands  at  all  times  for 
those  things  which  make  for  public  welfare.  Honored  and  respected  by  all,  he  occupies 
a  most  enviable  position  in  business  and  financial  circles,  not  alone  by  reason  of  the 
success  which  he  has  achieved  but  also  owing  to  the  straightforward  business  policy 
and  progressive  methods  which  he  has  always  followed. 


EMERY   A.   OWEN. 

Emery  A.  Owen,  county  attorney  of  Bonneville  county  and  a  resident  of  Idaho 
Falls,  was  born  at  Vining,  Clay  county,  Kansas,  May  24,  1887,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank 
R.  and  Elizabeth  (Nelson)  Owen,  who  were  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  in  1886  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  purchased  and  improved  a  tract  of  land, 
continuing  its  cultivation  until  his  death  in  December,  1905.  The  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing and  now  makes  her  home  in  Denver. 

Emery  A.  Owen  was  reared  and  educated  in  Clay  county,  Kansas,  where  he  at- 
tended the  high  school.  He  then  pursued  a  five  years'  university  course  and  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Denver  in  1910.  He  afterward  became  a  law  student 
in  the  same  school  and  completed  his  law  course  with  the  class  of  1913.  He  prac- 
ticed in  Denver  for  a  year  and  in  1914  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  on  the  9th  of  May,  since  which  time  he  has  followed  his  profession  in  this 
city.  On  the  3d  of  November,  1916,  he  was  elected  county  attorney  of  Bonneville 
county  and  has  since  occupied  that  position,  having  been  reelected  in  1918. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1915,  Mr.  Owen  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Griffiths,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Rena  Beth,  who  was  born  April  5,  1919. 
Mr.  Owen  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he 
is  serving  as  elder.  He  is  a  capable  and  conscientious  lawyer,  a  progressive  and 
patriotic  citizen,  and  wherever  he  is  known  commands  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all. 


FRANK  W.   JORDAN. 

Frank  W.  Jordan,  of  Idaho  Falls,  who  is  the  county  clerk  and  recorder  of  Bonue- 
ville  county,  was  born  in  Amador  City,  California,  August  13,  1874,  being  a  son  of  Jo- 
seph T.  and  Jane  (Murdock)  Jordan,  the  former  a  native  of  England,  while  the  latter 
was  born  in  Scotland.  The  father  was  a  millwright  by  trade  and  about  1852  came 
to  America,  settling  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  In  1860  he  resumed  his  westward  journey, 
making  his  way  to  California,  where  he  continued  until  1883.  He  then  went  to  Ogden, 
Utah,  where  he  lived  for  two  years*  and  in  1885  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  where 
his  remaining*  days  were  passed.  He  worked  at  his  trade  throughout  the  intervening 
period  and  established  a  mill  at  Rexburg,  which  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  He  died  January  15,  1895,  but  the  mother  is  still  living  and  now  makes 
her  home  at  Idaho  Falls. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  105 

Frank  W.  Jordan  was  reared  and  educated  in  California.  Utah  and  in  Idaho  Falls. 
After  attending  the  public  schools  he  continued  his  education  in  the  Brigham  Young 
College  at  Logan,  Utah,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of  1896.  He  after- 
ward taught  school  in  Bingham  county,  Idaho,  until  1905,  and  in  1906  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  assessor  and  collector,  in  which  position  he  served  for  one  term  in  1907 
and  1908.  In  1909  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  Harry  Curtis  in  the  office  of  district 
clerk  of  Bingham  county,  which  then  included  what  is  now  Bonneville  county.  In  1910 
he  was  reelected  and  in  the  spring  of  1911  the  county  was  divided.  Mr.  Jordan  then 
resigned  his  position  and  was  appointed  by  Governor  Hawley  to  the  office  of  county 
clerk  and  recorder  of  the  newly  created  county  and  has  been  reelected  at  each  succeeding 
election,  his  fellow  townsmen  recognizing  in  him  one  who  is  most  competent  and  capa- 
oie  in  discharging  the  duties  that  devolve  upon  him.  While  thus  active  in  office,  he 
is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  lona  Mercantile  Company  and  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  well  improved  land  situated  about  eleven  miles  from  Idaho  Falls. 

In  November,  1899,  Mr.  Jordan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Pearl  Riches,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  daughters:  Theora  A.,  who  was  born  December 
6,  1900;  Bessie  A.,  born  March  30,  1903;  Donnetta  G.,  October  6,  1905;  and  Maxine  L., 
March  10,  1909. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  and  fraternally  Mr.  Jordan  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  political  endorsement  has  al- 
ways been  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is  loyal  and  progressive  in  everything  that 
pertains  to  citizenship,  seeking  ever  to  advance  the  civic  interests  and  uphold  the 
civic  standards  of  his  community. 


F.  H.  KNICKERBOCKER. 

F.  H.  Knickerbocker  is  the  general  superintendent  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  with 
headquarters  at  Pocatello,  and  no  history  of  the  development  of  this  section  of  the 
country  would  be  complete  without  extended  reference  "to  him  owing  to  the  active  part 
which  he  has  played  in  the  construction  and  promotion  of  railway  interests,  which  con- 
stitute a  basic  element  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state.  He  was  born 
in  Chicago,  Illinois,  December  10,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of  Addison  E.  and  Agnes  (McGann) 
Knickerbocker,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York.  Having  removed 
to  the  middle  west,  they  lived  for  some  time  in  Illinois  and  in  1883,  when  their  son, 
F.  H.,  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  they  removed  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  The  father 
was  a  hotel  man  well  known  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  Spearfish,  South 
Dakota,  in  connection  with  the  management  and  operation  of  hotels.  He  passed  away 
in  the  year  1903  and  the  mother  is  now  living  with  her  son,  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Knicker- 
bocker, who  is  a  minister  of  Christ  Episcopal  church  at  Red  Wing,  Minnesota. 

F.  H.  Knickerbocker  was  largely  reared  in  Omaha,  where  he  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  passing  through  consecutive  grades  to  the  high  school.  When 
his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  accepted  employment  as  a  stenographer  with  the  assist- 
ant general  freight  agent  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
on  the  16th  of  March,  1897.  He  has  been  continuously  in  the  employ  of  this  corpora- 
tion to  the  present  time,  serving  in  various  capacities.  After  filling  a  stenographic 
position  for  some  time  he  was  made  secretary  to  the  assistant  general  manager  and 
so  continued  until  May  15,  1902,  when  he  became  secretary  to  the  vice  president  and 
general  manager,  filling  that  position  until  January  1,  1909.  His  next  advancement 
made  him  assistant  to  the  vice  president  and  general  manager,  a  position  which  he 
filled  until  August  15,  1916,  at  which  date  he  became  general  superintendent  of  the 
road,  with  headquarters  at  Pocatello,  Idaho.  During  Mr.  Knickerbocker's  association 
with  the  executive  officers  at  Salt  Lake  City  from  1902  until  1916  the  entire  property 
of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  was  reconstructed,  heavy  rails  being  laid,  the  road  ballasted, 
grades  and  curvatures  eliminated,  a  second  track  constructed  and  the  railroad  gen- 
erally brought  up  to  its  present  efficiency.  Both  Messrs.  Bancroft  and  Calvin,  with 
whom  Mr.  Knickerbocker  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  associated  for  years,  had  full 
appreciation  of  the  resources  and  necessities  of  Idaho,  and  it  was  due  to  their  fore- 
sight and  confidence  that  hundreds  of  miles  of  branch  line  railroads  were  constructed 
in  this  state  to  assist  in  the  development  of  agriculture,  mining  and  other  resources  re- 
quiring transportation  to  make  them  successful.  Thus  the  road  became  a  potent  force 


106  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

in  the  upbuilding  of  Idaho  and  the  utilization  of  its  wonderful  resources.  Many  of 
these  branches  at  the  time  of  construction  were  known  as  pioneers  and  it  was  fully  un- 
derstood that  they  would  not  be  on  a  paying  basis  until  the  territory  they  served  had 
been  more  adequately  developed  and  traffic  built  up;  but  their  construction  was  given 
the  same  careful  consideration  as  other  branches  where  it  was  known  in  advance  that 
the  traffic  would  more  than  justify  the  cost  of  construction.  The  efforts  of  the  com- 
pany at  this  time  are  being  devoted  to  enlarging  and  extending  present  facilities  to 
handle  the  rapidly  growing  business  of  Idaho,  and  it  is  with  this  particular  branch  of 
the  work  that  Mr.  Knickerbocker  is  now  identified,  displaying  most  progressive  meth- 
ods in  the  further  development  of  the  railroad  interests  and  the  task  of  making  it 
adequate  to  the  demands  placed  upon  it  for  the  transportation  of  Idaho's  wonderful 
crops  and  other  productions. 

In  1902  Mr.  Knickerbocker  was  married  to  Miss  Marian  L.  Knickerbocker,  who, 
though  of  the  same  name,  was  not  a  relative  and  whom  he  wedded  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
They  have  two  children,  Louis  and  Floyd,  aged  respectively  fourteen  and  twelve  years. 

While  a  most  active  business  man,  Mr.  Knickerbocker  finds  time  to  devote  to  other 
interests  which  are  vital  forces  in  the  life  of  every  community.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church  and  a  director  of  the  Railroad  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Pocatello  Rotary  Club  and  the  Commercial  Club  and 
of  the  Bonneville  Club  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  these  membership  connections  are  indicated  the  nature 
of  his  interests  and  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct,  making  him  a  well  developed 
man,  broad-minded  and  an  intelligent  supporter  of  all  those  forces  which  work  for  the 
uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  advancement  of  the  community  at  large. 


JOHN  B.  ARCHABAL. 

John  B.  Archabal,  one  of  the  well  known  wool  growers  of  Boise,  who  belongs  to 
the  Spanish  or  Basque  colony,  was  born  in  Spain,  June  24,  1873,  and  became  a  nat- 
uralized citizen  of  the  United  States  in  1903.  His  Spanish  ancestors  had  been  shepherds 
for  generations  and  as  a  boy  John  Archabal  herded  sheep,  beginning  the  work  when 
a  mere  lad.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1893,  making  his  way  direct  to  Boise, 
where  he  arrived  in  the  midst  of  the  great  financial  panic  of  that  year.  He  was  then 
a  young  man  of  twenty  and  he  had  nothing  but  the  clothes  upon  his  back  and  the  con- 
tents of  his  pockets,  amounting  to  but  a  few  dollars  and  a  jackknife.  On  his  way 
across  the  Atlantic  the  steamer  on  which  he  was  making  the  trip  met  with  disaster 
and  sank  in  midocean,  twenty-five  of  the  people  aboard  being  drowned,  but  the  ma- 
jority of  the  five  or  six  hundred  passengers  were  picked  up  by  another  vessel  and 
taken  to  Galveston,  Texas,  although  the  vessel  on  which  Mr.  Archabal  originally  em- 
barked was  destined  for  New  York.  He  was  thus  far  off  the  route  which  he  intended 
to  take.  With  good  luck  he  would  have  landed  at  New  York  in  about  six  or  seven 
days,  and  as  it  was  he  was  thirty-six  days  on  the  water  before  being  landed  at  Gal- 
veston. He  had  lost  all  his  clothes  but  those  which  he  wore  when  the  ship  sank  and 
had  barely  money  enough  to  pay  his  railway  fare  to  San  Francisco,  California,  and 
buy  a  change  of  clothing.  Again  ill  fate  seemed  to  overtake  him.  It  was  his  inten- 
tion to  go  to  Boise  instead  of  to  San  Francisco,  but  a  misunderstanding  in  arrange- 
ments took  him  to  the  California  metropolis,  where  he  remained  until  he  could  send 
to  a  friend  in  Boise  for  money  enough  to  continue  the  journey.  He  reached  Idaho's 
capital  •  on  the  18th  of  November,  1893,  and  during  the  first  few  months  worked  for 
his  board  for  Bill  Howell,  remaining  in  Mr.  Howell's  employ  as  a  ranch  hand  for 
five  months  and  being  paid  wages  after  the  first  three  months. 

Mr.  Archabal  next  went  to  work  for  W.  C.  Cleveland  as  a  sheep  herder  and  after 
being  thus  employed  for  four  years  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  Mr.  Cleveland  s  busi- 
ness and  the  two  men  were  partners  in  sheep  raising  and  in  the  wool  business  for 
eighteen  years,  sometimes  having  many  thousands  of  sheep  on  hand.  At  one  time 
their  flocks  numbered  thirty  thousand  head.  In  1916  Mr.  Archabal  purchased  the 
interest  of  Mr.  Cleveland  in  the  business  and  has  since  continued  alone,  although  at 
the  present  time  he  has  twelve  men  associated  with  him  in  the  sheep  raising  indus- 
try as  side  partners.  His  plan  since  buying  Mr.  Cleveland's  interest  in  the  business 
has  been  to  provide  these  side  partners  with  a  certain  number  of  sheep — from  two 
thousand  to  six  thousand  head,  the  men  to  care  for  them  on  the  shares.  During  the 


JOHN  B.  ARCHABAL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  109 

last  three  years,  while  the  great  European  war  was  in  progress,  Mr.  Archabal's  profits 
have  been  large  and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  wealthy  men  of  Boise.  Following 
out  his  present  plan  of  business,  he  does  all  the  buying  and  selling  and  is  general 
manager  of  the  dozen  or  more  sheep  industries  of  which  he  is  the  head,  maintaining 
general  supervision  over  all. 

In  Boise,  on  the  1st  of  December,  1901,  Mr.  Archabal  was  married  to  Miss  Benecta 
Aldecoa,  also  of  Spanish  birth.  She  came  to  the  United  States  two  years  prior  to  her 
marriage  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters: 
Hazel,  who  is  sixteen  years  of  age;  John,  a  lad  of  thirteen;  Matilda,  who  is  nine 
years  of  age;  Pidel,  who  is  seven  years  old;  and  Juanita,  a  little  maiden  of  four 
summers. 

The  family  have  membership  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Archabal  is  a 
member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  Only  once  since  coming  to  the  new  world 
has  he  returned  to  his  native  country,  having  made  the  trip  to  Spain  in  1907,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  two  children.  After  six  months  spent  in  his  native  land,  how- 
ever, he  again  came  to  the  new  world,  where  he  had  found  the  business  opportunities 
which  he  sought  and  which  have  brought  him  to  success.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  seven  miles  from  Boise  and  another  of  equal  size  in 
Oregon  and  he  also  owns  considerable  valuable  income  property  in  Boise.  He  has  been 
a  most  liberal  contributor  to  all  worthy  enterprises,  giving  generously  to  the  Red 
Cross,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the  Associated  Charities,  the  Salvation 
Army  and  other  projects  looking  to  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers  or  the  amelioration  of 
hard  conditions  of  life  for  the  unfortunate.  He  has  been  a  liberal  buyer  of  Liberty 
Bonds  and  War  Savings  Stamps  and  belongs  to  the  Boise  Limit  Club,  having  bought 
one  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stamps  in  his  own  name,  while  his  purchases  altogether 
amount  to  about  fifty  thousand  dollars.  America,  which  afforded  him  his  business 
opportunities,  is  the  land  where  his  interest  and  his  affection  centers  and  he  is  put- 
ting forth  every  effort  to  advance  the  welfare  and  progress  of  community  and  com- 
monwealth. 


HUBERT  J.  McGIRR. 

Hubert  J.  McGirr.  director  of  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  whose  prominent  con- 
nection with  the  business  interests  of  Boise  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  served 
as  president  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  was  born  at  Lewiston,  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois, April  27,  1869,  a  son  of  William  and  Winifred  (McEvely)  McGirr.  The  father 
was  a  woolen  mill  operator  in  early  life  and  later  followed  farming.  He  was  born  in 
Scotland  and  came  to  the  new  world  when  fifteen  years  of  age.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  parents  during  her  infancy. 
They  were  married  in  New  Hampshire  in  1864  and  their  last  days  were  spent  in  Illi- 
nois, where  Mrs.  McGirr  passed  away  in  1896,  while  Mr.  McGirr  survived  until  1912. 

Hubert  J.  McGirr  was  the  second  of  their  seven  living  children,  three  sons  and 
four  daughters,  and  is  the  only  one  in  Idaho.  One  is  now  living  in  Iowa,  another  in 
California  and  the  others  in  Illinois.  After  pursuing  a  course  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  county,  Hubert  J.  McGirr,  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  became  a  clerk  in 
a  grocery  store  at  Canton,  Illinois,  and  when  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years  went 
upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  cigar  house.  He  continued  his  commer- 
cial travels  in  Illinois  and  Iowa  for  seven  years  and  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six, 
he  established  his  home  in  Wall  Lake.  Iowa,  and  embarked  in  the  cattle  business.  He 
also  owned  and  conducted  a  meat  market  there  and  another  at  Lake  View,  six  miles 
distant,  owning  a  large  ranch  nearby.  In  1908,  however,  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
in  Iowa  and  removed  to  Boise,  attracted  by  the  irresistible  lure  of  western  opportuni- 
ties. He  then  purchased  the  interest  of  A.  E.  Cunningham  in  the  Falk  Mercantile  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  has  since  been  one  of  the  directors  and  the  manager  of  its  large 
grocery  department.  This  company  is  without  a  rival  in  Boise,  owning  a  very  ex- 
tensive department  store  which  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  greater  size. 
Throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  here  Mr.  McGirr  has  put  forth  every  possible 
effort  to  advance  the  business  interests  and  extend  the  trade  relations  of  the  city  and 
has  therefore  been  a  cooperant  factor  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  is 
now  a  director  and  of  which  he  served  as  president  in  1915.  He  has  been  one  of  its 


110  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

most  efficient  and  valuable  members,  constantly  putting  forth  effective  effort  for  the 
accomplishment  of  its  purposes. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1894,  Mr.  McGirr  was  married  at  Wall  Lake,  Iowa,  to  Miss 
May  Elma  Simpson,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  two  sons  and  five  daughters.  The  family  circle  yet  remains  unbroken.  The 
children  are  Horace  Donald,  Thelma  S.,  Wilma,  Lucile,  Marian,  Richard  Gordon  and 
Helen,  whose  ages  range  from  twenty-three  down  to  nine  years.  Horace  Donald,  the 
eldest,  when  a  student  in  the  University  of  Idaho,  enlisted  in  the  Idaho  militia  for 
border  service  in  the  spring  of  1916  and  served  as  first  sergeant  in  the  Medical  Corps. 
He  was  connected  altogether  with  the  state  militia  for  three  years  and  for  six  months 
was  upon  the  border,  after  which  he  was  mustered  out.  When  America  declared  war 
with  Germany  in  May,  1917,  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  took  the  officers'  training 
course,  being  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant  in  September.  He  was  then  sent  to 
Camp  Lewis,  Washington,  and  in  Tacoma,  that  state,  on  the  24th  of  November,  1917, 
met  with  a  serious  automobile  accident.  Thelma  S.  occupies  a  good  position  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Boise,  while  Wilma  is  occupying  a  position  in  the 
Overland  National  Bank.  The  other  children  are  all  pupils  in  the  public  schools  of 
Boise. 

Mr.  McGirr  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  like- 
wise belongs  to  the  Country  Club  and  is  appreciative  of  the  social  amenities  of  life, 
but  outside  of  business  the  greater  part  of  his  time,  attention  and  energy  is  devoted 
to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  the  city  finding  in  him  a  stalwart  champion  of  all  of  its 
interests  and  a  promoter  of  those  measures  which  are  a  matter  of  civic  virtue  and  of 
civic  pride. 


SAMUEL  E.  ELAINE. 

The  bar  of  Boise  probably  claims  its  representatives  from  every  state  in  the  Union. 
Of  this  number  Samuel  E.  Elaine  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin, 
July  24,  1878.  His  father,  James  F.  Elaine,  was  a  farmer  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  who 
passed  away  September  22,  1888,  when  his  son  Samuel  was  but  ten  years  of  age.  The 
mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Johnson,  was  of  Norwegian  birth 
and  died  on  the  4th  of  December,  1903. 

Samuel  E.  Elaine  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  his  native  county, 
where  he  attended  the  country  schools  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  afterward 
completed  a  high  school  course  at  Montfort,  Wisconsin,  doing  four  years'  work  in  three. 
He  was  there  graduated  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  afterward  pursued  a  scien- 
tific course  and  his  law  course  in  the  Valparaiso  University  of  Indiana,  winning  the 
B.  S.  degree  in  1901  and  his  professional  Degree  in  1903.  In  February,  1904,  he  came 
to  Idaho  and  after  making  a  survey  of  the  field  for  a  favorable  location  settled  in  Boise, 
where  he  entered  upon  active  practice  in  April  of  that  year.  Through  the  intervening 
period,  now  covering  sixteen  years,  he  has  continued  an  active  member  of  the  bar, 
enjoying  a  good  clientage.  In  1919  he  was  appointed  by  Attorney  General  Black  as 
assistant  attorney  general,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Ada  County,  the  Idaho  State  and  the 
American  Bar  Associations,  thus  keeping  well  informed  concerning  the  trend  of  mod- 
ern professional  thought  and  judgment. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1908,  Mr.  Elaine  was  married  to  Miss  Ruth  D.  Rose,  a  native 
of  Iowa,  who,  however,  was  reared  in  Kansas  and  was  a  music  teacher  prior  to  her 
marriage.  They  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  James  W.,  Marjorie  Ruth 
and  Mary  Elizabeth.  The  only  brother  of  Mr.  Elaine  is  John  James  Elaine,  also  a 
lawyer,  now  residing  in  Boscobel,  Wisconsin,  where  he  formerly  served  as  mayor  and 
also  represented  his  district  in  the  state  senate  and  is  now  attorney  general  of  Wis- 
consin. The  Wisconsin  family  of  Blaines  is  related  to  the  Maine  family  of  that  name, 
of  which  James  G.  Elaine  was  a  representative. 

Like  his  illustrious  kinsman  of  the  Pine  Tree  state,  Mr.  Elaine  has  always  been  a 
republican  and  an  active  party  worker,  although  never  an  aspirant  for  office.  He 
served  as  chairman  of  the  republican  county  central  committee  from  1912  until  1914 
and  again  from  1916  until  1918,  and  his  opinions  carry  weight  in  party  councils  through- 
out* this  section  of  the  country.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  fond  of  tennis,  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  111 

game  furnishing  his  chief  recreation,  but  nothing  is  allowed  to  interfere  with  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  professional  duties,  which  he  discharges  with  a  conscien- 
tious sense  of  obligation  that  has  made  his  service  most  valuable  to  his  clients. 


RUSS  W.  ALLRED. 

Russ  W.  Allred  is  the  cashier  of  the  Citizens  State  Bank  of  Buhl.  Twin  Falls 
county.  Prior  to  coming  to  Idaho  he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  and  banking  at 
Garner,  Hancock  county,  Iowa,  and  removed  from  that  state  to  the  northwest  in  1907, 
establishing  his  home  in  Buhl.  Here,  in  connection  with  J.  W.  Hayward,  of  Iowa,  he 
organized  the  Citizens  State  Bank  with  a  capital  stock  of  twenty  five  thousand  dollars. 
The  bank  began  business  in  the  building  where  the  Peck  Store  is  now  located.  From 
the  beginning  the  institution  prospered,  and  in  1910  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to 
fifty  thousand  dollars  and  in  the  same  year  the  Citizens  State  Bank  building  was 
erected.  Year  after  year  the  business  steadily  increased  and  in  1918  the  capital  stock 
was  increased  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  bank  building  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  Buhl.  The  officers  of  the  bank  are:  J.  W.  Hayward.  of  Iowa,  president;  C.  C. 
Griffin,  of  Iowa,  vice  president;  R.  W.  Allred,  cashier;  and  Glen  F.  Fritcher,  assistant 
cashier.  From  the  beginning  Mr.  Allred  has  been  active  in  the  management  and 
control  of  the  institution  and  no  stronger  testimony  of  his  business  ability,  his  enter- 
prise and  his  executive  powers  could  be  given  than  the  fact  that  the  bank  has  found  it 
possible  to  quadruple  its  capital  stock  within  a  period  of  eleven  years.  This  speaks 
volumes  for  the  business  methods  and  thorough  systematization  instituted  by  Mr. 
Allred  and  his  associates,  and  his  name  is  now  well  known  and  honored  by  the  bank- 
ing fraternity  of  Idaho. 


ELBERT  S.  DELANA. 

Elbert  S.  Delana,  prosecuting  attorney  of  Ada  county  from  1916  and  reelected  in 
the  fall  of  1918  and  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Delana  &  Delana,  of  Boise,  was 
born  upon  a  farm  in  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  November  17,  1876,  a  son  of  James  H.  and 
Sarah  M.  (Jones)  Delana.  The  father,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Union  army,  having 
served  for  three  years  and  four  months  in  defense  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  passed 
away  at  Norway,'  Iowa,  in  1906,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  and  the  mother  there 
passed  away  November  12,  1919,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  There  were  four  sons 
in  the  family,  the  brothers  of  Elbert  S.  being  Charles  E.,  Benton  F.  and  Frank.  The 
first  and  last  named  are  still  in  Iowa,  while  Benton  F.  is  a  law  partner  of  Elbert. 

Reared  upon  an  Iowa  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  owned  by  his  father,  Elbert  S. 
Delana  had  the  usual  experiences  of  the  farm  bred  boy  who  divides  his  time  between 
the  acquirement  of  an  education  and  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  attended  the  coun- 
try schools  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  concentrated  his  efforts  upon 
farm  work  to  the  age  of  twenty-three.  He  then  again  took  up  his  books,  becoming 
a  student  in  Cornell  College  at  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa,  spending  seven  years  in  the  pre- 
paratory department  and  in  the  college  work.  He  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1907  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  became  a  law  student  at  Har- 
vard, spending  three  years  in  the  university  and  winning  his  professional  degree 
in  1910. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Delana  came  to  Boise  and  in  the  following  May 
was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  of  Idaho,  since  which  time  he  has  steadily  followed 
his  profession  in  the  capital  city.  He  belongs  to  the  Ada  County  and  the  Idaho  State 
Bar  Associations.  No  dreary  novitiate  awaited  him  in  his  practice.  He  soon  won 
recognition  of  his  powers  as  an  attorney  and  in  1916  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Ada  county  for  a  two  years'  term,  which  he  has  but  recently  completed. 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1914,  Mr.  Delana  was  married  to  Miss  Mildred  V.  Poteet, 
of  Ada  county,  who  was  born  in  Oregon  and  comes  of  French  ancestry-  They  have 
two  children:  Marion  Estelle,  whose  birth  occurred  March  8,  1916,  and  Elbert  Sum- 
ner,  Jr.,  born  December  3,  1919. 

In  politics  Mr.  Delana  has  always  been  a  champion  of  republican  principles.  He 
belongs  to  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  an  active  worker  in  behalf  of  the 


112  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

projects  put  forth  by  that  organization  for  the  benefit  and  improvement  of  the  city. 
He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  in  Masonry  has  attained 
high  rank,  being  a  Knight  Templar  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  religious 
faith  is  evidenced  by  his  connection  with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Boise 
and  the  trend  of  his  thought  and  activity  has  always  been  along  upward  lines,  his 
record  being  characterized  by  intelligently  directed  effort  toward  high  ideals. 


HON.  JOHN  HAILEY. 

There  is  no  man  more  familiar  with  the  pioneer  history  of  Idaho  than  John  Hailey, 
not  only  by  reason  of  his  long  residence  in  the  state  and  his  identification  with  every 
phase  of  frontier  life,  but  also  owing  to  his  deep  research  and  investigation  into  the 
annals  of  the  state.  His  own  life  story  is  a  most  interesting  one  in  that  it  has  brought 
him  into  close  connection  with  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  northwest.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Smith  county,  Tennessee,  August  29,  1835,  his  parents  being  John  and 
Nancy  (Baird)  Hailey,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Smith  county, 
Tennessee.  John  Hailey  was  largely  reared  upon  a  farm  and  when  a  small  boy  was  put 
to  work  and  was  kept  busy  most  of  the  time,  with  little  opportunity  to  attend  school. 
He  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  from  Tennessee  to  Dade  county,  Missouri, 
in  the  fall  of  1848,  when  again  the  family  took  up  their  abode  upon  a  farm.  He  assisted 
in  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  place  and  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  April  18,  1853,  at  which  time  he  started  across  the  plains  for  the  territory  of 
Oregon,  driving  a  five-yoke  ox  team  for  James  Tatom.  After  a  long  and  tedious  trip 
across  the  stretches  of  hot  sand  and  through  the  mountain  passes  they  arrived  at  Salem, 
Oregon,  on  the  18th  of  October,  having  been  exactly  six  months  upon  the  way. 

Mr.  Hailey's  first  work  in  the  northwest  was  at  grubbing  and  cutting  cordwood  and 
splitting  rails.  He  afterward  took  up  the  task  of  spearing  and  hewing  timber  and  later 
went  to  the  mines.  Subsequently  he  worked  upon  a  farm  and  when  on  the  9th  of 
October,  1855,  the  Indian  war  broke  out  in  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  he  enlisted,  partici- 
pating in  the  first  engagement  with  the  red  men  and  in  nearly  all  of  the  encounters 
between  the  whites  and  the  Indians  until  the  close  of  hostilities  on  the  15th  of  May,  1856. 

As  soon  as  the  Indian  troubles  were  over,  Mr.  Hailey  resumed  work  on  a  farm  and 
on  the  7th  of  August,  1856,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  M.  Griffin.  The  young  couple 
began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm,  on  which  Mr.  Hailey  raised  some  stock,  and  he 
also  conducted  a  ferry  across  the  Rogue  river  until  1862,  when  he  went  northward  into 
Washington  territory  with  a  pack  train  to  the  mines.  Soon  afterward  he  was  busy 
cutting  hay  on  the  Columbia  river,  twenty-two  miles  above  any  settlement.  He  built 
a  flatboat,  baled  the  hay  and  by  means  of  the  boat  sent  several  hundred  tons  down  the 
river,  selling  it  at  Wallula  and  Umatilla.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  operated  a  saddle 
and  pack  train  from  the  Columbia  river  to  the  Boise  basin  mines  and  in  1864  he  was 
engaged  in  staging  on  the  same  route.  His  activities  were  at  all  times  such  as  were 
demanded  by  the  developing  country  and  he  kept  in  touch  ever  with  the  trend  of 
progress  and  improvement.  He  put  a  stage  line  on  the  route  from  Umatilla  to  the 
mines  of  the  Boise  basin  and  in  January,  1869,  extended  the  line  from  Boise  to  Ogden, 
Utah,  operating  this  until  July,  1870,  when  he  sold  out. 

By  reason  of  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  business  activities  and  his  part  in  the 
development  of  the  country  Mr.  Hailey  had  gained  a  wide  acquaintance  and  the  recog- 
nition of  his  ability  and  public  spirit  on  the  part  of  his  fellowmen  came  to  him  in 
election  to  the  office  of  delegate  from  Idaho  to  the  forty-third  congress,  in  which  he 
served  from  March  3,  1873,  until  the  3d  of  March,  1875.  He  was  again  sent  as  a 
delegate  to  the  forty-ninth  congress,  being  once  more  on  duty  in  Washington  from 
the  3d  of  March,  1885,  until  the  3d  of  March,  1887. 

With  his  return  to  Idaho,  Mr.  Hailey  resumed  farming,  stock  raising  and  mining 
and  was  thus  actively  engaged  until  May  7,  1907,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  to 
establish  and  develop  a  state  historical  department  and  in  this  work  he  is  still  engaged. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hailey  were  born  eight  children.  Jesse  C.,  the  eldest,  now  living 
in  Owyhee  county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  ranching  and  stock  raising,  married  Miss 
Annie  Taylor  and  they  have  five  sons  and  a  daughter.  John,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Parralee 
Kimball  and  they  became  parents  of  three  children,  two  of  whom  have  passed  away. 
Leona  is  the  wife  of  Ross  Cartee,  a  resident  of  Berkeley,  California,  and  they,  too, 
had  three  children,  of  whom  two  have  departed  this  life.  Thomas  G.,  a  graduate  of 


Vol.  II— 8 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  115 

the  Washington  and  Lee  University  at  Lexington,  Virginia,  became  a  brilliant  lawyer 
and  jurist  and  was  a  member  of  the  Oregon  supreme  court  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Burrel  B.,  residing  three  miles  from  Boise,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  dairy  business, 
married  Miss  Annie  Walker  and  they  became  parents  of  three  children  but  have  lost 
all.  George  €.,  who  is  married  and  resides  at  Delano,  California,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  butchering  business.  Two  sons  of  the  family  died  in  infancy,  while  the 
wife  and  mother  passed  away  on  the  1st  of  February,  1918.  f 

Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  John  Hailey,  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  and 
pioneer  settlers  of  Idaho.  There  is  no  phase  of  the  state's  settlement,  growth  and 
development  with  which  he  is  not  familiar.  In  many  ways  he  has  contributed  to  its 
progress,  bearing  his  share  in  the  work  of  upbuilding  as  the  seeds  of  civilization  have 
been  planted  and  nurtured  on  the  western  frontier.  He  is  now  doing  an  important 
service  to  the  state  in  preserving  its  historical  data  and  building  up  a  historical  de- 
partment which  will  be  of  greater  and  greater  value  as  the  years  pass  by. 


DEAN  DRISCOLL. 

Dean  Driscoll,  first  assistant  attorney  general  of  Idaho  and  lawyer  and  legislator 
of  Boise,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Tekamah,  Burt  county,  Nebraska,  April  24,  1883,  and 
is  the  older  of  the  two  sons  of  John  Driscoll,  now  a  well-to-do  retired  citizen  of  Boise 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Overland  Bank.  Dean  Driscoll,  ¥^r~ed  in  the  state  of 
his  nativity,  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Nebraska  with  tha  Bachelor  of  Arts 
degree  in  1905.  In  the  meantime  the  Driscoll  family  had  removed  to  Boise,  becom- 
ing residents  of  this  city  in  1905,  in  which  year  he  accepted  the  position  of  teller  in 
the  Capital  State  Bank  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1908.  He  afterward  devoted 
a  year  to  the  study  of  law  in  Nebraska  University  and  completed  his  preparation  for 
the  bar  as  a  student  in  the  Harvard  Law  School,  being  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1911.  Since  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1911  he  has  practiced  in  Boise,  being  Junior 
partner  in  the  law  firm  of  Wood  &  Driscoll,  his  associate  being  Fremont  Wood,  for- 
merly Judge  of  the  district  court.  They  have  gained  a  very  desirable  clientage  and 
Mr.  Driscoll,  giving  close  attention  to  his  professional  duties,  is  fast  winning  for  him- 
self a  creditable  and  desirable  place  as  a  representative  of  the  Boise  bar. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1915,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Dean  Driscoll  and  Madeline 
Spieles,  of  Boise,  who  was  born  in  Chicago,  and  they  now  have  a  daughter,  Eileen,  who 
is  in  her  second  year.  Mr.  Driscoll  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  also  has  membership  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club 
and  is  interested  in  the  plans  of  that  organization  for  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the 
city.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  in  1916  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  state  legislature  for  a  two  years'  term,  in  which  he  gave  thoughtful 
and  earnest  consideration  to  the  vital  problems  that  came  up  for  settlement.  His 
achievements  thus  far  indicate  that  his  future  career  will  be  well  worth  the  watching. 


WILBERT  J.  COLTMAN. 

Wilbert  J.  Coltman,  postmaster  at  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  Beaver  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, October  3,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  T.  and  Bridget  (Leahy)  Coltman, 
who  were  natives  of  England  and  of  Ireland  respectively.  The  father  was  a  dealer 
in  coal  and  building  materials.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  the  new  world  when  a 
little  lad  of  seven  or  eight  years  and  the  mother  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
during  her  Infancy.  The  Coltman  family  established  their  home  in  Beaver  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  Martin  T.  Coltman  spent  his  remaining  days,  there  passing  away 
in  August,  1918,  when  he  was  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  His  widow  is  still  living  in 
that  county  and  has  now  reached  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

Wilbert  J.  Coltman  was  reared  and  educated  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  attended  high  school  and  also  pursued  various  courses  in  business  colleges.  In 
1887,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Eagle  Rock,  Idaho, 
now  Idaho  Falls,  and  later  went  to  Pocatello,  where  he  secured  a  position  as  locomotive 
fireman  on  the  Utah  Northern  Railroad.  He  spent  three  years  as  a  fireman  and  was 
then  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer  and  was  thus  employed  for  a  long  period. 


116  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Taking  a  leave  of  absence,  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  worked  along  railroad 
lines  in  that  state  for  seven  years.  Eventually,  however,  he  severed  his  connection 
with  railroad  interests  and  secured  a  position  as  traveling  salesman  for  a  wagon,  buggy 
and  harness  manufacturing  company.  This  work  took  him  into  Texas  and  old  Mexico 
and  he  was  thus  employed  until  May,  1900.  He  then  returned  to  Idaho  Falls  and 
secured  a  position  with  the  Studebaker  corporation  as  manager  of  the  business  at  this 
fltpint.  He  acted  as  general  state  agent  and  was  with  the  company  from  May,  1900, 
until  October,  1906,  when  he  resigned  to  engage  in  the  exclusive  shoe  business  at 
Idaho  Falls.  This  he  carried  on  until  1911,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business,  in  which  he  continued  until  July  11,  1913.  It  was  on 
that  date  that  he  received  his  appointment  from  President  Wilson  to  the  position  of 
postmaster  of  Idaho  Falls  and  has  since  served,  his  term  extending  until  January  21, 
1921.  He  is  making  an  excellent  official  in  this  position,  handling  the  mails  promptly 
and  accurately  and  giving  general  satisfaction  to  the  patrons  of  the  office.  At  the 
same  time  he  retains  business  interests,  for  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Idaho  Falls 
National  Bank  and  is  the  owner  of  considerable  residence  property  in  the  city. 

In  November,  1899,  Mr.  Coltman  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Moyer,  of  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  at  Temple,  Texas.  They  have  one 
child,  Wilberta  J.,  born  in  April,  1901,  who  has  recently  graduated  from  the  high  school 
at  Berkeley,  California. 

Mr.  Coltman  has  been  quite  prominent  in  politics  throughout  his  entire  life.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  democratic  county  central  committee  of  Bonneville  county  from 
1910  until  he  resigned  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  postmaster.  In  1912  Governor  Haw- 
ley  appointed  him  a  commissioner  to  the  Omaha  Land  Show.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  belongs  to  the  Idaho  Falls  and  Bonne- 
ville Commercial  Clubs  and  he  is  a  director  and  member  of  the  War  Bonnet  Roundup 
Association  and  also  a  member  and  director  of  the  Bonneville  County  Fair  Associa- 
tion, which  indicates  the  nature  and  breadth  of  his  interests  as  regards  the  public 
welfare  and  advancement.  He  was  likewise  a  member  of  all  war  boards,  taking  most 
keen  interest  in  the  War  Savings  and  Thrift  Stamps  sales,  campaigning  the  entire 
county  in  the  promotion  of  such  sales.  He  has  always  been  a  democrat  and  is  a  strong 
supporter  of  the  party.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  every  democratic  convention  held 
in  the  county  and  has  represented  his  county  in  several  democratic  state  conventions. 
Ho  was  chairman  of  the  first  delegation  that  attended  the  first  platform  convention 
ever  held  in  Idaho  at  Boise  and  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  held  in  the  United  States. 
His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Coltman  is  keenly  interested  in  everything  that  has 
to  do  with  the  progress,  welfare  and  improvement  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives 
and  his  labors  have  been  an  influencing  factor  in  the  advancement  of  many  interests 
which  have  been  of  direct  benefit  to  his  section  of  the  state. 


BENTON  F.  DELANA. 

Benton  F.  Delana,  junior  partner  in  the  law  firm  of  Delana  &  Delana,  of  Boise, 
was  born  upon  a  farm  near  Norway,  Iowa,  February  12,  1886,  a  son  of  James  H.  and 
Sarah  M.  (Jones)  Delana.  The  father,  a  native  of  Illinois,  devoted  his  life  to  the  oc- 
cupation of  farming  save  for  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  served  with  the 
Union  army  in  defense  of  the  national  government.  He  went  with  Sherman  on  the 
inarch  to  the  sea,  participated  in  a  number  of  hotly  contested  engagements  and  was 
twice  wounded.  He  passed  away  June  28,  1906,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Sarah 
M.  Delana  was  also  a  native  of  Illinois  and  passed  away  November  12,  1919,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years. 

Upon  the  home  farm  Benton  F.  Delana  was  reared,  obtaining  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  a  country  school,  to  which  he  had  to  walk  some  distance.  There  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  to  the  age  of  sixteen  and  afterward  took  an  academic  and  college 
course  in  Coe  College  of  Iowa,  where  he  remained  a  student  for  four  and  a  half  years, 
being  there  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  the  class  of  1909. 
Subsequently  he  spent  three  years  as  a  law  student  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  com- 
pleting his  course  in  1912.  He  worked  his  way  through  Coe  College  by  tutoring  and 
waiting  on  table,  a  laudable  ambition  prompting  him  to  use  every  means  that  would 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  117 

enable  him  to  acquire  his  literary  and  scientific  education  and  thus  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  professional  learning.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Idaho  at  Boise,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1912,  and  has  since  practiced  law  in  this  city,  the  firm  of  Delana  ft  Delana, 
the  senior  partner  being  his  elder  brother,  Elbert  S.  Delana,  being  now  recognized  as 
one  of  the  strong  forces  of  the  Boise  bar.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ada  County  and 
Idaho  State  Bar  Associations. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Delana  has  ever  been  an  earnest  republican,  with  firm 
faith  in  the  principles  of  the  party  as  factors  in  good  government.  He  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  is  also  identified  with  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  connected  with  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  the  nature  of  his  interests  indicates  his  public-spirited  devotion  to  the  general 
good. 


JUDGE  ROBERT  M.  TERRELL. 

Early  choosing  as  a  life  work  cne  of  the  "learned  professions,"  Judge  Robert  M. 
Terrell  has  in  the  practice  of  law  made  steady  advancement,  winning  that  success  which 
depends  entirely  upon  individual  effort  and  capability  and  advancing  step  by  step  until 
he  has  now  won  a  most  creditable  place  as  a  representative  of  Idaho's  judiciary.  He 
was  born  October  24,  1883,  at  Blandville,  Ballard  county,  Kentucky,  and  is  the  youngest 
of  the  eight  children  of  Dr.  James  D.  and  Fannie  A.  (Corbett)  Terrell.  The  father  was 
born  in  Ballard  county,  Kentucky,  December  8,  1830,  and  was  the  seventh  child  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children  born  to  Thomas  S.  and  Margaret  N.  (Meriwether)  Terrell, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Virginia.  The  great-grandfather  of  the  Judge  in  the 
Terrell  line  was  Jonathan  Terrell.  Dr.  Terrell's  great-grandfather  in  the  maternal  line 
was  Nicholas  Meriwether,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  descendant  of  the  famous  Douglas 
family  of  Scotland.  Thomas  S.  Terrell,  the  grandfather,  was  a  teacher  by  profession 
and  in  1830  removed  to  Ballard  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  passed  away  in  November, 
1843,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  His  son,  Dr.  James  D.  Terrell,  began  business  life 
on  his  own  account  as  a  farmer  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  for  three  years.  He 
then  went  to  Mississippi,  where  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  under  the 
tutelage  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Charles  N.  Terrell,  and  began  the  practice  of  the  profession 
•  in  th.fi  same  state  in  1856.  After  two  years  he  returned  to  Ballard  county,  Kentucky, 
locating  at  Blandville,  where  he  practiced  for  twenty-eight  years,  being  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  that  section  of  the  state.  On  the  8th  of 
September,  1858,  he  married  Sarah  J.  Wilds,  daughter  of  G.  B.  and  Mary  E.  (Meri- 
wether) Wilds,  of  Mississippi.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  Charles  N.  and  Annie 
L.,  both  now  deceased.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  March,  1863,  when  but 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  in  March,  1864,  Dr.  Terrell  wedded  Fannie  A.  Corbett, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  S.  (Sumner)  Corbett.  To  them  were  born  the  following 
named:  Lucien  B.,  now  deceased;  Thomas  F.;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  S.  Peter;  Mrs.  Susan 
H.  Jackson;  Mrs.  Mary  R.  Stapp;  Margaret  B.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Annie  C.  Wilty;  James 
R.;  Francis  Corbett;  and  Robert  M.  The  eldest  son,  Thomas  F.  Terrell,  has  served  as 
lieutenant  governor  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  while  Francis  Corbett  Terrell  was  a  prominent 
officer  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  New  York  city,  but  is  now  engaged  in 
the  retail  shoe  business  at  Pocatello.  The  death  of  the  husband  and  father  occurred  in 
1910  and  following  his  demise  the  family  with  two  exceptions,  Thomas  F.  and  Robert 
M.  Terrell  being  already  in  the  west,  removed  to  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where  they  have  since 
resided. 

In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  Robert  M.  Terrell  attended  Blandville  Baptist 
College  and  later  spent  a  brief  period  studying  law  at  Central  University  in  Danville. 
Kentucky.  In  1906  he  located  at  Pocatello  permanently  and  the  day  after  his  arrival 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  this  city.  Within  a  short  time  he  was  appointed 
assistant  city  attorney  and  upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  that  ofHce  in  May,  1907, 
he  resumed  the  private  practice  of  law  in  connection  with  Colonel  H»  V.  A.  Ferguson.  In 
the  fall  of  1908  he  was  elected  county  attorney  and  in  the  fall  of  1910  was  chosen  to  aid 
in  shaping  the  laws  of  the  commonwealth,  being  elected  a  representative  from  his  dis- 
trict to  the  eleventh  Idaho  legislature.  He  resigned  his  legislative  position  to  accept 
the  office  of  county  attorney  and  on  the  17th  of  February,  1917,  was  appointed  district 
Judge  pursuant  to  an  act  of  the  legislature  giving  the  fifth  judicial  district  an  additional 
judge.  He  was  elected  to  the  same  position  in  1918  and  is  now  serving  on  the  bench. 


118  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Devotedly  attached  to  his  profession,  systematic  and  methodical  in  habit,  sober  and 
discreet  in  judgment,  calm  in  temper,  diligent  in  research,  conscientious  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty,  courteous  and  kind  in  demeanor  and  inflexibly  just  on  all  occasions,  these 
qualities  have  enabled  him  to  take  first  rank  among  those  who  represent  the  judiciary  of 
Idaho. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1911,  Judge  Terrell  was  married  to  Miss  Ollie  Elizabeth 
Rupbel,  a  daughter  of  Phillip  H.  and  Elizabeth  Ruebel,  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  They 
have  become  the  parents  of  one  son,  Robert  Marshall,  Jr.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Terrell  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  he  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Rotary  Club,  the  Commercial  Club  and  the  Poca- 
tello  Golf  and  Country  Club.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  democrat  and  in  1916  and 
1917  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Pocatello  board  of  education  and  was  a  member  of 
the  state  board  of  education  at  time  of  appointment  as  district  judge.  He  belongs  to  the 
District,  State  and  American  Bar  Associations  and  enjoys  the  high  esteem  and  confidence 
of  his  brethren  of  the  legal  profession,  for  he  is  at  all  times  most  careful  to  conform 
his  practice  to  the  highest  professional  ethics  and  standards.  He  enjoys  outdoor  sports, 
especially  those  of  an  athletic  nature.  He  is  a  believer  in  the  west  and  its  opportunities 
and  Pocatello  is  fortunate  in  gaining  as  a  citizen  one  who  is  so  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  desire  to  aid  in  the  advancement  of  the  community  and  uphold  its  legal  and  moral 
status. 


MRS.  MOLLIE   EMILY   SARGENT. 

Mrs.  Mollie  Emily  Sargent,  one  of  the  well  known  pioneer  women  of  South  Boise, 
who  resides  in  a  beautiful  residence  of  the  rustic  cobblestone  style  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Woodbine  avenue,  was  born  in  Oregon  but  has  spent  nearly  her  entire 
life  in  Idaho.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  M.  Stockton  and  his  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  Farris,  and  both  her  father  and  mother  died  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Sargent  in  South  Boise  in  recent  years,  the  mother  passing  away  August 
24,  1916,  while  the  father  survived  only  until  April  1,  1917.  He  was  eighty-one  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death,  while  his  wife  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  William  M.  Stockton  and  Nancy  Farris  were  married  in  the  state  of  Iowa  early 
in  the  '60s  and  about  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  they  made  the  journey  across  the 
plains  with  a  large  wagon  train,  numbering  more  than  one  hundred  men,  many  with 
their  families.  Mr.  Stockton  acted  as  captain  of  this  train,  which  crossed  Idaho  and 
went  on  into  Oregon.  Mr.  Stockton  and  his  wife  located  just  over  the  line  in  Oregon, 
near  Lewiston,  Idaho,  and  when  their  daughter  Mollie  was  a  little  child  they  removed 
with  their  family  to  Idaho  and  spent  a  few  years  at  Boise,  Mrs.  Sargent  acquiring 
her  early  schooling  in  the  capital  city.  When  she  was  twelve  years  of  age  her  parents 
removed  to  Nevada  but  after  four  years  returned  to  Idaho.  At  a  later  period  the 
Stockton  family  lived  at  Silver  City  for  a  time  and  also  at  Weiser. 

While  there  residing  Mollie  Stockton  was  first  married  and  by  that  marriage  has 
two  sons,  Reginald  W.  Leonard  and  W.  Vernon  Leonard,  both  of  whom  are  graduate 
mining  engineers,  constituting  the  Leonard  Engineering  Company  of  Boise,  doing  min- 
ing engineering  and  assaying.  Reginald  Leonard  saw  fourteen  .months'  service  in  France 
as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-seventh  United  States  Engineers. 

It  was  after  the  marriage  of  their  daughter  Mollie  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stockton 
removed  to  the  present  site  of  Glenns  Ferry,  Idaho,  thirty-one  years  ago.  Her  father 
preempted  land  on  which  Glenns  Ferry  is  built,  securing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
He  laid  out  the  town  and  there  he  and  his  wife  resided  until  they  had  reached  the 
evening  of  life,  when  they  came  to  Boise  to  spend  their  last  days  in  the  home  of 
their  daughter. 

For  five  years  Mrs.  Sargent  was  postmistress  of  Glenns  Ferry,  under  appointment 
of  President  Roosevelt  and  afterward  of  President  Taft.  By  her  second  marriage  she 
became  the  mother  of  two  daughters:  Mrs.  Freda  Adams,  now  of  Pocatello,  Idaho;  and 
Mrs.  Nance  Laurene  Farley,  living  at  Prairie,  Elmore  county,  Idaho.  The  former  is 
the  wife  of  Len  Adams  and  the  latter  of  Allen  C.  Farley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  have 
one  son,  James  McEwen,  born  June  14,  1919,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farley  have  a  son, 
Keith  Cleveland,  horn  July  19,  1917.  These  two  grandchildren  are  the  delight  of 
Mrs.  Sargent. 

Keenly  interested  in  community  affairs,  Mrs.  Sargent  is  a  member  of  the  South  Side 


MRS.  MOLLIE  E.  SARGENT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  121 

Improvement  Club  of  Boise.  She  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church  and  she  also  has 
membership  with  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  the  ladies'  auxiliary  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
Her  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party.  Her  home  in  South  Boise  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  suburban  residences  of  the  state.  It  is  built  of  cobblestones  in  a 
most  artistic  design  and  stands  in  the  midst  of  three  acres  of  ground,  beautifully 
laid  out  in  lawns  and  adorned  with  shrubbery,  flowers  and  gardens  and  also  supplied 
with  much  fruit. 

Mrs.  Sargent  has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  an  old  colonial  ancestry,  for  she  is  a 
descendant  in  direct  line  of  Richard  K.  Stockton,  who  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  family  has  always  been  noted  for  loyalty  and  devotion 
to  country  and  the  same  quality  was  manifest  in  her  son,  who  joined  the  army  for 
service  in  the  World  war.  She  has  one  brother,  Charles  W.  Stockton,  who  is  a  prom- 
inent lawyer  of  New  York  city  and  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Wells  Fargo  Express 
Company.  He  and  Mrs.  Sargent  are  the  only  survivors  of  the  family  of  William  Stock- 
ton. From  pioneer  times  Mrs.  Sargent  has  now  made  her  home  in  the  northwest  and 
has  been  an  interested  witness  of  the  changes  that  have  occurred  and  the  transforma- 
tion that  has  been  wrought.  She  has  prospered  by  reason  of  judicious  investments  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  a  large  amount  of  realty  at  Glenns  Ferry,  including  over  one  hundred 
improved  lots,  constituting  a  part  of  the  old  Stockton  homestead  there.  Her  memory 
forms  a  connecting  link  between  the  primitive  past  and  the  progressive  present,  and 
her  stories  of  the  early  days  are  most  interesting  and  instructive.  As  the  years  have 
passed  she  has  reared  a  family  who  are  indeed  a  credit  to  her,  both  sons  and  daughters 
having  made  for  themselves  an  enviable*  position  and  name. 


JOHN  SCOTT  SPRINGER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  John  Scott  Springer,  for  fourteen  years  a  practitioner  of  medicine  and  surgery 
in  Idaho  and  since  1907  a  representative  of  the  profession  in  Boise,  was  born  on  a  farm 
near  the  village  of  Nelson,  Halton  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  15,  1878.  His  parents, 
David  Warren  and  Elizabeth  Ann  (Ghent)  Springer,  are  also  natives  of  the  province  of 
Ontario,  although  both  are  representatives  of  families  founded  in  Delaware  during  the 
epoch  of  early  settlement  in  America.  David  W.  Springer  devoted  practically  his  entire 
life  to  farming,  thus  providing  for  the  support  of  his  family,  numbering  wife  and  four- 
teen children,  of  whom  Dr.  Springer  was  the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth.  Five  sons  and 
five  daughters  of  the  family  are  still  living.  The  father  died  in  February,  1919,  and 
the  mother  in  April,  1914.  They  were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  Dr.  Springer  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Wutertown,  Ontario,  passing  through  consecutive  grades  to  bis  graduation  from  the 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1898.  He  then  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which 
he  followed  for  three  years  in  Ontario,  but  regarded  this  merely  as  an  initial  step  to 
other  professional  labor  and  began  preparation  for  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery 
as  a  student  in  the  Toronto  Medical  College,  where  he  completed  his  course  and  won 
his  degree  in  1905.  Attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  west,  he  made  his 
way  to  Emmett,  Canyon  county,  Idaho,  where  he  practiced  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
spent  eight  months  in  post-graduate  work  in  Chicago.  Upon  his  return  to  Idaho  he 
opened  an  office  in  Boise,  where  he  entered  into  active  practice  with  his  elder  brother, 
Dr.  Warren  David  Springer,  an  association  that  was  maintained  until  the  brother's 
death  in  October,  1909.  Dr.  John  S.  Springer  has  since  remained  alone  in  practice  and 
has  served  as  surgeon  for  the  Idaho  &  Oregon  Railroad  and  for  all  the  electric  inter- 
urban  railway  lines  entering  the  city.  In  addition  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  private  prac- 
tice, which  has  been  characterized  by  the  most  careful  diagnosis  of  his  cases  and  by  the 
conscientious  performance  of  every  professional  duty. 

On  the  29th  of  September.  1909,  Dr.  Springer  was  married  to  Miss  Neva  Rice,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Idaho,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  state, 
Frederick  G.  Rice,  who  passed  away  in  May,  1909.  Mrs.  Springer  is  well  known  in  the 
social  activities  of  Boise.  Dr.  Springer  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  his 
public-spirited  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  capital  is  manifest  through  his  active  co- 
operation with  that  organization.  He  votes  with  the  republican  party  and  fraternally 
is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  of  the  thirty-second  degree  and  also  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  Ha  likewise  has  membership  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 


122  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

along  strictly  professional  lines  with  the  Ada  County  Medical  Society,  the  Idaho  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  thus  keeping  in  touch  with  the 
trend  of  modern  professional  thought,  research  and  scientific  investigation. 


CLARENCE  E.  CROWLEY. 

Clarence  E.  Crowley,  who  for  nine  years  has  been  an  able  attorney  at  law  of  Idaho 
Falls,  having  in  1911  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  was  born  in  Ogden,  Utah,  February  13, 
1881,  and  is  a  son  of  S.  G.  Crowley,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  was  but  five 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  pursued  his  early 
education,  while  later  he  attended  the  high  school  of  his  native  city.  He  afterward  spent 
two  years  in  filling  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  Upon  his  return  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which 
he  followed  from  1900  until  1908,  being  principal  of  the  schools  at  lona  throughout  that 
entire  period.  He  developed  the  school  system  from  a  common  mixed  school  with  two 
teachers  to  a  graded  school  with  five  assistant  teachers  and  his  contribution  to  the 
educational  progress  of  the  region  was  most  valuable  and  marked.  He  also  farmed 
through  the  summer  seasons  and  assisted  in  the  building  of  the  canals  which  have  done 
so  much  for  the  development  of  the  region. 

His  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  worth  and  ability,  called  him  to  public 
office,  electing  him  to  the  position  of  collector  and  assessor  of  Bingham  county,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  in  1909  and  1910.  In  the  meantime  he  began  reading  law  under  the 
direction  of  local  attorneys  and  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  the  mastery  of  Kent,  Black- 
stone  and  other  commentaries  from  1905  until  1911,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  has  since  been  engaged  in  active  practice  and  he  possesses  a  large  law  library,  with 
the  contents  of  which  he  is  widely  familiar.  He  is  now  accorded  a  liberal  clientage 
which  connects  him  with  much  of  the  important  litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  his 
district.  He  is  also  connected  with  several  different  corporations  and  he  has  controlled 
farming  interests  until  a  recent  date  and  now  owns  considerable  town  property. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1901,  Mr.  Crowley  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Olmstead  and 
to  them  have  been  born  eight  children:  Clarence  E.,  Jr.,  who  is  seventeen  years  of  age; 
Victor  L.,  a  youth  of  sixteen;  Ariel  L.,  who  has  reached  the  age  of  fourteen;  Byron, 
who  is  twelve  years  old;  Newell  S.,  a  lad  of  ten;  and  Madge,  Oliver  and  Afton,  who  are 
eight,  six  and  three  years  of  age  respectively. 

Politically  Mr.  Crowley  is  a  republican  and  at  one  time  was  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  district  judge  but  was  defeated  by  Judge  Gwinn.  His  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  he  is  one  of  the  council  of  seven 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Quorum  of  Seventy.  He  has  been  a  teacher  in  the 
Sunday  school  and  throughout  his  life  has  been  an  active  church  worker,  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  church  and  extend  the  moral  development  of  the 
community. 


BENJAMIN  F.  WILSON. 

Benjamin  F.  Wilson,  a  resident  of  Burley,  where  he  is  filling  the  position  of  county 
auditor  of  Cassia  county,  was  born  at  Eden,  Utah,  July  15,  1872,  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Anna  (Blood)  Wilson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Lincolnshire,  England.  The  father 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  made  his  way 
across  the  country  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  after  having  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing 
vessel  which  was  three  months  upon  the  briny  deep  before  reaching  the  harbor  of  New 
Orleans.  From  the  Crescent  city  he  made  his  way  up  the  Mississippi  river,  landing  at 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  and  thence  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  attracted  by  the  discovery 
of  gold  there  in  1849.  He  afterward  removed  to  St.  George,  Utah,  where  he  followed 
farming,  and  subsequently  became  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City.  He  assisted  in  the 
settlement  and  colonizing  of  the  state  at  various  points,  residing  for  a  time  at  Eden, 
Utah,  and  afterward  at  Five  Points,  near  Ogden.  In  1882  he  came  to  Idaho  and  home- 
steaded  at  Oakley,  Cassia  county.  Here  he  bent  his  energies  to  the  development  and 
improvement  of  a  farm,  upon  which  he  continued  to  reside  throughout  the  remainder 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  123 

of  his  life,  passing  away  in  1899,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  The 
mother  survived  until  1912  and  was  seventy-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise. 

Benjamin  F.  Wilson  was  reared  in  Utah  to  the  age  of  ten  years  and  then  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Oakley,  Idaho,  where  the  family  were  among  the  first  settlers. 
He  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state  and  in  the  Brigham  Young 
University  and  in  the  Latter-day  Saints  University.  He  also  attended  the  University  of 
Utah  and  thus  acquired  a  liberal  education.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  teaching  school 
at  Vineyard,  Utah,  and  later  he  became  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  at  Oakley, 
Idaho,  remaining  in  charge  for  five  years.  He  was  principal  of  the  North  Oakley  school 
for  seven  years  and  also  had  charge  of  other  schools,  devoting  fifteen  years  in  all  to  the 
profession  of  teaching,  in  which  connection  he  proved  most  capable,  imparting  readily 
and  clearly  to  others  the  knowledge  that  he  had  acquired.  He  was  then  appointed  rural 
mail  carrier  out  of  Burley  and  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  that  connection.  On  the  5th 
of  November,  1918,  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office,  becoming  the  auditor  of  Cassia 
county,  in  which  position  he  has  made  an  excellent  record  by  the  thorough  and  efficient 
manner  in  which  he  discharges  his  duties.  He  is  prompt  and  systematic  in  performing 
every  task  that  devolves  upon  him  and  all  who  know  aught  of  his  official  career  speak 
of  him  in  commendable  terms.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party. 

In  1905  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Hawkins,  a  native  of  Utah  and  a 
daughter  of  Eli  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Humphrey)  Hawkins.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have 
become  the  parents  of  three  children:  James  F.,  Ronald  B.  and  Karl  J.  The  family 
occupies  a  nice  home  at  Burley. 


HON.  HAL  N.  COFFIN. 

Hon.  Hal  N.  Coffin  is  now  living  retired  in  Boise  after  long  years  of  active  connec- 
tion with  banking  interests  and  with  official  service,  in  which  connection  he  reached 
the  position  of  state  treasurer.  He  was  born  at  Annapolis,  Parke  county,  Indiana, 
March  13,  1849.  His  father  Hon.  William  G.  Coffin,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  became 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Parke  county,  Indiana,  and  his  dominant  qualities  brought 
him  to  a  position  of  leadership  in  public  affairs.  He  represented  his  county  in  the  state 
legislature  for  many  years  and  was  a  friend  and  political  colleague  of  O.  P.  Morton  and 
Henry  S.  Lane.  Becoming  identified  with  the  republican  party  on  its  organization,  he 
was  recognized  as  one  of  its  leading  representatives  in  1856  and  in  1860,  when  he  made 
campaign  speeches  throughout  Indiana,  Illinois  and  other  states,  supporting  Lincoln 
in  the  latter  year.  As  early  as  1840  he  had  been  in  active  campaign  work  in  his  con- 
gressional district  in  support  of  William  Henry  Harrison.  He  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  to  the  office  of  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
Colorado  and  the  Indian  Territory.  This  necessitated  his  removal  to  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  where  he  resided  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  discharging  the  duties 
of  his  position  in  a  most  competent  manner.  He  continued  his  residence  in  Leaven- 
worth  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  notable  old 
age  of  ninety-eight  years.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Semirah  (Hunt)  Coffin,  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years.  Of  their  family  of  eleven  children,  Hal  N.  was  the  eighth  in  order 
of  birth.  Of  this  family  three  daughters  and  two  sons  are  yet  living,  the  three  sisters 
being  residents  of  Kansas,  while  the  two  sons,  Charles  S.  and  Hal  N.,  are  in  Boise. 

The  latter  spent  his  youth  in  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  state  and  in  the  Bloomingdale  Academy  of  Parke  county,  Indiana.  He 
was  offered  an  appointment  to  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  but 
his  father  would  not  let  him  accept  it.  While  yet  a  mere  youth  he  became  a  messenger 
boy  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  thus  made  his  initial  step 
in  the  direction  of  his  life's  labors,  which  were  destined  to  bring  him  notable  success 
as  the  result  of  his  close  application,  indefatigable  energy  and  persistency  of  purpose. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  bank  and  the  son  during  his  connection  there- 
with won  several  promotions  and  gained  broad  experience.  Later  he  spent  six  years 
in  the  National  Bank  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  and  for  fourteen  years  was  in  the  state 
treasurer's  office  at  Topeka,  holding  various  responsible  positions  until  he  had  reached 
that  of  assistant  state  treasurer.  He  was  in  the  office  under  five  different  state  treas- 
urers— a  fact  indicative  of  his  loyalty  and  capability  in  the  performance  of  his  duties. 
In  1890,  however,  he  resigned  his  position  there  and  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  For  ten  years  he  was  the  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boise 


124  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  afterward  assisted  in  organizing  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  of  which  he  became  the 
cashier.  Later  he  served  for  two  terms  as  state  treasurer. 

This  was  not  Mr.  Coffin's  initial  experience  in  public  office.  While  in  Kansas  he  had 
served  as  president  of  the  Lawrence  city  council,  was  also  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Topeka  and  has  been  the  president  of  the  city  council  of  Boise.  He  is  a  stalwart 
republican,  unswerving  in  his  loyalty  and  allegiance  to  the  party,  and  his  previous 
record  had  indicated  what  would  be  his  service  in  the  higher  position  to  which  he  was 
called.  Reelection  attested  the  capability  with  which  he  had  discharged  his  duties  as 
state  treasurer.  He  was  also  one  of  the  commissioners  who  adopted  the  plans  for  the 
new  state  house  of  Idaho.  Now  he  is  largely  living  retired,  although  he  still  has 
extensive  ranch  interests  in  both  Idaho  and  California,  and  he  is  the  president  of  the 
California  Land  Company,  which  owns  many  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  Fresno 
county. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1873,  Mr.  Coffin  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Graveley,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  while  they  have  had  no  children  of  their  own,  they  have  reared 
two,  adopting  the  children  of  Mrs.  Coffin's  brother.  These  are:  Mrs.  Emma  Abernathy, 
now  of  San  Francisco;  and  Howard  M.  Graveley,  an  expert  electrical  engineer  who 
served  in  France  with  the  United  States  Signal  Corps. 

Mr.  Coffin  is  identified  with  the  Society  of  Friends  or  Quakers,  with  which  his 
ancestors  have  been  connected  through  generations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Com- 
mercial Club  and  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  Mystic  Shriner,  having  taken  the 
degrees  of  the  commandery  in  Lawrence,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  •  He 
likewise  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  a  charter  member 
of  Lodge  No.  310  of  Boise,  of  which  he  served  as  treasurer  for  many  years.  He  has 
always  been  fond  of  hunting  and  fishing,  to  which  he  turned  for  recreation  in  his 
younger  years.  He  still  maintains  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  and  questions  of  the 
day,  and  though  he  has  retired  from  active  business  life,  he  keeps  in  touch  with  the 
trend  of  modern  thought  and  progress. 


JAMES  HINMOND  HART. 

James  Hinmond  Hart  is  now  living  retired  in  Boise  but  for  many  years  was 
identified  with  its  commercial  interests  and  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  Idaho 
from  pioneer  times  down  to  the  present.  He  came  to  this  state  when  it  was  under 
territorial  rule  in  1861,  removing  to  Idaho  from  Yreka,  California.  Since  1871  he  has 
made  his  home  continuously  in  Boise.  The  story  of  his  life  presents  a  very  accurate 
picture  of  conditions  in  Idaho,  for  he  has  seen  almost  the  entire  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  state  and  has  been  connected  with  many  events  which  now  figure  on  the 
pages  of  Idaho's  history.  He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  May  25,  1834,  and  has  there- 
fore passed  the  eighty-fifth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  is  the  eldest  son  and  the 
second  child  and  also  the  only  living  child  of  John  H.  and  Mildred  (Rosic)  Hart,  the 
former  of  Holland  Dutch  descent,  while  the  latter  was  of  French  lineage.  The  father 
was  born  in  Albany,  New  York,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Richmond,  Virginia. 
John  H.  Hart  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  specialized  in  making  ladies'  fine  shoes. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  New  York  city,  the  former  in  1853  and  the  mother 
much  later,  for  she  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty  years  when  called  to  her  final  rest, 
while  her  husband  was  but  fifty-three  years  of  age. 

James  Hinmond  Hart  of  this  review  was  reared  in  the  eastern  metropolis  and  there 
pursued  his  education.  He  remained  in  New  York  city  until  1855  and  in  his  youth 
learned  the  printer's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  he  attained  his  majority.  He 
then  went  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  attracted  by  the  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast.  It  was  also  gold  discovery  in  Idaho  that  brought  him  to 
this  state  in  1861,  after  he  had  heard  glowing  accounts  of  the  great  gold  returns  to  be 
gotten  from  the  Orofino  mines  near  Pierce.  He  made  the  trip  from  California  to 
Idaho  on  horseback  and  from  the  Orofino  mines  he  went  to  the  Florence  mines  in  the 
Salmon  River  valley.  The  trip  across  took  him  and  his  companions  six  days,  for  they 
traveled  on  foot.  Florence,  Idaho,  is  high  up  among  the  mountains  and  the  snow  often 
remains  upon  the  ground  all  summer.  On  the  3d  of  July,  1862,  Charles  Ostner  made 
out  of  the  snow  in  one  of  the  streets  of  Florence  a  statue  of  George  Washington  and 
it  was  also  Mr.  Ostner  who  carved  out  of  wood  the  equestrian  statue  of  George  Wash- 
ington that  is  now  seen  in  Capitol  Park  in  Boise.  The  prospects  of  both  the  Orofino  and 


2 
- 
y. 


K 

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9 

* 
M 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  127 

Florence  mines  proved  disappointing  and  in  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Hart  went  to  Walla 
Walla,  Washington,  and  while  there  met  other  miners  who  gave  him  glowing  accounts 
of  the  rich  gold  find  lately  discovered  in  the  Boise  River  district.  Accordingly  he  set 
out  for  the  new  mining  region,  where  he  arrived  on  the  14th  of  November,  1862.  The 
place  is  now  known  as  Placerville,  Idaho,  and  there  Mr.  Hart  remained  until  1866,  but 
the  mining  prospects  there  did  not  prove  as  promising  as  anticipated  and  he  turned 
his  attention  to  other  business,  opening  a  barroom  and  soda  water  factory,  the  latter 
being  the  first  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  territory  of  Idaho.  In  May,  1866,  he 
disposed  of  his  commercial  interests  at  Placerville  and  removed  to  Helena,  Montana, 
where  he  built  another  soda  water  factory,  the  first  in  that  place.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  however,  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Helena  and  returned  to  New  York 
city,  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  claiming  the  hand  of  the  sweetheart  of  his  youth.  It 
was  on  the  5th  of  November,  1866,  now  more  than  fifty-three  years  ago,  that  he  wedded 
Eliza  Paynton,  who  was  born  in  New  York  city,  February  3,  1847,  and  since  that  time 
they  have  traveled  life's  journey  happily  together. 

In  1871  Mr.  Hart  again  left  New  York  for  the  west  but  this  time  under  very 
different  circumstances.  The  trip  was  not  attended  with  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  travel  at  the  early  period  in  which  he  first  crossed  the  plains  for  on  this  occasion 
he  and  his  wife  traveled  in  a  Pullman  Palace  car  as  far  as  Kelton,  Utah,  and  from 
that  point  by  stage  coach.  They  made  their  way  direct  to  Boise,  where  they  have 
since  lived,  and  for  the  past  thirty-five  years  the  family  has  had  its  home  on  Bannock 
street  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  present  residence  at  No.  421  Bannock  street, 
which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Hart  in  1900.  Fof  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
fancy  grocery  and  retail  liquor  business  and  also  handled  bakery  goods.  However,  he 
eventually  retired  from  business  several  years  ago  and  is  now  enjoying  well  earned  rest 
in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  on 
the  5th  of  November,  1916,  an  occasion  long  to  be  remembered  by  those  who  participated 
in  it.  They  have  six  living  children  and  have  lost  one.  Those  who  survive  are: 
Minerva,  now  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Kuffe,  of  Boise;  Harriet,  the  wife  of  Bird  Bliss;  James 
H.,  Jr.;  Mildred;  Henry  C. ;  and  Hiram  Abiff.  All  are  residents  of  Boise  and  three  of 
the  number  are  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  also  have  three  grandchildren.  Their 
son.  Henry  C.,  wedded  Emma  Hackney,  of  Portland,  and  they  now  reside  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hart. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hart  has  been  a  lifelong  democrat  and  at  one  time  filled 
the  office  of  city  tax  assessor  for  two  years  but  has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense 
of  office  seeking.  He  is  perhaps  the  oldest  Master  Mason  in  Idaho  who  was  made  a 
member  of  the  fraternity  in  this  state.  He  was  initiated  into  the  order  at  Placerville  on 
the  3d  of  January,  1866,  and  has  since  been  a  loyal  exemplar  of  the  craft.  The  story  of 
his  life  is  an  interesting  one  inasmuch  as  it  pictures  forth  conditions  which  existed  in 
Idaho  in  early  days  and  his  memory  forms  a  connecting  link  between  the  primitive 
past  and  the  progressive  present. 


HENRY  GOODFRIEND,  M.  D. 

Extensive  study  in  America  and  abroad  has  well  qualified  Dr.  Henry  Goodfriend 
for  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  to  which  he  devotes  his  energies  in  Boise. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  January  28,  1876,  one  of  a  family  of  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters  whcse  parents  were  John  Jacob  and  Esther  (Title)  Goodfriend,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Austria.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in  the 
early  '70s,  settling  in  New  York  city,  where  the  father  passed  away  in  1907,  while  the 
mother  survived  until  1911.  Eight  of  their  children  are  still  living,  but  Dr.  Goodfriend 
is  the  only  one  in  Idaho.  He  has  two  brothers  in  New  York  who  are  physicians,  Edward 
and  Nathan  Goodfriend,  both  younger  than  himself. 

Henry  Goodfriend  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  York  city,  attending  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  won  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1897.  He 
obtained  his  professional  degree  from  Columbia  University  in  1901  and  afterward  spent 
a  year  as  an  interne  in  Lebanon  Hospital  and  one  year  in  the  Trudeau  Sanitarium  at 
Saranac  Lake,  New  York,  thus  gaining  broad,  varied  and  valuable  experience.  He 
later  practiced  medicine  for  a  year  in  New  York  city  and  for  two  years  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  in  1907  arrived  in  Idaho.  He  tnen  followed  his  profession  in  Albion  until 
1912,  when  he  sought  the  broader  opportunities  offered  in  Boise  and  through  the  inter- 


128  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

vening  period  has  built  up  an  extensive  practice.  He  has  studied  abroad  in  Vienna, 
Berlin  and  Heidelberg,  making,  eight  different  trips  to  Europe.  He  has  membership  in 
the  South  District  Medical  Association,  of  which  he  is  an  ex-president,  in  the  Idaho 
State  Medical  Association  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 

In  1907  Dr.  Goodfriend  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Iverson,  who  passed  away  a 
few  months  later.  In  September,  1912,  he  wedded  Lois  L.  Little,  of  Boise,  who  was  born 
in  Kansas.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  sought  nor  desired  political  office. 
He  belongs  to  the  Congregational  church  and  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Country  Club  and  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  in  which  associations  are  indicated  the 
interests  of  his  life  and  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct.  He  has  found  his  chief 
recreation  in  travel.  His  life  has  been  actuated  by  a  progressive  spirit  that  has  been 
strongly  manifest  in  his  continued  study  along  professional  lines  that  his  efficiency  as  a 
physician  and  surgeon  may  be  further^  augmented. 


JOSEPH  H.  PETERSON. 

Joseph  H.  Peterson,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Pocatello,  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  eminent  members  of  the  Idaho  bar,  having  served  for  two  terms  as  attorney 
general  of  the  state.  He  was  born  at  Plain  City,  Utah,  May  9,  1880,  and  when  but  four 
years  of  age  was  brought  by  his  parents* to  Idaho  and  in  the  acquirement  of  his  educa- 
tion attended  the  schools  of  Preston.  Later  he  became  a  student  in  the  public  schools 
of  Pocatello,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1897,  and  subsequently  he  spent  three 
years  as  a  student  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  at  Logan,  after  which  he  became  a 
law  student  in  the  George  Washington  University,  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years  and  was  graduated.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  in  1906  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  position  of  assistant  attorney  general  of  the  state.  He  made  so  creditable 
a  record  in  that  connection  and  through  the  private  practice  of  law  that  in  1912,  in 
recognition  of  his  ability,  he  was  elected  attorney  general  and  at  the  close  of  his  first 
term  was  reelected  to  that  position.  He  most  carefully  safeguarded  the  legal  interests 
of  the  commonwealth,  making  a  splendid  record  through  his  two  terms'  connection  with 
the  office.  From  1902  until  1905  he  was  secretary  to  Burton  L.  French,  congressman  at 
large  from  Idaho,  and  in  1917  he  returned  to  Pocatello  to  resume  the  private  practice 
of  law.  He  is  accorded  a  very  liberal  clientage  and  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his 
clients  is  proverbial.  He  has  been  associated  in  his  professional  work  and  in  other 
connections  with  some  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  state  and  was  an  intimate  friend 
and  great  admirer  of  the  late  United  States  Senator  James  H.  Brady.  There  is  perhaps 
no  other  man  who  was  in  closer  touch  with  the  Senator's  great  undertakings  or  was  in 
greater  sympathy  with  his  ambitions.  Therefore  his  loss  to  Mr.  Peterson  is  the  loss 
of  a  true  and  valued  friend. 

In  1910  Mr.  Peterson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eva  Frawley,  of  Boise,  Idaho,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Ben  Stewart  and  John  Harlan.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Peterson  is  a  Mason  and  also  an  Elk.  He  is  keenly  interested  in  all  those  forces 
which  make  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  advancement  of  the  community  and 
has  been  particularly  earnest  in  support  of  war  activities,  serving  as  district  chairman 
for  the  American  Library  Association  for  the  boys  overseas.  He  also  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  Liberty  Loan  drives  and  was  chairman  of  the  second  Red  Cross  drive. 


AUGUST  LEO  HEINE,  M.  D. 

Dr.  August  Leo  Heine,  specializing  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose 
and  throat,  with  offices  in  the  Overland  building  of  Boise,  comes  to  Idaho  from  Nebraska, 
his  birth  having  occurred  at  Hooper,  Dodge  county,  that  state,  on  the  1st  of  October, 
1881.  He  is  the  eldest  son  in  a  family  of  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  whose  father, 
August  J.  Heine,  was  a  ranchman  of  western  Nebraska,  where  he  passed  away  in  1892, 
at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  had  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  Union,  serving  at  the  front  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Pennsyl- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  129 

vania  Volunteer  Infantry.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Anna  Lonnemann, 
is  now  living  at  West  Point,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 

Dr.  Heine  left  Hooper,  Nebraska,  and  removed  with  his  mother  to  West  Point  sub- 
sequent to  the  father's  death,  completing  his  graded  school  work  in  the  latter  town. 
He  afterward  pursued  an  academic  course  in  Josephinum  College  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in 
which  he  spent  three  years  as  a  student,  the  course  being  equivalent  to  that  of  a  high 
school.  In  1900  he  entered  the  Creighton  College  of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  in  which  he 
studied  for  seven  years,  devoting  two  years  to  academic  work  and  five  years  to  the 
medical  course,  which  he  completed  by  graduation  in  1907,  at  which  time  his  profes- 
sional degree  was  conferred  upon  him.  He  later  spent  one  year  as  interne  in  the 
Nordrach  Sanitarium  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  and  in  1909  he  went  to  Chicago, 
where  he  accepted  the  position  of  associate  professor  of  diseases  of  the  throat  and  chest 
in  the  Illinois  Post  Graduate  Medical  College.  A  year  was  there  passed,  during  which 
he  did  post-graduate  work  in  the  Chicago  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat  College.  In  1910 
he  spent  eight  months  in  the  New  York  Post  Graduate  School,  specializing  on  the  eye, 
ear,  nose  and  throat,  and  in  1911  he  came  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  followed  his 
profession.  He  again  pursued  post-graduate  work  in  Memphis  and  in  Chicago  in  1913 
and  in  1915  at  Omaha  and  Chicago.  He  belongs  to  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and 
also  to  the  American  Medical  Association. 

During  his  residence  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  Dr.  Heine  was  a  member  of  the  Second 
Nebraska  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard  for  four  years.  He  is  a  Catholic  in  religious 
faith  and  has  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  his  interest  outside  of  his  profession  is  further 
indicated  in  ihe  fact  that  he  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club  and  of  the  Country 
Club. 


GENERAL  GEORGE  H.  ROBERTS. 

General  George  H.  Roberts,  for  many  years  an  active  practitioner  at  the  bar  but 
now  living  retired  in  Boise,  who  has  served  as  attorney  general  of  two  different  states 
and  was  brevetted  a  brigadier  general  of  the  Union  army  at  the  close  of  his  service  in 
the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  July  13,  1841.  In  the  paternal 
line  he  comes  of  Welsh  ancestry,  being  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Roberts,  who  came  from 
Cardoan,  Wales,  to  the  new  world  about  the  time  that  William  Penn  founded  his  colony 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Mr.  Roberts  made  the  trip  to  the  new  world  at  the  per- 
sonal request  and  solicitation  of  William  Penn,  of  whom  he  was  a  friend.  He  purchased 
of  Penn  four  thousand  acres  of  land,  on  part  of  which  the  city  of  Philadelphia  now 
stands.  The  late  Lord  Roberts,  field  marshal  of  England,  came  of  the  same  family. 
The  father  of  General  Roberts  was  George  H.  Roberts,  one  of  Philadelphia's  leading 
hardware  merchants  and  importers  for  more  than  forty  years.  The  Roberts  family 
has  been  prominent  in  the  business  life  and  public  interests  of  Philadelphia  since  it 
was  founded  and  its  representatives  have  served  the  country  in  all  of  the  American 
wars.  Thomas  Roberts,  progenitor  of  the  family  in  the  United  States,  was  the  first 
secretary  of  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania  and  he  endowed  a  school  at  Germantown, 
Pennsylvania,  providing  that  only  Welsh  should  be  taught. 

General  Roberts  of  this  review  pursued  his  education  in  the  Friends'  Central  high 
school  of  Philadelphia  and  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1861  he  Joined  the 
Union  army  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant,  and  served 
during  the  entire  four  years  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south.  He  won 
various  promotions  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  a  brigadier  general  by  brevet.  At 
Gettysburg  he  was  captured  but  was  afterward  paroled.  When  the  country  no  longer 
needed  his  military  aid  he  went  to  the  territory  of  Montana  as  superintendent  for  a 
mining  company  and  established  the  first  quartz  mill  within  the  borders  of  the  terri- 
tory. After  a  year  there  passed  he  returned  to  the  east,  going  to  San  Francisco  and 
thence  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  New  York.  In  1867  he  located  in  Ne- 
braska City,  Nebraska,  for  the  practice  of  law  and  two  years  later  he  was  elected  the 
first  attorney  general  of  that  state,  in  which  position  he  was  continued  for  three  con- 
secutive terms,  his  elections  coming  to  him  as  a  candidate  of  the  republican  party. 
During  his  incumbency  in  office  he  made  his  home  in  Lincoln. 

In  1883  General  Roberts  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Hailey,  where  he  was  attorney 
for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  He  afterward  served  for  one  term  as  district 


130  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

attorney  at  Hailey  and  while  a  resident  of  that  place  he  was  for  a  time  the  law  partner 
of  James  H.  Hawley,  afterward  governor  of  Idaho.  In  1890,  when  Idaho  became  a 
state,  General  Roberts  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  attorney  general,  as  he  had 
been  in  Nebraska,  and  occupied  the  office  for  a  term.  Since  1890  he  has  lived  in  Boise 
and  following  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  has  given  his  attention  to  various 
mining  properties  in  which  he  is  interested.  Otherwise  he  has  retired  from  business 
life.  He  has  always  been  a  keen  student  of  political  questions  and  situations  and 
wherever  he  has  lived  has  become  a  recognized  leader  of  his  party.  He  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  having  served  both  Nebraska  and  Idaho  as  the  first  attorney  general 
but  has  never  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  office  since  his  retirement  from 
the  attorney  generalship  of  Idaho.  In  1904,  however,  he  was  chosen  by  Governor 
Gooding  to  represent  Idaho  on  the  staff  of  General  Chaffee,  grand  marshal  of  the 
Roosevelt  inaugural  parade  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  went  to  the  capital  for  that 
purpose. 

In  Peoria,  Illinois,  on  the  9th  of  May,  1865,  General  Roberts  was  married  to  Julia 
Culbertson,  a  daughter  of  Major  Alexander  Culbertson,  managing  partner  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  in  his  day  one  of  the  best  known 
business  men  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  General  and  Mrs.  Roberts  have  three  living 
children:  Margaret  S.;  Caroline,  now  the  wife  of  W.  O.  Taylor,  of  Twin  Falls,  Idaho; 
and  Alexander  Culbertson,  a  well  known  insurance  man  of  Spokane,  Washington.  The 
daughter  Margaret  has  served  for  six  years  as  secretary  of  the  Free  Traveling  Library 
of  Idaho. 

General  Roberts  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  also  has  mem- 
bership with  the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks  and  he  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  He  is  interested  in  all  the  questions  which  are  a 
matter  of  public  concern  and  his  close  study  and  sound  judgment  regarding  such 
matters  have  placed  him  in  a  position  of  leadership.  He  has  done  much  to  mold  public 
thought  and  action  and  his  aid  and  influence  have  ever  been  on  the  side  of  progress 
and  improvement,  while  his  efforts  have  brought  about  tangible  and  beneficial  results. 


NATHAN   RICKS. 

Nathan  Ricks  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Rex- 
burg  and,  moreover,  is  a  representative  of  a  family  that  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  west  for  many  years.  He  was 
born  in  Centerville,  Davis  county,  Utah,  January  17,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Joel  and 
Eleanor  (Martin)  Ricks,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky  but  in  1848  crossed  the  plains 
to  Utah,  driving  sheep  and  cattle  along  the  way  as  they  journeyed  westward.  They 
settled  at  Centerville,  Davis  county,  where  Mr.  Ricks  operated  a  sawmill  in  1848. 
In  1849  he  settled  on  land  and  began  its  development  and  improvement.  His  claim 
was  situated  along  a  little  creek,  which  is  still  called  Ricks  creek.  He  continued  the 
improvement  of  his  farm  until  1859,  when  he  removed  to  Logan,  Cache  county,  Utah, 
and  there  bought  other  land  which  he  successfully  cultivated  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  He  passed  away  in  Logan  in  December,  1888,  while  the  mother 
died  on  the  18th  of  February,  1882. 

Nathan  Ricks  began  his  education  in  Davis  county,  Utah,  but  was  only  six  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  Logan,  Cache  county,  where  he  continued  His 
studies.  His  father  built  the  first  log  cabin  in  the  city  of  Logan,  and  the  family 
shared  in  all  of  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life.  Nathan  Ricks  con- 
tinued with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  when  he 
took  up  farming  on  his  own  account  by  purchasing  land  seven  miles  from  Logan,  in 
Benson  ward.  He  then  bent  his  energies  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  year  after  year 
gathered  good  crops  until  May,  1888,  when  he  removed  to  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  set- 
tling at  Rexburg  in  that  part  which  is  now  Madison  county.  He  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  of  Rexburg  and  this  he  improved  and  has  since 
cultivated,  transforming  it  into  rich  and  productive  fields.  He  also  owns  a  section  of 
dry  farming  land  thirty  miles  from  Rexburg,  and  his  four  sons  also  own  land  in 
the  same  locality  and  are  still  operating-  their  respective  properties.  For  twenty 
years,  or  until  1916,  Nathan  Ricks  was  engaged  in  sheep  raising  and  still  has  an 
interest  in  the  Austin  Brothers  Sheep  company.  Turning  his  attention  to  other  lines, 
he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Rexburg,  of 


NATHAN  RICKS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  133 

which  he  is  now  the  vice  president.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  department  store  of  the  Henry  Flamm  Company  of  Rexburg,  and  his  business 
interests  are  of  such  a  nature  and  extent  that  he  is  now  deriving  therefrom  a  very 
substantial  income.  While  an  active  factor  in  sheep  raising  he  made  a  specialty  of 
handling  pure  bred  Cotswold  sheep  and  became  known  as  one  of  the  prominent  sheep- 
men of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  also  owns  five  acres  of  land  in  Rexburg,  where 
he  resides,  and  in  the  early  days  he  lived  in  a  log  cabin  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
has  gone  through  all  of  the  experiences  of  frontier  life  and  has  lived  to  win  a  sub- 
stantial measure  of  prosperity  as  the  direct  reward  and  outcome  of  his  industry  and 
perseverance. 

On  the  14th  of  November,  1879,  Mr.  Ricks  was  married  to  Sarah  Ann  Taylor  and 
to  them  were  born  six  children:  N.  Ray,  Eva  A.,  Eleanor  T.,  Mary  E.,  Alfred  T.  and 
Joel  E.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  May  2,  1890,  and  Mr.  Ricks  was  again 
married  on  the  18th  of  July,  1891,  to  Janet  McKinley.  They  have  become  the  -parents 
of  seven  children:  Carl  V.,  Edna  I.,  Owen  R.,  Sarah  J.,  Agnes,  Francis  S.  and  Thora  E. 
The  eldest  died  September  12,  1904,  but  the  others  are  all  living. 

Mr.  Ricks  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He 
filled  a  two  years'  mission  in  New  Zealand  from  1881  until  1883  and  in  1916  went 
back  there  on  a  visit.  He  is  now  second  counselor  to  President  Austin  of  the  Fremont 
stake  and  for  nineteen  years  he  was  counselor  to  Bishop  Thomas  E.  Ricks  of  the 
first  ward.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest  republican  and  served  for  one  term  as  state 
representative  from  Fremont  county.  Following  the  division  of  the  county  he  was 
chosen  state  senator  from  Madison  county  and  has  thus  been  connected  with  both 
branches  of  the  general  assembly,  where  his  support  of  progressive  public  measures 
established  his  position  and  value  as  a  citizen. 


WILLIAM  A.  BRADBURY. 

William  A.  Bradbury,  mayor  of  Idaho  Falls  and  president  of  the  Bonneville  Ab- 
stract Company,  was  born  in  Dixon,  Illinois,  January  25,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Josiah 
and  Mindwell  B.  (Proctor)  Bradbury  who  were  natives  of  Maine.  The  father  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  until  1855,  when  he  went  to  Lee 
county,  Illinois,  and  there  carried  on  farming  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
when,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  he  enlisted  on  the  2d  of  September,  1862,  as  a 
member  of  Company  A,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Infantry.  On  account  of  illness  he  was 
discharged  in  August,  1863,  and  sent  home,  his  death  occurring  soon  afterward.  His 
widow  survived  until  1886. 

William  A.  Bradbury  was  reared  and  educated  in  Iowa,  to  which  state  the  mother 
removed  with  her  family  after  the  father's  death.  She  had  eleven  children,  one  of 
whom  passed  away  in  Illinois.  The  family  settled  at  State  Center,  Iowa,  and  after 
completing  his  education  William  A.  Bradbury  took  up  the  drug  trade  and  became 
a  registered  pharmacist  in  Nebraska  and  also  in  Idaho.  He  did  not  like  the  business, 
however,  and  in  1884  went  to  southwestern  Nebraska,  where  he  took  up  land  and 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  interests,  cultivating  and  improving  his  Jarm, 
which  he  continued  to  operate  until  1891,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
clerk  of  Frontier  county,  Nebraska.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for  two  terms  and 
afterward  occupied  the  position  of  head  clerk  in  the  state  treasurer's  office  for  two 
years.  He  then  returned  home  and  was  for  two  years  engaged  in  merchandising  at 
Stockville,  Nebraska. 

In  1901  Mr.  Bradbury  came  to  Idaho  Falls  and  for  a  time  was  connected  with 
various  business  interests.  He  acted  as  cashier  in  the  Anderson  Brothers  Bank  at 
Rigby,  Idaho,  and  also  clerked  in  drug  stores  at  various  places.  In  1906,  associated 
with  others,  he  bought  out  the  Bingham  Abstract  Company  and  when  the  business  was 
reorganized  the  name  of  the  Bonneville  Abstract  Company  was  assumed  and  Mr.  Brad- 
bury has  since  been  the  president  and  active  manager  of  the  business,  which  he  has 
developed  to  large  proportions.  The  company  now  has  an  extensive  clientage  and  the 
business  under  the  control  of  Mr.  Bradbury  has  assumed  large  and  profitable  propor- 
tions. He  also  owns  farm  lands  in  Bonneville  county  and  has  prospered  during  the 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  west. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1886,  Mr.  Bradbury  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Medbury  and 
to  them  have  been  born  four  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Catherine,  who  was  born 


134  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

January  18,  1890,  passed  away  September  14,  1903.  Alice  I.  born  December  23,  1893, 
is  at  home.  In  May,  1919  she  was  graduated  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  as  a  registered 
nurse.  Paul,  born  January  26,  1897,  enlisted  on  the  26th  of  June,  1916,  as  a  member 
of  Company  M,  Second  Idaho  Infantry,  and  served  on  the  Mexican  border  until  Jan- 
uary 26,  1917.  On  the  26th  of  March  of  the  same  year  he  was  called  out  again  and 
did  duty  in  guarding  the  bridge  in  Spokane  until  October  21,  1917.  He  was  then  sent 
to  Camp  Mills  and  on  the  10th  of 'January,  1918,  embarked  for  France,  being  stationed 
in  the  First  Depot  Division  in  that  country.  He  left  France  on  the  15th  of  February, 
1919,  and  was  discharged  at  Camp  Funston,  Kansas,  March  7,  1919.  He  was  a  ser- 
geant while  in  France  and  on  the  Mexican  border  served  as  corporal.  Donald  J.,  born 
February  18,  1901,  enlisted  December  14,  1917,  with  the  Twenty-eighth  Balloon  Com- 
pany and  was  stationed  at  Aberdeen,  Maryland,  being  discharged  at  Fort  D.  A.  Russell 
at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  June  18,  1919. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  fraternally 
Mr.  Bradbury  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Masons  and  in  the  last  named  organization  has  attained  high  rank,  being  past  high 
priest  of  the  chapter  and  past  eminent  commander  of  the  commandery,  and  he  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  dem- 
ocratic party  and  he  has  been  called  to  fill  various  offices.  He  served  on  the  school 
board  for  ten  consecutive  years  and  did  active  and  effective  work  in  behalf  of  the 
school  system.  He  was  for  three  terms  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  in  the  fall 
of  1917  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  fourteenth  general  assembly  of  Idaho. 
He  was  elected  mayor  of  Idaho  Falls  in  April,  1919,  and  is  now  its  chief  executive 
officer,  bringing  to  bear  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties  the  same  substantial  qual- 
ities that  he  has  displayed  in  the  conduct  of  private  business  interests.  He  is  seek- 
ing to  uphold  in  highest  measure  the  civic  standards  and  civic  ideals  of  Idaho  Falls 
and  gives  to  the  city  an  administration  in  which  he  avoids  useless  expenditure  and 
equally  useless  retrenchment. 


GEORGE  W.  FLETCHER. 

George  W.  Fletcher,  deceased,  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  and  ability  upon 
the  history  of  Boise  and  the  state.  He  figured  prominently  in  connection  with  financial, 
business  and  fraternal  interests  and  his  personal  qualities,  his  sterling  worth,  his  initia- 
tive and  enterprise  in  business,  made  him  one  of  the  substantial  and  highly  honored, 
residents  of  the  capital.  He  was  born  in  Forestville,  Minnesota,  March  6,  1858,  the 
only  child  of  Francis  Fletcher,  now  a  venerable  resident  of  Boise,  who  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  is  still  active  and  vigorous  despite  his  more  than  four  score  years.  He  is  a 
Civil  war  veteran  and  during  the  early  days  of  Idaho's  development  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  state  legislature  from  Washington  county.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mary  Ann  Brooks,  died  in  Boise  a  few  years  ago. 

George  W.  Fletcher  was  reared  and  educated  in  Minnesota  and  started  upon  his 
business  career  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years.  From  that  time  forward  he  was 
dependent  entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  he  made  a  most  creditable  name  and 
place  for  himself.  He  was  identified  with  mercantile  and  banking  interests  throughout 
his  entire  life  and  during  his  later  years  concentrated  his  attention  almost  exclusively 
upon  the  banking  business.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  president  of  the  Idaho 
National  Bank  of  Boise,  which  he  founded,  and  was  also  the  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Weiser,  Idaho.  He  came  to  this  state  in  young  manhood  and  at  first 
worked  in  the  mines  at  Rocky  Bar,  while  later  he  clerked  in  a  store  there,  but  he  soon 
turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  on  his  own  account  at  Rocky  Bar  and  entered 
upon  a  successful  career  in  that  connection.  Later  he  and  his  partner,  Mel  Campbell, 
established  a  branch  store  at  Atlanta,  Idaho,  and  at  a  subsequent  period  Mr.  Fletcher 
also  had  a  store  at  Mountain  Home  but  about  1892  gave  up  his  interests  in  other  parts 
of  the  state  and  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  purchased  the  Peter  Sonna  hardware  store. 
As  the  years  passed  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings  as  a  merchant  and  as  his 
financial  resources  increased  he  turned  his  attention-  more  and  more  largely  to  b'anking 
and  reached  a  prominent  and  enviable  position  in  financial  circles  of  the  state.  There 
was  never  any  question  as  to  the  integrity  of  his  business  methods  and  his  forcefulness 
and  resourcefulness  enabled  him  to  take  advantage  of  many  opportunities  that  others 
passed  heedlessly  by.  '* 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  135 

In  Bellevue,  Idaho,  on  the  4th  of  December,  1888,  Mr.  Fletcher  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jeannette  Steen,  a  native  of  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  who  was  reared  and 
educated  at  St.  Stephen,  New  Brunswick,  and  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching.  She 
still  survives  her  husband  and  is  well  known  in  the  social  circles  of  Boise.  She  has 
five  living  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  grown  and  are  well 
known  in  Boise.  All  are  graduates  of  the  high  school  of  this  city.  They  are:  Arthur, 
Frank,  Steen,  Mrs.  B.  W.  Tillotson,  of  Beulah,  Oregon;  and  Ina,  of  Boise. 

Mr.  Fletcher  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  his  opinions 
carried  weight  in  its  local  and  state  councils.  While  a  resident  of  Lewiston  he  served 
as  vice  chairman  of  the  republican  state  committee  and  he  was  once  a  candidate  for 
the  republican  nomination  for  governor  of  Idaho.  His  residence  in  the  northwest 
covered  thirty-five  years  and  was  marked  by  devoted  attention  to  all  those  Interests 
which  have  constituted  features  in  the  general  progress  and  upbuilding  of  city  and 
state.  He  held  membership  with  the  Masons,  the  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows  and  was 
ever  a  loyal  supporter  of  these  organizations.  He  passed  away  on  the  19th  of  July,  1916, 
in  Portland,  whither  he  had  gone  with  his  wife  for  a  brief  stay.  His  funeral  was  one 
of  the  most  largely  attended  ever  held  in  the  history  of  Boise.  As  his  remains  were 
laid  to  rest  there  were  gathered  around  those  who  had  been  his  associates  and  con- 
temporaries in  business,  his  lodge  brethren  and  the  many  friends  whom  he  had  won 
in  •  all  relations  of  life.  There  was  a  general  recognition  of  the  public  indebtedness 
to  him  for  his  service  in  behalf  of  the  general  welfare  and  the  important  part  which 
he  took  in  building  up  the  business  interests  of  Boise,  and  thus  the  news  of  his  demise 
carried  with  it  a  sense  of  personal  bereavement  into  many  homes  of  the  capital  city. 


GEORGE  COLLISTER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  George  Collister,  a  past  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
oldest  physician  of  Boise  in  length  of  practice  in  the  city,  was  born  at  Willoughby, 
Ohio,  October  16,  1856,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Fannie  (Young)  Collister.  The  father 
was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man  and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  Crossing  the  Atlantic,  he 
settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  Willoughby 
in  1908,  when  he  had  reached  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-six  years.  During  his  active 
life  he  was  connected  with  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  for  a  time  and  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  was  in  the  railway  mail  service  through  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  He  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  tieasurer  of  Lake  county,  Ohio,  and 
occupied  a  prominent  position  in  connection  with  community  affairs.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut  and  was  of  Danish  lineage,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years. 

Dr.  Collister  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  ot  eight  children.  After  completing  a 
high  school  course  in  Willoughby,  Ohio,  in  1876  he  became  a  student  in  the  Ohio  State 
University  and  later  in  the  Herron  Medical  College  of  Cleveland,  now  the  Homeopathic 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  M.  D.  degree  in  1880.  He 
located  for  practice  in  Madison,  Ohio,  but  in  1S81  left  his  native  state  for  the  west,  ar- 
riving in  Boise  in  June  of  that  year.  He  has  since  continued  in  practice  in  Idaho  and 
has  ever  remained  a  close,  thorough  and  discriminating  student  of  his  profession,  his 
reading  keeping  him  in  close  touch  with  the  trend  of  professional  thought  and  progress. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Interstate  Medical  Society,  the  Ada  County  Medical  Society,  the 
Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association  and  of  the  state 
organization  has  been  the  president. 

Dr.  Collister  was  married  March  16,  1897,  to  Mrs.  Norden,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Boise,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial 
Club.  For  two  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  city  council.  His  interest  in  and  sup- 
port of  affairs  of  moment  to  the  community  has  been  manifest  in  various  tangible 
ways.  He  has  served  as  city  physician,  county  physician  and  also  as  physician  to 
the  state  penitentiary.  His  professional  service  has  been  of  real  and  signal  benefit  to 
his  fellowmen  and  at  the  same  time  Dr.  Collister  has  largely  advanced  his  individual 
interests,  his  success  being  evidenced  in  the  fact  that  he  is  the  owner  of  considerable 
valuable  real  estate,  including  a  beautiful  home  at  Collister  station,  on  the  interurban 
railroad,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  tract  of  land  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres, 
and  splendid  ranch  property  in  Boise  county  aggregating  five  thousand  acres,  on  which 
he  grazes  several  hundred  head  of  cattle  during  the  summer  months.  His  life  has  been 


136  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

one  of  intense  activity  in  which  there  have  been  few  leisure  hours  and  his  record 
measures  up  to  a  standard  of  life  set  by  Theodore  Roosevelt — that  "the  thing  supremely 
worth  having  is  the  opportunity  and  the  ability  to  do  a  piece  of  work  the  doing  of 
which  shall  be  of  vital  significance  to  mankind." 


RICHARD  C.  ADELMANN. 

When  Idaho  was  a  vast  unbroken  country  of  mountain  and  plain,  of  hill  and  val- 
ley, when  its  lands  were  largely  uncultivated,  its  mineral  resources  undeveloped  and 
its  water  power  unutilized  for  the  purposes  of  civilization,  Richard  C.  Adelmann  took 
up  his  abode  within  the  borders  of  the  state.  As  the  years  passed  he  became  an  active 
factor  in  its  development,  figuring  prominently  in  connection  with  its  business  and 
civic  interests,  and  Boise  has  long  numbered  him  among  her  valued  citizens.  He  is 
now  living  retired,  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  supplying  him  with  all  of  the  comforts 
and  necessities  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

Mr.  Adelmann  was  born  in  Heilbronn,  Germany,  May  8,  1846,  but  in  his  boyhood 
days  came  to  the  new  world  and  proved  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted  land  by  active  service 
in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  Later  he  was  connected  with  business  inter- 
ests in  New  York  city  and  afterward  removed  to  the  west.  It  was  in  June,  1854,  that 
he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  trip  from  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  to  New  York,  at 
which  time  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age,  and  he  was  a  lad  of  cnly  eleven  years  when 
his  mother  passed  away  in  1857.  Almost  from  that  time  forward  he  was  dependent 
.upon  his  own  resources.  As  opportunity  offered  he  continued  his  education  in  English 
and  German  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  ran  away  from  home  and 
without  his  father's  knowledge  or  consent  enlisted  on  the  25th  of  August,  1862,  in  New 
York  city,  as  a  member  of  Company  G,  Fifth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  joining  the 
organization  known  as  the  Duryee  Zouaves.  He  first  served  as  a  drummer  boy  but 
during  the  three  succeeding  years  became  acquainted  with  every  phase  of  soldiering. 
The  first  battle  in  which  he  participated  was  that  at  Antietam,  Maryland,  September  17, 
1862,  and  later  he  was  in  the  sanguinary  struggle  at  Frederlcksburg,  Virginia,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1863.  He  also  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  and  while  there  was 
transferred  to  Company  H  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  New  York  Infantry, 
with  which  command  he  participated  in  the  battle  "of  Gettysburg,  and  a  little  later  he 
was  made  a  corporal  of  his  company.  He  also  took  part  in  the  Wilderness  campaign, 
in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania  Courthouse  and  in  the  engagement  at  North  Anna,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  sustained  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  head,  his  service  being  thereby 
terminated.  Gangr'ene  set  in  and  the  injury  impaired  his  eyesight,  ultimately  leading 
to  the  blindness  which  about  four  years  ago  came  upon  him.  At  the  time  he  was 
wounded  he  was  taken  to  Columbia  Hospital  in  Washington  on  the  21st  of  May,  1864, 
and  continued  in  the  hospital  until  the  call  for  volunteers  from  among  the  hospital 
men  to  defend  Washington  was  issued.  He  responded  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
mounted  and  foot  orderlies  at  Fort  Reno,  brigade  headquarters  of  defenses  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  at  the  time  that  General  Early  made  his  raid  on  the  national  capital. 
When  quiet  was  restored  he  was  sent  as  a  convalescent  to  a  company  but  after  a  thor- 
ough examination  was  returned  to  Carver  Hospital.  As  he  could  not  have  adequate 
treatment  for  his  eyes  there  he  was  transferred  to  Satterlee  Hospital  at  West  Phila- 
delphia and  was  there  honorably  discharged  under  general  order  of  the  war  depart- 
ment on  the  19th  of  May,  1865. 

Mr.  Adelmann  then  returned  to  his  home  in  New  York  city,  where  for  three  years 
he  continued  in  business  as  a  confectioner  and  pastry  cook,  while  later  he  spent  four 
years  in  the  grocery  business.  But  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  northwest  at- 
tracted him  and  he  left  New  York  city  in  company  with  his  uncle  and  aunt,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  H.  Jauman.  On  the  18th  of  July,  1872,  he  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home,  and  through  the  intervening  period  he  has  been  closely  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  the  city  and  state  not  only  along  business  lines  but 
in  connection  with  its  civic  interests  and,  moreover,  he  is  a  veteran  of  the  Bannock 
Indian  war  of  1878,  in  which  he  served  with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant.  Arriving 
in  Boise,  Mr/  Adelmann  became  connected  with  mercantile  interests  and  for  nearly 
twenty  years  remained  one  of  the  prominent  representatives  of  commercial  activity  In 
this  city.  He  has  also  followed  quartz  mining  to  some  extent  and  the  careful  manage- 
ment of  his  business  affairs  has  brought  to  him  a  substantial  competence.  As  the  years 


RICHARD  C.  ADELMANN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  139 

passed  he  made  investment  in  city  property  and  also  in  mining  property,  becoming  the 
owner  of  considerable  stock  in  the  Sorrel  Horse,  said  to  be  one  of  the  richest  gold 
mining  properties  in  the  state. 

At  Boise,  in  1875,  Mr.  Adelmann  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  B.  Ostner 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  two  children:  Alfred  G.,  born  July  6,  1876;  and  Carl, 
born  June  27,  1878.  Following  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Adelnrtinn  was  married 
on  the  12th  of  January,  1882,  to  her  sister,  Julia  A.  Ostner,  daughter  of  Charles  L. 
Ostner,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his 
son,  Albert  W.  Ostner.  Both  sons  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Boise  and 
Alfred  G.  Adelmann,  after  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  six  years  to  the  plumbing, 
heating  and  sheet  metal  trade,  organized  the  Acme  Plumbing  &  Heating  Company  in 
1900.  He  became  the  president  of  the  company,  with  his  brother  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, and  they  developed  the  largest  business  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  their  patronage 
extending  throughout  Idaho  and  into  various  other  states.  The  brothers  also  hold 
mining  interests  in  Ada  county  and  both  are  progressive  business  men.  Carl  Adel- 
mann was  married  in  Boise,  January  10,  1912,  to  Bertha  Stoner,  of  Shoshone,  Idaho. 
Both  of  the  sons  are  members  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  of  the  Elks  Lodge, 
No.  310,  while  Alfred  G.  belongs  to  the  Pacific  Indians.  In  politics  they  have  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  their  father  and  are  earnest  republicans.  To  Richard  C.  and  Julia 
A.  (Ostner)  Adelmann  have  been  born  four  children,  namely:  William  A.,  whose  birth 
occurred  October  30,  1882;  John  P.,  born  May  28,  1885;  Warren  R.,  whose  natal  day  was 
April  16,  1895;  and  Julia  L..  who  was  born  on  the  1st  of  July,  1898. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Adelmann  has  been  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the 
republican  party,  his  opinions  carrying  weight  in  local  councils.  He  served  as  an 
alderman  at  an  early  day  yet  he  has  not  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking. 
Years  ago,  too,  he  was  a  member  of  the  old  volunteer  fire  department  and  acted  as  its 
chief  for  two  years.  He  now  belongs  to  the  Volunteer  Firemen's  Association  of  Boise, 
an  organization  formed  of  those  who  many  years  ago  voluntarily  aided  in  fighting  fires 
before  there  was  a  paid  fire  department  in  the  city.  He  likewise  became  a  member 
of  the  Boise  Turn  Verein,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of 
4Honor  and  the  Pioneer  Association  of  Idaho  and  he  proudly  wears  the  little  bronze 
button  that  proclaims  him  a  member  of  Phil  Sheridan  Post,  No.  4,  G.  A.  R.  Mr.  Adel- 
mann has  indeed  been  an  active  factor  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Boise 
through  the  forty-seven  years  of  his  residence  here.  He  has  enjoyed  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  fellowmen,  who  attest  his  worth  as  a  business  man  and  as  a  citizen, 
his  sterling  characteristics  ever  commanding  for  him  the  high  regard  and  warm 
esteem  of  those  who  know  him. 


RALPH  A.  LOUIS. 

Ralph  A.  Louis  is  a  representative  citizen  of  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  recently  re- 
tired from  the  office  of  mayor,  leaving  the  city  free  from  indebtedness.  He  was  born  in 
Chicago,  Illinois,  April  17,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Anna  (Creese)  Louis. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Prussia  and  came  to  America  in  1858,  settling  first  in  Ohio, 
while  subsequently  he  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  in  1859  became  a  resident  of  Chicago. 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  furrier,  remaining  in  that  city  until  called 
to  his  final  rest.  He  died  in  October,  1891,  and  is  still  survived  by  his  widow,  who  was 
born  in  Worcestershire,  England,  and  has  now  reached  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

Ralph  A.  Louis  was  reared  and  educated  in  Chicago  and  when  fourteen  years  of 
age  began  learning  the  butchering  trade,  which  he  followed  in  his  native  city  until 
the  3d  of  July,  1880.  At  that  date  he  left  home  and  made  his  way  to  Montana,  where 
he  again  engaged  in  butchering  at  Butte.  There  he  built  the  first  cold  storage  plant 
west  of  the  Missouri  river.  He  there  remained  in  the  butchering  business  until  Sep- 
tember 1,  1903,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls  in  company  with  William  Luxton,  who 
had  been  his  partner  in  Montana.  Here  they  purchased  a  market  and  their  associa- 
tion was  maintained  until  the  1st  of  January,  1909,  when  Ralph  A.  Louis  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  in  the  business,  which  he  carried  on  until  May  1,  1910. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Louis  has  been  active  and  prominent.  He  is  a  stalwart 
supporter  of  the  republican  party  and  in  April,  1917,  was  elected  councilman.  On 
the  7th  of  January,  1918,  he  was  elected  mayor  by  the  city  council  to  fill  a  vacancy 
and  held  the  office  until  May.  1919.  He  brought  splendid  business  qnalities  to  the  ad- 


140  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ministration  of  the  public  duties  that  -  devolved  upon  him  and  when  he  retire's  from 
office  he  left  the  city  out  of  debt. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1884,  Mr.  Louis  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Orenstein.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  and  has  been  secretary  for  the  past  two  years.  He 
has  also  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  likewise  a  charter  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  at  Idaho  Falls.  His  religion  is  that  of  the  Jewish  church.  Alert  and  enter- 
prising, he  is  a  typical  citizen  of  the  northwest — one  ever  ready  to  promote  public 
progress  and  improvement  as  well  as  to  advance  his  legitimate  business  interests. 


JEREMIAH  D.  JONES. 

Jeremiah  D.  Jones,  president  of  the  Idaho  Hardware  &  Plumbing  Company  of 
Boise,  was  born  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  March  22,  1857,  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Rogers)  Jones,  who  were  also  natives  of  Georgia.  The  father  served  in  the  Con- 
federate army  during  the  Civil  war  and  Harrison  Jones,  an  elder  brother  of  Jeremiah, 
was  killed  in  the  battle  at  Marietta,  Georgia. 

Jeremiah  D.  Jones  was  reared  in  his  native  city  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
and  remained  there  all  through  the  trying  times  of  the  Civil  war.  He  then  started 
out  independently,  inaking  his  way  to  Texas,  where  he  spent  five  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Colorado,  where  he  also  continued  for  a  period  of  five  years,  working  as 
a  journeyman  plumber,  having  learned  the  trade  in  Atlanta  before  leaving  that  city. 
On  removing  from  Colorado  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Montana,  where  he  remained  for 
twelve  years  but  afterwards  returned  to  Colorado  and  spent  three  years  at  Pueblo. 
In  1891  he  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  where  in  connection  with  J.  R.  Lusk  he  established,  a 
plumbing  and  sheet  metal  business  under  the  firm  style  of  Lusk  &  Jones.  This  later 
was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  Idaho  Plumbing  &  Heating  Company  and  still 
later  became  the  Idaho  Hardware  &  Plumbing  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in 
1900  with  Mr.  Jones  as  the  president.  The  company  conducts  a  wholesale  and  retail, 
business,  having  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  Idaho.  Thorough  and  expert  workmanship, 
absolute  reliability  and  undaunted  enterprise  have  been  the  dominant  factors  in 
the  success  which  has  attended  the  company  from  the  beginning. 

In  1893  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Ostner  and  they  have  become  the 
parents  of  four  living  children:  Ralph  Ostner,  Clara  Elizabeth,  Estella  Anner  and 
Louise  Barbara. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  democrat  in  his  political  views  and  for  two  years  has  served  as 
councilman  of  Boise  but  otherwise  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  always 
to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs,  which  have  claimed 
the  major  part  of  his  time  and  which,  wisely  directed,  have  brought  to  him  substantial 
success.  He  is,  however,  interested  in  the  welfare  of  Boise,  as  is  indicated  By  his 
connection  with  the  Commercial  Club.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated  in  the  fact  of  his  member- 
ship in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 


OMER  W.  ALLEN. 

Omer  W.  Allen,  a  general  contractor  of  Boise,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since 
1905,  came  to  this  city  from  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  after  less  than  a  year's  residence 
there.  His  earlier  life  had  been  passed  in  Indiana  and  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Ladoga, 
Indiana,  April  5,  1876,  the  only  son  of  William  H.  and  Mary  (Gardner)  Allen,  the 
former  still  living  in  the  state  of  Indiana  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  The 
mother,  however,  died  when  her  son  Omer  was  but  three  years  of  age,  after  which  the 
father  married  Mattie  Kelsey,  who  proved  a  devoted  mother  to  her  stepson.  She,  too, 
has  now  passed  away.  Mr.  Allen  has  one  full  sister,  Eva,  now  Mrs.  Otis  Scattergood, 
of  Chicago,  and  a  half-sister,  Kelsey,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Russell  Phillips, 
a  Methodist  minister  of  Indiana. 

When  Omer  W.  Allen  was  six  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his  father  and  step- 
mother to  Hoopeston,  Illinois,  and  a  year  later  the  family  home  was  established  in 
Abilene,  Kansas.  After  a  year,  however,  they  returned  to  Indiana  and  for  twelve 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  141 

months  resided  in  Crawfordsville.  In  1885  they  again  became  residents  of  Kansas, 
settling  at  Kingman,  where  Omer  W.  Allen  remained  until  1900.  The  father  followed 
the  occupation  of  carpentering  and  the  son  learned  the  trade  under  his  direction,  be- 
ginning work  along  that  line  when  a  mere  lad.  He  commenced  to  use  the  saw  and 
hammer  in  carpentering  during  the  summer  vacations  when  in  his  teens.  In  1896  he 
was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Kingman,  Kansas,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  began  working  regularly  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  wages.  In  1900  he  left 
Kingman  and  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  had  a  fine  position  with  a  large 
contracting  and  home-building  firm  for  several  months,  but  hard  work,  heavy  lifting 
and  exposure  brought  on  a  desperate  case  of  inflammatory  rheumatism  and  for  several 
years  he  was  undble  to  do  much  work.  Finally,  in  1904,  he  went  to  Hot  Springs, 
Arkansas,  as  a  last  resort,  seeking  a  cure.  Ten  months  there  brought  him  a  com- 
parative measure  of  health  though  at  times  he  is  still  troubled  by  the  disease  in  spite 
of  the  fine  Idaho  climate. 

It  was  climatic  conditions  that  induced  him  to  locate  in  this  state.  He  reached 
Boise  on  the  llth  of  August,  1905,  with  eight  dollars  and  thirty-five  cents  in  his  pocket. 
Here  he  was  employed  as  a  journeyman  carpenter  for  four  years,  mostly  by  the  firm 
of  Vernon  A  Saunders,  then  prominent  contractors  of  the  city.  In  1909  he  took  up 
contracting  and  building  on  his  own  account  and  heavy  demands  have  been  made  upon 
his  time  and  attention  throughout  the  intervening  period  of  eleven  years.  He  has  per- 
haps built  more  residences  in  Boise  in  this  period  than  any  other  contractor  of  the 
city  and  it  is  said  by  those  who  know  that  "Omer  W.  Allen  has  built  more  houses 
in  Boise  than  all  other  carpenters  and  contractors  combined."  His  banner  year  was 
1912  and  during  the  building  period  of  that  year  he  built  thirty-two  residences,  ranging 
in  price  from  two  to  eight  thousand  dollars.  He  has  seven  men  in  his  employ,  who 
have  been  with  him  for  nine  years.  In  addition  to  the  hundreds  of  homes  which  he 
has  erected  in  this  city  and  section  of  the  country  he  built  the  new  Ada  County  Hos- 
pital and  now  has  a  contract  for  the  building  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  Hospital  at  Nampa 
at  a  cost  of  seventy  thousand  dollars.  He  has  recently  completed  the  United  Presby- 
terian church  at  Nampa  and  has  built  other  important  structures  there  as  well  as  in 
Boise. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1898,  Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  in  Kingman,  Kansas, 
to  Miss  Dora  Carper,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  P.  Carper  who  died  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Allen  in  Boise  in  1908.  He  was  at  one  time  mayor  of  Kingman,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Allen  has  a  fine  bungalow,  built  of  wood  and  Klinker  brick  in  1912.  He  has 
built  a  large  number  of  beautiful  bungalows  for  himself  in  Boise  and  their  attractive- 
ness has  caused  others  to  seek  them  and  he  has  sold.  At  the  corner  of  Twenty-sixth 
street  and  Railroad  he  owns  a  large  planing  mill  and  lumberyard  which  furnish  h<m 
building  materials.  Mr.  Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
and  also  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  likewise  has  membership  in 
the  Boise  Country  Club  and  is  fond  of  golf,  enjoying  a  game  whenever  leisure  permits. 
He  also  finds  recreation  in  fishing  and  hunting.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  but  has 
never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking,  nor  is  he  strictly  partisan,  for  at 
local  elections  he  often  casts  an  independent  ballot.  His  success  in  life  is  the  direct 
result  of  his  earnest  labor,  and  he  has  thoroughly  qualified  for  his  work,  thereby 
obtaining  the  liberal  patronage  that  is  now  his. 


JESSE  H.  WILSON. 

Jesse  H.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cotton  ft  Wilson,  civil  engineers  of 
Idaho  Falls,  where  he  is  also  filling  the  position  of  city  engineer.  He  was  born  near 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  November  10,  1883,  and  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Mary  H.  (Coulter) 
Wilson,  also  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state.  The  father  is  a  farmer  and  also  followed 
the  profession  of  school  teaching  for  thirty-five  years.  He  afterward  purchased  and 
improved  a  farm  in  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  near  Zanesville,  and  has  continued  its 
cultivation  to  the  present  time,  making  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  pure  bred  Durham 
cattle.  His  wife  died  in  1887. 

Jesse  H.  Wilson  attended  the  district  schools  of  Ohio  and  after  completing  his 
preliminary  work  became  a  student  in  the  Ohio  Northern  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1909,  completing  a  course  in  civil  engineering.  He 


142  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

then  went  to  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  where  he  spent  four  years  in  the  city  engineering 
department,  and  in  September,  1912,  he  came  to  Idaho.  Falls,  where  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  remaining  alone  in  business  until  1914,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  W.  O.  Cotton,  with  whom  he  has  since  been  associated.  He  has  served 
as  city  engineer  since  1915  and  for  a  year  prior  to  that  time  had  charge  of  sewer  con- 
struction for  the  city.  He  is  doing  a  general  engineering  business  in  all  the  towns 
in  this  section  of  the  state,  covering  several  counties.  His  professional  training  was 
thorough  and  he  has  developed  high  efficiency  in  the  conduct  of  the  business. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1916,  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  to  Miss  Alvina  M.  Heller, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Florence,  who  was  born  June  15, 
1917.  Politically  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  pre- 
ferring to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  professional  interests.  His 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masons.  He  also  belongs  to  the  American  Association  of  Engineers,  as  well  as  to 
the  Idaho  Society  of  Engineers  and  to  the  Amefican  Waterworks  Association.  Every 
problem  that  has  to  do  with  his  profession  is  of  keen  interest  to  him,  and  he  is  never 
satisfied  until  he  has  found  a  correct  solution  for  every  vexing  question.  He  has 
become  one  of  the  foremost  civil  engineers  of  this  part  of  the  state,  doing  most  im- 
portant work  along  his  chosen  line. 


TRUMAN  C.  CATLIN. 

Truman  C.  Catlin,  well  known  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Ada  county,  his 
home  being  on  Eagle  Island,  was  born  at  Farmingdale,  Illinois,  December  21,  1839. 
The  experiences  of  his  life  have  closely  connected  him  with  the  pioneer  development 
as  well  as  the  later  progress  of  the  west.  After  mastering  the  branches  of  learning 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  he  pursued  a  course  in  Knox  College 
at  Galesburg,  Illinois.  His  father,  Truman  Merrill  Catlin,  a  native  of  Litchfleld,  Connecti- 
cut, had  become  a  resident  of  Illinois  in  1838,  settling  eight  miles  west  of  Springfield, 
where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  that  is  still  in  possession  of 
the  family,  being  now  owned  by  Daniel  Kendall,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Catlin  of  this 
review.  The  father  and  his  neighbors,  who  were  also  Connecticut  people,  had  to  haul 
their  grain  by  wagon  to  Chicago,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  Mr.  Catlin  also 
hauled  specie  from  Alton,  Illinois,  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  for  Bunn's  Bank,  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  miles,  carrying  in  this  way  thousands  of  dollars,  for  railroads 
had  not  yet  been  built  at  that  time.  Truman  C.  Catlin  well  remembers  when  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railroad  was  built,  his  father  becoming  one  of  the  owners  of  stock  in 
the  road.  Truman  Merrill  Catlin  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years, 
passing  away  in  1893  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in  the  home  of  one  of  his  daughters, 
Mrs.  D.  C.  Hawthorne,  who  had  become  a  pioneer  settler  of  the  west.  Her  first  hus- 
band, O.  F.  Short,  and  her  son,  Truman  Short,  were  killed  by  the  Indians  when  with 
a  surveying  party,  all  of  whom  met  death  at  the  hands  of  the  savages  save  her  other 
son,  Harold  Short,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  abstract  business  in  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  is  serving  his  third  term  as  county  commissioner  there.  Both  Harold 
Short  and  his  brother  Frank,  who  now  resides  at  Eagle  and  owns  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  homes  in  Idaho,  were  with  their  uncle,  Truman  C.  Catlin,  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  mother  of  Truman  C.  Catlin  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rhoda  Pond  and 
was  a  native  of  Camden,  New  York.  She  died  at  the  old  home  near  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, in  1873,  when  seventy-two  years  of  age.  The  -father  when  eighty-five  years  of 
age  visited  his  son  Truman  in  Idaho,  enjoying  the  trip  immensely. 

It  was  in  1862  that  Truman  C.  Catlin  made  his  way  to  the  northwest.  He  trav- 
eled by  river  boat,  the  Shreveport,  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort  Benton,  where  he  and  his 
companions  bought  ponies  and  thence  rode  to  Walla  Walla,  Washington.  They  met 
Captain  John  A.  Mullen  at  Fort  Benton  with  his  command  and  proceeded  with  him 
to  Walla  Walla.  The  distance  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort  Benton  was  thirty-two  hundred 
miles.  The  other  boat  running  between  these  points  on  the  Missouri  river  at  that 
time  was  called  the  Emily  and  the  two  boats  were  commanded  by  brothers,  John 
and  Charles  LaBarge,  who  piloted  the  boats  on  the  six  weeks'  trip  between  the  two 
points.  They  stopped  when  and  where  they  liked  and  during  Mr.  Catlin's  voyage  on 
the  Shreveport  they  shot  deer,  antelope  and  buffalo.  The  first  buffalo  killed  was  swim- 
ming the  river  in  front  of  their  boat  and  they  fired  over  a  hundred  shots  before  he  was 


TRUMAN  C.  CATLIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  145 

killed  and  during  the  time  came  very  nearly  breaking  the  paddles  of  the  boat  A 
small  boat  was  then  lowered,  a  rope  attached  to  the  buffalo  and  he  was  hauled  on 
board.  Some  Indians  were  on  the  ship  at  the  time  and  the  captain  told  his  passen- 
gers he  would  allow  them  to  see  the  Indians  eat  buffalo,  so  he  accordingly  gave  the 
red  men  permission  to  partake  of  the  meat.  One  old  buck  advanced,  cut  off  some 
pieces  of  meat  and  threw  them  to  the  squaws,  who  devoured  them  raw.  Their  only 
encounter  with  the  Indians  on  the  river  was  when  the  red  men  attempted  to  board 
the  rowboats  at  Fort  Pierre  in  the  Dakotas  in  an  effort  to  get  to  the  Shreveport.  The 
crew,  however,  were  successful  in  beating  them  off.  Mr.  Catlin  says  there  were  no 
houses  along  the  river  between  Port  Benton  and  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of 
1863,  twenty-one  people  of  the  same  party  that  were  on  the  boat  with  Mr.  Catlin  re- 
turned on  the  same  boat  and  all  were  killed  by  the  Indians  save  one  woman,  Fannie 
Kelly,  who  was  afterward  rescued  from  the  Indians  by  the  government. 

Mr.  Catlin  spent  the  winter  at  Walla  Walla  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  came  to 
Idaho.  He  worked  at  mining  in  the  Boise  basin  for  six  dollars  a  day  or  seven  dollars 
a  night.  In  June  of  that  year  he  went  to  Silver  City  but  remained  only  a  short  time 
and  on  returning  to  the  Boise  basin  located  on  Eagle  Island,  which  at  that  time  was 
called  Illinois  Island,  and  later  the  name  was  changed  by  the  government  to  Eagle 
Island.  There  he  preempted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  before  it  had  been  surveyed 
by  the  government.  In  1863  Mr.  Catlin  and  his  companions  made  the  trip  from  Idaho 
City  to  Silver  City,  procuring  a  dugout  at  the  place  where  Boise  now  stands  and, 
loading  it  upon  their  wagon,  hauled  it  across  country  through  sagebrush  to  a  point 
on  the  Snake  river,  afterward  known  as  Silver  City  ferry,  where  they  launched  their 
boat  and  crossed  the  river,  theirs  being  the  first  team  that  crossed  by  that  route. 
Mr.  Catlin  and  his  party  went  to  Eldorado,  Oregon,  just  about  the  time  the  Indians 
killed  Scott  and  his  wife  at  Burnt  River,  Oregon.  This  trip  concluded  Mr.  Catlin's 
mining  ventures. 

In  the  fall  of  1863,  associated  with  J.  C.  Wilson  of  Texas  and  G.  W.  Paul  of  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Catlin  took  a  contract  to  furnish  one  hundred  thousand  shingles 
to  the  government  for  the  fort  at  Boise.  After  this  contract  was  filled  he  moved  to  the 
ranch  on  Eagle  Island,  where  he  now  resides  and  where  he  has  since  acquired  land 
until  his  property  there  now  consists  of  five  hundred  acres.  He  also  owned  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  one  mile  east  of  Middletofl,  which  he  recently  sold  for  thirty-five 
thousand  dollars.  For  forty-five  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  cattle  business, 
which  he  began  in  a  small  way.  He  and  his  partner,  Frank  C.  Robertson,  together 
with  Ely  Montgomery  and  Jake  Stover,  in  1876  drove  the  first  herd  of  cattle  eastward 
from  the  west.  They  drove  one  thousand  head  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  they 
ranged  them  for  two  years  and  then  sold  the  stock.  In  1879  they  took  eighteen  hun- 
dred head  to  Cheyenne,  where  they  sold  the  beef  cattle  and  drove  the  remainder  to 
northern  Nebraska  to  range  on  the  Niobrara  river.  This  was  an  exceedingly  hard 
winter  and  they  lost  many  cattle  and  also  had  serious  trouble  with  the  Indians,  who 
killed  not  only  their  cattle  but  several  of  their  men.  In  1879,  Mr.  Catlin,  J.  H.  McCarty 
and  Frank  C.  Robertson  purchased  nearly  all  the  cattle  on  Camas  Prairie  and  drove 
them  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  In  1880-1  they  drove  their  cattle  east  and  in  1882  cleaned 
up  everything  they  had  there  and  drove  their  cattle  to  a  range  in  Montana.  Mr.  Mc- 
Carty, who  was  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boise,  was  one  of  the  partners 
in  the  firm,  the  others  being  Mr.  Robertson,  who  had  charge  of  the  drives,  and  Mr. 
Catlin,  who  had  charge  of  the  business  in  this  section.  They  ranged  cattle  in  Mon- 
tana until  1886-7,  when  on  account  of  heavy  snows  they  lost  nearly  every  head.  In 
1917  Mr.  Catlin  sold  nearly  all  of  his  cattle  interests,  then  amounting  to  about  thirty- 
five  hundred  head,  because  of  the  fact  that  nearly  all  of  his  cowboys  entered  the  army. 
He  is  not  engaged  in  the  live  stock  business  at  the  present  time  save  that  he  owns  a 
few  horses.  His  attention  is  now  being  given  to  diversified  farming  and  dairying  and 
he  has  about  sixty  head  of  fine  Jersey  and  Holstein  milk  cows.  He  brought  into  the 
valley  the  first  reaper  and  derrick  fork  and  at  all  times  he  has  been  in  the  vanguard 
among  those  whose  progressive  measures  have  led  to  the  substantial  development  and 
improvement  of  the  district  In  the  spring  of  1863  potatoes  which  he  bought  for  seed 
cost  him  twenty  cents  a  pound  and  barley  eleven  cents.  The  first  house  which  he 
built  was  of  logs,  ten  by  twelve  feet,  and  it  accommodated  three  people.  Today  he 
has  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  in  the  state.  His  fine  home  is  situated  in  a  grove 
of  trees  surrounded  by  a  clearing  of  pasture  land,  while  not  far  distant  tower  the 
mountains.  Everything  about  his  place  is  modern  and  convenient.  There  are  two 
fine  artesian  wells  and  water  is  conveyed  to  all  of  the  buildings.  The  Boise  river 

Vol.  11—10 


146  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

divides  and  makes  of  his  land,  which  is  but  a  portion  of  the  area,  an  island.  When 
Mr.  Catlin  first  located  on  this  island,  the  Boise  river  was  teeming  with  salmon  trout. 
The  implements  which  were  used  in  farming  in  those  days  were  mostly  crude  and 
homemade.  Mr.  Catlin  made  a  spear  out  of  an  old  iron  and  their  forks  were  made 
of  willow  branches.  The  only  real  tools  that  they  had  were  an  inch  auger,  an  ax  and  a 
drawing  knife.  He  purchased  a  wagon,  two  yoke  of  cattle,  a  span  of  mules  and  his 
seed  on  time  payments,  the  contract  being  that  he  was  to  pay  for  them  the  following 
year.  In  the  spring  when  he  was  breaking  the  sod,  the  two  men  from  whom  he  had 
bought  the  outfit  came  out  to  where  he  was  plowing  and  after  following  him  around 
for  a  short  time  inquired  if  he  expected  to  raise  anything  on  that  soil.  He  replied 
that  he  would  raise  a  fine  crop,  which  he  did.  His  first  crop  of  potatoes  was  the  best 
that  he  has  ever  raised  and  he  sold  them  for  from  eight  to  twelve  cents  per  pound, 
while  his  two  acres  of  corn  averaged  fifty-two  bushels  per  acre  and  after  being  ground 
were  sold  at  from  eighteen  to  nineteen  dollars  a  sack.  He  not  only  paid  every  cent 
of  his  indebtedness  but  had  a  balance  left  after  disposing  of  his  crop.  While  seated 
in  a  chair  made  in  1867,  the  legs  of  which  were  all  made  from  the  root  of  a  tree  and 
the  seat  of  cottonwood,  Mr.  Catlin  related  a  little  experience  which  he  had  in  pioneer 
times,  saying:  "We  at  one  time  made  a  dugout  from  the  trunk  of  a  tree  and  put  in  it 
nineteen  pigs  with  their  legs  tied  and  attempted  to  cross  the  Boise  river  in  high  water. 
This  was  in  1869.  A  Frenchman,  Billy  Dee,  took  the  stern  of  the  boat  while  I  took  the 
bow,  and  when  the  boat  was  cast  loose  and  swung  with  the  stream,  the  pigs  all  rolled 
to  one  side  and  the  boat  turned  o'ver,  spilling  the  pigs  and  the  Frenchman.  However, 
I  clung  to  the  boat,  which  turned  bottom  up  and  landed  me  high  and  dry  on  top  of  it. 
Most  of  the  pigs  were  drowned.  Dee  swam  for  his  life  and  finally  made  the  boat  and 
I  pulled  him  on  top.  The  boat  then  caught  on  a  snag  and  it  took  the  neighbors  to 
rescue  us!" 

In  1873  Mr.  Catlin  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Smith,  of  Yreka,  California,  whose 
parents  were  natives  of  Savanna,  Illinois.  She  died  April  3,  1898,  leaving  a  son,  Trude 
F.,  who  lives  near  his  father.  Mr.  Catlin  has  an  invalid  niece  living  with  him  at  the 
present  time  and  he  also  has  a  housekeeper  whose  husband  has  charge  of  the  out-of- 
door  work  of  the  ranch. 

For  more  than  a  half  century  Mr.  Catlin  has  now  lived  in  the  west.  It  was  during 
the  Civil  war,  or  on  the  llth  of  September,  1861,  that  he  was  a  passenger  on  a  Hanni- 
bal &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  train  when  the  rebels  destroyed  the  bridge  across  the  Little 
Platte  river  and  the  train  plunged  into  the  stream.  Among  the  dead  was  the  man 
who  had  sat  next  to  him  in  the  train.  This  event  so  unnerved  Mr.  Catlin  that  he 
decided  to  come  west  and  regain  his  health.  Thus  it  was  that  he  became  identified 
with  Idaho,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Here  he  has  lived  an  exemplary  life, 
has  ridden  the  range  constantly  and  today  at  the  age  of  eighty  years  is  yet  extremely 
active  and  still  takes  pleasure  in  riding  the  range,  which  he  says  he  can  do  with  the 
best  of  them.  His  reminiscences  of  the  pioneer  days  are  most  interesting  and  his  ex- 
periences have  made  him  familiar  with  every  phase  of  Idaho's  development. 


HARRY  M.  BROADBENT. 

Harry  M.  Broadbent,  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Burley,  was  born  in  Waucoma, 
lowa,  April  23,  1887,  a  son  of  William  and  Jennie  (Berry)  Broadbent.  He  left  Iowa 
in.  company  with  his  parents  when  but  seven  years  of  age,  the  family  home  being 
established  at  Ordway,  Colorado.  There  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and  upon  the 
home  farm  Harry  M.  Broadbent  was  reared  to  manhood,  pursuing  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  while  later  he  attended  the  high  school  at  La  Junta,  Colorado, 
completing  a  course  there  with  the  class  of  1907,  while  subsequently  he  was  graduated 
from  the  Colorado  State  Teachers'  College  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1911.  He  has 
devoted  his  entire  life  to  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  removing  to  Idaho,  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  public  schools  of  Hammett,  Elmore  county,  there  remaining 
for  a  period  of  five  years,  and  for  two  years  was  superintendent  of  schools  at  Hollister, 
Idaho.  In  1918  he  came  to  Burley  as  acting  superintendent  and  continued  to  fill  the 
position  from  the  1st  of  March  until  the  close  of  the  school  year.  He  is  now  the 
principal  of  the  high  school  of  Burley  and  is  doing  excellent  work  in  promoting  the 
school  system  and  in  introducing  methods  of  practical  value.  His  standards  are  high 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  U7 

and  he  has  the  faculty  of  inspiring  teachers  and  pupils  under  him  with  much  of  his 
own  zeal  and  interest  in  the  work. 

In  1910  Mr.  Broadbent  was  married  to  Miss  Betty  Leeright,  a  native  of  Murphys- 
boro,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Cassia  (Pyatt)  Leeright.  Her  father 
was  a  farmer  of  Illinpis  but  afterward  removed  to  Burley,  Idaho,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  sign  business.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Broadbent  have  one  child,  Edwyna. 

Mr.  Broadbent  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party,  and  his  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


CLIFFORD  M.  CLINE,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Clifford  M.  Cline  is  a  well  known  physician  and  surgeon  of  Idaho  Falls,  where 
he  has  practiced  his  profession  successfully  since  January,  1907.  His  birth  occurred 
at  Kalo,  Iowa,  on  the  llth  of  August,  1884,  his  parents  being  William  and  Anna 
(Sheeley)  Cline,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the  Hawkeye  state.  The  father 
there  followed  the  drug  business  throughout  his  active  life  and  passed  away  August 
11,  1889.  The  mother,  who  is  still  living,  makes  her  home  in  Iowa. 

Clifford  M.  Cline  was  reared  in  the  state  of  his  nativity  and  obtained  his  more 
advanced  education  in  the  State  University  of  Iowa.  Having  determined  upon  a  pro- 
fessional career  he  later  entered  the  Northwestern  University  Medical  School  of  Chi- 
cago and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  class  of  1905.  He  next  served 
as  interne  in  a  Chicago  hospital  for  a  year  and  a  half,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
came  to  Idaho,  opening  an  office  at  Idaho  Falls  in  January,  1907.  Here  he  has  re- 
mained continuously  throughout  the  intervening  thirteen  years,  his  practice  steadily 
growing  in  volume  and  importance  as  he  has  demonstrated  his  skill  and  ability  in  the 
field  of  his  profession.  His  offices  are  in  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank. 

In  December,  1906,  Dr.  Cline  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Ludwig  and 
they  have  a  daughter,  Gretchen  G.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  19th  of  March,  1912. 
The  family  residence  is  at  No.  273  Ridge  avenue  in  Idaho  Falls.  Fraternally  the  Doctor 
is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  while  along  the  strict  path 
of  his  profession  he  has  membership  in  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association  and  is  also  a  fellow  of  the  American  College  of  Surgeons.  He 
has  become  widely  and  favorably  known  during  the  period  of  his  residence  at  Idaho 
Falls  and  is  numbered  among  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Bonneville 
county. 


MOSS  P.  BATES. 

Moss  P.  Bates,  general  agent  for  the  Western  Union  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Spokane,  his  territory  covering  southeastern  Idaho,  makes  his  home  at  Idaho  Falls.  He 
was  born  at  Lamar,  Barton  county,  Missouri,  October  30,  1887,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
P.  and  Maggie  (Maupin)  Bates,  the  former  born  at  Columbia,  Boone  county,  Missouri, 
and  the  latter  in  Covington,  Kentucky.  The  father  is  a  civil  engineer  and  also  member 
of  the  bar,  having  won  the  LL.  D.  degree.  He  practiced  law  for  a  long  time  at  Spring- 
field, Missouri,  and  in  1900  went  to  New  Mexico  but  later  returned  to  his  native  state, 
where  he  again  successfully  engaged  in  law  practice.  In  1906  he  removed  to  Oregon, 
where  he  purchased  land  that  he  has  since  owned  and  cultivated.  His  wife  is  also 
living  and  they  are  among  the  highly  esteemed  and  influential  residents  of  their  sec- 
tion of  the  state. 

Moss  P.  Bates  spent  his  youthful  days  at  Mountain  Grove,  Missouri,  where  he  ob- 
tained his  education  as  a  public  school  pupil.  He  afterward  devoted  about  five  years 
to  work  as  a  farm  hand  and  in  1900  went  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  resided  until  1903, 
when  he  removed  to  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  and  there  began  working  for  wages.  He 
carefully  saved  his  earnings  until  the  sum  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
land,  after  which  he  carried  on  farming  on  his  own  account  until  1909.  At  that  date 
he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  which  he  has  since  followed,  and  he  is  now  a 
prominent  figure  in  insurance  circles.  In  1911  he  established  headquarters  at  Lewis- 
ton,  Idaho,  as  representative  of  the  Western  Union  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Spokane 


148  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  in  1914  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  owning 
a  nice  residence  there. 

In  June,  1914,  Mr.  Bates  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Agnes  Seineke,  who  is  a 
graduate  of  Northwestern  University,  having  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  They  oc- 
cupy a  prominent  social  position  and  their  own  home  is  the  abode  of  warm-hearted  hos- 
pitality. Mr.  Bates  is  a  democrat  of  broad-minded  political  views  and  without  political 
ambition.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  attention  is 
largely  given  to  his  business  interests  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  in- 
surance men  of  the  northwest,  his  agency  being  among  the  biggest  producers  of  busi- 
ness in  this  section  of  the  country.  During  the  past  year  he  wrote  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  and  in  1919  the  sum  will  exceed  one  million.  He  stands  second  place  with 
the  company,  with  good  prospects  of  winning  first. 


HON.  FRANK  W.  HUNT. 

Hon.  Frank  W.  Hunt,  governor  of  Idaho  from  1900  until  1902,  passed  away  at 
Goldfield,  Nevada,  where  he  had  mining  interests,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1906.  He 
was  a  resident,  however,  of  Emmett,  Idaho,  where  his  widow  and  only  daughter  still 
reside.  Governor  Hunt  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  December  16,  1864,  and  was 
a  son  of  Colonel  Thomas  B.  Hunt,  who  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  in  1726  and 
spent  most  of  his  life  in  the  United  States.  He  served  as  a  colonel  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war  and  passed  away  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  his  remains,  however, 
being  interred  in  the  beautiful  Arlington  cemetery  at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  mother 
of  Governor  Hunt  was  Eugenia  A.  Montmolin  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  was  born 
in  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

Governor  Hunt  spent  his  early  life  at  different  army  posts  where  his  father,  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  army,  was  stationed  during  the  period  of  his  son's  youth. 
In  the  early  '80s  he  made  his  way  to  Montana,  where  he  became  a  mining,  man,  and 
later  removed  to  Gibbonsville,  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  there  in  1887.  He  resided 
there  in  a  log  cabin  and  engaged  in  the  business  of  staking  out  mining  claims.  While 
at  Gibbonsville  he  also  engaged  in  mining  pursuits  and  his  prominence  as  a  citizen 
of  that  community  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  in  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  Idaho 
state  senate,  serving  as  a  member  during  the  second  session  after  the  admission  of 
Idaho  into  the  Union.  This  was  the  only  political  office  he  ever  held  previous  to  his 
election  as  governor.  He  had  demonstrated  his  worth  in  citizenship  not  by  office 
holding  but  by  his  stalwart  support  of  measures  for  the  general  good  and  by  his 
reliability  and  progressiveness  in  business  life. 

When  the  Spanish-American  war  broke  out  and  Idaho  was  called  upon  to  furnish 
her  quota  of  troops  Mr.  Hunt  responded  to  the  call  and  was  appointed  first  lieutenant 
of  Company  G,  First  Idaho  Volunteers.  He  left  with  his  regiment  for  Manila  and  was 
assigned  to  duty  as  brigade  quartermaster  on  the  staff  of  General  OversMne.  He  was 
twice  brevetted  for  gallantry,  the  first  time  being  at  the  battle  of  Manila  and  the  second 
at  the  battle  of  Zenopia  Bridge.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy  and  received  his  discharge  at  San  Francisco  when  the  others  of  the  regiment 
were  mustered  out. 

It  was  in  the  following  year — 1899 — that  Mr.  Hunt  was  nominated  for  the  office 
of  governor  of  Idaho  on  the  democratic  ticket  and,  being  elected,  served  for  the  term 
of  1900-1902.  On  the  close  of  his  service  as  chief  executive  of  the  state  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  Werdenhoff  Mining  &  Milling  Company  of  New  York  city  and  also 
president  of  the  Idaho  branch  of  that  corporation.  Soon  afterward  he  located  at  Emmett, 
having  taken  up  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  under  the 
Carey  act,  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Emmett.  He  continued  a  resident  of  Gem  county 
from  that  time  until  his  death,  though  various  mining  interests  in  Idaho  and  Nevada 
took  him  to  different  sections  on  many  occasions.  He  was  at  Goldfield  looking  after 
his  interests  there  when  he  suffered  an  attack  of  pneumonia  which  caused  his  pre- 
mature death  when  he  was  but  forty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  but  thirty-five  years  of 
age  when  elected  governor,  the  youngest  man  ever  chosen  as  the  chief  executive  of 
Idaho.  His  remains  were  brought  back  to  Boise  for  interment  and  he  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  Masonic  cemetery  of  the  capital  city,  the  high  Masonic  bodies  to  which  he 
belonged  officiating  at  the  funeral  services. 

Governor  Hunt  left  a  widow  and  little  daughter.     He  had  wedded  Ruth  Maynard, 


HON.  FRANK  W.  HUNT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  151 

who  was  born  in  Boise,  Idaho,  December  30,  1881,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  John 
Witheral  Maynard,  formerly  a  well  known  pioneer  citizen  of  Boise,  who  passed  away 
at  his  home  on  Warm  Springs  avenue,  May  16,  1913,  when  eighty-two  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  affairs  and  left  a  goodly  estate.  His  birth  occurred  at  Dalton, 
Massachusetts,  May  6,  1831,  and  when  he  came  to  Idaho,  Boise  was  little  more  than  a 
fort  and  camp,  the  year  of  his  arrival  being  1862.  He  afterward  returned  to  the  east 
and  was  married  at  Dalton,  Massachusetts,  February  20,  1867,  to  Miss  Jane  Lorenza 
Tyler,  daughter  of  Moody  Tyler  and  a  representative  of  an  old  New  England  family. 
She  was  born  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  August  12,  1838,  and  died  in  Boise  at  the 
Maynard  home  May  31,  1898.  Mrs.  Hunt  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children,  these 
being  Hugh  Temple  and  Mark  Tyler  Maynard,  Mrs.  Hunt  and  Mrs.  Katherine  Womack, 
also  a  resident  of  Emmett,  Idaho.  The  two  sons  are  engaged  in  mining  pursuits.  The 
marriage  of  Governor  and  Mrs.  Hunt  was  celebrated  in  Boise  and  to  them  were  born  two 
daughters,  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  1907;  and  Katherine,  who  was  born  March  7,  1906, 
and  is  at  home  with  her  mother.  Mrs.  Hunt  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Governor  Hunt  belonged  to  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  in  which  he  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  his  religious  faith  was  indicated  by  his  mem- 
bership in  the  Episcopal  church.  His  life  was  characterized  by  marked  fidelity  to  duty, 
by  earnestness  of  purpose  and  by  devotion  to  every  cause  which  he  espoused,  and  of 
him  it  may  well  be  said  that  he  was  faultless  in  honor,  fearless  in  conduct  and  stainless 
in  reputation. 


HAROLD  G.  BLUE. 

Harold  G.  Blue,  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  at  Twin  Falls  and  exemplify- 
ing his  higher  ideals  of  the  profession  in  practical  experience  as  a  teacher,  has  been 
identified  with  the  school  system  of  the  city  since  July,  1914.  He  was  born  in  Goshen, 
Indiana,  September  5,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Seton  and  Hannah  (Miller)  Blue.  His  boy- 
hood days  were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  his  early  educational  opportunities  were 
supplemented  by  study  in  the  Northwestern  Indiana  University  at  Valparaiso.  He 
later  attended  the  Indiana  State  Normal  and  eventually  entered  the  University  of 
Chicago,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  some  time.  Later  he  became  identified  with 
the  educational  interests  of  Idaho  as  a  teacher  at  Burley  and  in  July,  1914,  he  re- 
moved to  Twin  Falls  to  take  charge  of  the  schools  of  that  city  as  successor  to  Professor 
Elliott.  He  is  an  able  educator  who  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  most  progressive 
ideas  advanced  in  connection  with  the  public  school  system  of  the  northwest — a  sec- 
tion in  which  public  education  has  made  such  rapid  strides  that  it  has  outdistanced 
in  its  thoroughnss,  efficiency  and  progressiveness  the  schools  of  the  older  and  more 
conservative  east. 

In  1914  Professor  Blue  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Georgia  Baker,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Powers)  Baker  and  a  native  of  Ellsworth,  Kansas.  They  now 
have  an  interesting  little  daughter,  Bettie. 

Professor  Blue  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  taken  the  Knights  Templar  degrees 
in  the  commandery,  while  with  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  he  has  crossed  the 
sands  of  the  desert.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  to  the  Twin  Falls 
Rotary  Club,  the  latter  connection  indicating  the  progressive  spirit  which  dominates 
him  in  all  that  he  does.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party,  and 
his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  and  his  wife 
are  consistent  members.  They  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles  and  in  the 
esteem  of  the  public,  and  their  own  home  is  a  center  of  warm-hearted  hospitality. 


ALEXANDER  P.  WILSON. 

Alexander  P.  Wilson  passed  away  on  the  10th  of  March,  1912,  and  thus  was  ended 
a  life  of  activity  that  constituted  an  important  element  in  the  business  development 
of  Boise  for  many  years,  for  he  was  the  senior  partner  in  the  Wilson-Smith  Realty 
Company.  He  was  born  at  Crystal,  Tama  county,  Iowa,  January  9,  1869,  and  through 
the  period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  resided  at  various  places  in  Iowa  and  Kansas.  He 
acquired  a  public  school  education  and  completed  a  high  school  course  as  well  as  a 


152  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

course  in  a  business  college.  He  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  an  em- 
ploye in  a  printing  office,  but  he  did  not  find  that  pursuit  congenial  and  turned 
his  attention  to  telegraphy,  which  he  followed  for  several  years. 

It  was  in  1890  that  Mr.  Wilson  arrived  in  Boise  as  local  manager  for  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  but  after  occupying  that  position  for  a  year  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  as  cashier  in  the  Boise  office. 
He  continued  in  that  position  for  a  decade  and  displayed  such  ability  that  he  was 
promoted  to  the  responsible  position  of  manager,  with  headquarters  at  Vancouver, 
British  Columbia.  After  a  year  and  a  half  spent  at  that  place,  however,  he  returned  to 
Boise  as  manager  of  the  office  in  the  capital  city  and  remained  with  the  company  until 
the  general  agency  was  closed.  It  was  at  that  period  that  Mr.  Wilson  turned  his 
attention  to  the  real  estate  business  and  afterward  he  accepted  the  general  agency 
of  the  Columbia  Life  Insurance  Company.  In  the  conduct  of  his  real  estate  and  in- 
surance business  he  formed  a  partnership  with  George  W.  Smith  and  his  father,  H.  G. 
Wilson.  The  business  was  developed  along  substantial,  progressive  and  honorable  lines, 
and  the  Wilson-Smith  Realty  Company  soon  took  place  among  the  foremost  firms  of 
the  kind  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Alexander  P.  Wilson  remained  in  active  con- 
nection with  the  business  until  about  a  year  prior  to  his  death,  when  his  health  failed 
and  he  was  a  great  sufferer  during  his  last  illness. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1898,  in  Boise,  Mr.  Wilson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Tate,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Miles  W.  Tate,  a  former  attorney  of  Boise, 
who  passed  away  June  20,  1904.  Her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  McGee 
and  died  in  Boise,  October  25,  1917.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  a  sister  of  the  late  John  P.  Tate, 
who  is  a  prominent  business  man  of  Boise  and  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
She  yet  occupies  the  family  home  at  No.  1419  West  Washington  street  in  Boise,  where 
she  is  living  with  her  three  daughters,  Kathryn  Lydia,  Virginia  Elizabeth  and  Jean 
Alexandria.  The  eldest  is  a  student  in  the  Annie  WTright  Seminary  at  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, and  the  second  daughter,  Virginia,  is  now  attending  the  Tacoma  high  school. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  a  most  consistent  and  earnest  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Boise  and  served  on  its  official  board.  His  life  was  ever  governed 
by  high  and  honorable  principles  and  the  sterling  worth  of  his  character  was  recognized 
by  all  with  who  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  faithful  friend,  a  progressive  citizen,  a 
reliable  business  man  and  a  devoted  husband  and  father.  Mrs.  Wilson,  like  her  hus- 
band, holds  membership  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  its  work,  including  the  Missionary  Society,  the  Ladies  Aid  Society  and  other 
branches  of  its  activities.  She  belongs  to  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
being  of  Revolutionary  descent  in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines,  and  she  is  now 
registrar  of  Pioneer  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.  She  was  also  a  most  earnest  worker  in  the 
Red  Cross  during  the  period  of  the  World  war  and  her  aid  and  influence  are  ever  given 
on  the  side  of  right,  progress,  reform  and  improvement. 


HON.  WILLIAM  A.  LEE. 

Hon.  William  A.  Lee,  a  distinguished  representative  of  the  Idaho  bar  practic- 
ing at  Blackfoot  and  now  connected  with  the  law-making  body  of  the  common- 
wealth as  state  senator  from  Bingham  county,  was  born  near  Falls  City,  Nebraska, 
December  11,  1859,  and  comes  of  old  Virginia  ancestry,  being  connected  with  the 
distinguished  Lee  family,  to  which  belonged  General  Robert  E.  Lee  and  others  of 
equal  fame.  The  parents  of  Senator  Lee  of  this  review  were  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  Sarah  Jane  (Worley)  Lee.  The  father  was  killed  in  battle  at  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, January  8,  1863,  when  serving  as  a  non-commissioned  officer.  He  was  a  son 
of  David  Lee  of  Virginia.  Benjamin  F.  Lee  was  born  in  Indiana  and  David  Lee 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  prior  to  that  time  the  family  had  been  represented  in  Virginia 
from  1740,  living  in  Westmoreland  county.  The  ancestral  line  is  traced  back  to 
England.  The  political  belief  of  David  and  Benjamin  F.  Lee  was  that  of  the  whig 
and  later  of  the  republican  party,  and  thus  it  was  that  Benjamin  F.  Lee,  in  response 
to  the  call  of  the  Union,  went  to  the  front,  laying  down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his 
country.  Some  time  after  her  first  husband  was  killed  in  battle  Mrs.  Lee  became 
the  wife  of  John  L.  Gordon,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a  cousin  of  General  John  B. 
Gordon,  the  distinguished  Confederate  leader,  who  proved  a  kind  stepfather  to 
Senator  Lee. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  153 

The  last  named  was  reared  upon  a  farm  near  Chariton,  Iowa,  and  supplemented 
his  public  school  education  by  study  in  Simpson  College,  a  Methodist  school  at 
Indianola,  Iowa.  Thus  he  secured  broad  literary  learning  to  serve  as  a  foundation 
upon  which  to  rear  the  superstructure  of  professional  knowledge.  He  determined 
upon  the  practice  of  law  as  a  life  work  and  with  that  end  in  view  became  a  law 
student  in  the  Washington  University  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  LL.  B.  degree  in  the  class  of  1885.  He  first  located  for  prac- 
tice at  Central  City,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years,  or  until  1892, 
when  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Ogden,  Utah,  where  he  remained  until  1897.  He  then 
opened  a  law  office  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  continued  until  1911,  and  during  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  Utah  he  gained  recognition  as  one  of  the  most  able  and 
eminent  members  of  the  bar  of  that  state.  He  was  code  commissioner  in  Utah 
and  was  associated  with  Brigadier  General  R.  W.  Young,  and  Grant  H.  Smith  in  the 
revision  and  codifying  of  the  state  laws,  the  code  which  they  prepared  being  adopted. 
Subsequently  he  served  as  assistant  attorney  general  of  Utah  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Lee  has  practiced  successfully  in  all  the  courts  and  in  1896  he  was  made 
the  attorney  for  the  American  Falls  Canal  &  Power  Company,  a  Utah  concern.  In 
1904  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  general  counsel  for  that  corporation  and  so 
continued  until  1911.  It  was  as  counsel  for  the  American  Falls  Canal  &  Power 
Company  that  he  came  to  Idaho  in  1911.  Resigning  his  position  with  that  corpora- 
tion, he  has  since  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  law  in  Blackfoot  and  now  prac- 
tices in  all  of  the  Idaho  courts,  in  the  federal  circuit  and  district  courts  and  in  the 
United  States  supreme  court.  The  consensus  of  opinion  on  the  part  of  the  general 
public  and  his  colleagues  in  the  profession  places  him  in  the  front  ranks  among  the 
lawyers  of  Idaho,  and  he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  American  Bar  Association  and 
one  of  the  vice  presidents  of  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association. 

Mr.  Lee  has  been  married  twice.  In  Chariton,  Iowa,  in  1887,  he  wedded  Mary 
Foulks.  a  native  of  that  state,  who  passed  away  in  1893,  leaving  three  children.  His 
son,  Robert  Corwin  Lee,  during  the  World  war  was  a  lieutenant  commander  of  an 
American  destroyer  in  the  United  States  Navy.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  United 
States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  Maryland.  In  June,  1918,  he  married  Miss 
Elsie  Calder,  a  daughter  of  United  States  Senator  William  M.  Calder,  of  New  York. 
In  1896,  at  Evanston,  Wyoming,  Senator  Lee  was  married  to  Mi?s  Lillian  Seaton,  a 
native  of  that  place,  who  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  Academy  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
They  became  parents  of  a  son,  Richard  A.  Lee,  an  exceptionally  bright  and  promis- 
ing lad,  who,  unfortunately,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  was  killed  by  the  accidental 
discharge  of  his  gun  while  he  was  out  hunting. 

Senator  Lee  enjoys  motoring  but  his  chief  recreation  comes  from  reading.  He 
has  ever  been  a  lover  of  good  literature  and  is  especially  fond  of  biography.  He  has 
been  a  great  student  of  war  history  and  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  thought 
and  events  concerning  the  great  World  war  so  recently  closed.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  in  the  latter  organiza- 
tion is  a  past  chancellor. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lee  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  republican  but  was  never  a  candi- 
date for  political  office  until  1918,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  defeat- 
ing his  nonpartisan  opponent  by  a  comfortable  majority.  He  is  now  serving  on  the 
judiciary  committee  and  the  committee  on  privileges  and  elections  and  is  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  code  and  law  revision.  He  is  a  man  of  earnest  purpose,  of  keen 
insight  into  complex  public  problems  and  is  always  to  be  found  in  those  gatherings 
that  result  in  intellectual  stimulus  and  broadened  activity  and  usefulness. 


D.  J.  GRAVES. 

For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  D.  J.  Graves  has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho 
and  on  coming  to  the  state  took  up  his  abode  a  mile  west  of  New  Plymouth.  He 
has  since  purchased  and  occupied  other  land  but  always  in  the  neighborhood  of  New 
Plymouth,  where  he  has  conducted  a  successful  business  as  a  farmer  and  apiarist, 
his  time  being  now  largely  devoted  to  bee  culture.  He  was  born  near  Lansing, 
Michigan,  March  3,  1859,  a  son  of  Martin  and  Mary  Ann  (Douglas)  Graves,  the  latter 
a  niece  of  the  famous  Illinois  statesman  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  democratic  con- 
temporary of  Lincoln,  with  whom  he  engaged  in  debates  that  awakened  the  deepest 


154  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

interest  throughout  the  country.  Mrs.  Graves  was  born  in  the  year  1816  and  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  became  the  wife  of  Martin  Graves,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  born  in  1809,  and  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Michigan. 

D.  J.  Graves  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state  and  throughout 
his  entire  life  until  the  present  time  has  largely  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
In  1887  he  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  cultivated  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  for  eight  years  but  success  did  not  crown  his  efforts  there.  Removing  to  the 
northwest,  he  spent  six  months  in  Oregon  and  in  1895  came  to  Idaho,  first  settling 
about  a  mile  west  of  New  Plymouth,  where  he  purchased  twenty-six  acres  of  land. 
Eight  years  ago  he  sold  that  property  and  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  New  Plymouth.  This  he  improved  and 
sold  and  then  invested  in  forty  acres  in  the  same  locality,  which  he  still  owns. 
This  tract  has  been  planted  to  alfalfa  and  grain.  In  the  fall  of  1918  he  purchased 
a  fine  residence  in  New  Plymouth,  where  he  and  his  family  now  reside.  He  is 
largely  leaving  the  development  and  improvement  of  his  farm  to  others  and  is  giv- 
ing his  attention  mainly  to  bee  culture,  now  having  about  three  hundred  and  forty 
hives. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1892,  Mr.  Graves  was  married  to  Miss  Loretta  Con- 
ners,  of  Wisconsin,  who  removed  to  Nebraska  with  her  parents  in  1884.  They  were 
married  in  Nebraska  and  have  a  daughter,  Pearl,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  G.  Hurley, 
proprietor  of  the  Ford  Garage  at  New  Plymouth.  Mrs.  Hurley  is  of  great  assistance 
to  her  father  in  the  care  of  his  bees.  She  is  a  very  bright  and  intelligent  young 
woman,  possessing  excellent  business  ability  and  sound  judgment.  Mr.  Graves 
came  to  the  west  with  very  limited  capital,  having  sustained  losses  in  Nebraska. 
Here  he  found  the  opportunities  for  retrieving  his  fortunes  and  is  today  one  of  the 
prosperous  and  representative  residents  of  the  community  in  which  he  makes  his 
home. 


HON.    RALPH    STEPHEN   HUNT. 

Hon.  Ralph  Stephen  Hunt,  president  of  the  Rexburg  State  Bank,  representative  in 
the  Idaho  general  assembly  from  Madison  county  and  a  prominent  farmer  and  live 
stock  dealer  residing  at  Rexburg,  has  made  his  home  in  Idaho  since  1894,  when  he 
came  to  this  state  from  Weber,  Utah.  Since  the  year  1900  he  has  lived  in  Madison 
county,  spending  most  of  the  time  upon  his  ranch.  He  was  born  in  Weber,  Utah, 
July  20,  1869,  being  the  elder  of  the  two  sons  of  Ralph  H.  and  Sarah  (Skelton)  Hunt, 
who  are  natives  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  respectively.  They  came  to  Idaho 
from  Utah  in  1900  and  make  their  home  at  Rexburg,  where  the  father  is  a  retired 
farmer.  In  early  manhood  he  followed  the  occupation  of  carpentering.  His  family 
numbered  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  Ralph  S.  is  the  eldest. 
The  only  other  son,  John  J.  Hunt,  died  of  influenza  in  October,  1918,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six  years. 

The  two  brothers  were  associated  in  the  conduct  of  large  farming  and  live  stock 
interests  in  Madison  county,  owning  the  largest  irrigated  farm  in  the  district.  They 
were  also  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  wool  growing,  the  flock  of  sheep  now 
numbering  about  six  thousand  ewes. 

Mr.  Hunt  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  families  identified  with  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  was  reared  upon  a  farm  at  Weber,  Utah,  and  since 
1894  has  lived  continuously  in  southern  or  southeastern  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode 
in  what  is  now  Madison  county  nineteen  years  ago.  He  is  president  of  the  Rexburg 
State  Bank,  being  one  of  its  organizers  and  its  second  president,  and  in  addition  to 
the  duties  of  that  position  he  devotes  considerable  attention  to  his  hay  ranch  and 
to  the  management  of  his  large  stock  raising  interests,  being  regarded  as  one  of  the 
foremost  factors  in  connection  with  the  sheep  industry  in  the  state.  During  the  first 
twenty  years  which  he  spent  in  Idaho  he  rode  the  range  and  herded  both  cattle  and 
sheep.  This  gave  him  valuable  knowledge  and  experience  along  the  line  to  which 
he  now  gives  his  attention  and  with  the  passing  years  his  success  has  steadily  grown 
until  he  is  now  a  prominent  figure  in  connection  with  wool  production  in  the  north- 
west. He  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  Wool  Growers  Association  and  also  of  the  Na- 
tional Wool  Growers  Association. 

Mr.  Hunt  has  always  been  a  republican  and  more  or  less  prominent  in  political 
circles.  He  served  out  an  unexpired  term  as  county  commissioner  and  for  five  years 


HON.  RALPH  S.  HUNT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  157 

was  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Rexburg.  In  1912  he  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Idaho  legislature,  was  again  called  to  that  posi- 
tion in  1916  and  for  a  third  term  in  1918.  He  was  not  a  candidate,  however,  in  1914. 
He  is  now  chairman  of  the  live  stock  committee  and  is  serving  on  other  important 
committees.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  he  finds  his 
recreation  in  hunting  and  fishing.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been  actuated 
by  a  spirit  of  progress  which  is  as  manifest  in  his  public  career  as  in  the  conduct  of  his 
private  business  affairs. 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  WITTY. 

Hon.  William  H.  Witty,  state  senator  from  Bannock  county  and  a  well  known  rep- 
resentative of  the  Pocatello  bar,  where  he  has  practiced  since  1895,  was  born  in  Mc- 
Cracken  county,  Kentucky,  February  3,  1872,  and  after  attending  the  public  schools  of 
that  place  continued  his  education  in  a  normal  school.  He  then  took  up  the  profession 
of  teaching,  which  he  followed  in  a  graded  school  for  three  years,  thereby  acquiring  a 
sufficient  sum  of  money  to  pay  his  expenses  as  a  student  in  the  Blandville  Baptist  Col- 
lege at  Blandville,  Kentucky,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1895  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency 
of  that  school  and  there  remained  for  a  year,  but  the  opportunities  of  the  west  drew 
him  to  Idaho  and  he  established  his  home  in  Pocatello.  After  remaining  for  a  few 
months,  however,  he  returned  east  and  was  a  teacher  in  Clinton  College  for  three  years. 
For  a  considerable  period  he  was  widely  known  as  a  capable  educator  of  the  middle 
west.  He  spent  two  years  as  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Ohio  Valley  College  and  at  the 
same  time  was  a  teacher  in  the  Blandville  Baptist  College. 

With  his  return  to  Pocatello  in  1904  Mr.  Witty  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law, 
in  which  he  has  since  remained  active.  He  was  associated  with  Robert  M.  Terrell  in  a 
partnership  relation  under  the  firm  name  of  Witty  &  Terrell  until  1915,  when  his  part- 
ner was  appointed  district  judge  of  the  fifth  judicial  district.  Since  1915  Mr.  WMtty  has 
practiced  alone  and  his  practice  has  steadily  grown  as  his  ability  has  become  recognized. 
The  thoroughness  with  which  he  has  ever  prepared  his  cases,  the  clearness  with  which 
he  presents  his  cause,  and  his  logical  deductions  and  Bound  reasoning  are  the  salient 
elements  in  his  continued  success.  He  has  frequently  been  called  upon  to  fill  public 
offices  along  the  line  of  his  profession.  He  was  formerly  deputy  county  attorney  of 
Bannock  county  and  for  four  years  he  filled  the  office  of  city  attorney  of  Pocatello. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1895,  Mr.  Witty  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Christian, 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  James  D.  Terrell,  the  former  a  prominent  physician  of 
Blandville,  Kentucky.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Witty  have  become  parents  of  a  daughter,  Mary 
Elizabeth.  Their  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Mr.  Witty  belongs  to  the  Pocatello  Commercial  Club  and  to  the  Fifth  Judicial  Bar 
Association.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  republican  party,  and 
in  1910  and  again  in  1912  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Bannock  county  republican 
central  committee  and  has  contributed  in  marked  measure  to  the  success  of  the  party  in 
his  section  of  the  state.  Recognition  of  his  capable  service  to  the  party  and  to  the 
state,  and  his  public-spirited  devotion  to  the  general  welfare  led  to  his  election  to  the 
office  of  state  senator  from  Bannock  county  and  he  is  now  serving  in  the  upper  house  of 
the  Idaho  general  assembly. 


MRS.  LUCY  HARRIS  SALISBURY. 

Mrs.  Lucy  Harris  Salisbury,  filling  the  position  of  county  treasurer  of  Fremont 
county,  with  office  in  St.  Anthony,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Utah,  March  23,  18S7,  a 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Elizabeth  (Gammell)  Harris,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  while 
the  latter  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  in 
1849  went  to  Utah,  driving  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  meeting  with  all  the 
hardships  of  such  a  trip  and  the  experiences  of  frontier  life.  He  took  up  land  in  the 
Cache  valley  and  continued  to  cultivate  his  fields  until  1898,  when  he  removed  to  Fre- 
mont county,  Idaho,  and  secured  a  homestead  claim  near  Ashton.  With  characteristic 


158  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

energy  he  began  at  once  to  break  the  sod,  turning  the  first  furrows  upon  his  place.  He 
continued  in  the  work  of  tilling  the  soil  and  cultivating  the  crops  throughout  his  re- 
maining days,  passing  away  on  the  3d  of  September,  1902,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years. 
The  mother  died  in  July,  1919,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  They  were  members  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  Mr.  Harris  had  first  made  his  way  to 
Utah  with  his  parents  in  early  life  and  afterward  returned  to  the  Missouri  river  to 
assist  the  handcart  people  in  crossing  the  plains.  He  was  ever  an  active  and  earnest 
worker  in  the  church,  in  which  he  served  as  an  elder. 

The  daughter,  Miss  Lucy  Harris,  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  Cache  Valley  and 
for  two  years  taught  school  in  Teton  and  in  Marysville,  Fremont  county,  Idaho.  She 
afterward  became  connected  with  the  dry  goods  business  and  for  ten  years  was  at  the 
head  of  the  dry  goods  department  of  the  Fogg  &  Jacobs  Mercantile  Company  of  St. 
Anthony,  filling  that  position  until  her  election  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  in  No- 
vember, 1918.  She  also  has  farming  interests  in  Teton  county,  having  purchased  state 
land,  which  she  now  leases. 

It  was  on  the  14th  of  November,  1904,  that  Lucy  Harris  became  the  wife  of  William 
J.  Salisbury  and  to  them  was  born  a  son,  Guy  William,  who  passed  away  in  October, 
1905.  Mrs.  Salisbury  has  always  been  active  in  public  affairs  and  for  four  years  she 
served  as  assistant  postmaster  at  Marysville,  Idaho.  Her  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  she  was  called  to  a  mission  but  was  re- 
leased on  account  of  her  mother's  health.  She  is  now  president  of  the  Young  Ladies 
Mutual  Improvement  Association  of  the  Yellowstone  stake.  Her  activities  are  thus 
broad  and  varied,  and  she  is  making  a  most  creditable  and  excellent  record  as  county 
treasurer. 


HON.  ROSS  P.  MASON. 

Hon.  Ross  P.  Mason,  of  New  Plymouth,  well  known  in  local  circles  as  a  banker 
and  in  the  public  life  of  the  state  as  a  member  of  the  Idaho  senate  from  Payette  county, 
has  resided  in  the  northwest  since  1912,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Idaho  from  Kanawha, 
Hancock  county,  Iowa.  Settling  at  New  Plymouth,  he  entered  banking  circles  and 
since  1915  has  been  cashier  of  the  Farmers  Bank.  He  was  born  at  Clarion,  Wright 
county,  Iowa,  September  23,  1891,  and  is  the  youngest  member  of  the  state  senate,  being 
but  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  His  parents,  George  W.  and  Abigail  (Pinkham)  Marson, 
are  now  living  at  New  Plymouth,  having  removed  to  Idaho  in  1914  to  be  near  their 
son.  The  father  is  a  retired  banker  fifty-one  years  of  age,  who  was  forced  to  put  aside 
business  cares  because  of  impaired  eyesight,  resulting  in  almost  total  blindness.  There 
were  four  sons  and  a  daughter  in  the  family,  Henry  Clay,  George  William,  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  Ross  P.  and  Maude  May.  The  two  first  mentioned  were  in  the  United  States 
military  service  when  the  war  closed,  Henry  Clay  being  at  Camp  Funston,  Kansas,  and 
George  William  with  the  student  army  training  corps  in  the  University  of  Idaho.  The 
daughter  is  a  teacher  at  Bancroft,  Idaho. 

Ross  P.  Mason,  the  eldest  son  of  his  father's  family,  was  reared  in  Iowa,  spending 
his  youthful  days  in  two  or  three  different  towns.  He  acquired  a  high  school  education 
and  for  a  year  was  a  student  in  a  military  college  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  had 
the  choice  of  continuing  his  college  course  or  going  to  work  and  chose  the  latter.  He 
at  once  entered  the  Farmers  State  Bank  at  Kanawha,  Iowa,  of  which  his  father  was 
president.  He  started  in  a  minor  position  but  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  through 
merit,  becoming  bookkeeper  and  eventually  assistant  cashier.  He  has  since  continued 
in  the  banking  business,  and  in  1912  he  and  his  father  purchased  the  controlling  in- 
terest in  the  Farmers  Bank  at  New  Plymouth,  Idaho,  of  which  he  at  once  became 
assistant  cashier,  while  in  1915  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  cashier.  The  father 
and  son  own  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  bank's  stock  and  George  W.  Mason  is  president. 
The  bank  was  capitalized  for  ten  thousand  dollars  upon  its  organization,  but  since  the 
Masons  have  been  identified  therewith  the  capital  stock  has  been  increased  to  twenty- 
five  thousand  and  a  general  banking  business  is  being  successfully  conducted. 

In  Kanawha,  Iowa,  Mr.  Mason  was  married  on  the  31st  of  December,  1912,  to  Miss 
Minnie  Cora  Johnson,  a  schoolmate  of  his  boyhood  days.  They  had  two  children  but 
lost  one  son,  Donald  John,  who  was  but  a  year  and  a  half  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
The  younger  son,  Homer  Charles,  was  born  October  27,  1917. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mason  is  a  republican  and  is  now  holding  his  first  political  office, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  159 

having  been  elected  state  senator  in  the  fall  of  1918  by  a  good  majority  on  the  re- 
publican ticket.  He  is  now  serving  as  chairmen  of  the  printing  committee  and  is 
serving  on  the  committees  on  banking,  corporations  and  railroads.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons.  In  war  work  he  was  keenly  interested  and  was  chairman 
of  the  Liberty  Loan  campaign  in  his  vicinity.  For  recreation  he  turns  to  hunting  and 
fishing,  greatly  enjoying  a  period  in  the  open.  Having  attained  success  in  business 
and  prominence  in  public  life  while  still  a  young  man,  the  future  career  of  Ross  P. 
Mason  will  be  well  worth  the  watching. 


CLINTON  EMMETT  ROSE. 

Clinton  Emmett  Rose,  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Boise,  was  born  at 
Quarry,  Marshall  county,  Iowa,  May  20,  1875,  and  is  the  only  living  child  of  Benjamin 
F.  and  Esther  (Coate)  Rose.  The  father  at  one  time  was  owner  of  a  general  store  at 
Quarry,  where  he,  also  served  as  postmaster  and  Justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  born 
in  Ohio,  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Dayton,  his  natal  year  being  1841. 
With  his  parents  he  removed  to  Iowa  in  his  youthful  days  and  at  twenty  years  of  age 
he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting  in  1861  as  the  youngest  member 
of  Company  B,  Eleventh  Iowa  Infantry.  While  he  joined  the  army  as  a  private,  he 
was  afterward  promoted  to  orderly  sergeant  and  ultimately  became  captain  of  his 
company.  He  was  wounded  at  Shilch  and  again  at  Atlanta  and  at  the  latter  place 
was  captured  and  sent  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he  was  held  as  a  hostage 
for  a  time  but  later  was  exchanged.  During  a  two  months'  imprisonment  at  Charleston 
his  weight  fell  from  two  hundred  and  forty-six  to  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  pounds, 
owing  to  the  limited  amount  and  poor  condition  of  the  food  given  him.  With  the  close 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  Iowa  home  and  there  remained  until  1882,  when  he 
removed  to  Cloud  county,  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in  merchandising 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1908.  He  had  served  as  clerk  of  the  district  court 
of  Cloud  county  for  four  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Esther  Coate, 
is  also  a  native  of  Ohio  and  is  now  living  near  her  son's  home  in  Boise,  having  re- 
moved to  this  city  in  order  to  be  near  her  son,  following  the  death  of  her  husband  in 
Kansas.  She  is  a  well  known  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  worker  and  was 
formerly  county  president  in  that  organization.  Although  she  has  now  reached  the 
Psalmist's  allotted  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten,  she  nevertheless  recently  won 
in  a  knitting  contest  in  Red  Cress  work. 

Clinton  E.  Rose  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Cloud  county,  Kansas,  from  the  age  of 
seven  years.  In  the  pursuit  of  his  education  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
of  Concordia,  Kansas,  with  the  class  of  1893  and  afterward  taught  school  for  two  years. 
In  1895  he  entered  the  University  of  Kansas,  where  he  won  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
upon  graduation  with  the  class  of  1899.  Later  he  was  teacher  of  mathematics  at  Beloit, 
Kansas,  for  two  years,  after  which  he  became  principal  of  the  Beloit  high  school  and 
continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  for  three  years.  In  1904  he  came  to  Boise  and  has 
been  connected  with  the  public  schools  of  the  city  continuously  since.  He  was  principal 
of  the  Boise  high  school  from  1904  until  1915  save  for  the  year  1912-13,  which  he  devoted 
to  post-graduate  work  in  Columbia  University,  pursuing  the  teacher's  course  there.  In 
May,  1915,  he  was  promoted  to  the  superintendency  of  the  Boise  schools  and  is  serving 
for  the  fifth  year  in  that  position.  He  has  ever  held  to  the  highest  standards  in  his 
profession  and  his  work  has  been  productive  of  splendid  results.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Idaho  State  Teachers'  Association,  which  has  honored  him  with  election  to  the 
presidency,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  National  Educational  Association.  For  several 
years  past  he  has  conducted  a  teachers'  summer  normal  in  Boise,  covering  a  period  of 
six  weeks,  which  has  an  attendance  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  teachers  from  all 
parts  of  Idaho. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  1900,  in  Concordia,  Kansas,  Mr.  Rose  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  A.  Lawrence,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Pennsylvania.  They  have  two  sons, 
Clinton  F.  and  Lawrence  Emmett,  aged  respectively  seventeen  and  ten  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  is 
serving  as  a  trustee,  and  in  the  work  of  the  church  they  are  deeply  and  helpfully  in- 
terested. He  is  also  a  member  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club 
and  he  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Boise  Country  Club.  He  served  on  the 
Ada  County  Council  of  Defense  and  was  a  member  of  its  executive  committee.  He  thus 


160  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

performed  his  part  in  solving  war  problems,  and  af  all  times  he  stands  for  those  in- 
terests and  activities  which  are  most  worth  while  to  the  individual,  to  the  community 
and  to  the  country  at  large. 


HON.   JAMES  HEBER  RICHARDS. 

Hon.  James  Heber  Richards,  attorney  and  jurist,  who  for  two  years  presided  over 
the  third  district  court,  when  he  would  no  longer  consent  to  remain  upon  the  bench 
and  resumed  the  private  practice  of  law  in  Boise,  where  he  ranks  as  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  distinguished  members  of  the  Idaho  bar,  was  born  in  Fredericktown,  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  May  5,  1852.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  born  to  Daniel  and  Clarissa  (Allen)  Richards,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  have  now  passed  away.  Four  of  their  eight 
children  are  still  living,  all  being  residents  of  Idaho,  namely:  Clara  H.,  a  resident 
of  Boise;  Wilson  P.,  also  of  Boise;  James  H.;  and  Arthur  P.,  of  Emmett. 

Judge  Richards  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  to  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  and  during  that  period  pursued  a  country  school  education.  He  then 
started  out  to  provide  for  his  own  support  and  has  since  been  dependent  entirely  upon 
his  own  resources,  so  that  he  has  justly  won  the  proud  American  title  of  a  self-made 
man.  Energy,  industry  and  ambition  have  actuated  him  at  every  point  in  his  career. 
He  was  first  employed  upon  a  dairy  farm  for  two  years  and  later  went  to  Bellville, 
Ohio,  where  he  worked  for  his  board  and  attended  school  for  two  years.  He  was 
ever  desirous  of  advancing  along  intellectual  lines  and  throughout  his  entire  life  has 
manifested  studious  habits  that  have  kept  him  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern 
thought  and  progress.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Huron  county,  Ohio,  to 
become  manager  of  a  large  four  hundred  acre  stock  farm  and  spent  one  year  in  that 
position.  He  afterward  resided  for  two  years  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farm  work,  and  from  1872  until  1878  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school 
in  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  a  student  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  in  the  meantime  he  had  begun  the  study  of  law. 
Returning  to  Mount  Vernon,  he  again  taught  school  for  a  brief  period  and  in  1879 
made  the  initial  step  on  his  westward  journey,  removing  to  Denver,  Colorado.  There 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  Markham,  Patterson  &  Thomas,  well  known  attorneys  of  that 
city,  who  directed  his  reading  for  two  years  and  who  paid  him  sixty  dollars  per  month 
for  his  services  as  a  law  clerk.  In  1881  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  for  five  years 
thereafter  engaged  in  active  practice  in  Denver.  He  then  removed  to  Breckenridge, 
Colorado,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  from  1886  until  1890. 

In  the  latter  year  Judge  Richards  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  has  practiced  con- 
tinuously since  save  for  the  period  of  his  service  upon  the  bench.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  stalwart  republican.  The  docket  of  the  third  district  court  having 
become  badly  congested,  in  1894  Mr.  Richards  consented  to  become  judge  of  the  district 
in  order  to  clear  up  the  docket  and  did  so  with  great  sacrifice  to  his  personal  interests. 
He  remained  upon  the  bench  for  two  years,  during  which  time  he  accomplished  his 
purpose  of  clearing  the  docket  and  then  retired,  resuming  the  private  practice  of  law. 
It  required  three  years  for  him  to  catch  up  with  his  private  practice  and  he  was 
harder  worked  during  that  period  than  in  any  other  time  of  his  life. 

The  following*  resolutions  by  the  bar  of  the  third  judicial  district  of  Idaho  were 
passed: 

"Whereas,  the  District  Court  of  the  Third  Judicial  District  of  the  State  of  Idaho, 
in  and  for  Ada  County,  and  presided  over  by  Hon.  J.  H.  Richards,  District  Judge,  has 
now  been  in  continuous  session  about  sixty  days,  and  during  which  time  over  one 
hundred  cases  have  been  disposed  of,  many  calling  for  the  solution  of  intricate  and 
novel  legal  propositions  and  the  adjustment  of  strongly  disputed  facts,  and, 

"Whereas,  Hon.  J.  H.  Richards;  as  Judge,  has  speedily,  fearlessly,  impartially  and 
with  ability  tempered  with  justice  and  right,  met  and  decided  each  matter  of  dispute 
presented  to  him, 

"It  is  therefore  Resolved:  That  the  members  of  the  Bar  of  this  District  hereby 
express  their  high  regard  for  the  dignity,  fairness  and  ability  of  Hon.  J.  H.  Richards, 
as  Judge  of  said  Court,  and  his  kindness  and  courtesy  extended  to  each  member  of 
the  Bar,  as  well  as  the  jury  in  attendance  and  the  litigants. 

"Resolved:     That  an  engrossed  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented  to  Hon.  J. 


HON.  JAMES  H.  RICHARDS 


Vol.  II— 11 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  163 

H.  Richards,  and  that  the  same  be  spread  upon  the  records  of  the  Bar  Association  of 
.-aid    District. 

(Signed)   GEOKOE  H*.   STKWART 
O.    E.   JAIK.S,I\ 
AI.KKKU  A.  FRAHER 

Committee." 

In  1905  Judge  Richards  was  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  being  the  only 
lawyer  in  the  house,  and  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee.  Other 
political  offices  could  have  been  won  by  him  if  he  had  so  desired.  He  has  frequently 
been  urged  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  governor  and  for  member  of  the 
supreme  court  but  has  always  declined,  his  ambition  being  in  other  than  political  lines. 
He  prefers  the  private  practice  of  law  and  he  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  trend  of 
professional  thought  and  practice  through  his  membership  in  the  Idaho  State  Bar 
Association  and  the  American  Bar  Association. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1881,  Judge  Richards  was  married  in  Winona,  Minne- 
sota, to  Miss  Fannie  Howe.  They  are  members  of  the  Christian  Science  church  and 
Judge  Richards  is  a  Master  Mason  and  also  an  Elk.  He  served  as  the  first  exalted 
ruler  of  Bohe  Lodge,  No.  1,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Boise  Com- 
mercial Club  and  is  interested  in  all  those  activities  and  projects  which  have  to  do 
with  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  the  upholding  of  high  civic  standards. 


HON.   JAMES  H.  BRADY. 

There  are  few  lines  of  activity  which  have  touched  the  general  interests  cf  society 
and  led  to  the  development  and  progress  of  Idaho  with  which  Senator  James  H.  Brady 
was  not  connected.  He  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  for  good  upon  many  im- 
portant public  movements  in  his  state,  and  at  all  times  his  course  was  of  such  signal 
dignity  and  honor  as  to  win  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  was 
associated. 

James  H.  Brady  was  born  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  12,  1862,  the  sou 
of  John  and  Cathrine  (Lee)  Brady,  who  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  great- 
grandfather, Hugh  Brady,  was  a  colonel  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  his  great-uncle.  Captain 
Samuel  Brady,  was  a  hero  in  Indian  warfare  during  the  early  years  of  the  history 
of  Pennsylvania. 

The  subject  hereof  moved  with  his  parents  to  Johnson  county,  Kinsas,  where  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  the  district  and  the  Leavenworth  Normal  College.  He 
taught  school  for  three  years  after  receiving  his  diploma,  fitting  himself  in  the  mean- 
time for  the  practice  of  law.  After  editing  a  semi-weekly  newspaper  for  two  years,  he 
embarked  in  the  real  estate  business,  with  branch  offices  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  Chi- 
cago, Illinois,  and  Houston,  Texas,  and  in  this  business  was  very  successful.  While 
thus  engaged,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  wonderful  irrigation  and  power  pos- 
sibilities of  the  state  of  Idaho  and  moved  here  in  1S95.  He  at  once  became  identified 
with  the  development  of  the  Snake  river  valley  and  was  the  moving  spirit  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Idaho  canal,  the  Marysville  canal,  and  the  Fort  Hall  Indian  Reservation 
canal.  In  f.-ct,  he  did  more  for  irrigation  and  the  agricultural  development  of  Idaho 
than  any  othsr  man  who  has  ever  lived  within  its  borders.  He  also  bec-ime  interested 
in  the  development  of  water  power  in  southern  Idaho  and  organized  the  Idaho  Con- 
solidated Power  Company,  which  harnessed  the  waters  of  American  Falls  from  which 
light  and  heat  are  supplied  widely  over  the  southern  part  of  Idaho. 

His  great  interest  in  all  development  work  brought  about  his  election  as  vice 
president  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress,  which  position  he  held  during  the  years 
of  1896  and  1898.  He  was  later  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  that  organiza- 
tion for  the  years  1900  and  1904.  During  his  connection  with  this  organization  it  be- 
came in  no  small  measure  through  his  efforts,  an  "instrumentality  in  securing  the 
enactment  of  national  reclamation  laws.  He  was  president  of  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Commercial  Congress,  and  also  of  the  Western  Development  League. 

Naturally  Mr.  Brady's  great  interest  in  all  public  movements  brought  about  his 
participation  in  politics,  and  the  great  energy  and  executive  ability  which  he  dis- 
played in  his  business  enterprises  distinguished  him  as  an  organizer  and  leader  in  the 
republican  party,  and  his  foresight,  business  intelligence,  personal  popularity  and 
capacity  for  work  made  him  a  valuable  asset  to  that  party  in  his  state.  He  was  elected 


164  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

a  delegate  to  the  republican  national  convention  of  1900,  1908  and  1916,  acting  as  chair- 
man of  the  Idaho  delegation  to  the  convention  of  1908.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
delegation  selected  by  the  convention  to  notify  President  William  H.  Taft  of  his 
nomination  by  that  convention.  In  1904  he  became  chairman  of  the  republican  state 
central  committee  of  Idaho  and  was  again  selected  in  1906  and  led  his  party  to  victory 
in  both  campaigns.  He  was  nominated  in  convention  by  acclamation  as  republican 
candidate  for  governor  in  1908  and  was  elected  November  3d  of  that  year  by  a-  mag- 
nifiqent  majority.  Senator  Brady  took  with  him  into  the  governor's  office,  his  wonder- 
ful experience  as  a  builder  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  his  state  and 
a  profound  feeling  of  responsibility  to  his  constituents.  His  administration  of  this 
office  is  noted  in  the  history  of  the  state  as  a  period  during  which  its  greatest  develop- 
ment occurred  along  constructive  lines. 

After  his  retirement  as  chief  executive  of  his  state,  he  again  turned  his  attention 
with  renewed  vigor  to  the  development  of  the  agricultural  resources  of  his  state,  per- 
sonally investing  large  sums  in  a  project  near  Mountain  Home  and  rehabilitated  that 
project,  which  was  on  the  road  to  ruin,  carrying  with  it  the  hopes  and  dreams  of  pioneer 
settlers.  With  the  view  of  interesting  the  east  in  the  wonderful  opportunities  afforded 
by  the  west,  Mr.  Brady  in  1911  arranged  for  a  special  train  to  carry  the  governors  of 
the  middle  west  and  north  states  across  the  continent,  visiting  all  the  principal  cities 
between  St.  Paul  and  New  York.  This  movement  was  known  as  the  "Governors' 
Special"  and  it  undoubtedly  performed  a  wonderful  mission  for  the  benefit  of  the  west. 
On  January  24,  1913,  Mr.  Brady  was  elected  by  the'  legislature  of  the  state  of  Idaho  to 
fill  the  unexpired  term  of  the  late  Senator  Heyburn.  He  was  a  candidate  to  succeed 
himself  and  was  reelected  by  vote  of  his  people  at  the  general  election  in  November, 
1914,  for  a  full  six  year  term.  On  entering  the  senate  his  success  in  business  affairs 
and  his  long  experience  in  handling  large  enterprises  was  recognized  by  the  leaders  of 
that  body  giving  him  committee  assignments  of  great  importance,  among  which  was 
that  of  a  member  of  the  military  affairs  committee.  The  advent  of  this  country  into 
the  World  war  imposed  a  great  responsibility  upon  this  committee,  and  Senator  Brady, 
although  then  in  failing  health  and  warned  time  and  again  by  his  friends  and  physicians 
of  his  personal  danger  in  over-exertion,  nevertheless  threw  his  whole  soul  into  his 
labor,  and  to  this  work,  more  than  any  other  cause  may  be  attributed  his  final  break- 
down in  health. 

Senator  Brady  was  an  earnest  supporter  of  legislation  for  the  preparation  and 
conduct  of  the  war  and  for  making  the  most  liberal  provision  for  the  equipment  and 
comfort  of  the  soldiers  and  the  care  of  their  families.  Although  a  strict  party  man,  no 
thought  of  party  advancement  influenced  him  in  the  consideration  of  legislation  per- 
taining to  the  conduct  of  the  war.  He  was  enthusiastic  in  his  support  of  the  govern- 
ment's plans  to  assume  the  large  burden  our  republic  was  to  bear  in  the  world  con- 
flict. He  passed  away  in  his  home  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  January  13,  1918,  and  his 
dying  regret  was  that  he  could  not  live  to  do  his  part  in  the  solution  of  the  problems 
which  he  saw  would  confront  this  country  after  the  victory,  which  he  knew  would 
come  to  the  arms  of  the  Allies. 

Senator  Brady  is  survived  by  his  widow,  formerly  Miss  Irene  Moore  of  Chicago, 
Illinois,  and  two  sons  by  a  former  marriage,  S.  E.  Brady  and  J.  Robb  Brady,  both  of 
whom  are  now  residents  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  the  Senator's  home  town,  and  are  actively 
engaged  in  looking  after  the  large  interests  of  their  father's  estate,  taking  the  same 
wholesome  and  vigorous  part  in  public  questions  and  problems  as  characterized  their 
great  father. 

Of  the  many  admirable  characteristics  possessed  by  the  late  Senator  Brady  per- 
haps his  great  generosity  was  the  most  conspicuous.  No  needy  charitable  enterprise 
was  ever  neglected  by  him.  His  modesty  was  such  that  his  gifts  to  worthy  causes, 
which  really  amounted  to  fortunes,  were  almost  secretly  accomplished.  Great  numbers 
of  substantial  men  in  Idaho  today  are  free  to  acknowledge  that  through  Senator  Brady 
they  have  been  strengthened  and  made  happier  and  better.  Many  young  men  have 
been  aided  by  him  to  secure  an  education  who  otherwise  would  have  been  handicapped 
in  life's  battles.  He  was  one  of  the  largest  contributors  to  the  Children's  Home  Find- 
ing and  Aid  Society  of  Boise,  of  which  he  served  as  president.  He  was  also  organizer 
of  the  Boys  and  Girls  Club  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  to  the  support  of  which  he  contributed 
liberally  until  the  general  assembly  made  it  a  state  institution. 

Senator  Brady  was  a  wise  and  useful  legislator,  a  generous  and  unselfish  friend, 
an  eminent  and  patriotic  citizen.  Reared  upon  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  with  no 
special  advantages  or  opportunities  beyond  those  given  to  the  great  majority  of  men, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  165 

the  inherent  force  of  his  character,  his  laudable  ambition,  his  recognition  of  life's 
values,  duties  and  responsibilities,  led  him  into  most  important  relations  with  public 
interests  and  every  cause  or  activity  with  which  he  was  connected  benefited  by  his 
cooperation  and  support.  It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  value  of  his  service  or 
measure  the  breadth  of  his  accomplishments.  While  he  was  widely  recognized  as  a 
foremost  factor  in  the  development  of  the  irrigation  interests  of  the  state  and  in  the 
promotion  of  its  agricultural  activity,  his  labors  along  other  lines  were  of  an  equally 
important  and  worthy  character.  He  was  a  potent  power  in  the  political  history,  not 
only  of  the  state  but  of  the  nation,  and  great  and  important  as  were  his  activities  in 
these  connections,  he  regarded  as  equally  important  the  needs  of  his  fellowmen  toward 
the  development  of  philanthropic  and  moral  interests  and  was  a  most  close  and  dis- 
criminating student  of  the  signs  of  the  times  in  relation  to  all  those  great  sociological 
problems  which  constitute  the  foundation  of  the  nation's  welfare.  Wherever  he  went 
in  the  east  or  west,  his  ability  was  recognized  and  his  salient  qualities  and  genial 
manner  were  such  as  won  for  him  warm  personal  friendship  among  the  humble  and 
the  lowly,  the  great  and  the  mighty  throughout  the  land. 


A.  R.  HOMER. 

A.  R.  Homer,  cashier  of  the  Idaho  Falls  National  Bank,  was  born  in  Clarkston, 
Cache  county,  Utah,  March  18,  1883  a  son  of  R.  K.  and  Eleanor  (Atkinson)  Homer,  the 
former  a  native  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  latter  of  Wellsville,  Cache  county,  Utah. 
The  father  was  a  farmer,  who  in  1889  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  is  now  operating  a  farm  pleasantly  and  conveniently  situated  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Idaho  Falls.  The  mother  is  also  living.  In  their  family  were  nine  children, 
namely:  Russell  K.,  who  follows  farming  in  Idaho;  A.  R.,  of  this  review;  George  A. 
and  Brigham  E.,  who  are  also  farmers;  Norah,  the  wife  of  John  G.  Grover,  living 
at  Archer,  Idaho;  W.  H.,  a  banker  of  Ririe,  Idaho;  Edmund  E.,  living  at  Idaho  Falls, 
where  he  is  a  clerk  in  the  Browning  Garage;  John  a  farmer;  and  Lyda,  at  home. 

A.  R.  Homer  was  reared  and  educated  at  Rigby,  Idaho.  He  supplemented  his 
public  school  training  by  study  in  the  Rex  Academy  at  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  also  in  the 
Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  Utah.  He  then  entered  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Logan,  where  he  was  employed  for  two  years,  after  which  he  secured  a  position  in  the 
National  Bank  of  the  Republic  at  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  remained  for  five  years. 
He  was  then  sent  to  Switzerland  on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  laboring  in  Switzerland  and  Germany  for  three  years.  After  his  return 
he  entered  the  National  City  Bank  at  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  was  employed  for  three 
years,  and  afterward  became  cashier  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  at  Logan,  Utah, 
acting  in  that  capacity  for  two  years.  He  left  that  place  to  come  to  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho, 
and  assist  in  the  organization  of  the  Idaho  Falls  National  Bank  on  the  20th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1918.  The  bank  was  organized  with  Frank  Pingree  as  the  president  and  A.  R. 
Homer  as  cashier.  Mr.  Pingree  is  also  the  cashier  of  the  National  City  Bank  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  other  officers  of  the  institution  are  Jabec  Ritchie,  first  vice  president, 
and  A.  E.  Stanger,  second  vice  president.  The  bank  has  been  capitalized  for  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  and  now  has  a  surplus  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  deposits 
amounting  to  six  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  company  purchased  the  building 
which  they  occupy,  which  is  a  modern  bank  building,  supplied  with  the  latest  equipment. 
Among  the  directors  and  stockholders  of  the  institution  are  many  men  of  recognized 
ability  and  prominence  in  business  circles.  The  bank  has  been  established  on  a  safe 
conservative  basis,  with  a  policy  that  commends  itself  to  the  public,  and  its  business 
has  steadily  grown  since  its  doors  were  first  opened. 

Mr.  Homer  was  married  to  Miss  Delva  Haycock  on  the  18th  of  December,  1918. 
Politically  he  is  a  republican  and  he  retains  his  membership  in  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  is  recognized  as  an  earnest,  capable  and  cultured  young 
man,  possessed  of  practical  business  ideas  and  actuated  at  all  points  in  his  career  by 
laudable  ambition.  He  has  been  gladly  welcomed  to  the  ranks  of  business  men  and 
citizens  of  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  came  not  as  a  stranger  but  as  one  well  known  be- 
cause of  his  well  earned  reputation.  In  various  ways  he  has  also  won  wide  recogni- 
tion as  a  successful  business  man  through  his  extensive  operations  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  in  connection  with  his  three  brothers,  W.  H.,  B  E.  and  John  Homer,  who 
are  operating  two  thousand  acres  of  land  nineteen  miles  east  of  Idaho  Falls,  on  which 


166  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

they  are  running  cattle  and  sheep  and  raising  hay  and  grain,  having  four  hundred 
acres  planted  to  wheat  and  barley.  His  interests  are  thus  extensive  aside  from  banking, 
and  his  forcefulness  and  resourcefulness  in  business  make  him  indeed  a  valued  factor 
in  the  district  which  he  has  chosen  as  his  place  of  residence. 


HON.  ISAAC  ALBERT  SMOOT. 

Hon.  Isaac  Albert  Smoot,  residing  in  St.  Anthony,  Fremont  county,  where  he  has 
important  ranching  and  real  estate  interests,  has  recently  retired  from  the  position 
of  land  commissioner  of  the  state  of  Idaho.  He  was  born  in  Provo,  Utah,  November  3, 
1880,  and  is  a  son  of  the  Hon.  Abraham  Owen  Smoot,  who  passed  away  in  1914  and 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Utah,  having  been  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  September  9, 
1858.  He  served  as  state  senator  in  Utah  for  sixteen  years  and  as  United  States 
commissioner  for  many  years  and  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  state  for  a 
very  extended  period.  He  was  a  son  of  Abraham  Owen  Smoot,  Sr.,  who  was  one  of 
the  leading  Mormons  of  Utah  and  one  of  the  high  officials  of  the  Mormon  church.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Kentucky  and  he  brought  the  second  colony  of  one  hundred  Mormons 
to  Utah  in  1847,  acting  as  captain  of  the  wagon  train.  Brigham  Young  had  brought  the 
first  one  hundred  earlier  in  the  same  year.  Mr.  Smoot  became  president  of  the  Utah 
Stake  of  Zion  of  Utah  county  and  was  the  first  mayor  of  Salt  Lake  City,  in  which 
position  he  continued  to  serve  for  fourteen  years.  Later  he  served  as  mayor  of  Provo, 
Utah,  for  eighteen  years.  His  second  son  is  United  States  Senator  Reed  Smoot,  of 
Utah,  the  father  of  Isaac  A.  Smoot  being  the  eldest  son  in  the  family. 

Isaac  A.  Smoot  was  reared  in  Provo,  Utah,  where  he  acquired  his  early  education, 
and  subsequently  was* a  student  in  the  Brigham  Young  University  of  that  place.  He 
left  the  university  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and  for  four  years  thereafter  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  mining  in  the  Tintic  district.  Later  he  served  for  two  and  a  half  years  as  a 
Mormon  missionary  in  England  in  obedience  to  a  call  from  the  church,  remaining 
abroad  from  1903  until  1906.  On  his  return  home  he  soon  became  local  manager  of 
the  Bell  Telephone  Company  at  Provo  and  six  months  later  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  district  manager  for  the  corporation,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to 
serve  for  six  years.  In  1912  he  was  elected  county  assessor  of  Utah  county,  Utah,  while 
absent  from  his  home  town  and  county,  and  he  never  returned  home  during  the 
campaign.  His  election  therefore  indicates  most  clearly  his  personal  popularity  and 
the  confidence  which  was  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  was  nominated 
on  the  democratic  ticket  during  his  absence  without  his  knowledge  and  his  brother  at 
the  convention  attempted  to  prevent  the  nomination.  Notwithstanding  this  he  received 
three  hundred  more  votes  than  any  other  candidate  on  the  ticket  and  continued  to 
fill  the  position  for  two  years. 

In  the  meantime,  or  on  the  31st  of  March,  1909,  Mr.  Smoot  had  married  an  Idaho 
girl,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  R.  Parkinson,  of  Franklin,  Idaho,  who  has  now  reached 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  of  the  state  and 
the  second  settler  of  Franklin,  Idaho,  where  he  yet  makes  his  home.  He,  too,  is  promi- 
nent in  the  Mormon  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  bishop  for  forty  years.  Mrs. 
Smoot  is  one  of  the  thirty-two  children  of  Mr.  Parkinson,  of  whom  twenty-nine  are 
living.  The  Parkinson  family,  including  father  and  twelve  living  sons,  are  all  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs  in  Idaho  and  Utah.  The  father's  posterity  now  numbers  over 
three  hundred. 

Mr.  Smoot's  marriage  to  Miss  Parkinson  finally  led  to  his  removal  to  Idaho,  for  on 
the  occasion  of  several  visits  to  his  wife's  people  in  this  state  he  became  greatly  im- 
pressed with  its  possibilities  and  in  1915  he  took  up  his  abode  at  St.  Anthony,  where  he 
became  interested  in  both  ranching  and  real  estate.  In  the  fall  of  1916  he  was  made 
chairman  of  the  democratic  county  committee  of  Fremont  qounty  and  succeeded  in 
electing  the  entire  democratic  ticket  that  fall  in  what  is  normally  a  strong  republican 
county.  In  January.  1917,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Idaho  state  land  board,  without 
solicitation  on  his  part,  to  the  office  of  state  land  commissioner.  He  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  the  position  on  the  1st  of  January,  1917,  for  a  two  years'  term  but  on  the  5th 
of  August,  1918,  resigned  and  returned  to  his  former  home  in  Fremont  county.  He- 
does  not  seem  to  have  the  political  ambition  which  has  actuated  his  father  and  grand- 
father and  which  is  so  often  an  incentive  for  valuable  public  service.  In  1901,  however, 
he  filled  the  office  of  clerk  in  the  Utah  state  senate,  occupying  the  position  for  one  term. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  169 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smoot  have  been  born  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter: 
Ruth  P.,  Albert  P.  and  Richard  P.  The  initial  in  each  instance  stands  for  the  name 
Parkinson.  Mr.  Smoot  and  his  family  continue  their  membership  in  the  Mormon  church. 
They  are  well  known  in  their  part  of  the  state  and  Mr.  Smoot  is  recognized  as  a  man 
of  marked  business  ability  and  enterprise  who  carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  be  undertakes. 


HON.  JOHN  McMURRAY. 

Among  those  who  are  engaged  in  framing  the  laws  of  Idaho  through  membership  in 
the  state  senate  is  Hon.  John  McMurray,  who  was  elected  to  the  upper  house  of  the 
general  assembly  from  Cassia  county,  his  home  being  at  Oakley,  where  he  is  a  well 
known  banker,  farmer  and  sheep  raiser.  His  connection  with  the  financial  interests  of 
the  state  is  that  of  president  of  the  Farmers  Bank  at  Oakley.  He  has  lived  in  Idaho 
since  1882,  arriving  in  this  state  when  a  lad  of  but  eight  years.  He  was  born  in 
Grantsville,  Utah,  June  12,  1873,  a  son  of  Charles  K.  and  Mary  A.  (Hudson)  McMurray, 
who  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  of  Pennsylvania  respectively.  They  were  married  in 
Utah  and  in  1882  removed  to  Idaho,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Cassia  county.  Both  have 
now  passed  away.  It  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  the  material  grandfather, 
William  Hudson,  was  one  of  the  Mormon  battalion  that  went  tc  California  in  1849 
and  that  when  in  the  employ  of  Sutter,  digging  a  millrace,  he  discovered  gold,  but 
Sutler  was  given  the  credit  for  the  discovery. 

John  McMurray  spent  his  youth  upon  the  home  ranch  in  Cassia  county  and  upon 
reaching  his  majority  he  took  up  farming  and  stock  raising  on  his  own  account,  giving 
his  attention  largely  to  sheep.  He  has  since  been  active  in  the  business  and  is  today 
one  of  the  prominent  sheepmen  of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  has  become  a  large  land- 
owner in  his  county,  making  judicious  investments  in  property  from  time  to  time  as 
his  financial  resources  have  increased.  He  has  also  become  actively  connected  with 
financial  affairs  as  the  president  of  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Oakley. 

Mr.  McMurray  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party,  of  which  he  is 
a  stalwart  champion,  although  his  father  was  a  supporter  of  democratic  principles.  Mr. 
Me- Murray  has  served  for  one  term  as  county  commissioner  and  for  two  terms  filled  the 
office  of  representative  in  the  Idaho  legislature  before  his  election  to  the  state  senate  on 
the  5th  of^November,  1918.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  upper  branch  of  the  general 
assembly,  where  he  is  serving  as  chairman  of  the  live  stock  committee  and  a  member 
of  the  committees  on  education  and  on  agriculture. 

When  twenty-seven  years  of  age  Mr.  McMurray  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Louise 
Dahlquist,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  living  children,  four  sons  and  a  daughter: 
Thelma,  John  Odell,  Raymond,  Gomez  and  Kay.  Mr.  McMurray  is  well  known  in  the 
section  of  the  state  where  for  thirty-eight  years  he  has  made  his  home.  His  life  has 
been  well  spent  and  his  activity  and  enterprise  have  brought  to  him  a  gratifying  measure 
of  success,  while  his  devotion  to  public  duty  has  gained  him  prominence  and  honor 
in  connection  with  the  affairs  of  the  commonwealth. 


ALBERT  A.  JESSUP,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Albert  A.  Jessup,  dental  surgeon  of  Boise  and  for  six  years  a  member  of  the 
Idaho  state  board  of  dental  examiners,  was  born  at  Salem,  Oregon,  February  27,  1875, 
a  son  of  Dr.  Solon  R.  and  Sophronia  (Soshow)  Jessup,  the  former  of  English  and' the 
latter  of  French  descent.  The  mother  is  also  descended  from  ancestors  who  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  she  has  membership  with  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  while  her  son,  Dr.  Jessup,  is  connected  with  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution.  His  father,  Dr.  Solon  R.  Jessup,  was  a  physician  and  surgeon  who  prac- 
ticed successfully  in  Salem,  Oregon,  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  there  passed  away 
October  15,  1902. 

Dr.  Albert  A.  Jessup  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oregon  and  in  Willamette 
University  and  the  University  of  Oregon.  He  then  went  east  for  further  study  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery  in  1898,  with  the  degree  of 
D.  D.  S.  Returning  to  the  west,  he  has  successfully  practiced  in  Boise  tor  a  number 


170  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  years  and  his  high  professional  standing  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  for  six  years 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Idaho  state  board  of  dental  examiners  and  for  five 
years  of  that  time  was  its  secretary.  He  was  also  honored  with  the  presidency  of  the 
Idaho  State  Dental  Society,  with  which  he  still  has  membership,  and  he  served  as  chair- 
man for  Idaho  and  honorary  president  of  the  Panama-Pacific  Dental  Congress.  He 
likewise  belongs  to  the  National  Dental  Society  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lamba  Chap- 
ter of  the  Xi  Psi  Phi,  a  dental  fraternity.  He  has  put  forth  every  effort  to  keep  in 
touch  with  the  latest  advances  made  in  the  science  of  dentistry  and  employs  the  most 
modern  methods  in  his  practice,  which  has  now  grown  to  extensive  proportions. 

Dr.  Jessup  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  the  Boise  Rotary-  ciub, 
the  Boise  Country  Club  and  the  Boise  Golf  Club.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  having 
taken  the  various  degrees  of  the  York  and  Scottish  Rites  save  the  honorary  thirty- 
third  degree,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  past  master  of  the 
lodge;  past  high  priest  of  the  chapter  and  past  grand  high  priest  of  the  Grand  Chapter. 
He  is  past  thrice  illustrious  master  of  the  council  and  a  past  commander  and  past 
grand  commander  of  the  Knights  Templar;  past  venerable  master  of  Albert  Pike 
Lodge  of  Perfection,  fourteenth  degree;  past  wise  master  of  Pelican  Chapter  of  Rose 
Croix,  eighteenth  degree,  past  commander  of  Boise  Council  of  Kadosh,  thirtieth  de- 
gree; past  master  of  Kadosh  of  Boise  Consistory,  thirty-second  degree;  and  past  grand 
sovereign  of  the  Grand  Imperial  Council  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine  of  the  United 
States.  He  has  for  the  past  eleven  years  been  elected  representative  of  El  Koran 
Temple,  A. 'A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  to  the  Imperial  Council  of  the  order  for  North  America. 
He  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  prominent  Masons  of  the  state,  a  loyal  exemplar 
of  the  teachings  of  the  craft,  and  is  likewise  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 


HENRY  H.  SCHILDMAN. 

Henry  H.  Schildman  is  a  typical  business  man  of  the  west,  alert  to  every  oppor- 
tunity presented,  of  which  his  enterprise  prompts  him  to  take  advantage.  He  is  now 
the  president  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  at  Filer,  Idaho,  and  is  also  well  known 
as  a  real  estate  dealer  and  stockman.  Illinois  claims  him  as  a  native  son,  his  birth 
having  occurred  at  Warsaw,  that  state,  on  the  20th  of  November,  1871,  his  parents  being 
John  H.  and  Josephine  Schildman.  His  boyhood  days  were  there  passed  and  he  pursued 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  place  and  in  the  Western  Normal  College  at  Bush- 
nell,  Illinois.  He  was  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  when  in  1888  he  made  his  way  west  to 
Spokane,  Washington.  He  engaged  in  clerking  for  a  time  and  then  removed  to  North 
Yakima,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  merchandising  house  of  Coffin  Brothers.  He 
went  to  Lewiston,  Idaho,  when  that  firm  established  business  there  in  1895,  opening 
an  extensive  mercantile  institution  which  was  conducted  for  twelve  years.  They  also 
established  branch  stores  at  Fort  Lapwai,  Kamiah,  Nezperce,  Ilo  and  Forest. 

Mr.  Schildman  remained  an  active  factor  in  the  management  and  conduct  of  those 
stores  until  1907,  when  he  came  to  the  Twin.  Falls  country,  purchasing  the  land  where 
the  town  of  Filer  now  stands.  He  plotted  the  land  and  organized  the  townsite  com- 
pany in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  He  then  opened  a  general  merchandise  store,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  for  six  years,  enjoying  a  large  trade  as  the  country  de- 
veloped. In  the  spring  of  1908  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Filer  State  Bank 
and  was  elected  its  vice  president  and  also  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  He 
was  connected  with  the  institution  until  1912,  when  he  disposed  of  his  stock  to  Messrs. 
Shearer  and  Haag.  In  1913  he  sold  his  mercantile  business  to  C.  A.  Love,  who  is  still 
conducting  the  store.  Mr.  Schildman  then  devoted  his  attention  to  looking  after  his 
landed  interests  which  he  had  purchased  in  the  early  years  of  the  development  of  the 
tract.  He  also  invested  in  live  stock,  both  as  a  dealer  and  breeder  of  registered 
shorthorn  cattle,  Hampshire  sheep  and  Poland  China  hogs.  His  live  stock  interests  hjave 
developed  to  large  proportions  and  at  the  present  time  he  has  one  of  the  best  herds 
of  shorthorn  cattle  to  be  found  in  the  state,  numbering  fifty  head,  and  he  finds  a  ready 
sale  for  all  of  the  stock  which  he  places  upon  the  market.  In  the  fall  of  1917  he  be- 
came associated  with  Messrs.  Madland  and  Shear  in  organizing  the  Farmers  &  Mer- 
chants Bank  of  Filer,  which  is  capitalized  at  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  now 
has  a  surplus  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  enjoying  a  prosperous  business. 

In  1904  Mr.  Schildman  was  married  to  Miss  Kathleen  Tarbox,  and  with  their  one 
son,  James,  they  occupy  a  very  pleasant  home  at  Filer,  enjoying  all  of  the  comforts 


171 

and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  Mr.  Schildman  has  made  steady  progress  since 
starting  out  in  business  as  a  clerk  in  the  northwest,  advancing  step  by  step,  and  in 
the  utilization  of  the  opportunities  which  have  come  to  him  he  has  gained  a  most 
creditable  name  and  place. 


HARRY  S.  BETTIS,   D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Harry  S.  Bettis,  who  for  a  third  of  a  century  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  dentistry  in  Boise,  having  arrived  here  on  the  llth  of  February.  1886.  from  San 
Francisco,  was  born  at  Jamestown,  Toulumne  county,  California,  February  11,  1864, 
the  only  son  of  Otis  John  and  Fanny  Maria  (Cheshire)  Bettis.  The  father  was  born 
in  Utica,  New  York,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Manchester,  England,  and  in 
her  girlhood  days  she  came  with  relatives  to  the  United  States.  In  1850  Mr.  Bettis 
went  to  California  as  one  of  the  gold  seekers.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  but  the 
gold  discoveries  drew  him  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until 
called  to  his  final  rest  February  28,  1898.  His  widow  survived  him  tor  a  considerable 
period,  passing  away  September  5,  1918.  There  were  but  two  children  in  the  family. 
Dr.  Bettis  being  the  only  son.  His  sister,  Mary  Louise  Bettis,  is  now  living  in  Berkeley, 
California. 

Dr.  Bettis  spent  his  early  life  chiefly  in  San  Francisco  and  in  his  youthful  days 
studied  dentistry,  believing  that  he  would  find  it  a  congenial  field  of  effort.  In  October, 
1885,  he  was  graduated  from  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  California  and 
for  a  short  time  practiced  in  San  Francisco  but  in  1886  came  to  Boise,  where  he  opened 
an  office.  He  is  today  the  pioneer  dentist  of  Boise,  no  other  member  of  the  profession 
in  active  practice  having  been  here  at  the  time  of  his  arrival.  His  skill  and  ability 
rank  him  with  the  foremost  dentists  of  the  northwest.  He  keeps  in  touch  with  the 
latest  scientific  researches  and  discoveries  and  employs  the  most  advanced  methods 
in  his  operative  work. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1894,  Dr.  Bettis  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Moore,  a  daughter 
of  the  late  C.  W.  Moore,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Boise.  They  have  one  son,  Laurence 
Moore  Bettis,  who  was  born  July  9,  1895,  and  is  now  at  Fort  Stevens,  Oregon,  having 
become  a  member  of  the  heavy  artillery  service  of  the  United  States.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Boise  high  school  and  later  prepared  for  college  in  the  east,  pursuing  bis  col- 
legiate course  in  the  University  of  Virginia.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  early  in 
September,  1918. 

Dr.  Bettis  gives  his  political  support  to  the  republican  party.  He  belongs  to  the 
Elks  Club  of  Boise  and  gfteatly  enjoys  hunting  and  fishing  when  leisure  gives  him 
opportunity  to  indulge  in  those  sports.  During  the  long  years  of  his  residence  in  Boise 
he  has  gained  a  wide  acquaintance  and  his  circle  of  friends  is  almost  coextensive 
therewith,  while  his  colleagues  and  contemporaries  in  the  profession  entertain  for  him 
the  highest  respect  and  regard. 


W.  T.  PLOWHEAD. 

W.  T.  Plowhead,  president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Middletcn,  was  born  in  this  town, 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  .Ed  Rutledge  ranch,  which  at  that  time  was  owned  by 
his  father  and  was  the  family  home.  The  father  was  born  in  the  mountains  of  Switzer- 
land, in  the  land  of  William  Tell,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1855.  taking  up  as 
a  claim  in  1863  the  farm  upon  which  his  son  was  born.  He  afterward  returned  to 
Switzerland,  where  he  wedded  Magdalena  Luthi  in  1871,  bringing  his  bride  to  the  new 
world.  He  died  in  1905,  but  the  mother  now  resides  at  Middleton. 

W.  T.  Plowhead  acquired  his  education  in  the  dbmmon  schools  and  subsequently 
attended  the  State  University  at  Moscow,  where  he  completed  his  education  in  1905. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  also  worked  in  the  mines  of  Silver  City, 
at  that  time  called  Flint.  In  1904  he  purchased  his  present  home  site,  consisting  of  an 
acre  in  an  orchard  and  garden,  located  in  the  town  of  Middleton  and  within  a  block 
of  the  old  home  place.  He  is  closely  and  prominently  associated  with  the  business 
development  of  Middleton  as  president  and  a  director  of  the  State  Bank,  of  which  he 
•was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  was  formerly  associated  with  his  father  in  the  develop- 


172  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ment  of  several  farms  when  the  country  was  new  and  owned  a  forty  acre  tract  of  land 
two  miles  east  of  Middletcn,  which  he  sold  in  1908.  He  is  now  associated  with  J.  H. 
Mabee  in  the  operation  of  two  modern  threshing  outfits,  and  in  all  things  his  business 
affairs  are  most  carefully  conducted  and  result  in  the  attainment  of  legitimate  and 
substantial  profit.  Today  he  owns  seme  of  the  best  property  in  Middleton  in  addition 
to  his  fine  residence.  He  also  conducts  a  repair  shop  for  mechanical  work,  equipped 
in  the  most  modern  manner,  and  he  possesses  much  mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity. 
He  has  invented  and  patented  a  device  called  the  vise'clamp,  which  is  used  for  holding 
bolts  in  a  vise  so  that  the  thread  can  be  cut  much  farther  down  on  the  bolts  than  ordin- 
arily and  it  also  saves  the  heads  from  being  crushed.  It  will  undoubtedly  become  of 
general  use  wherever  it  is  necessary  to  put  bolts  in  a  vise.  Mr.  Plowhead  has  also 
invented  a  mobile  gasoline  woodsaw  and  has  recently  constructed  a  working  model  of 
a  steam  tractor  for  moving  and  operating  threshing  machines. 

In  1906  Mr.  Plowhead  married  Elizabeth  Kohlhepp,  a  native  of  Middleton,  and  they 
have  become  parents  of  two  sons,  Henry  J.  and  Gerald  W.,  aged  respectively  eleven 
and  twelve  years,  and  both  now  in  school.  Mr.  Plowhead's  record  is  one  of  successful 
achievement  in  everything  that  he  has  undertaken,  for  he  has  fully  measured  pos- 
sibilities and  opportunities,  and  his  sound  judgment  has  enabled  him  to  make  no  false 
step.  Each  advanced  step  that  he  has  made  has  brought  him  a  broader  outlook,  and 
his  persistency  of  purpose  has  enabled  him  to  overcome  all  difficulties  and  obstacles. 


OLIVER   O.  HAGA. 

Oliver  O.  Haga,  a  prominent  representative  of  the  Boise  bar  whose  business  en- 
terprise is  also  manifest  in  extensive  connection  with  banking,  farming  and  live  stock 
interests  in  the  state,  was  born  in  Luverne,  Minnesota,  November  19,  1872,  a  son  of 
Oliver  O.  and  Julia  (Emerick)  Haga.  In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  he  attended 
public  and  high  schools  of  Minnesota  and  afterward  entered  the  Valparaiso  University 
of  Indiana,  from  which  he  won  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1894  and  later  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  In  the  meantime  he  had  taken  up  the  profession  of  teaching  and  was  principal 
of  the  graded  schools  of  Mount  Sterling,  Wisconsin,  in  1892  and  1893.  Following  the 
completion  of  his  course  in  the  Valparaiso  University  he  made  his  way  to  Idaho  and 
from  1894  until  1896  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Salmon  City.  The  two 
succeeding  years  were  passed  as  principal  of  the  schools  of  Glenns  Ferry  and  in  1898 
he  accepted  the  position  of  principal  of  the  high  school  of  Boise,  in  which  position  he 
continued  for  three  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  devoted  much  of  his  leisure 
outside  of  the  schoolroom  to  the  study  of  law,  reading  Independently  or  under  the 
direction  of  local  attorneys  in  the  winter  seasons,  while  the  summer  vacation  periods 
were  devoted  to  study  in  law  schools  of  the  east.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1898 
and  with  his  retirement  from  the  position  of  principal  of  the  high  school  of  Boise 
he  entered  at  once  upon  active  practice,  in  which  he  has  since  continued.  Since  1901  he 
has  been  a  law  partner  of  Judge  J.  H.  Richards  and  the  firm  enjoy  a  most  extensive 
and  important  practice,  representing  as  corporation  counsel  or  in  litigated  interests' 
many  leading  corporations,  including  the  Electric  Bond  &  Share  Company,  the  Idaho 
Power  Company,  the  Utah  Power  &  Light  Company,  the  Bradstreet  Company,  the 
Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  American  Surety  Company,  the  Continental 
and  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Chicago  and  the  Chicago  Title  and  Trust  Company. 
Mr.  Haga  maintains  a  position  as  one  of  the  foremost  representatives  of  the  Boise  bar 
and  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  American  Bar  Associations.  Important  and  ex- 
tensive as  is  his  practice,  he  has  also  become  largely  interested  in  banking,  in  farm- 
ing and  in  live  stock,  dealing  especially  in  registered  shorthorn  cattle,  and  is  a  director 
of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  and  vice  president  of  the  Boise  Title  &  Trust  Com- 
pany. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1900,  *Mr.  Haga  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Bartlett,  a 
daughter  of  Elijah  Bartlett,  of  Dryden,  Michigan,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  two  daughters,  Eleanor  Louise  and  Margaret  Virginia,  who  are  pupils  in  the  city 
schools. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Congregational  church  and  fratern- 
ally Mr.  Haga  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  belongs  to  the  Commercial  and  Country  Clubs  of  Boise 
and  is  a  supporter  of  the  republican  party.  He  turns  to  farming  for  recreation,  also 


OLIVER  O.  HAGA 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  175 

to  motoring  and  fishing,  but  has  comparatively  few  leisure  hours,  for  aside  from  his 
professional  and  business  interests  he  has  been  called  upon  for  much  public  service. 
The  school  system  of  the  city  has  ever  found  in  him  a  stalwart  champion  and  one  whose 
efforts  in  its  behalf  have  been  far-reaching  and  resultant.  The  worth  of  his  work 
in  this  connection  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  since  1906  he  has  been  the  president 
and  a  trustre  of  the  Boise  city  school  board.  In  1910  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor 
as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  State  Industrial  School  of  Idaho  and 
occupied  that  position  for  two  years.  In  1912  he  became  a  member  of  the  state 
irrigation  securities  commission  and  served  as  such  until  1914.  In  the  latter  year 
he  was  appointed  by  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Franklin  K.  Lane  as  a  delegate  at 
large  to  the  national  irrigation  conference.  These  questions  of  public  concern  have  ever 
been  of  the  keenest  interest  to  him  and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  progress  along  these 
lines  have  brought  tangible  results. 


L.  C.  COLLINS. 

One  of  the  progressive  young  business  men  of  Blackfoot  is  L.  C.  Collins,  the 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank,  who  since  April,  1915,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  city  and  who  in  January,  1917,  was  called  to  his  present  position,  after  having 
previously  served  for  two  years  as  assistant  cashier.  He  was  born  at  Lathrop, 
Missouri,  January  28,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Mary  F.  (Evans)  Collins, 
who  were  natives  of  Clay  county,  Missouri.  The  father  was  a  farmer  who  culti- 
vated his  fields  throughout  his  entire  life,  remaining  a  resident  of  Missouri  until 
his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  in  June,  1912.  The  mother  yet  survives  and 
now  makes  her  home  at  Lathrop,  Missouri. 

L.  C.  Collins  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  com- 
pleted a  course  of  study  in  the  William  Jewell  College  at  Liberty,  Missouri.  He 
started  upon  his  business  career  as  an  employe  in  the  First  National  Bank  at 
Lathrop,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  South  Dakota,  took 
up  a  homestead  and  proved  up  on  the  property,  after  which  he  sold  it  and  removed 
to  Kansas  City.  There  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Commerce  Trust  Company, 
which  he  represented  for  two  years.  Returning  to  his  old  home  in  Missouri,  he 
was  made  assistant  cashier  in  the  Lathrop  bank  and  so  continued  for  four  years. 
In  April,  1915,  he  arrived  at  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  accepted  the  position  of  assist- 
ant cashier  in  the  First  National  Bank,  acting  in  that  capacity  until  a  favorable 
opportunity  came  for  his  promotion.  He  then  received  recognition  of  his  ability 
and  fidelity  in  appointment  to  the  position  of  cashier  in  January,  1917.  He  has 
also  become  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  bank  and  likewise  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Firth,  Idaho,  and  the  First  National  Bank  of  Dubois,  Idaho.  The 
First  National  Bank  of  Blackfoot  has  a  capital  stock  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
with  surplus  and  undivided  profits  amounting  to  forty-seven  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars,  while  its  deposits  have  reached  one  million  dollars.  The  officers  are:  Alex- 
ander Younie,  president;  E.  M.  Kennedy,  vice  president;  and  L.  C.  Collins,  cashier. 
The  bank  was  organized  in  1904  by  Messrs.  Younie,  Kennedy  and  others  and  from 
the  beginning  has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  existence. 

In  March,  1911,  Mr.  Collins  was  married  to  Miss  Gretchen  Pope  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Jean,  Margaret  and  John  P.  Politically  Mr. 
Collins  is  a  democrat  and  for  a  time  served  as  deputy  city  clerk  of  Blackfoot.  He 
is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Shrine  and  also  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  his 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Baptist  church. 


HON.  ROBERT  O.  JONES. 

Hon.  Robert  O.  Jones,  secretary  of  state  and  commissioner  of  law  enforcement, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho  since  1904,  when,  removing  westward  from  Macon 
county,  Missouri,  he  arrived  at  Wardner-Kellogg  in  Shoshone  county,  a  youth  of 
nineteen  years.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Macon  county,  Missouri,  December  14, 
1885,  a  son  of  Evan  T.  and  Mary  J.  (Black)  Jones.  The  father,  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  and 


176  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

joined  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  New  York 
Infantry.  In  the  hotly  contested  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  lost  his  left  arm.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Missouri,  where  he  died  a  number  of  years  ago.  His  widow 
has  since  become  a  resident  of  Idaho  and  now  lives  at  Wardner-Kellogg.  The  family 
numbered  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters. 

The  boyhood  of  Robert  O.  Jones  was  spent  upon  the  home  farm  up  to  the  age 
of  six  years,  when  his  father  removed  with  the  family  to  La  Plata,  Macon  county,  and 
retired  from  active  business  life.  The  son  there  attended  the  public  schools  until 
graduated  from  the  high  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  In  the  following  year 
he  came  to  Idaho,  attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  northwest,  and  was  employed 
in  the  lead  mines  at  Wardner-Kellogg.  He  carefully  saved  his  earnings  until  he 
was  able  to  meet  the  expenses  of  a  course  in  the  Univeristy  of  Idaho,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1909.  He  won  several  medals 
in  debate  and  oratorical  prizes  while  in  the  university  and  with  the  completion  of 
his  collegiate  work  accepted  a  responsible  position  in  the  office  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
and  Sullivan  Mining  Company  at  Wardner-Kellogg,  a  company  owning  the  largest 
lead  and  silver  mines  in  the  United  States  and  second  in  size  in  the  world.  There  Mr. 
Jones  remained  until  1914.  In  the  meantime  he  was  called  upon  for  public  service, 
being  elected  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  in  1912  on  the 
republican  ticket.  Late  in  the  year  1914  he  became  private  secretary  to  United 
States  Senator  James  H.  Brady  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  continued  in  that  position 
to  the  time  of  the  senator's  death  in  January,  1918.  He  afterward  held  a  clerical 
position  in  the  office  of  the  alien  property  custodian  in  the  national  capital.  In  the 
meantime,  or  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Washington,  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in 
the  National  University  there  and  was  graduated  with  the  LL.  B.  degree  in  June, 
1917.  He  returned  to  Idaho  with  the  intention  of  practicing  his  profession  but  on 
the  3d  of  October,  1918,  his  name  was  placed  on  the  republican  ticket  as  that  of 
candidate  for  secretary  of  state  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  W.  W. 
Von  Cannon  of  Bonner  county.  He  was  chosen  at  the  following  election,  defeating 
the  non-partisan  candidate  by  approximately  fourteen  thousand  votes,  and  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  position  on  the  6th  of  January,  1919.  His  previous  training 
and  experience  as  a  legislator  and  his  work  in  Washington,  bringing  him  a  knowledge 
of  many  questions  and  interests  of  public  concern,  have  well  qualified  him  for  the 
position  that  he  is  now  filling  and  he  is  meeting  the  full  expectations  and  hopes  of 
his  many  friends  and  supporters. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1910,  in  Moscow,  Idaho,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to 
Miss  Florence  Sprague,  a  native  of  Moscow,  Idaho,  and  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Idaho  of  the  class  of  1910.  They  have  two  sons:  Robert  S.,  who  was  born 
June  25,  1913;  and  Victor  W.,  whose  natal  day  was  January  25,  1918. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  his 
brother,  Thomas  R.  Jones,  of  Wardner-Kellogg,  is  now  grand  chancellor  commander 
of  the  latter  order  in  Idaho.  Secretary  Jones  is  also  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi, 
a  college  fraternity,  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church.  His 
entire  career  has  been  one  of  steady  progress,  the  indication  of  constantly  expanding 
powers,  and  as  he  is  yet  a  young  man  his  future  record  will  be  well  worth  the 
watching.  In  providing  the  means  for  his  university  education  he  displayed  the 
elemental  strength  of  his  character  and  foreshadowed  coming  events. 


MISS  EDITH  BOWER. 

Miss  Edith  Bower,  the  capable  county  treasurer  of  Cassia  county  and  a  resident 
of  Burley,  was  born  in  Yampa,  Colorado,  and  in  1905  became  a  resident  of  Twin 
Falls,  Idaho.  She  attended  school  there  and  also  pursued  a  business  course.  Sh« 
was  afterward  employed  by  Thomas  Potter,  county  superintendent  of  schools  in 
Twin  Falls  county,  and  later  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Lincoln  Produce  Company  of 
Twin  Falls.  Afterward  she  was  connected  with  the  Studebaker  interests,  subse- 
quently with  the  Fidelity  Abstract  Company  and  afterward  occupied  a  position  in 
the  office  of  the  probate  judge  and  of  the  county  recorder.  She  came  to  the  auditor's 
office  as  deputy,  serving  at  Albion  for  two  years,  and  on  the  7th  of  November,  1918, 
she  was  elected  county  treasurer,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  on  the  llth 
of  January,  1919. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  177 

Miss  Bower  is  a  daughter  of  Frank  and  Sarah  (Yawger)  Bower,  who  were 
natives  of  Iowa.  Her  father  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and,  leaving  his 
native  state,  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  resided  until  his  removal  to  Twin  Falls 
county,  Idaho.  It  was  thus  that  the  daughter  Edith  became  identified  with  this 
section  of  the  country  and  in  various  positions  she  has  proved  her  business  ability,  her 
efficiency  and  her  fidelity  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  her.  The  splendid  qualifications 
thus  shown  recommended  her  for  office  and  she  is  regarded  as  a  most  capable  county 
treasurer. 


ALEXANDER    YOUNIE. 

Alexander  Younie,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Blackfoot,  occupies 
an  enviable  position  in  financial  circles,  not  alone  by  reason  of  the  success  to  which 
he  has  attained  but  also  owing  to  the  straightforward,  enterprising  and  progressive 
methods  which  he  has  always  followed.  He  was  born  in  the  province  of  Quebec, 
Canada,  February  22,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Isabella  (Laing)  Younie, 
who  were  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father  was  for  nine  years  a  member  of  the 
British  army,  enlisting  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  After  serving  for  nine  years  he 
went  to  Canada  in  1829  and  purchased  a  farm  in  the  province  of  Quebec.  This 
he  improved  and  cultivated  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring 
in  1857,  while  his  wife  long  survived  him,  passing  away  in  1888. 

Alexander  Younie  was  a  youth  of  sixteen  when  his  father  died.  He  pursued 
his  education  in  his  native  country  and  remained  with  his  mother  to  the  age  of 
twenty- four,  when  in  the  spring  of  1865  he  crossed  the  border  and  made  his  way  to 
Chicago.  He  was  there  at  the  time  that  Richmond  was  captured  and  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee,  practically  terminating  the  Civil  war,  was  celebrated.  He  was 
en  route  to  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  when  he  heard  of  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln.  After  a  short  time  at  Fort  Dodge  he  Joined  Colonel  Sawyer's  expedition 
across  the  plains  from  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  to  Montana,  traveling  on  horseback  from 
Fort  Dodge  to  Sioux  City — a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  after  which 
he  joined  the  expedition  as  a  teamster.  They  had  twenty  wagons  with  eighty  mules 
and  eighty  wagons  with  six  oxen  each.  There  were  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
men  in  the  party  and  they  went  through  some  terrible  experiences  on  their  way  to 
Montana,  having  much  trouble  with  the  Indians.  Near  the  Black  Hills  they  were 
surrounded  by  five  thousand  red  men,  but  the  company  fought  them  off  for  two 
weeks.  After  reaching  Wyoming,  Mr.  Younie  again  battled  with  the  Indians  as  a 
member  of  another  company.  He  and  others  were  night  herders  there  and  had  to 
herd  seven  hundred  head  of  mules.  Afterward  he  went  to  Fort  Laramie  and  was 
there  pressed  into  the  service  to  fight  the  Indians.  Later  he  was  started  back  to 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  with  another  wagon  train  and  while  en  route  they  lost  many 
mules  and  oxen  on  account  of  the  terrible  storms,  while  the  men  underwent  intense 
suffering.  This  outfit  was  owned  by  a  Mr.  Atwood,  of  Omaha.  While  on  this  trip 
near  Julesburg,  November  2,  1865,  the  party  were  taken  unawares  and  surrounded 
by  one  thousand  Indians.  They  found  that  they  had  less  than  a  day's  round  of 
ammunition  and  the  Indians  had  sent  word  that  they  would  scalp  all  of  the  party 
the  next  morning.  One  of  the  men,  however,  was  able  to  steal  away  and  rode  four- 
teen miles  to  a  camp  of  United  States  soldiers,  whom  he  brought  back  in  time  to 
save  his  companions.  The  Indians,  however,  had  driven  away  sixty  head  of  their 
cattle. 

Mr.  Younie  returned  from  Omaha  to  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  and  there  remained 
through  the  winter,  studying  law.  He  afterward  located  at  Humboldt,  Iowa,  and 
following  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1867  engaged  in  law  practice  for  two  years. 
Later  he  bought  land  in  Palo  Alto  county,  Iowa,  near  Emmetsburg,  and  improved 
the  place,  continuing  its  cultivation  until  1900,  when  he  sold  the  property  and 
removed  to  Loveland,  Colorado,  where  he  resided  for  two  years.  He  next  came  to 
Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  bought  land  eight  miles  north  of  the  town.  This  he  improved 
but  eventually  sold  itfc  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  city  of  Blackfoot.  In  1904  he 
joined  D.  A.  Dobell  in  the  establishment  of  a  private  bank,  which  later  was  trans- 
formed into  the  First  National  Bank,  and  Mr.  Younie  has  continuously  served  as 
president,  devoting  his  time  to  his  banking  interests  and  to  the  real  estate  business. 
He  has  owned  several  thousand  acres  of  land  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  has 

Vol.  II— IS 


178  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

negotiated  many  important  realty  transfers.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Firth  and  president  of  the  Blackfoot  Farmers  Milling  Company. 
He  is  likewise  interested  with  his  son-in-law,  Neil  F.  Boyle,  in  the  hardware  business 
at  Blackfoot,  Firth,  Shelley  and  Rexburg  and  has  thus  won  a  place  among  the  prom- 
inent and  progressive  business  men  of  Idaho  whose  labors  have  contributed  in 
marked  measure  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  state. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1870,  Mr.  Younie  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  E.  Eliot 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Nettie,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Neil  F.  Boyle,  of  Blackfoot;  Isabella,  who  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
E.  M.  Kennedy,  of  Blackfoot;  and  William  A.,  who  resides  in  California. 

Mr.  Younie  is  a  republican  in  his  political  views,  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  and  has  also  been  mayor  of  Blackfoot,  giving  to  the  city  a  businesslike 
and  progressive  administration.  He  is  never  remiss  in  the  duties  of  citizenship, 
laboring  untiringly  for  public  benefit,  and  his  relations  to  his  fellowmen  are  indi- 
cated in  the  statement  that  he  is  a  most  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  thus  recognizing  the  brotherhood  of  man  and  the  obligations  thereby  im- 
posed. His  experiences  have  indeed  been  of  a  broad  and  varied  character  and  there 
is  no  phase  of  pioneer  life,  with  all  of  its  attendant  hardships,  privations  and  perils, 
with  which  he  is  not  familiar.  He  has  lived  to  see  the  marvelous  development  and 
growth  of  the  west  and  has  borne  his  full  share  in  promoting  the  work  of  progress. 


FRANK:  UEHREN. 

Frank  Uehren,  who  at  the  time  of  his  demise  was  president  and  manager  of  the 
Pocatello  Cold  Storage  Company,  was  born  at  Galena,  Illinois,  December  31,  1855.  His 
father,  Andrew  Uehren,  was  also  a  native  of  Illinois  and  for  some  time  was  a  well 
known  druggist  of  Galena.  He  married  Sophie  Kasten  and  in  1903  they  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding.  Five  years  later  the  wife  passed  away  and  in  1912  the  death  of 
Andrew  Uehren  occurred. 

Frank  Uehren  was  a  pupil  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Galena,  Illinois,  which 
he  attended  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  went  to  Nevada  in  1876,  making  Carson 
City  his  headquarters,  and  was  engaged  in  mining  in  that  state  for  one  year.  He  next 
removed  to  Placerville,  Eldorado  county,  California,  where  he  resumed  mining  opera- 
tions, and  in  1878  he  went  to  Grant  county,  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising. 
He  was  there  during  the  Bannock  Indian  war  and  he  and  his  men  were  run  off  the 
ranch  by  the  red  men,  who  killed  the  Chinaman  in  their  employ.  About  a  week  later 
Mr.  Uehren  and  his  men  returned  to  the  ranch  and  found  that  the  Indians  had  gone. 
They  were  not  again  molested  by  them,  although  they  took  the  precaution  of  never 
going  anywhere  alone,  always  traveling  in  couples  or  in  groups.  In  the  spring  of  1879 
Mr.  Uehren  and  his  companions  drove  their  cattle  from  Oregon  to  South  Dakota  and 
spent  the  winter  in  Bannock  county,  Idaho.  In  the  fall  of  1880  Mr.  Uehren  returned 
to  this  state  and  for  twenty-seven  years  resided  in  Custer  county,  being  there  engaged 
in  stock  raising  and  also  in  the  lumber  and  implement  business  at  Mackay.  Not  only 
did  he  control  important  business  interests  but  was  also  active  and  prominent  in  public 
affairs  and  served  as  county  commissioner  for  two  terms  and  also  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council  of  Mackay.  In  1910  he  left  that  place  and  for  four  years  was  a  resident  of 
Weiser,  while  in  1914  he  came  to  Pocatello,  where  he  purchased  the  Franklin  &  Hayes 
brewery  building.  This  was  converted  into  a  cold  storage  plant,  which  has  since  been 
conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Pocatello  Cold  Storage  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Uehren 
was  president  and  manager  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  this  connection  he  developed 
a  business  of  large  and  satisfactory  proportions. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1891,  Mr.  Uehren  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline  Van  Curen,  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children,  Pearl,  the 
wife  of  Stanley  H.  Leeney,  of  Pocatello,  who  served  with  the  Canadian  army  during  the 
World  war;  and  Anna  June,  the  wife  of  W.  R.  Howard,  who  served  with  the  United 
States  infantry  forces  in  France  during  the  war. 

Mr.  Uehren  passed  away  at  his  home  in  Pocatello,  August  3,  1919,  leaving  his  fam- 
ily comfortably  situated  and  with  the  heritage  of  an  untarnished  name. ,  He  often  re- 
lated many  interesting  incidents  concerning  pioneer  life  in  the  west,  many  of  which 
are  directly  associated  with  the  Indian  outbreaks.  In  1880  he  camped  on  the  spot 
where  is  now  seen  the  beautiful  Brady  park  of  Pocatello,  but  at  that  time  there  was 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  181 

not  a  house  on  the  site  of  the  city,  the  closest  dwelling  being  one  mile  removed,  on 
Pocatello  creek,  north  of  the  present  city  boundary.  The  nearest  store  was  at  Fort 
Hall,  and  Senator  Fred  Dubois  was  at  that  time  clerk  of  the  agency.  There  is  no 
feature  of  pioneer  life  or  of  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  state  with  which 
Mr.  Uehren  was  not  thoroughly  familiar,  and  at  all  times  he  bore  his  part  in  the  work 
of  progress  and  improvement,  seeking  ever  to  reclaim  the  region  for  the  purposes  of 
civilization  and  to  promote  its  business  development.  From  early  manhood  he  lived  in 
the  west  and  was  a  typical  western  man,  displaying  in  his  life  the  spirit  of  enterprise 
and  progress  that  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of 
the  country. 


O.  T.  ANDREWS. 

O.  T.  Andrews,  filling  the  position  of  postmaster  at  Notus,  where  he  is  also 
engaged  in  general  merchandising,  was  born  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Parma, 
on  the  Boise  river,  January  21,  1886,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  pioneer 
families  of  the  valley.  His  father,  Thomas  Andrews,  arrived  in  the  Boise  valley  in 
1864,  having  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  team  and  wagon  in  1862.  He  first  went 
to  the  Willamette  valley  of  Oregon  and  while  en  route  he  had  many  encounters  with 
the  Indians.  With  every  condition  of  pioneer  life  he  became  familiar,  passing 
through  all  the  hardships,  trials  and  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  of  the 
frontier.  After  reaching  Oregon  his  first  work  was  picking  apples  and  in  1863  he 
went  to  the  mines  at  Orofino,  Idaho. 

It  was  while  crossing  the  Boise  valley  that  Mr.  Andrews  decided  to  locate  there 
and  in  1864  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  later  pur- 
chased six  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining  the  original  tract  and  began  the 
development  of  his  place  but  after  locating  on  the  farm  Had  considerable  trouble 
with  the  Indians  and  had  to  build  a  stable  very  much  like  a  fort  and  sleep  in  the 
stable  in  order  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  stealing  his  horses.  The  settlers  in  the 
early  days  experienced  much  difficulty  on  account  of  thieving  Indians  and  it  was 
only  after  following  the  Indians  into  the  mountains  and  surprising  two  of  their 
number  while  asleep  and  killing  them  that  the  remainder  of  the  red  men  ceased 
their  horse  stealing.  For  fifteen  years  the  nearest  trading  point  to  the  home  of 
Mr.  Andrews  was  Boise,  a  distance  of  about  forty-five  miles,  and  it  required  three 
days  to  make  the  round  trip.  At  that  time  the  only  settlers  of  the  district  lived  along 
the  Boise  river,  for  the  upland  was  not  claimed  until  the  land  was  put  under  irri- 
gation, being  considered  worthless  at  that  time.  At  present,  however,  it  is  selling  for 
from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  As  the  years  passed  Thomas 
Andrews  continued  the  further  improvement  of  his  property  and  lived  to  see  remark- 
able changes  as  the  work  of  settlement  was  carried  forward.  He  bore  his  full 
share  in  the  task  of  transforming  the  valley  from  a  wild  region  into  one  of  rich 
fertility.  It  was  on  the  25th  of  December,  1875,  that  Thomas  Andrews  married  Miss 
Jane  Mansell,  of  Missouri,  who  made  the  trip  across  the  plains  by  ox  team  in  1875. 
Her  trip  was  without  troublesome  incidents,  although  the  Indians  were  anything 
but  friendly.  The  death  of  Mr.  Andrews  occurred  in  December,  1914,  and  since  his 
demise  his  widow  has  taken  complete  charge  of  the  farm.  In  the  family  were  three 
sons  and  a  daughter:  O.  T.,  of  this  review;  A.  W.,  who  is  a  farmer  at  Parma;  Jesse, 
who  follows  farming  at  Wilder;  and  Lilly,  the  wife  of  J.  R.  Compton,  who  is  in 
the  transfer  and  coal  business  at  Boise. 

In  the  common  schools  O.  T.  Andrews  began  his  education  and  was  afterward 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Idaho  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1906.  He  then  took 
up  the  study  of  pharmacy,  which  he  pursued  for  a  year  in  the  Ohio  Northern  Univer- 
sity, but  at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  Idaho  and  resumed  farming  on  the  old 
homestead  on  which  his  birth  occurred.  A  year  later  he  entered  merchandising  at 
Notus  and  has  since  successfully  conducted  his  store,  being  accorded  a  liberal 
patronage.  He  has  recently  introduced  a  line  of  agricultural  implements  and 
increased  his  stock  of  hardware  and  is  now  carrying  a  stock  valued  at  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  He  also  gives  employment  to  two  people.  The  fine  brick 
building  which  houses  his  business  is  seventy-five  by  ninety  feet  and  is  owned  by  him. 
He  also  owns  a  pleasant  residence  in  Notus,  besides  several  lots,  and  he  has  eighty 


182  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

acres  of  land  under  the  Black  Canyon  Irrigation  Project.     While  successfully  manag- 
ing his  store  he  is  also  acting  as  postmaster  of  his  town. 

In  1910  Mr.  Andrews  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  V.  Spaeth,  of  Missouri,  and 
they  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  Kenneth,  Oral  Frederick  and  Robert 
Merlin.  Mr.  Andrews  is  regarded  as  a  most  enterprising  and  intelligent  young 
business  man  whose  carefully  directed  efforts  are  contributing  to  the  growth  and 
substantial  improvement  of  the  district  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


H.  ANDREW  BENSON. 

H.  Andrew  Benson,  filling  the  position  of  county  treasurer  of  Bingham  county 
and  making  his  home  at  Blackfoot,  was  born  in  Denmark,  February  2,  1879.  He 
is  a  son  of  Andrew  P.  and  Matilda  (Aaberg)  Benson,  who  were  also  natives  of  Den- 
mark, where  the  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  April,  1886,  when 
he  came  to  the  new  world,  settling  at  Ogden,  Utah.  There  he  resided  for  ten  years, 
devoting  his  attention  to  farming  in  the  employ  of  L.  W.  Shurtleff.  In  1896  he 
came  to  Idaho,  settling  in  Bingham  county,  and  took  up  land  near  Moreland,  where 
he  carried  on  general  farming  throughout  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  March, 
1919,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  He  was  the  postmaster  of  Moreland  at  the 
time  of  his'  death.  The  mother  is  still  living. 

H.  Andrew  Benson  was  largely  reared  and  educated  in  Utah,  having  been  but 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  the  new  world.  He  completed 
his  studies  in  the  Latter-day  Saints  Business  College  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  after- 
ward worked  with  his  father  at  farming  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty.  He 
then  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  three  years,  and 
afterward  he  spent  two  and  a  half  years  in  filling  a  mission  to  the  northwestern 
states  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  acting  as  secretary  of 
the  mission,  with  headquarters  at  Portland,  Oregon.  Later  he  took  up  bookkeeping 
in  Blackfoot  and  was  thus  employed  for  several  years.  In  the  fall  of  1914  he  was 
elected  county  treasurer  of  Bingham  county  and  has  been  reelected  at  each  suc- 
ceeding election,  so  that  he  is  now  serving  for  the  third  term.  He  is  proving  a 
most  capable  custodian  of  the  public  funds,  prompt,  efficient  and  accurate  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  and  the  endorsement  of  his  course  has  come  to  him  in  his  re- 
election. 

In  April,  1905,  Mr.  Benson  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  England  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  six  children:  Lonida,  Ammon,  Winston,  Melvin,  Ronald  and 
Stanton.  While  Mr.  Benson  and  his  family  reside  in  Blackfoot,  he  is  also  the  owner 
of  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres  north  of  Moreland,  which  he  improved  and  which 
is  now  cultivated  through  the  offices  of  a  hired  man.  In  his  poliitcal  views  Mr. 
Benson  is  a  democrat.  He  remains  an  active  worker  in  the  church  and  is  chorister 
of  the  Blackfoot  stake,  while  formerly  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Young  Men's 
Mutual  Improvement  Association.  During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  he 
has  gained  many  friends  who  esteem  him  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth. 


MILES   CANNON. 

Miles  Canron  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  prominent  residents  of  Idaho. 
He  is  now  filling  the  position  of  commissioner  of  agriculture  in  the  cabinet  of  Gov- 
ernor Davis.  He  has  long  been  known  as  a  public  speaker  and  author  as  well  as  a 
prominent  republican  and  he  is  likewise  a  successful  business  man,  prominently 
known  as  an  orchardist.  While  his  business  duties  keep  him  much  of  the  time 
in  Boise,  he  still  makes  his  home  near  Weiser,  where  he  owns  a  valuable  orchard 
property,  devoted  largely  to  the  raising  of  prunes. 

Mr.  Cannon  came  to  Idaho  in  1893  from  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
born  upon  a  farm  on  the  llth  of  December,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Arthur  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Gibson)  Cannon,  natives  of  Missouri  and  Indiana  respectively.  The 
father  was  born  in  Macon,  Missouri,  in  1821,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in 
1824.  Throughout  his  entire  life  the  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  Illinois,  the  former  in  1896  and  the  latter 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  183 

in  1899.  Their  family  numbered  eight  children,  of  whom  Miles  was  the  seventh  in 
order  of  birth.  There  were  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  with  one  exception  all 
are  yet  living.  One  brother,  Dr.  J.  W.  Cannon,  makes  his  home  in  Idaho  and  has 
his  office  in  the  Sonna  block,  in  Boise. 

Miles  Cannon  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm  in  Illinois  and  acquired  a  com- 
mon school  education  but  put  aside  his  textbooks  when  thirteen  years  of  age  and 
has  since  depended  largely  upon  his  own  resources  for  a  living.  He  left  Illinois  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  to  do  for  himself  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  became  a 
cowpuncher  on  the  Kansas  plains.  He  drove  a  stage  in  South  Dakota  and  laugh- 
ingly says  that  the  highest  position  he  ever  held  was  to  drive  a  six-horse  stage  in 
South  Dakota  from  1881  until  1885.  During  the  succeeding  two  years  he  was  a 
conductor  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  and  later  he  spent  three  years 
in  travel  in  historical  research  on  the  Missouri  river.  In  1893  he  came  to  Idaho  and 
has  since  made  his  home  in  this  state  with  the  exception  of  the  period  from  1894 
to  1906,  which  he  spent  in  the  Yakima  valley  of  Washington.  There  he  gave  his 
attention  to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  for  nine  years  he  also  occupied  the  position 
of  receiver  of  the  United  States  land  office  at  Yakima,  through  appointment  of  Pres- 
ident McKinley  in  1897  and  through  reappointment  of  President  Roosevelt.  He  de- 
clined a  third  appointment  from  President  Roosevelt,  who  sent  him  a  photograph 
and  autographed  letter,  stating  that  he  was  sending  it  because  Mr.  Cannon  was  the 
only  man  in  the  state  of  Washington  who  had  declined  a  reappointment. 

Mr.  Cannon  on  retiring  from  office  returned  to  Idaho  in  1906  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Washington  county,  where  he  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attentions  upon 
fruit  raising.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  production  of  prunes  and  has  a  forty- 
acre  prune  orchard,  which  is  in  excellent  condition  and  yields  large  crops  annually. 
This  is  one  of  the  attractive  orchard  properties  of  the  state  and  Mr.  Cannon  is 
regarded  as  authority  upon  anything  having  to  do  with  fruit  culture. 

Mr.  Cannon  has  been  married  twice.  His  first  wife  died,,  leaving  three  children, 
and  in  1909  he  wedded  Miss  Eva  C.  May,  of  Colorado,  and  they  have  had  two  chil- 
dren. The  three  children  of  the  first  marriage  are:  Lloyd  A.  and  Paul  F.,  who  are 
now  in  the  military  service  of  the  country  in  Europe;  and  Ross  M.  The  children  of 
the  second  marriage  are  Miles,  Jr.,  and  Niel  Conn,  aged  respectively  eight  and 
six  years. 

Mr.  Cannon  has  recently  purchased  the  Freehafer  home  in  Boise  and  resides  at 
No.  1319  North  Sixteenth  street.  There  are  few  men  in  the  state  more  widely  and 
favorably  known  because  of  his  public  activities.  He  has  ever  been  a  stalwart 
champion  of  the  republican  party  and  is  a  popular  speaker  and  campaigner.  In  1896, 
at  the  request  of  William  McKinley,  he  made  sixty-five  gold  standard  speeches  in  the 
state  of  Washington  in  support  of  the  gold  standard,  and  he  has  figured  in  connec- 
tion with  every  presidential  campaign  since  that  time.  He  has  served  as  state  high- 
way commissioner  undej  Governor  Haines  and  while  occupying  the  position  made 
his  home  in  Weiser.  He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Davis  as  head  of  the  Farm 
Markets  department  in  January,  1919,  and  on  the  31st  of  March  he  became  com- 
missioner of  agriculture  under  the  new  state  regime,  which  created  the  office.  He 
thus  became  a  member  of  the  cabinet  of  Governor  Davis.  Fraternally  he  is  both 
an  Elk  and  a  Mason,  is  a  past  master  of  his  lodge  and  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arch 
Chapter.  His  name  figures,  too,  in  literary  circles,  for  he  is  the  author  of  Waiilatpu, 
an  historical  sketch,  dealing  with  the  northwest  and  more  particularly  with  the 
Whitman  massacre  and  the  advent  of  the  first  white  women  into  the  northwest.  He 
has  written  much  for  standard  publications  on  historical  and  political  questions  and 
is  widely  known  in  this  connection.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  been  actuated  by  a 
most  progressive  spirit  and  in  all  his  public  affairs  has  looked  beyond  the  exigencies 
of  the  moment  to  the  opportunities  and  possibilities  of  the  future. 


J.  C.  BLACKWELL. 

A  substantial  monument  to  the  enterprising  business  methods  and  progressive 
spirit  of  its  founders  and  organizers  and  an  indication  of  the  real  prosperity  and 
upbuilding  of  Parma  is  the  First  National  Bank  of  Parma,  of  which  J.  C.  BlacKwell 
is  the  cashier.  He  thus  figures  actively  in  connection  with  financial  interests  in 
Canyon  county  and  at  the  same  time  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming. 


184  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  was  born  in  London,  England,  November  26,  1864,  and  was  but  eight  years 
of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United  States  in  1873,  the  family 
home  being  established  in  Missouri,  where  the  father  engaged  in  railroad  contract- 
ing. In  that  state  J.  C.  Blackwell  was  reared  and  educated,  being  graduated  from 
a  high  school  with  the  class  of  1881.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  Company,  with  which  he  remained  for  twelve  years.  In  1894  he 
established  business  on  his  own  account  as  a  merchant  in  McLean  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  continued  in  business  until  1906,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Parma,  Idaho, 
to  visit  friends.  He  was  so  favorably  impressed  with  this  section  of  the  country  and 
its  opportunities  that  he  closed  out  his  business  in  Illinois  and  remained  in  Parma. 

E.  M.  Kirkpatrick,  then  president  of  the  Parma  State  Bank,  asked  Mr.  Blackwell 
to  accept  the  position  of  cashier,  which  he  did,  and  has  since  remained  in  that  office. 
The  name  of  the  bank,  however,  was  changed  November  1,  1919,  to  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of.  Parma.  This  bank  was  organized  by  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  in  1903  with  a 
capital  stock  of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Something  of  the  steady  growth  and  sub- 
stantial development  of  the  institution  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  it  is  now  cap- 
italized for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  has  a  surplus  of  fifty  thousand  dollars 
and  footings  of  over  one  million  dollars.  The  bank  building,  seventy  by  one  hundred 
feet,  is  a  most  imposing  structure  of  Grecian  architecture  which  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  exterior  is  of  white  stone,  with  granite  and  marble 
interior  finishings  and  mahogany  fittings.  The  marble  was  imported  from  Italy, 
from  Belgium  and  Alaska.  The  stockholders,  fifty-four  in  number,  are  mostly  farm- 
ers of  this  section  of  the  country  and  are  justly  proud,  as  well  they  may  be,  of 
their  fine  bank  building.  The  bank  has  a  standing  second  to  none  in  the  state,  hav- 
ing been  developed  along  the  most  substantial  lines  and  in  accord  with  the  most 
legitimate  methods  of  business.  The  institution  has  been  built  upon  the  simple,  old- 
fashioned  principles  of  business — principles  that  have  ever  stood  the  test  of  time — 
and  its  success  is  therefore  assured.  The  officers  of  the  bank  are:  H.  C.  Baldridge, 
president;  F.  E.  Fisk,  vice  president;  J.  C.  Blackwell,  cashier;  and  R.  B.  Mitchell 
and  L.  J.  Freiermuth,  assistant  cashiers.  In  addition  to  his  connection  with  the 
bank  Mr.  Blackwell  also  follows  farming,  owning  and  operating  three  different  farm 
properties,  which  are  carefully  and  profitably  conducted. 

In  1885  Mr.  Blackwell  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Naylor,  a  native  of  Jackson 
county,  Illinois,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Mary  Louise,  who 
is  at  home  with  her  father  and  mother  in  Parma.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Blackwell  is  serving  as  chairman  of  its  board 
of  trustees.  He  is  the  treasurer  of  the  Riverside  irrigation  district,  the  treasurer  of 
the  Union  Loan  Company  and  also  of  the  Parma  school  board.  His  high  standing 
in  financial  circles  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  in  1916  he  was  elected  vice  president 
and  in  1917  president  of  the  Idaho  Bankers  Association,  while  in  1919  he  became 
its  treasurer.  In  1918  he  was  elected  vice  president  of  the  American  Bankers  Asso- 
ciation for  the  state  of  Idaho  and  is  still  acting  in  that  capacity.  He  has  made  a 
comprehensive  study  of  banking  and  has  put  forth  every  legitimate  effort  to  upbuild 
the  institution  with  which  he  is  associated.  He  has  never  followed  suspicious  meth- 
ods of  business,  but  by  plans  that  will  bear  the  closest  investigation  and  scrutiny 
has  contributed  to  the  very  gratifying  success  of  the  Parma  State  Bank. 


COLONEL  LEROY  VERNON  PATCH. 

Colonel  Leroy  Vernon  Patch,  who  is  serving  for  the  second  term  as  adjutant 
general  of  Idaho,  makes  his  home  in  Payette,  from  which  point  he  goes  to  the 
capital  in  order  to  discharge  his  official  duties.  In  the  years  of  his  residence  in 
this  state  Nhe  has  come  to  the  front  in  many  connections  and  is  an  outstanding 
figure  in  the  business  and  political  circles  of  Idaho,  many  important  projects  hav- 
ing benefited  by  the  stimulus  of  his  enterprise,  industry  and  sagacity.  He  came 
to  Idaho  in  1900  from  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  through  the  intervening  period  has 
resided  at  Payette,  where  his  interests  have  become  continuously  of  increasing 
importance. 

The  Colonel  was  born  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  October  14,  1876,  the  only 
son  of  Joseph  Tucker  Patch,  lawyer  and  jurist,  who  spent  his  last  years  in  the 
home  of  Colonel  Patch  at  Payette,  passing  away  there  a  few  years  ago  when 


COL.  LEROY  V.  PATCH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  187 

seventy-three  years  of  age.  He  was  a  native  of  Rutledge,  Vermont,  and  was  a 
graduate  of  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  His  legal  and 
judicial  services  were  chiefly  performed  at  Omaha,  Nebraska.  In  the  paternal  line 
Colonel  Patch  comes  of  English  ancestry,  being  a  direct  descendant  of  Asa  Law- 
rence, who  came  to  America  on  the  Mayflower.  Also  in  the  paternal  line  Colonel 
Patch  is  ot  Revolutionary  war  ancestry  and  has  membership  with  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution.  He  is  likewise  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Founders 
&  Patriots  Society.  In  the  maternal  line  he  is  of  Scotch  lineage.  His  mother  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Elizabeth  Vernon  and  her  ancestors  came  from  Scotland 
to  the  new  world  at  an  early  day.  Her  death  occurred  in  1897. 

Colonel  Patch  was  a  young  lad  when  his  parents  removed  to  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, where  he  pursued  his  preparatory  and  college  courses.  He  was  a  student 
in  the  University  of  Nebraska,  winning  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  upon  his 
graduation  with  the  class  of  1898.  He  played  on  the  university  football  team 
and  aided  in  winning  many  of  its  famous  victories,  playing  generally  as  fullback. 
He  also  belonged  to  the  Kappa  Sigma  fraternity  and  while  at  the  university  he 
took  military  training  under  General  John  J.  Pershing,  then  military  commandant 
of  that  school.  When  his  college  days  were  over  he  accepted  the  superintendency 
of  schools  at  Kearney,  Nebraska,  and  filled  that  position  for  two  years.  In  1902 
he  removed  westward  to  Payette,  where  he  has  since  given  his  attention  to  busi- 
ness pursuits  and  has  through  his  thrift,  enterprise  and  sound  judgment  acquired 
large  property  interests  in  Payette  and  the  surrounding  country.  His  activities 
have  been  of  a  character  that  have  contributed  largely  to  the  upbuilding  and 
progress  of  the  community  as  well  as  the  advancement  of  his  individual  fortunes. 
He  is  the  secretary-manager  of  the  Idaho  Canning  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
concerns  of  that  section.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Payette  Heights  Irriga- 
tion Company;  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Payette;  secretary  of  the 
Payette  Flour  Milling  Company  and  of  the  Rex  Spray  Company;  president  of  the 
Payette  Brick  Manufacturing  Company;  and  vice  president  of  the  Payette  Valley 
Land  and  Orchard  Company,  operating  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  bear- 
ing orchards.  In  all  business  affairs  he  displays  unfaltering  enterprise  and  keen 
discrimination,  which  enable  him  to  avoid  the  pitfalls  into  which  unrestricted 
progressiveness  is  so  frequently  led.  His  high  standing  as  a  business  man  and 
further  recognition  of  his  ability  are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  is  now  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Idaho  Poultry  and  Pet  Stock  Association  and  a  director  of  the  Idaho 
State  Dairymen's  Association.  He  owns  and  conducts  a  stock  ranch  and  several 
fruit  ranches  and  his  experience  and  study  along  these  lines  enable  him  to  speak 
with  authority  upon  many  questions  relative  thereto.  At  his  home  on  Payette  Heights  he 
has  a  fine  herd  of  Holstein  cattle,  also  fine  poultry  and  pet  stock  that  are  not  only 
a  source  of  gratification  to  him  but  a  matter  of  pride  to  the  community  as  well. 
He  indeed  occupies  a  central  place  on  the  stage  of  business  activity  at  Payette. 

Moreover,  Colonel  Patch  Is  a  man  of  splendid  military  training  and  has  ever 
been  deeply  interested  in  military  affairs.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  Idaho 
State  Militia  almost  continuously  since  he  came  to  the  state.  In  1916  he  served 
with  the  Second  Idaho  Regiment  on  the  Mexican  border  and  during  the  World 
war  he  saw  active  duty  in  France.  He  was  graduated  from  the  United  States 
Artillery  School  at  Fort  Sill  in  January,  1918,  and  at  once  went  to  France  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  He  spent  sixteen  months  in  that  country  and 
during  the  first  two  months  was  base  commander  at  the  American  military  base 
at  Blois,  France.  In  April,  1918,  he  took  command  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-sixth  Regiment  of  Heavy  Field  Artillery,  which  was  the  first  regiment  of 
the  American  Heavy  Artillery  to  serve  on  the  battle  line.  He  commanded  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  American  Artillery  and  the  Three  Hundred  and 
Thirty-third  French  Heavy  Artillery  at  the  battles  of  the  Marne  and  Oise  and  at 
Ourcq  and  Vesle.  He  also  commanded  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Ameri- 
can Heavy  Artillery  and  the  Sixteenth  and  Twenty-eighth  French  Heavy  Artillery 
at  St.  Mihiel  and  Verdun  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Field  Artillery  in 
the  Argonne  forest  and  in  the  battles  at  the  Meuse  river.  About  the  time  the 
armistice  was  signed  he  was  transferred  to  the  Three  Hundred  and  Third  Ameri- 
can Heavy  Field  Artillery,  which  he  commanded  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel 
until  he  was  mustered  out  on  the  2d  of  May,  1919,  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Fa- 
miliarity with  the  history  of  the  war  shows  that  he  was  on  the  hardest  fought  battle 
front  after  America's  entrance  into  the  great  conflict  and  as  a  result  was  advanced 


188  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

to  the  rank  of  a  full  colonel.  He  also  wears  five  stars  on  his  service  ribbon,  in- 
dicating his  active  service  on  five  battle  fronts. 

While  still  in  France,  Colonel  Patch  was  appointed  by  Governor  D.  W.  Davis 
a  member  of  the  Idaho  public  utilities  commission  but  upon  his  return  to  Idaho 
he  declined  the  proffered  honor  and  was  then  appointed  by  the  governor  to  the 
position  of  adjutant  general  of  the  state.  He  had  previously  served  as  colonel 
of  the  Second  Idaho  Regiment  for  several  years  and  had  been  adjutant  general 
in  1913  and  1914  under  Governor  John  M.  Haines. 

Colonel  Patch  was  married  at  Kearney,  Nebraska,  in  1900,  to  Miss  Ernestine 
Wilmot  Tabor,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated. 
They  have  become  parents  of  four  sons:  Vernon  Tabor,  eighteen  years  of  age; 
Ernest  William,  aged  sixteen;  Allerton  Louis,  twelve;  and  Oliver  Leroy,  ten. 

Colonel  Patch  is  a  prominent  figure  in  republican  circles  and  has  done  much 
to  further  the  interests  of  the  party  in  the  state.  He  represented  Canyon  county 
in  the  tenth  session  of  the  Idaho  legislature,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Payette 
city  council  and  secretary  of  its  board  of  education  for  seven  years.  While  absent 
in  service  on  the  Mexican  border  in  1916  he  was  made  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  lieutenant  governor.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  being  a  Knight  Templar 
and  Mystic  Shriner,  is  also  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
and  is  at  the  present  time  exalted  ruler  in  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310.  He  is  also  presi- 
dent of  Payette  Post,  American  Legion  of  World  War  Veterans.  At  the  national 
convention  of  the  American  Legion  in  Minneapolis  in  November,  1919,  Colonel 
Patch  was  made  permanent  chairman  of  the  military  affairs  committee,  congress 
having  asked  that  such  a  committee  be  organized  to  assist  that  body  in  forming 
the  future  military  policies  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States.  Life  to  Colonel 
Patch  evidently  means  opportunity — the  opportunity  that  ambition  and  enterprise 
bring  in  business  and  the  opportunity  for  contribution  to  the  world's  work  along 
those  lines  where  the  highest  citizenship  and  loftiest  patriotism  are  involved. 


HON.    SILAS    WILSON. 

There  is  perhaps  no  name  in  the  state  of  Idaho  or  the  whole  northwest  more 
representative  of  the  highest  achievements  in  the  apple  growing  industry  than  that 
of  Hon.  Silas  Wilson.  Mr.  Wilson  not  only  has  wonderfully  developed  orchards  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Nampa  but  for  many  years  has  been  recognized  as  an  authority 
on  pomology,  having  devoted  practically  his  entire  life  to  that  subject.  His  present 
success  is  the  just  reward  of  many  years  of  close  attention  and  ripe  experience. 
Moreover,  Mr.  Wilson  has  a  most  interesting  military  chapter  in  his  life's  career  as 
well  as  a  chapter  that  has  connected  him  with  most  important  legislation  in  Iowa 
when  he  was  a  resident  of  that  state. 

A  native  of  Marshall  county,  West  Virginia,  he  was  born  May  16,  1846,  and  in 
his  native  state  he  attended  school  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  or  in  1862, 
when,  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  he  joined  the  Federal  army  as  a  private 
of  Company  A,  Seventh  West  Virginia  Infantry.  He  served  in  the  capacity  of 
sharpshooter  and  was  one  of  the  best  shots  in  the  army.  Had  he  not  been  taken 
prisoner  he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  commissioned  a  captain.  He  was  severely 
wounded  October  27,  1864,  and  was  taken  prisoner  after  having  lain  out  in  the  field 
for  fifty  hours,  but  was  later  recaptured.  His  captors  had  taken  him  to  the  house 
of  Confederate  Senator  Thompson  of  Virginia,  which  had  been  converted  into  a 
hospital.  Later  he  was  sent  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  from  there  to  Washington, 
D.  C.,  where  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Wilson  went  to  Atlantic,  Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  he  en- 
joyed two  more  years  of  schooling  and  then  took  up  the  professional  study  of 
horticulture,  to  which  subject  he  devoted  many  years  of  careful  effort.  Later  in 
life  he  was  made  head  of  the  state  board  of  horticulture  of  Iowa  and  remained  in 
that  position  until  1904.  For  eleven  years  he  was  connected  with  Colonel  G.  B. 
Brackett,  chief  of  the  pomological  department  of  the  department  of  agriculture 
at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  acknowledged  the  greatest  authority  in  pomology  in  the 
world  at  that  time.  From  this  close  connection  and  careful  study  comes  the  superior 
knowledge  which  Mr.  Wilson  possesses  in  this  branch  of  agriculture. 

While  a  resident  of  Iowa  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  for  six  year* 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  189 

and  was  elected  speaker  of  the  house  of  the  twenty-third  general  assembly  without 
opposition.  He  was  chairman  of  the  railway  committee  of  the  twenty-second  general 
assembly  of  Iowa,  and  his  excellent  service  to  that  state  while  chairman  of  this 
committee  will  live  forever  in  the  annals  of  Iowa's  history  as  one  of  the  best  pieces 
of  legislative  work  ever  accomplished  by  any  member  in  the  state.  This  work  was 
accomplished  during  the  time  when  the  railroad  policy  had  become  so  oppressive  in 
the  state.  In  1904  Mr.  Wilson  had  charge  of  the  Iowa  exhibit  at  the  St.  Louis 
Exposition  and  was  so  impressed  by  the  exhibit  of  Mr.  Wessell,  of  Lewiston,  Idaho, 
that  he  decided  to  visit  this  state  and  in  the  same  year  came  west  and  traveled  all 
over  the  fruit  section  of  the  northwest,  in  Washington,  Oregon  and  Idaho,  finally 
settling  at  Nampa,  where  he  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  land  two  miles  east  of  the 
town,  on  the  state  road,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  at  Kuna,  which  is  ten 
miles  from  Nampa,  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad.  His  knowledge  of  horti- 
culture gave  him  the  advantage  of  making  the  best  selection  of  land  with  perfect 
air  drainage,  and  therefore  his  crops  never  fail  and  his  fruit  has  a  ready  market 
at  a  handsome  profit.  He  ships  under  the  brand  of  Mountain  Gem  and  many  thou- 
sand cases  of  apples  are  yearly  packed  and  put  upon  the  railroad  by  the  Wilson 
Orchard  Company.  For  two  years  he  has  shipped  east  and  in  the  past  year  his 
shipment  was  thirty  carloads.  He  has  close  business  relations  with  the  markets 
of  Europe  and  when  the  ordinary  trade  route  is  again  established  he  will  be  shipping 
overseas  in  profitable  quantities.  Previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  definite  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  by  him  with  German  merchants  to  place  his  fruit  upon 
the  German  markets  in  large  quantities. 

His  four  hundred  acre  orchard  is  principally  planted  to  Roman  Beauty,  Jona- 
than, Winesap  and  Delicious  apples,  while  the  orchard  at  Kuna  is  exclusively  planted 
to  Roman  Beauties,  Jonathans  and  Winesaps,  about  one-third  to  each  variety.  The 
trees  are  now  six,  seven  and  eight  years  old.  In  addition  to  the  apples  he  has  a 
pear  orchard  of  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  trees,  including  such  varieties  as  Anjou, 
Bartlett,  Clairglou,  Duchess  d'Angouleme,  Gold  Nugget  and  Lincoln. 

Through  his  perfect  system  of  dry  air  storage,  which  is  always  completely 
under  control  so  that  the  temperature  can  be  regulated  at  will,  the  fruit  can  be 
kept  for  the  entire  year  and  will  be  just  as  good  then  as  when  picked.  For  exam- 
ple: a  building  forty  by  sixty  feet,  extending  three  feet  under  ground  and  eighteen 
feet  above,  with  a  V  shaped  roof  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  will  have 
six  intakes  eighteen  by  twenty  inches  extending  to  the  bottom  of  the  cellar,  each 
intake  to  have  two  covers  that  can  be  opened  and  closed  automatically  by  a  rope, 
and  four  ventilatons  on  the  roof  of  the  building  to  carry  off  the  warm  and  im- 
pure air.  The  proportions  of  air  coming  in  and  going  out  are  thus  perfectly 
regulated.  This  is  but  one  unit  of  his  storage  houses  and  as  his  product  increases 
he  will  erect  other  units.  In  his  packing  houses  he  employed  in  1918  sixty-five  men 
and  women.  Professor  Bennett  of  the  State  University  at  Moscow  recently  visited 
his  air  plant  and  his  comment  was  that  one  might  travel  over  seven  states  without 
finding  one  its  equal.  Mr.  Wilson  also  raises  peaches  in  his  family  orchard  that 
bear  from  August  15th  to  October  23d.  He  was  requested  by  Colonel  Brackett  to 
make  an  exhibit  at  the  Pomological  Society  Exhibition  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  in 
1913  but  did  so  only  after  strong  persuasion  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Brackett,  owing 
to  the  prejudice  which  then  existed  among  eastern  growers  against  western  products. 
However,  from  fourteen  boxes  of  apples  he  made  a  selection  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  apples,  or  three  boxes,  which  he  sent  as  his  exhibit,  Colonel  Brackett 
looking  after  his  .interests,  as  he  himself  not  even  attended  the  exposition.  He 
received  a  medal  for  the  highest  award  given  any  exhibitor  at  the  exposition.  Thus 
in  comparatively  recent  years  Mr.  Wilson  has  called  into  life  a  great  industrial  en- 
terprise in  a  new  territory,  and  he  finds  his  reward  not  only  in  the  brilliant  success 
which  has  attended  his  labors  but  also  in  the  thought  that  he  has  done  much  toward 
promoting  horticultural  interests  in  Idaho. 

In  1875  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson  and  Miss  Edna  Aylesworth,  of 
Woodstock.  Illinois,  the  latter  formerly  a  teacher  at  Atlantic,  Iowa.  To  this  union 
were  born  four  children,  of  whom  two  sons  are  living.  Fred  W.,  the  elder,  who  is 
an  expert  accountant  in  his  father's  office,  married  Perle  Patterson,  of  Des  Moiues, 
Iowa,  by  whom  he  has  a  son  and  a  daughter:  Max  Wilson,  twelve  years  of  age; 
and  Dorothy.  W.  H.  Wilson,  the  younger  son,  is  in  charge  of  the  orchard  at  Kuna 
and  is  known  as  one  of  the  best  horticulturists  in  the  state.  He  married  Jessie 
Goudy,  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  two  children,  James  Morris  and  Nellie  Bernice. 


190  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

The  family  occupy  a  beautiful  home  in  Nampa  at  No.  705  Fifth  street,  which 
is  built  on  the  California  bungalow  plan  and  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  residences 
in  the  state.  Mr.  Wilson  still  enjoys  the  best  of  health  and  at  his  age  is  actually  as 
active  as  a  man  of  thirty  and  constantly  on  the  go.  He  has  made  many  friends  here, 
as  he  has  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States,  all  of  whom  speak  of  him  in  terms 
of  the  highest  regard  as  a  successful  business  man,  a  grand  old  man  and  a  gentleman 
in  every  respect. 


JAMES  LAIRD. 

James  Laird,  a  successful  and  progressive  sheepman  living  at  No.  1265  Canal 
avenue  in  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  at  Mountain  Dell,  Utah,  May  14,  1877,  his  parents  being 
Edward  and  Valeria  (Flint)  Laird,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland,  while  the  latter 
was  born  in  Utah.  The  father  came  to  America  with  his  parents  during  his  boyhood 
and  crossed  the  plains  with  one  of  the  handcart  companies  in  1856,  the  family  settling 
in  Utah,  where  Edward  Laird  eventually  became  a  stock  raiser.  He  has  continued  in 
that  business  throughout  his  entire  life  and  is  still  conducting  a  stock  ranch  but  re- 
sides in  Salt  Lake.  The  mother  is  also  living. 

James  Laird  was  reared  in  Utah,  where  he  pursued  his  education,  and  after  his 
textbooks  were  put  aside  he  joined  his  father  in  stock  raising  under  the  firm  name  of 
E.  Laird  &  Sons.  In  the  fall  of  1900  he  came  to  Idaho  and  purchased  land  in  Clark 
county,  formerly  Fremont  county.  He  is  still  conducting  his  stock  ranch  there  but  in 
1910  removed  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  December,  1918,  he  com- 
pleted one  of  the  most  modern  and  beautiful  homes  in  the  state  of  Idaho  and  from  that 
point  he  supervises  his  stock  raising  interests.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  pure 
bred  Cotswold  sheep  and  he  and  the  other  members  of  the  firm  are  also  running  horses. 

In  August,  1901,  Mr.  Laird  was  married  to  Miss  Mamie  Harris,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
H.  and  Mary  (Reese)  Harris,  who  were  natives  of  Wales.  They  came  to  America  in 
1859,  settling  at  Salt  Lake,  where  the  father  worked  at  the  miller's  trade.  He  after- 
ward took  up  a  homestead  in  Salt  Lake  county  and  continued  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement throughout  his  remaining  days,  covering  a  period  of  forty  years.  He  died 
September  12,  1902,  while  the  mother  survived  until  May,  1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laird 
have  become  the  parents  of  five  children:  James  Vegene,  who  was  born  September  9, 
1903;  Ardella,  born  November  14,  1906;  Mamie,  May  18,  1909;  Norman  Harris,  October 
31,  1911;  and  Rulon  Flint,  March  14,  1914. 

Mr.  Laird  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  has  filled 
two  missions  to  Great  Britain  covering  five  years.  He  there  remained  from  1915  until 
1918,  or  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  World  war,  and  he  was  one  of  the  first 
presidents  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Quorum.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest, 
republican  and  he  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Dubois,  Idaho.  His  time  and 
energies,  however,  have  largely  been  devoted  to  his  sheep  raising  interests  and  in  this 
connection  he  has  gained  a  place  of  leadership,  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  promi- 
nent sheepmen  of  his  part  of  the  state. 


MISS   LURA   VIOLA   PAINE. 

Miss  Lura  Viola  Paine,  filling  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
in  Ada  county,  with  office  and  residence  in  Boise,  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  having  been 
born  in  Kellogg,  that  state,  her  parents  being  Julian  Curtis  and  Lura  Jane  (Burton) 
Paine,  who  were  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Ohio  respectively.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  also  followed  other  business  pursuits.  He  is  now  living  in 
Boise  at  No.  910  Pueblo  street,  but  the  mother  passed  away  September  7,  1915.  On 
leaving  Iowa  the  Paine  family  removed  first  to  Nebraska  and  it  was  in  the  year 
1909  that  their  home  was  established  in  Idaho. 

Lura  V.  Paine  was  the  eldest  child  in  her  father's  family  and  spent  her  girl- 
hood days  in  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  where  she  acquired  a  public  and  high  school  ed- 
ucation. She  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  and  afterward  became  a  student 
in  Drake  University  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  She  then  took  up  the  profession  of  teach- 
ing, which  she  followed  at  Beatrice,  'Nebraska,  for  several  years  before  coming  tc* 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  193 

Idaho.  She  afterward  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Ada  county  for  nine  years, 
proving  most  capable  in  that  connection  by  reason  of  the  readiness  and  clearness 
with  which  she  imparted  to  others  the  knowledge  that  she  had  acquired.  Her  effi- 
ciency as  a  teacher  led  to  her  election  to  the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
in  the  fall  of  1918  and  she  is  now  serving  in  that  capacity  with  credit  to  herself  and 
satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Not  only  did  her  early  training  qualify  her  for  her 
career  as  an  educator  but  she  has  also  at  intervals  continued  her  studies  in  the 
yniversity  of  Idaho  at  Moscow,  in  the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley  and 
has  done  much  normal  work  in  the  normal  schools  of  Idaho. 

It  was  upon  the  republican  ticket  that  Miss  Paine  was  chosen  to  her  present 
position  in  the  fall  of  1918.  She  is  a  member  of  the  National  Education  Association, 
also  of  the  Idaho  State  Teachers  Association,  and  she  keeps  thoroughly  informed 
concerning  any  new  ideas  that  have  to  do  with  the  development  of  the  schools  or 
the  improvement  of  methods  of  instruction.  Miss  Paine  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution,  for  on  the  maternal  side  her  ancestry  was  represented 
in  the  war  for  independence.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 


HON.  CHARLES  W.  POOLE. 

Hon.  Charles  W.  Poole,  filling  the  office  of  county  attorney  in  Madison  county 
and  making  his  home  at  Rexburg,  was  born  at  Ogden,  Utah,  April  12,  1870.  a  son 
of  John  R.  and  Jane  (Bitton)  Poole  and  a  grandson  of  McCager  and  Adeline  (Rawls- 
ton)  Poole.  The  father  was  born  in  Indiana  in  May,  1829,  and  when  about  seven 
years  of  age  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  southeastern  Iowa,  then  a  forest  region, 
wild  and  undeveloped.  Numerous  members  of  the  family  are  still  to  be  found  in 
that  state.  About.  1851  or  1852  John  R.  Poole  drove  across  the  plains  to  Utah  and 
here  was  married  to  Jane  Bitton,  who  came  from  England  the  previous  year.  She 
was  born  in  London  in  September,  1836,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Jane  (Eving- 
ton)  Bitton.  Prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  her  father  enlisted  as  a  boy  in  the 
British  navy  and  never  returned  to  America  to  live. 

In  1878,  having  meet  with  severe  financial  losses  in  Utah,  John  R.  Poole  began 
operating  a  grading  outfit  on  the  Utah  &  Northern  Railroad,  which  was  built  through 
eastern  Idaho.  During  the  winter  of  1878-9  this  outfit  was  located  on  the  Snake 
river,  a  short  distance  south  of  Market  Lake,  now  Menan.  Mr.  Poole  was  attracted 
to  that  part  of  the  valley  where  Menan  now  stands  and  decided  to  locate  there. 
Accordingly  he  and  his  eldest  sons,  William  and  Hyrum,  took  up  claims  and  with 
some  hired  help  built  cabins  and  began  the  plowing  and  planting  of  wheat.  This 
was  believed  to  be  the  first  experiment  in  wheat  raising  in  the  Upper  Snake  River 
valley.  The  grain  matured  nicely  where  it  received  moisture,  but  the  crop  was  never 
harvested.  On  the  1st  of  June  of  that  year  the  mother  of  Charles  W.  Poole  arrived 
at  Eagle  Rock,  now  Idaho  Falls,  where  the  terminus  of  the  railroad  was  then 
located,  and  the  family  has  since  resided  in  the  Menan  district  of  Jefferson  county. 
Mi-nan  is  located  on  an  island  which  for  years  was  known  as  Poole's  Island.  John 
R.  Poole  was  very  active  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  irrigation  of  that  region  and 
assisted  in  organizing  the  Long  Island  Canal  Company.  In  1881  his  father  brought 
the  first  threshing  machine  into  the  Upper  Snake  River  valley  and  threshed  all  the 
grain  raised  in  the  valley  that  year.  The  following  year  he  bought  a  self-binder, 
which  was  the  first  in  the  valley.  Mr.  Poole  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  in 
the  interests  of  the  few  people  who  had  settled  with  him  there  and  who  looked 
upon  him  as  their  leader  in  all  their  enterprises.  He  established  the  first  school  in 
the  valley  and  his  daughter  Susie,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Lawson  and  postmistress  of 
Menan,  was  the  first  teacher  there.  He  also  organized  the  first  Sunday  school  in 
1881  and  conducted  religious  services,  but  though  he  led  a  life  of  activity  and  one 
which  was  useful  and  helpful  to  his  neighbors,  he  never  recovered  from  his  financial 
losses.  He  passed  away  at  Menan  in  September,  1894. 

Charles  W.  Poole  had  but  limited  educational  opportunities.  He  attended 
children's  classes  in  Ogden  and  during  the  winter  following  the  arrival  of  the  family 
in  Idaho  went  to  school  for  a  few  weeks.  He  afterward  spent  two  winters  in  Ricks 
Academy  at  Rexburg,  which  at  that  time  was  nothing  more  than  a  common  school, 
although  it  has  since  developed  into  an  excellent  educational  institution.  In  No- 
v,^.  ii— 13 


194  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

vember,  1890,  Mr.  Poole  went  to  the  Samoan  Islands  as  a  missionary  for  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  after  spending  three  years  there  returned 
in  November,  1893.  During  the  succeeding  several  years  he  worked  for  wages  as  a 
stationary  engineer  and  fireman.  In  1900  he  began  farming  near  Rigby  and  con- 
tinued the  cultivation  of  his  land  for  three  years  but  on  the  30th  of  September, 
1903,  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  right  hand  while  operating  a  traction  engine. 
It  was  this  that  led  him  to  take  up  the  study  of  law.  He  read  at  home,  supporting 
his  family  at  the  same  time,  and  in  June,  1908,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
bar  of  Idaho.  He  has  since  been  admitted  to  practice  before  the  supreme  court  and 
through  the  intervening  years  has  gained  a  large  clientage.  He  is  very  thorough 
and  painstaking  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases  and  his  devotion  to  his  clients'  in- 
terests has  become  proverbial. 

In  October,  1894,  Mr.  Poole  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bybee,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  L.  Bybee,  of  Leorin,  Bonneville  .county,  Idaho.  She  was  born  June  17, 
1870,  at  Smithfield",  Utah.  Her  father  came  to  Menan  ward  of  Idaho  in  1883  and 
was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  public  life  of  the  community.  He  served  as  bishop 
of  that  ward  and  also  acting  president  of  the  old  Bannock  stake  in  the  absence 
of  President  Ricks.  Later  on  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls  and  subsequently  to  Leorin, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  first  counselor  to  James  E.  Steele,  president 
of  the  Bingham  stake.  He  was  also  elected  senator  from  Bingham  county  in  1900 
and  when  Bonneville  county  was  created  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  James  H. 
Hawley  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poole  have  five  children,  as  follows:  Jane  B.,  who  was  born  July 
16,  1896;  Leslie  E.,  whose  birth  occurred  August  22,  1898;  Leona  H.,  whose  natal 
day  was  March  23,  1901;  Robert  R.,  born  July  21,  1903;  and  Alice  B.,  who  was  born 
on  the  21st  of  September,  1905.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Poole  has 
always  been  a  democrat  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  party  ranks  in  Idaho.  In 
1910  he  was  elected  state  senator  from  Fremont  county  and  served  during  the, 
eleventh  session  of  the  general  assembly  in  1911  and  during  an  extra  session  of 
1912,  giving  thoughtful  and  earnest  consideration  to  all  the  vital  questions  which 
came  up  for  settlement  and  lending  his  aid  and  influence  to  constructive  measures. 
He  is  now  serving  as  county  attorney  and  again  is  making  an  excellent  record  as  a 
public  official. 


JAMES   C.   FORD. 

James  C.  Ford  is  filling  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Caldwell,  giving  his  atten- 
tion to  the  routine  duties  of  the  position,  but  not  at  all  times  has  his  life  been  ofl 
so  quiet  a  nature,  as  he  has  lived  upon  the  western  frontier  and  gone  through  the 
experiences  of  cow  punching  from  Texas  to  South  Dakota  at  a  time  when  the  west 
was  largely  unorganized.  Mr.  Ford  was  born  in  Gainesville,  Arkansas,  October  16, 
1856,  and  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died.  His  father,  William 
Ford,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  but  had  removed  from  that  state  to  Arkansas  and 
afterward  became  a  resident  of  Tennessee,  where  he  was  living  at  the  time  of 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  Responding  to  the  call  of  the  south,  he  joined  the 
Confederate  army,  sending  his  son,  James  C.,  to  southern  Illinois.  There  is  an- 
other son  of  the  family,  William  A.,  who  is  now  living  in  Illinois,  though  for  some 
years  he  was  a  resident  of  Oregon. 

James  C.  Ford  made  his  home  with  a  distant  relative  in  Illniois  during  the 
period  of  the  Civil  war  and  did  not  see  his  father  again  until  peace  was  restored. 
The  father,  however,  lived  for  only  a  short  time  after  the  close  of  the  war  and 
James  C.  Ford  was  thus  left  an  orphan.  He  thereafter  made  his  home  with  strang- 
ers, working  as  a  farm  hand  and  attending  school  when  he  had  the  opportunity  dur- 
ing the  winter  months.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  Texas  and  became  a  cow 
puncher  near  Fort  Worth.  He  has  driven  cattle  from  Texas  to  Nebraska,  Colorado 
and  South  Dakota,  from  New  Mexico  to  South  Dakota,  from  The  Dalles,  Oregon, 
to  Wyoming  and  from  Oregon  to  Montana.  Thus  he  has  traveled  on  foot  through 
almost  the  entire  western  country,  gaining  most  intimate  knowledge  of  its  con- 
ditions and  opportunities.  In  1877  he  settled  in  Idaho,  where  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  farm  and  rode  the  range  on  the  line  between  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  and 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  195 

Owyhee  county,  Idaho,  until  1903,  when  he  abandoned  his  stock  raising  interests 
and  sold  his  farm  on  the  three  forks  of  Sucker  creek  in  Idaho.  He  then  went  to 
Mexico,  where  he  remained  for  about  one  year,  studying  conditions  in  that  country, 
but  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  the  government  and  returned  to  this  state. 
Here  he  resumed  the  business  of  buying  and  selling  cattle,  with  headquarters  at 
Caldwell,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1915,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and 
is  now  acceptably  serving  in  that  position. 

In  1889  Mr.  Ford  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  Smith,  a  native  of 
Salem,  Oregon.  He  says  that  there  are  days  when  a  longing  for  the  saddle  and"  the 
trail  comes  upon  him.  When  he  lived  in  Texas  the  Indians  were  much  of  the  time 
on  the  warpath  and  at  all  times  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  a  spirit  of  mischief  if  not 
of  murder.  They  were  constantly  stealing  horses  and  massacring  the  people  and 
every  cowboy  felt  the  necessity  of  sleeping  on  his  gun.  Thus  the  life  of  Mr.  Ford 
was  fraught  with  excitement  and  danger,  but  he  was  always  alert  and  managed  to 
escape  the  fate  that  came  to  many  others  in  the  frontier  country.  His  reminiscences 
of  the  early  days  are  most  interesting  and  his  memory  forms  a  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  pioneer  past  with  its  hardships  and  privations  and  the  progressive  pres- 
ent with  its  opportunities  and  its  prosperity.  He  is  an  exemplary  representative  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  which  he  joined  at  Bolivar,  Denton  county,  Texas,  in  1878, 
while  in  1912  he  became  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
at  Boise. 


FRED  A.  P1TTENGER.  M.  D. 

Dr.  Fred  A.  Pittenger,  holding  rank  with  the  able  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
Boise,  with  office  in  the  Overland  building,  was  born  in  Cardington,  Morrow  county, 
Ohio,  October  15,  1875,  his  parents  being  Willis  M.  and  Margaret  (Kern)  Pittenger. 
In  the  paternal  line  he  comes  of  Holland  ancestry,  the  family  having  been  founded 
in  Pennsylvania,  however,  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  mother 
was  of  Irish  and  English  descent.  The  Pittenger  family  was  represented  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
an  engineer  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  government  but  death  called  him 
when  he  was  only  thirty-four  years  of  age.  His  widow  afterward  became  the  wife 
of  Dr.  Harlan  Page  Ustick,  of  Boise,  to  which  city  she  removed  with  her  only 
child,  Fred  A.,  in  1890.  She  is  again  a  widow  and  yet  makes  her  home  in  Boise. 

After  mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  graded  and  high  schools' 
of  Morrow  county,  Ohio,  Dr.  Pittinger  of  this  review  was  for  two  years  a  resident 
of  Washington  Court  House,  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  and  then  became  a  student  in 
the  University  of  Iowa,  where  he  devoted  two  years  to  a  college  course  and  two  years 
to  the  study  of  medicine.  He  next  entered  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1899.  He  later  spent  two  years  as  an  interne  in 
the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Hospital,  gaining  that  broad  and  valuable  experience  which 
one  readily  acquires  in  hospital  practice.  He  afterward  matriculated  in  the  North- 
western Medical  College  of  Chicago  and  completed  his  course  there  with  the  class 
of  1904.  He  was  later  associated  with  Dr.  Adams,  a  well  known  Chicago  surgeon, 
for  a  period  of  five  years  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  Boise,  where  in  the 
intervening  period,  covering  thirteen  years,  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  practice, 
devoting  his  attention  steadily  to  his  profession  save  for  a  period  of  seven  months, 
which  he  spent  upon  the  Mexican  border  as  a  captain  in  the  Medical  Corps  of  the 
Idaho  National  Guard  from  the  19th  of  June,  1916,  to  the  23d  of  January,  1917. 
Again  from  the  12th  of  September,  1917,  until  January  2,  1919,  he  served  with  the 
rank  of  major  in  the  Medical  Officers  Corps  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas.  At  the  time  of 
his  discharge,  following  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  he  was  commander  of  Army  Sani- 
tary Train  No.  2.  He  has  been  a  captain  of  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  Idaho  National 
Guard  since  1912  and  during  1912  and  1913  was  surgeon  general  of  Idaho.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Medical  Officers  Training  School  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in 
1913,  and  has  done  considerable  work  along  professional  lines  for  the  benefit  of  the 
army.  For  twelve  years  he  has  served  as  surgeon  of  the  Idaho  State  Soldiers  Home 
and  also  as  city  physician  of  Boise.  To  promote  his  knowledge  and  efficiency  he 
has  at  various  times  taken  post  graduate  work  in  eastern  cities.  He  belongs  to  the 
Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  holds  to  the  highest  standards  of  the  profession. 


196  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1902,  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Pittenger  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Butterworth,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  and  is  also  a  graduate  in  medicine, 
having  completed  her  course  at  the  St.  Louis  Homeopathic  Medical  School.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Pettinger  have  an  adopted  child,  Mrs.  Oscar  Yates,  of  Boise. 

Dr.  Pittenger  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  taken  the  Commandery 
degrees  in  the  York  Rite  and  also  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees.  He  is  likewise  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He 
has  membership  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  in  the  Country  Club  and  in  the 
University  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Military  Surgeons  of  the 
United  States.  His  devotion  to  high  professional  standards,  his  loyalty  to  every 
cause  which  he  espouses,  his  patriotic  citizenship  and  his  professional  attainments 
have  placed  him  in  an  enviable  position  in  public  regard. 


RT.  REV.  DANIEL  M.  GORMAN,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,, 

Rt.  Rev.  Daniel  M.  Gorman,  of  Boise,  Catholic  bishop  of  Idaho,  was  born  April  12, 
1861,  in  Wyoming,  Iowa,  in  the  little  cottage  home  of  John  and  Mary  (Rooney)  Gor- 
man, who  had  there  settled  on  coming  from  Ireland  to  America.  The  father  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  war  with  Mexico  and  the  spirit  of  patriotic  loyalty  and  devotion  to 
American  interests  seemed  inborn  in  his  son,  Daniel,  and  has  ever  remained  a.  dominat- 
ing factor  in  his  life.  He  pursued  his  early  education  in  his  native  village  and  after 
completing  a  course  in  the  local  academy  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he 
followed  successfully  for  a  few  terms.  He  then  entered  upon  preparation  for  the  priest- 
hood in  St.  Joseph's,  now  Dubuque  College.  After  receiving  his  diploma  there  he  en- 
tered St.  Francis  Seminary  of  Milwaukee  and  on  the  completion  of  his  studies  was 
ordained  a  priest  by  the  late  Bishop  Zardetti  in  St.  Francis  chapel,  June  24,  1893.  He 
was  first  assigned  to  a  pastorate  at  State  Center,  Iowa,  where,  a  contemporary  biog- 
rapher said,  "his  labors  were  eminently  successful,  as  was  attested  by  the  remarkable 
loyalty  of  his  flock  and  their  enthusiasm  for  every  good  project  that  he  proposed."  In 
1894  -Archbishop  Hennessy  named  him  as  one  of  the  professors  of  the  diocesan  college 
and  with  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  and  determination  that  he  had  previously  dis- 
played he  entered  upon  his  new  duties  and  was  soon  a  favorite  with  all  the  students 
of  the  institution,  his  early  experience  as  a  teacher  serving  him  well  in  this  connection. 
He  was  at  the  head  of  the  Latin  department  and  later  was  transferred  to  the  office  of 
disciplinarian,  usually  a  most  unenviable  position  in  a  boarding  school.  Bishop  Gor- 
man, however,  cheerfully  accepted  the  new  task  and  inaugurated  the  policy  of  leading, 
not  driving,  his  students,  who  soon  recognizing  the  spirit  back  of  the  new  regime  gave 
to  it  their  enthusiasm  and  loyal  support.  As  a  professor  he  had  been  a  friend  of 
the  students  and  as  a  disciplinarian  he  sought  always  their  highest  welfare.  His 
methods  were  extremely  successful,  resulting  in  a  largely  increased  enrollment  of 
students,  so  that  it  was  necessary  in  1900  to  secure  greater  space.  A  large  wing  was 
added  to  the  main  building  of  the  school  that  year  and  ten  years  later  a  beautiful 
chapel,  together  with  a  spacious  auditorium,  were  erected.  In  1904  he  was  chosen  to 
the  presidency  of  Dubuque  College  to  succeed  Dr.  Carroll,  who  had  been  appointed  to 
the  see  of  Helena,  Montana.  Following  his  promotion  Bishop  Gorman  carried  out  a 
most  progressive  policy,  proving  an  inspiring  leader  and  a  champion  of  everything 
that  tended  to  noble  Christian  manhood.  One  who  has  known  him  well  wrote  of  him: 
"Meanwhile  the  influence  of  Father  Gorman  was  not  confined  to  the  college  alone. 
His  personality  as  a  priest  and  his  ability  as  a  speaker  drew  numerous  invitations  to 
address  important  gatherings.  For  the  good  of  the  college  and  the  service  he  could 
render  his  fellowmen,  he  accepted  many  of  these  requests,  and  surrounding  states  came 
to  know  the  spirit,  the  work  and  the  methods  of  St.  Joseph's  College.  Men  have  ever 
been  as  eager  to  listen  to  him  as  the  students,  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have 

made  him  the  principal  speaker  at  several  big  conventions The  name  of  such 

a  man  must,  perforce,  become  known  beyond  the  confines  of  his  immediate  activities. 
Mount  St.  Mary's  College  in  far  away  Emmitsburg,  Maryland,  heard  of  the  work  of 
Father  Gorman  and  the  progress  of  the  school  in  which  he  wielded  so  benign  an  influ- 
ence, and  on  October  15,  1908,  that  institution  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Laws." 

Dr.  Gorman,  ever  realizing  the  importance  of  athletics  in  college  life,  brought  about 
the  erection  of  a  new  gymnasium  adequate  to  the  needs  of  Dubuque  College  in  1913. 


RT.  REV.  DANIEL  M.  GORMAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  199 

Loras  Hall  was  also  added  to  the  buildings  of  the  institution  in  1914,  together  with 
St.  Francis  Hall,  a  service  building,  and  in  1916  a  new  science  hall  was  erected.  All 
this  work  was  greatly  promoted  through  the  efforts,  enthusiasm  and  wise  direction  of 
Bishop  Gorman.  As  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Educational  Association  his  influence 
was  strongly  felt  and  his  views  have  always  carried  weight  in  the  councils  of  that 
organization.  Due  to  the  efforts  of  Bishop  Gorman,  Dubuque  College  became  affiliated 
with  the  Catholic  University  of  America  at  Washington  and  a  branch  of  the  University 
summer  school  has  been  conducted  at  Dubuque  College  for  several  years.  Bishop  Gor- 
man also  instituted  military  training  in  the  school,  to  which  the  war  department  at  his 
request  sent  two  military  officers,  who  instruct  the  students  in  the  theoretical  and  prac- 
tical phases  of  military  science.  Again  we  turn  to  a  contemporary  biographer  for  an 
estimate  of  the  worth  of  the  Bishop  in  relation  to  the  development  of  Dubuque  College. 
"To  promote  the  interests  of  the  college,  Monsignor  Gorman  is  giving  his  life  and  his 
all.  Self-sacrificing,  patient,  serious  and  determined,  our  rector  has  placed  God's  will 
before  all  else.  We  find  him  on  duty  early  and  late,  using  his  remarkable  gifts  in  the 
service  of  the  great  cause  he  has  espoused.  Looking  back  over  his  twenty-three  years' 
association  with  the  college,  we  cannot  but  quote  a  few  figures  to  emphasize  its  growth. 
In  1894  the  enrollment  was  sixty  with  twelve  professors;  today  it  is  nearly  six  hundred, 
with  thirty  professors.  This  growth  has  not  been  haphazard — it  has  been  due  to  right 
order,  foresight  and  persevering  work  on  the  part  of  cur  president  and  his  devoted  band 
of  co-laborers." 

After  fourteen  years  as  president  of  Dubuque  College,  Bishop  Gorman  was  appointed 
to  the  Idaho  diocese  in  May,  1918,  and  became  a  resident  of  Boise,  having  been  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  bishop  on  the  1st  of  May  of  that  year.  Wpth  the  same  earnestness, 
zeal  and  consecration  he  took  up  his  new  duties  in  the  northwest  and  is  now  most 
wisely  guiding  the  efforts  of  the  Catholic  church  in  the  state. 


FRANK  J.  CLAYTON. 

Frank  J.  Clayton,  chairman  of  the  Industrial  Accident  Board  of  the  state  of 
Idaho  through  appointment  of  Governor  D.  W.  Davis  and  a  prominent  figure  in  labor 
circles  in  the  northwest,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  June  9,  1878,  his  parents 
being  James  and  Honora  (Durgin)  Clayton.  The  father  was  born  in  England  and 
died  when  his  son  Frank  J.  was  but  eight  years  of  age.  The  mother  was  a  native 
of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  died  a  short  time  before  the  demise  of  her  husband. 

Frank  J.  Clayton,  thus  left  an  orphan,  found  a  home  with  an  elder  sister  in 
Boston.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Boston  high  school,  while  subsequently  he  pursued  a  business  course.  He  after- 
ward learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Boston,  beginning  work  along  that  line  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  prior  to  this  he  had  earned  his  living  as  a  newsboy  and 
bootblack  and  in  other  humble  ways.  After  serving  a  three  years'  apprenticeship  at 
the  printer's  trade  he  was  employed  in  various  printing  shops  and  newspaper  offices 
in  different  cities  for  a  number  of  years  and  still  later  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Chicago,  Denver  and  elsewhere.  He  held  various  foremanships  previous  to  coming 
to  Boise,  where  he  arrived  in  March,  1908,  removing  to  this  city  from  Denver. 
Here  he  has  since  made  his  home,  covering  a  period  of  eleven  years,  and  during  the 
entire  time  until  his  appointment  to  his  present  position  he  was  foreman  of  the  press- 
room of  the  Syms-York  Company  of  Boise.  He  resigned  this  position  to  enter  upon 
his  duties  as  a  member  of  the  Industrial  Accident  Board  of  Idaho  in  January,  1919. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  International  Pressmen  &  Assistants 
Union  of  North  America.  In  1907  he  represented  the  Brockton,  Massachusetts,  Union 
of  this  organization  at  the  international  convention  which  met  at  Brighton  Beach, 
New  York.  -In  1911  and  1914  he  represented  the  Boise  Union  in  the  international 
convention  held  at  Rogersville,  Tennessee.  He  is  the  labor  representative  on  the 
Industrial  Accident  Board.  For  six  years  he  was  the  president' of  the  Boise  Union, 
No.  230,  and  is  now  serving  as  its  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  has  been  the  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Boise  Allied  Printing  Trades  Council  since  its  organization  in 
1908,  has  been  a  delegate  to  two  conventions  of  the  Idaho,  State  Federation  of  Labor 
and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Boise  Trades  &  Labor  Council.  He  has  been 
a  close  student  of  labor  conditions  and  problems  and  is  one  of  the  best  posted  men 


200  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

on  questions  relative  thereto  in  the  state,  hence  his  appointment  to  his  position  as 
the  labor  representative  on  the  Idaho  State  Industrial  Accident  Board. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1906,  Mr.  Clayton  was  married  at  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, to  Miss  Kathryn  Reilly,  also  a  native  of  Boston.  They  have  become  parents 
of  two  sons:  Francis  Randolph,  who  was  born  October  6,  1908;  and  Charles 
William,  born  March  4,  1914.  Both  are  natives  of  Boise. 

Mr.  Clayton  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with  the  Rebekah  Lodge.  He  is  a  past  grand  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  lodge  and  has  been  its  representative  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  state, 
while  his  wife  is  a  past  noble  grand  of  the  Rebekah  lodge.  She  was  formerly  a 
teacher  in  the  Massachusetts  schools  and  is  a  lady  of  liberal  culture  and  refinement. 
Mr.  Clayton  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Lodge  of  the  Brotherhood  of  American 
Yeomen,  No.  1120,  and  for  four  years  served  as  its  presiding  officer.  He  is  likewise 
a  member  of  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  of  which  he  is  a  past  dictator,  and  he  repre- 
sented the  local  lodge,  No.  337,  as  a  delegate  to  the  Supreme  Lodge  at  San  Diego, 
California,  in  1915.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  is  the  repre- 
sentative of  labor  on  the  board  of  directors  of  that  organization.  His  wife  is  very 
active  in  church  work  and  in  the  Red  Cross,  and  they  are  close  students  of  the  signs 
of  the  times  and  of  all  the  grave  and  important  problems  which  the  country  faces 
today.  Their  aid  and  influence  are  given  on  the  side  of  progress,  and  they  put  forth 
earnest  and  effective  effort  to  ameliorate  the  hard  conditions  of  life  for  the 
unfortunate. 


HON.  PERCY  GROOM. 

The  Hon.  Percy  Groom,  judge  of  the  probate  court  of  Jefferson  county,  is  a 
resident  of  Rigby,  where  he  is  an  attorney-at-law,  and  has  extensive  business  interests 
here  and  in  neighboring  counties.  He  was  born  in  Manchester,  England,  January 
29,  1874,  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth  (Hill)  Groom,  both  of  whom  are  also  natives 
of  the  old  country. 

Prior  to  his  removal  with  his  family  to  America  in  1883,  Nathan  Groom  was 
employed  as  game  warden,  and  after  he  had  landed  upon  American  soil  he  took  his 
family  to  Utah,  locating  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Soon  his  love  for  the  great  outdoors 
asserted  itself  and  this,  with  the  boundless  opportunities  which  surrounded  him, 
caused  him  to  take  up  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  soon  removed  with  his  family 
to  a  farm  and  there  remained  until  1899,  at  which  time  he  and  his  good  wife 
accompanied  their  sons  northward  into  Idaho,  where  the  sons  located  on  homesteads 
in  that  part  of  Binghan*  county  which  was  later  incorporated  into  Jefferson.  Here 
on  the  virgin  soil  of  Jefferson  county  the  boys,  guided  by  the  counsel  of  their  father, 
laid  the  foundation  for  their  future  prosperity.  At  the  present  time  both  the  father 
and  mother  are  living  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  and  eighty-one  years,  respectively, 
on  the  ranch  belonging  to  their  son,  Judge  Groom,  enjoying  in  their  retirement 
the  fruits  of  their  labor  and  the  results  of  their  success. 

It  was  in  England — the  land  of  his  birth — that  Judge  Groom  received  his  very 
earliest  education.  His  parents  brought  him  to  this  country  when  he  was  only 
eight  years  of  age,  however,  and  after  the  family  had  located  in  Utah,  he  resumed 
his  schooling.  Since  he  was  not  content  with  elementary  training  alone,  he  entered 
a  church  seminary  in  that  state,  later  doing  one  year  of  advanced  work  in  Chicago. 
Upon  his  return  from  school,  he  entered  upon  agricultural  work  with  renewed  zeal 
and  gained  much  practical  experience  under  the  tutelage  of  his  father  until  the 
removal  of  the  entire  family  to  Jefferson  county,  this  state,  in  1899.  Judge  Groom 
took  a  homestead  in  this  county,  which  he  has  since  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
development,  making  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  Berkshire  hogs  with  marked  success. 
His  characteristic  energy  and  good  judgment  have  led  him  to  lend  support  to  the 
development  of  business  enterprises  in  Rigby  and  neighboring  towns.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  of  Rigby,  the  Utah-Idaho  Sugar  Company, 
the  lona  Mercantile  Company  of  lona,  Bonneville  county,  this  state,  the  Utah  Power 
&  Light  Company,  and  the  Simmons-Wolf  Mercantile  Company  of  Ucon,  Idaho. 

A  glance  at  the  career  of  Judge  Groom  reveals  his  deep  interest  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  public  affairs,  especially  those  of  a  judicial  nature.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Jefferson  county  and  carried  on  a  successful  practice  of  law  until  his 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  201 

fellow  citizens,  called  him  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  probate  court  in  1914,  in 
which  capacity  he  now  serves.  He  was  also  chosen  judge  of  the  police  court  of  the 
city  of  Rigby,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  performs  along  with  those  of  the  office 
of  probate  judge.  Before  he  was  raised  to  the  bench,  Judge  Groom  served  as  clerk  of 
the  village  board  of  Ucon,  and  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Rigby  for  two 
years.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics. 

Judge  Groom  was  united  in  marriage  to  -Delia  Short  of  Ogden,  Utah,  June  25, 
1899,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children,  namely:  Golden,  Elsie  and 
Cleo.  Both  the  father  and  mother  give  their  aid  and  active  support  to  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Rigby,  the  former  serving  sir  years  as  coun- 
selor to  the  bishop  and  on  a  British  mission  two  years. 


MRS.   NELLA  M.   WEAVER. 

Holding  to  high  ideals  in  educational  work,  Mrs.  Nella  M.  Weaver  is  giving 
thorough  satisfaction  in  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Fremont 
county,  to  which  office  she  was  appointed  in  August,  1919.  She  makes  her  home  in 
St.  Anthony.  Her  birth  occurred  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  April  5,  1879,  and  her 
parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Price)  Mitchell,  were  also  natives  of  that  state.  Her 
father  was  a  farmer  and  about  1861  removed  westward  to  Kansas,  where  he  carried 
on  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  few  years,  but  later  returned  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  July,  1907.  For  some  time  he  had  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  died  June  30,  1900. 

Mrs.  Weaver  obtained  her  early  education  in  Kentucky,  supplementing  her 
common  school  course  by  study  in  the  State  Normal  at  Emporia,  Kansas,  while  later 
she  became  a  student  in  the  State  University  at  Laramie,  Wyoming,  and  afterward 
attended  the  Central  University  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Before  she  was  sixteen 
years  of  age  she  had  taught  school  in  Kansas  and  followed  the  profession  at  inter- 
vals while  attending  college,  for  it  was  necessary  for  her  to  provide  the  funds  that 
enabled  her  to  pursue  her  education.  She  taught  altogether  for  fifteen  years  in 
Wyoming  and  in  1908  removed  to  Sugar  City,  Idaho.  Later  her  husband  took  up 
land  on  Canyon  creek  and  Mrs.  Weaver  secured  the  school  at  Edie,  Idaho.  She  also 
taught  at  Canyon  Creek  for  two  terms  and  was  afterward  engaged  to  teach  at 
Driggs,  Teton  county,  also  at  Jackson  Hole  and  at  Elk.  She  was  next  elected  prin- 
cipal of  schools  at  Jackson  City  and  afterward  returned  to  the  Canyon  Creek  school. 
Later  she  taught  at  Heman,  Idaho,  and  in  August,  1919,  was  appointed  to  the  posi- 
tion of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Fremont  county  to  fill  out  an  unexpired 
term. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  September,  1907,  that  Nella  M.  Mitchell  became  the  wife 
of  John  Weaver.  They  are  still  owners  of  the  farm  in  Fremont  county  on  Egin 
bench,  which  they  now  rent,  Mr.  Weaver  being  obliged  to  give  up  the  active  work 
of  the  farm  on  account  of  impaired  health. 

In  religious  belief  Mrs.  Weaver  is  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  She  is  identified  with  Rebekah  Lodge,  the  ladies'  auxiliary  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Politically  she  is  a  republican  and  she  served 
as  deputy  county  superintendent  of  schools  at  Laramie,  Wyoming,  for  two  terms. 
Much  of  her  life  has  be.en  given  to  educational  work  and  her  activities  have  been 
far-reaching  and  resultant,  contributing  much  to  the  development  of  the  schools  in 
the  localities  in  which  she  has  lived. 


WILLIAM  E.  GEE. 

William  E.  Gee,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank  of  Rexburg,  was 
born  in  Tooele,  Utah,  October  17,  1875,  a  son  of  Erastus  R.  and  Geneva  (Telford) 
Gee,  who  were  natives  of  Utah.  The  father  went  to  that  state  at  an  early  day  and 
when  old  enough  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  cultivating  rented  land  for  a 
time.  He  afterward  purchased  land  in  the  Cache  valley  and  improved  and  operated 
this  farm  until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of 
Bingham  county.  There  he  homesteaded  and  continued  the  further  development 


202  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  cultivation  of  his  place  until  1917,  when  he  retired  from  active  business.  He 
has  since  made  his  home  in  the  Cache  valley  of  Utah.  The  mother,  however,  passed 
away  in  1913. 

William  E.  Gee  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  Cache  valley,  attending  the 
district  schools  and  completing  his  course  in  the  Agricultural  College  at  Logan,  Utah. 
In  1895  he  came  to  Idaho  and  worked  with  his  father  upon  the  home  farm  for  three 
years.  He  then  went  on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  spending  two  years  in  that  work  in  Colorado.  He  afterward  returned  to 
school  in  Logan,  where  he  continued  his  studies  for  a  year,  after  which  he  taught 
school  for  two  years  in  Fremont  county,  Idaho.  Remaining  an  active  worker  in 
the  church,  he  was  appointed  stake  clerk  and  filled  that  position  for  six  and  a  half 
years.  He  also  filled  secular  offices  in  Fremont  county,  being  made  deputy  auditor 
and  recorder,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  for  three  years.  When  Madison  county 
was  set  off  from  Fremont  county  he  took  a  set  of  abstract  books,  established  his 
home  in  Rexburg  and  opened  an  abstract  office  which  he  conducted  until  1915,  when, 
in  company  with  others,  he  organized  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank,  which  was 
capitalized  at  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  which  from  the  beginning  has  enjoyed  a 
prosperous  existence.  The  bank  now  has  a  surplus  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  with 
deposits  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  Its  officers  are:  Alfred 
Ricks,  president;  Nathan  Ricks,  vice  president;  J.  W.  Webster  and  A.  M.  Carter, 
also  vice  presidents;  and  William  E.  Gee,  cashier.  He  has  filled  that  office  from  the 
beginning,  largely  shaping  the  policy  and  directing  the  activities  of  the  bank.  He 
also  has  an  interest  in  the  Madison  Abstract  Company  and  in  addition  he  owns  a  dry 
farm  seven  miles  from  Rexburg. 

Throughout  his  life  Mr.  Gee  has  remained  an  active  worker  in  the  church, 
is  first  counselor  to  the  bishop  of  the  first  ward  of  Rexburg  and  has  filled  other 
church  offices.  At  the  same  time  he  has  been  prominent  and  active  in  community 
affairs,  having  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  at  St.  Anthony,  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council  at  Rexburg,  and  for  two  years  as  city  clerk.  He  has  always 
voted  with  the  democratic  party,  and  his  aid  and  influence  are  at  all  times  given 
on  the  side  of  progress  and  improvement. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1917,  Mr.  Gee  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
Kerr  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Marion,  Ivin, 
Lynn  and  Merrill. 


ROBERT  J.  HAYES. 

Robert  J.  Hayes  was  for  nearly  thirty  years  a  citizen  of  Pocatello,  where  he  was 
widely  and  favorably  known.  He  was  born  at  Oswego,  New  York,  February  27,  1861, 
and  was  about  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools.  In  1877  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Wyoming,  going  first  to 
Cheyenne  and  thence  to  Rawlins,  where  he  worked  in  the  shops  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad.  After  three  years  he  removed  to  Helena,  Montana,  and  later  to  Billings, 
where  he  had  a  contract  to  furnish  the  Great  Northern  Railroad  Company  with  wood. 
He  afterward  took  up  his  abode  at  Bozeman,  Montana,  where  he  operated  a  pack  horse 
outfit  up  to  the  Clarke  Fork  mine.  Later,  in  California  and  in  Arizona,  he  continued 
in  the  same  work  for  several  months  and  then  came  to  Idaho  in  1884. 

With  his  arrival  in  this  state  Mr.  Hayes  established  his  home  at  Idaho  Falls, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years  and  then  went  to  Blackfoot,  where  he  filled  the  office 
of  deputy  sheriff  for  two  years.  He  next  went  to  Pocatello,  where  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  N.  G.  Franklin  and  they  established  a  small  bottling  plant  for  the  manu- 
facture of  soda  water — the  first  enterprise  of  the  kind  in  southern  Idaho.  Under  their 
energetic  management  the  business  grew  to  be  one  of  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the 
state,  with  one  of  the  best  equipped  plants,  and  their  product  was  shipped  not  only 
extensively  over  Idaho  but  also  into  three  other  states.  Five  years  prior  to  his  death 
Mr.  Hayes  retired  from  the  bottling  business  and  spent  his  remaining  days  in  the 
enjoyment  of  well  earned  rest. 

He  figured  prominently  in  the  public  life  of  the  community  and  was  a  recognized 
leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  republican  party,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  central  com- 
mittee of  Pocatello.  He  was  also  elected  and  served  as  mayor  of  the  city,  to  which  he 
gave  a  businesslike  and  progressive  administration.  He  was  very  active  in  politics 


ROBERT  J.  HAYES 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  205 

from  1910  until  1914  and  did  much  to  shape  the  policy  and  interests  of  the  city  during 
that  period. 

Mr.  Hayes  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  R.  Wither  and  to  them  were  born 
six  children,  of  whom  William  L.  is  the  eldest.  The  death  of  Mr.  Hayes  occurred  on 
the  24th  of  August,  1918,  and  in  his  passing  Pocatello  lost  one  of  its  valued  and  repre- 
sentative citizens. 


REV.  WILLIAM   J.   BOONE,  D.  D. 

Among  the  prominent  and  widely  known  representatives  of  the  Presbyterian 
ministry  in  Idaho  is  Rev.  William  J.  Boone,  of  Caldwell,  who  though  not  filling  a 
pastorate  at  the  present  time,  has  done  most  active  and  efficient  work  in  the  pro- 
motion of  the  church  and  in  the  upholding  of  all  those  agencies  which  make  for 
intellectual  and  moral  progress.  Dr.  Boone  was  born  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
November  5,  1860,  and  is  a  descendant  from  the  same  ancestral  stock  that  pro- 
duced 'Daniel  Boone,  the  famous  American  explorer.  His  father,  James  Boone,  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  1833,  and  died  March  21, 
1919,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year  on  the  old  homestead  in  Cecil  township,  that  county, 
where  for  many  years  he  served  as  squire.  He  married  Nancy  Craighead,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  George  Craighead  and  was  of  Scotch  lineage.  She  passed  away  in 
1868,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  two  sons:  Dr. 
Boone,  of  this  review;  and  George  Boone,  who  occupies  the  old  home  place  with 
his  father.  The  Craighead  family  in  America  was  founded  by  Colonel  George  Craig- 
head,  of  Revolutionary  war  fame,  who  settled  in  Delaware,  whence  his  descendants 
removed  to  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Boone  pursued  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Charters  and  Cecil 
townships  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  afterward  took  an  academic 
course  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  being  graduated  from  the  Eldersridge  Acad- 
emy with  the  class  of  1880.  He  afterward  entered  the  University  of  Wooster  at 
Wooster,  Ohio,  and  completed  a  four  years'  course  In  1884,  at  which  time  the 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  was  conferred  upon  him.  In  1887  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  Master's  degree  and  in  the  same  year  he  was  graduated  from 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Pittsburgh.  In  1903  the  University  of  Woos- 
ter conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

In  the  fall  of  1887  Dr.  Boone  came  to  Idaho  and  entered  upon  his  first  charge 
as  a  Presbyterian  minister,  filling  that  pastorate  for  four  years.  He  then  assumed 
his  duties  in  connection  with  the  College  of  Idaho  at  Caldwell  and,  although  no 
longer  active  in  the  ministry,  he  has  by  no  means  ceased  his  efficient  efforts  for  the 
church  and  the  noble  ends  which  it  seeks  to  accomplish.  He  became  one  of  the 
founders  and  organizers  of  the  College  of  Idaho  and  for  years  has  been  its  president. 
He  gave  up  the  ministry  after  realizing  the  need  in  the  young  commonwealth  for^ 
more  and  better  educational  facilities.  His  administration  of  college  affairs  has 
been  most  efficient,  resulting  in  a  substantial  growth  of  the  institution.  The  pres- 
ent buildings  and  campus  are  valued  at  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  and  in  the  year  1919  the  college  property  was  further  increased  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  gymnasium  and  a  science  building  and  the  campus  was  also  improved. 
The  school  has  an  endowment  fund  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  has 
been  secured  through  a  gift  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  from  John  D.  Rockefeller, 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  from  Andrew  Carnegie  and  the  remainder  from  the 
people  of  the  state  of  Idaho  and  from  eastern  contributors.  The  major  portion  of 
this  fund  is  invested  in  Idaho  and  in  southern  Oregon.  As  president  Dr.  Boone  keeps 
a  watchful  eye  over  every  interest  and  activity  of  the  school.  That  he  possesses 
executive  ability  is  manifest  in  his  administrative  direction.  That  his  standards  of 
instruction  are  most  high  is  indicated  in  the  improvements  which  he  is  continually 
introducing;  and  he  has  made  the  College  of  Idaho  at  Caldwell  one  of  the  valuable 
institutions  of  higher  learning  in  the  state. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1887,  Dr.  Boone  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Janison, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Janison  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  four  children:  Marie,  who  was  born  at  Caldwell,  January  31,  1889, 
and  died  June  30,  1911;  James  L.,  who  was  born  December  11,  1891,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law;  Sarah;  and  Margaret.  Dr.  Boone  belongs  to  the  Phi 


206  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Delta  Theta,  a  college  fraternity,  and  also  to  the  Masonic  order,  proving  a  most 
worthy  follower  of  the  craft.  He  likewise  has  connection  with  the  Caldwell  Com- 
mercial Club  and  is  interested  in  every  project  put  forth  by  that  organization  for  the 
benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  turned  his  advantages 
to  excellent  account,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  his  own  interests  but  for  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  his  fellowmen.  The  universality  of  his  friendships  interprets  for  us 
his  intellectual  hospitality  and  the  breadth  of  his  sympathy,  for  nothing  is  foreign  "to 
him  that  concerns  his  fellows.  His  work  is  indeed  constituting  a  most  valuable  con- 
tribution to  Idaho  and  one  is  reminded  of  the  words  of  a  modern  statesman:  "Not 
the  good  that  comes  to  us,  but  the  good  that  comes  to  the  world  through  us,  is  the 
measure  of  our  success." 


H.   H.   CLIFFORD. 

The  work  of  Ffofessor  H.  H.  Clifford,  superintendent  of  schools  of  Caldwell, 
is  the  expression  of  the  most  modern,  progressive  and  scientific  educational  methods 
and  the  city  is  indeed  fortunate  to  have  secured  him,  as  his  intellectual  force,  his 
thorough  training,  his  keen  insight  into  human  nature  and  his  contagious  enthu- 
siasm are  strong  elements  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  school  system  that  is  unsurpassed 
throughout  the  entire  country.  Mr.  Clifford  was  born  in  Branch  county,  Michigan, 
March  24,  1887.  His  father,  I.  B.  Clifford,  is  also  a  native  of  that  state  and  born 
in  the  same  locality.  As  a  boy  he  went  to  New  York,  where  he  learned  a  mechanical 
trade,  and  he  is  now  living  in  Michigan  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He  married  Laura 
Hill,  who  was  born  near  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  also  survives. 

Liberal  educational  opportunities  were  accorded  H.  H.  Clifford,  who  attended 
Albion  College,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1911.  Later  he  did  post  graduate 
work  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  He  had  pursued  a  course  along  strictly  educa- 
tional lines  and  soon  after  its  completion  he  began  teaching  French  and  geology 
in  the  public  schools  of  Sault  Sainte  Marie,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He 
was  then  appointed  to  the  position  of  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Three  Rivers, 
Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  and  then  went  to  Chicago,  Illinois, 
where  he  pursued  a  special  course  along  vocational  lines  at  the  Fine  Arts  Acad- 
emy, studying  for  one  year.  In  the  spring  of  1915  he  came  west  to  see  the 
country  and  while  on  his  trip  stopped  at  Boise,  Idaho,  to  visit  a  friend.  Here  a 
position  was  offered  him  in  connection  with  school  work.  He  felt  qualified,  how- 
ever, for  something  better  than  the  friend  offered  and  the  latter  then  suggested 
his  present  position.  Professor  Clifford  was  one  of  a  number  of  applicants  but 
was  favored  with  the  position  on  account  of  his  experience  along  vocational  lines. 
He  received  the  appointment  to  the  superfntendency  of  the  Caldwell  schools  and 
has  here  established  one  of  the  two  vocational  domestic  science  schools  in  the 
siate,  as  designated  by  the  Smith-Hughes  law,  which  provides  federal  aid  for  such 
a  school.  The  grills  and  electric  stoves  used  by  the  domestic  science  classes  were 
paid  for  from  the  proceeds  of  food  sales  and  the  school  cafeteria.  There  has  also 
been  established  a  blacksmithing  and  metal  work  department.  Many  of  the  fix- 
tures in  the  offices  and  various  departments,  as  well  as  partitions  in  the  high 
school  building,  were  made  by  the  manual  training  classes  and  show  the  remark- 
able efficiency  of  their  training  in  this  connection.  A  splendid  gymnasium  is 
maintained  in  charge  of  a  director  who  has  had  two  years  of  medical  training  and 
who  also  assists  in  the  health  work  of  the  school.  The  taxable  property  in  this 
district  is  of  low  value,  so  that  the  school  is  somewhat  hampered  thereby,  but 
its  growth  and  development  has  been  remarkable.  The  common  schools  have 
an  enrollment  of  about  nine  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  while  the  high  school  has 
an  attendance  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  pupils,  sixty  per  cent  of  whom  are  from 
outside  the  city  limits  and  about  twenty  per  cent  pay  tuition  fees.  The  total 
amount  per  annum  is  about  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  It  is  the  intention  of 
the  district  to  build  an  addition  of  two  wings  and  an  auditorium  to  the  present 
high  school  building  at  an  estimated  cost  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  The 
present  building  was  erected  to  accommodate  but  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
pupils.  Under  the  superintendent's  management  and  arrangement,  however,  they 
are  enabled  to  accommodate  their  full  attendance.  In  connection  with  the  schools 
of  the  city  is  maintained  a  health  department  employing  two  nurses,  which  makes 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  207 

it  possible  for  every  child  to  be  examined  once  each  day  and  has  resulted  in  an 
increase  of  over  forty-six  per  cent  in  health.  "It  is  the  aim  of  the  Caldwell  high 
school  to  more  closely  ally  the  needle,  the  broom,  the  hoe,  the  shovel,  the  ham- 
mer and  the  plowshare  with  the  textbook  in  the  task  of  producing  better  home- 
makers,  clearer  thinkers  and  functioning  citizens.  The  high  state  of  development 
which  has  been  attained  in  the  industrial  departments  and  the  satisfactory  results 
which  are  being  produced  there  each  year,  bring  a  great  deal  nearer  the  ultimate 
goal  in  high  school  teaching." 

In  August,  1916,  Professor  Clifford  was  married  to  Miss  Millie  Fox,  a  daughter 
of  W.  R.  Fox,  the  inventor  of  the  Fox  typewriter  and  a  well  known  manufacturer 
of  metal  and  woodworking  machinery  in  Jackson,  Michigan.  The  Clifford  family 
now  numbers  two  children,  Cathleen  R.  and  John  F.,  the  latter  born  January  1, 
1919. 


BERNARD  EASTMAN. 

In  the  selection  of  Bernard  Eastman  for  the  presidency  of  the  Payette  County 
Commercial  Club  a  man  was  chosen  well  qualified  to  promote  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country,  where  he  has  long  and  successfully  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits,  demonstrating  the  possibilities  of  the  country  for  the 
production  of  many  kinds  of  grain  and  fruit  and  for  the  successful  development 
of  live  stock  interests.  He  thoroughly  knows  the  conditions  of  the  country  and 
what  can  be  accomplished  here  and  can  thus  speak  authoritatively  upon  questions 
relative  to  the  country  and  its  opportunities. 

Mr.  Eastman  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Iowa,  August  7,  1875,  and  during 
his  infancy  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Lucas  county,  Iowa,  where  he  attended 
the  graded  and  high  schools.  During  his  youthful  days  he  worked  with  his  father 
upon  the  home  farm,  receiving  the  meager  salary  of  twenty-five  dollars  per  month, 
out  of  which  he  had  to  pay  eight  dollars  for  room  rent.  With  the  remainder  of 
the  money  he  paid  his  tuition  in  a  college  which  he  attended  at  night.  His  father 
was  a  horticulturist  and  he  received  thorough  and  practical  training  in  raising 
fruit.  In  1894  he  went  to  Colorado  and  became  a  mining  expert  and  contractor  in 
the  Cripple  Creek  district,  where  he  remained  for  about  four  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Goldfield.  Nevada,  where  he  continued  his  mining  operations  until  1907. 

That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho.  He  purchased  between  ten  and 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  sagebrush  land  at  New  Plymouth  and  afterward  subdivided 
this  and  sold  it  in  tracts  of  from  ten  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  it  being  now 
all  converted  into  fine  fruit-growing  properties.  He  has  in  his  possession  some 
most  interesting  photographs  which  show  the  land  in  its  various  stages  of  cultiva- 
tion, first  the  raw  sagebrush  land,  then  the  cleared  land,  then  the  tree  planting 
and  finally  the  bearing  orchards.  A  short  time  ago  he  and  a  number  of  other  men 
concluded  that  Payette  county  was  not  getting  its  proper  share  of  attention  from  in- 
vestors, so  in  the  middle  of  January,  1919,  they  decided  to  organize  a  county  com- 
mercial club,  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  adver- 
tise the  county  and  make  known  its  opportunities  and  possibilities.  In  doing  this 
they  expect  to  expend  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  advertising  within  a  year.  It  is 
also  their  desire  that  prospective  buyers  consult  them  and  in  so  doing  they  will 
be  protected,  will  be  able  to  see  all  the  property  for  sale  and  get  a  thoroughly  square 
deal.  The  plans  which  the  Commercial  Club  has  formulated  will  surely  bring  the 
desired  results.  Mr.  Eastman  is  a  man  of  most  progressive  spirit  and  a  dynamic 
force  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  His  labors  will  undoubtedly  cause  this 
county  to  come  into  its  own.  He  has  no  time  for  the  man  who  says  he  will  try 
but  believes  in  the  man  who  says  I  Will.  This  is  the  motto  which  he  has  made 
the  working  basis  of  his  life.  He  has  never  gone  after  anything  for  the  benefit 
of  the  county  that  has  not  succeeded  and  he  therefore  has  the  confidence  of  all 
his  associates,  who  are  giving  him  most  earnest  and  unlimited  support.  The  Pay- 
ette County  Commercial  Club  now  has  a  membership  of  about  three  hundred  and 
is  growing  rapidly.  Up  to  within  the  present  year  Mr.  Eastman  and  his  family 
made  their  home  at  New  Plymouth,  where  he  con'ducted  his  farm  of  eighty-three 
acres,  but  he  is  now  giving  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the  Payette  County 
Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  is  president.  In  order  to  do  this  he  found  it  ex- 


208  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

pedient  to  remove  to  Payette.  His  farm  is  intensively  cultivated,  a  portion  of  it 
being  planted  to  prunes  and  apples,  his  orchards  being  one  of  the  attractive  features 
of  the  landscape.  The  remainder  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay  and  grain  and 
also  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses,  which  are  thoroughbred,  and  even  his 
chickens  are  thoroughbred. 

At  Montpelier,  Idaho,  Mr.  Eastman  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Underwood 
and  they  have  two  children:  Philip,  eleven  years  of  age;  and  Bernard,  aged  eight. 
The  family  is  well  known  in  Payette  county  and  Mr.  Eastman  bears  the  reputation 
of  being  a  most  energetic  man  of  forceful  character  who  perhaps  has  done  more 
to  bring  the  county  to  the  notice  of  the  investing  public  than  any  other  individual. 
He  is  a  man  of  broad  vision,  sagacious  and  farsighted,  and  whatever  he  undertakes 
he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion,  for  in  his  vocabulary  there  is  no  such 
word  as  fail. 


HON.  JOHN  W.  EAGLESON. 

Hon.  John  W.  Eagleson,  who  is  serving  as  state  treasurer  of  Idaho  for  the  third 
term,  has  the  distinction  of  having  received  the  largest  majority  given  to  any  state 
candidate  in  1916  and  this  is  even  more  notable  from  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of 
but  two  or  three  republican  candidates  who  were  elected  in  that  year,  the  democrats 
carrying  all  the  other  offices  by  a  large  vote.  This  is  certainly  indicative  of  his 
personal  popularity  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen. 

Mr.  Eagleson  was  born  upon  a  farm  at  Cadiz,  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  September  22, 
1869,  a  son  of  Andrew  H.  and  Martha  Ann  (Kerr)  Eagleson,  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  Buckeye  state  and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  father  followed  farming 
in  Ohio  in  his  earlier  business  career  and  later  in  Iowa.  It  was  during  the  infancy 
of  John  W.  Eagleson,  in  1871,  that  his  parents  removed  to  Jefferson,  Greene  county, 
Iowa,  and  in  July,  1882,  they  took  up  their  abode  at  Craig,  Burt  county,  Nebraska. 
There  they  resided  until  1891,  when  they  came  with  their  family  to  Boise,  Idaho, 
and  were  valued  residents  of  this  state  until  the  mother  passed  away  June  13,  1917, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  The  father  died  April  17,  1919,  having  reached  the  ripe 
age  of  eighty-five  years,  More  extended  reference  is  made  of  the  parents  in  a  separate 
sketch  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

A  portion  of  the  boyhood  of  John  W.  Eagleson  was  spent  upon  an  Iowa  farm  and  his 
youthful  training  was  largely  that  of  the  farm-bred-boy.  He  acquired  a  good  early  educa- 
tion and  for  two  years  was  a  student  in  the  University  of  Nebraska  at  Lincoln  but  left 
that  institution  in  1891  to  accompany  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Idaho.  After  tak- 
ing up  his  abode  in  Boise  he  was  identified  with  the  sawmill  and  lumber  business  in 
connection  with  his  father  and  the  latter's  brother,  George  G.  Eagleson,  and  others,  the 
enterprise  being  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Eagleson  Brothers  &  Company.  Early 
recognition  of  his  capability  and  faithfulness  in  matters  of  citizenship  led  to  his 
election  to  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Ada  county  in  1898  and  to  his  reelection  in  1900 
on  the  republican  ticket.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  second  term  he  entered  the 
Capital  State  Bank  of  Boise  and  was  soon  made  assistant  cashier,  in  which  position 
he  continued  until  1907,  when  he  resigned.  Later  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Boise 
Cold  Storage  Company  and  with  his  father  and  three  brothers,  he  established  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  firm  of  A.  H.  Eagleson  &  Sons.  This  is  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  known  firms  of  the  kind  in  Idaho,  still  conducting  an  extensive  business. 
The  fellow  citizens  of  John  W.  Eagleson  have  also  further  demanded  his  service 
in  public  connections  and  in  1914  he  was  elected  state  treasurer  on  the  republican 
ticket;  in  1916  was  'reelected;  and  again  in  1918,  receiving  the  highest  majority  ever 
given  a  state  official.  At  the  first  election  he  was  a  candidate  for  only  eight  days. 
His  name  was  not  even  on  the  official  republican  ballot  and  all  who  voted  for  him 
had  to  place  hjs  name  on  the  ballot  in  the  form  of  a  sticker. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1894,  Mr.  Eagleson  was  married  in  Craig,  Nebraska,  to  Effa 
H.  Hale,  of  that  place,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  Donald  H., 
who  was  a  second  lieutenant  with  the  United  States  Army  in  France;  Grace  K., 
who  is  librarian  at  the  Boise  high  school;  and  John  W.,  Jr. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.'  Eagleson  is  a  Mason,  having  taken  the  degrees  of 
lodge,  chapter,  commandery  and  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  his 


HON.  JOHN  W.  EAGLESON 


Vol.  II— 14 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  211 

religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he 
is  serving  as  a  deacon.  His  life  has  ever  been  actuated  by  high  and  honorable  principles. 
He  has  played  the  games  of  business  and  of  politics  fair  and  square  and  his  course 
has  received  the  endorsement  of  public  support  and  the  friendly  regard  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 


THOMAS  M.  BRIDGES,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Thomas  M.  Bridges  was  for  a  considerable  period  one  of  the  prominent 
and  successful  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  passed  away  in 
July,  1915,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  July,  1857, 
a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Edna  (Miller)  Bridges,  who  were  natives  of  that  state. 
The  father  there  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  but  afterward  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1871.  His 
widow  long  survived  him,  passing  away  in  1914. 

Dr.  Bridges  was  reared  and  educated  in  Kentucky,  pursuing  his  studies  largely 
under  the  direction  of  private  tutors  and  completing  his  course  in  the  University 
of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  a  medical  student.  He  then  located  for 
practice  in  Evansville,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  a  time,  after  which  he 
entered  the  marine  service  of  the  country  and  was  so  connected  for  several  years. 
He  then  went  to  Blackburn,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  med- 
icine and  surgery  until  1894,  when  he  came  to  the  northwest  to  enter  the  govern- 
ment Indian  service,  acting  as  physician  to  the  Indians  of  South  Dakota  for  three 
years.  He  was  next  transferred  to  the  Fort  Hall  agency  of  Idaho,  where  he  con-, 
tinued  for  ten  .years,  when  he  gave  up  his  position  and  made  his  way  to  Idaho  Falls, 
where  he  practiced  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  July,  1915,  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years. 

Thirty  years  before  Dr.  Bridges  was  married  in  October,  1885,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Green,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Owens)  Green,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Missouri.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  went  to  Missouri  at  an  early  day,  taking  up  a  homestead  in  Saline 
county.  He  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Mexican  war  and  farmed  in  Missouri 
throughout  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  February,  1891.  His  wife  died  in 
April,  1888.  Mrs.  Bridges  was  born  in  Saline  county,  Missouri,  in  January,  1863, 
and  by  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three  children:  Anna  Lee,  who  was 
born  in  December,  1894,  and  is  a  graduate  nurse;  a  son  who  died  in  infancy;  and 
Bernice  T.,  who  was  born  in  November,  1902. 

Dr.  Bridges  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  exemplified  in  his 
life  its  beneficent  teachings.  He  also  belonged  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  his  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  he 
loyally  adhered.  He  was  a  democrat  in  his  political  views  but  never  an  office 
seeker.  Along  strictly  professional  lines  he  had  connection  with  the  Bonneville 
County,  the  Idaho  State  and  the  American  Medical  Associations,  and  through  these 
organizations  he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  his  knowledge  of  the 
science  of  medicine  and  advance  his  efficiency  in  practice.  He  was  recognized  as 
an  able  physician  and  one  whose  ability  increased  with  the  passing  years.  Those 
who  knew  him  esteemed  him  highly  for  his  personal  as  well  as  his  professional 
worth  and  he  was  a  valued  and  honored  resident  of  Idaho  Falls. 


GENERAL   JOSEPH   PERRAULT. 

No  history  of  Idaho's  development  would  be  complete  and  satisfactory  were 
there  failure  to  make  prominent  reference  to  General  Joseph  Perrault,  who  as  a 
banker,  public  official  and  promoter  of  irrigation  interests  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  development  of  the  state,  with  which  he  became  identified  during 
the  pioneer  epoch. 

General  Perrault  was  a  native  of  Canada  and  represented  a  family  long 
distinguished  in  connection  with  the  public  life  of  America.  He  spent  his  early 
years  in  the  city  of  Montreal  and  in  young  manhood  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  took 


212  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

up  his  abode  in  1867.  Settling  at  Lewiston,  he  became  connected  with  the  for- 
warding and  commission  business,  which  he  conducted  for  four  years  and  then  sold, 
removing  at  that  time  to  Boise,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  called 
to  his  final  rest  on  January  30,  1915.  With  the  progress  of  the  growing  city  his 
fortunes  were  identified  and  his  activities  were  ever  of  a  character  which  con- 
tributed to  public  advancement  as  well  as  to  individual  success.  In  1886  he 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  and  for  three  years 
was  its  assistant  cashier.  He  then  resigned  his  position  to  accept  from  President 
Harrison  an  appointment  to  the  position  of  receiver  of  the  United  States  land  office. 
In  1898  he  obtained  the  appointment  from  President  McKinley  to  the  office  of 
United  States  surveyor  general  and  remained  in  that  position  until  1902.  He  was 
long  a  prominent  figure  in  republican  politics  in  Idaho  and  in  1896  was  chairman 
of  the  republican  state  central  committee  and  contributed  largely  to  the  success  of 
his  party  in  the  state  throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  here.  He  was  terri- 
torial treasurer  of  Idaho  under  Governor  Neil. 

Perhaps  in  no  other  way  did  Mr.  Perrault  lend  more  valuable  aid  to  the 
material  development  of  Idaho  than  through  his  connection  with  irrigation  interests. 
In  1884  he  became  by  purchase  the  head  of  the  Boise  Ditch  Company  and  owned  and 
controlled  the  irrigation  canal  until  1906,  at  which  time  he  sold  to  the  Capital 
Water  Company.  He  also  acquired  large  tracts  of  ranch  land,  made  extensive 
investment  in  city  real  estate  and  was  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  homes  of 
Boise.  His  •  investments  were  most  wisely  placed,  and  his  sound  judgment  was 
manifest  in  the  rise  of  property  values. 

On  October  25,  1870,  General  Perrault  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Kate 
A.  Kelly,  a  native  of  Monroe,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of  Judge  Milton  Kelly, 
who  was  an  eminent  lawyer  and  jurist.  The  last  official  act  of  President  Lincoln 
was  that  of  affixing  his  signature  to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Kelly  as  judge  of  the 
United  States  district  court,  which  historical  document  is  now  on  exhibition  at  the 
congressional  library  at  Washington,  D.  C.  General  and  Mrs.  Perrault  became  the 
parents  of  five  children.  Delphina  is  the  wife  of  Hugh  T.  Boyd,  of  New  York  city, 
Joseph,  born  in  Boise,  August  4,  1882,  attended  the  Mount  Tamalpais  Military 
Academy  at  San  Rafael,  California,  and  afterward  studied  at  Oberlin  College  of 
Ohio.  He  was  married  June  14,  1905,  to  Edythe  E.  Ewing,  daughter  of  James  A. 
and  Isabelle  Ewing,  and  they  have  one  child,  Edythe  Anabel.  Laura,  the  second 
member  of  the  family  of  General  and  Mrs.  Perrault,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Thum, 
of  Boise.  Louise  married  A.  B.  Dodd  and  resides  in  California.  Edna  was  mar- 
ried November  12,  1919,  to  Richard  C.  Pilbladt,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and 
they  reside  with  Mrs.  Perrault.  The  eldest  daughter  was  born  in  Lewiston  and 
the  other  children  in  Boise. 

Mr.  Perrault  was  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
twice  served  as  exalted  ruler  of  his  lodge.  His  life  was  fraught  with  high  purposes, 
good  deeds  and  successful  accomplishment  in  his  business  affairs.  Coming  to 
Idaho  as  one  of  its  pioneers,  he  was  closely  connected  with  its  progress  down  to 
the  era  of  present-day  prosperity.  Mrs.  Perrault  still  occupies  the  beautiful  home 
in  Boise  left  by  her  husband  and  is  a  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  resident  of 
that  city. 


COLONEL   E.   G.   DAVIS. 

Colonel  E.  G.  Davis  has  recently  resumed  his  law  practice  in  Boise  after  his 
service  in  the  office  of  the  judge  advocate  general  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  his 
splendid  record  won  him  the  Distinguished  Service  medal.  For  a  number  of  years 
before  going  to  the  national  capital  he  had  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost 
members  of  the  Boise  bar.  and  Idaho  is  proud  to  number  him  among  her  native  sons. 

The  birth  of  Edwin  Griffith  Davis  occurred  in  Samaria,  Oneida  county,  Idaho, 
February  9,  1873,  his  parents  being  Thomas  J.  and  Elizabeth  Davis,  who  emigrated 
from  Wales  to  the  United  States  and  after  residing  for  several  years  in  Pennsyl- 
vania arrived  in  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  in  1868.  The  public  schools  afforded 
Colonel  Davis  his  early  educational  privileges,  and,  thoroughly  mastering  the 
branches  of  learning  therein  taught,  he  was  able  to  secure  a  teacher's  certificate  and 
turned  his  attention  to  the  educational  profession.  In  1894-95  he  was  principal 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  213 

of  the  schools  of  North  Ogden,  Utah,  and  during  the  succeeding  year  of  the  schools 
of  Malad,  Idaho.  Ambitious  for  a  military  career,  he  entered  West  Point  as  a 
cadet  from  Idaho,  under  appointment  of  Hon.  Edgar  Wilson,  on  the  15th  of  June, 
1896,  and  was  there  graduated  on  the  15th  of  June,  1900.  He  became  second 
lieutenant  of  the  Fifth  United  States  Infantry,  winning  that  rank  on  the  15th  of 
June,  1900.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1901,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Artillery  Corps 
and  on  the  1st  of  July  of  the  same  year  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 
He  became  a  captain  on  the  25th  of  January,  1907,  and  on  the  28th  of  February, 
1910,  was  retired  on  account  of  physical  disability  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty. 
From  September,  1900,  until  December,  1901,  he  was  in  active  service  in  the 
Philippine  islands  and  was  recalled  to  West  Point  Academy,  where  from  1903  until 
1907  he  was  instructor  in  law  and  history. 

Following  his  forced  retirement  from  military  life  Colonel  Davis  opened  a  law 
office  at  Malad,  Idaho,  where  he  practiced  from  April,  1910,  until  November  of 
the  same  year.  Seeking  a  broader  field  of  labor,  he  removed  to  Boise  in  1911. 
Through  the  intervening  time,  save  for  the  period  when  public  duties  have  claimed 
his  entire  time  and  attention,  he  has  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Boise  bar, 
possessing  all  of  the  qualifications  which  make  for  success  in  the  practice  of  law — 
a  thorough  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  legal  principles,  ability  to  see  the 
relation  of  such  principles  to  the  points  at  issue  and  marked  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  his  clients. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1900,  Colonel  Davis  was  married  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
to  Miss  Elsie  Poll,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Rose  Poll,  residents  of  Salt  Lake. 
Colonel  Davis  belongs  to  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  his  genial  nature, 
unfeigned  courtesy  and  appreciation  of  the  best  in  others  have  made  for  personal 
popularity  wherever  he  has  been  known.  His  political  endorsement  has  always 
been  given  to  the  republican  party  and  following  his  return  to  Oneida  county  he 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  serving  as  a  member  of  the  general  assembly 
during  the  eleventh  session  and  in  the  special  session  of  the  legislature  as  ma- 
jority floor  leader.  In  September,  1911,  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  republican 
state  central  committee  and  continued  in  that  office  for  three  years.  On  the  6th  of 
January,  1913,  he  became  secretary  to  Governor  Haines.  He  is  the  author  of  a  text- 
book on  constitutional  law,  and  his  contributions  to  the  literature  of  the  pro- 
fession are  considered  most  valuable.  While  professional  duties  have  largely  en- 
grossed his  attention  in  recent  years,  when  the  country  needed  his  services  he  made 
ready  response  and  for  one  year  was  on  active  duty  in  the  office  of  the  judge 
advocate  general  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  one  year  on  the  general's  staff.  The 
history  of  the  World  war  left  no  question  as  to  American  patriotism.  Partisanship 
may  hold  people  in  times  of  peace,  but  in  an  hour  of  crisis  all  interests  are  made 
subservient  to  public  needs  and  the  valuable  aid  which  Colonel  Davis  rendered  to 
his  country  won  its  recognition  in  the  award  of  the  Distinguished  Service  medal. 
With  the  return  of  peace  he  resumed  practice  in  Boise,  where  his  position  at  the 
bar  is  one  of  distinction. 


HON.   FREDERICK   A.   HAGELIN. 

Representing  important  legal  interests,  Judge  Frederick  A.  Hagelin  is  one 
of  the  foremost  attorneys  of  Nampa,  his  offices  being  located  in  the  Dewey-Scales 
building.  Yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  he  has  made  a  success  of  his  career  in 
a  profession  in  which  results  and  progress  are  proverbially  slow.  Moreover,  he 
has  held  important  official  positions  and  in  this  connection  has  proven  a  faithful 
and  devoted  servant  of  the  people.  As  judge  he  was  ever  fair  and  impartial,  and 
his  decisions  stood  well  with  the  public  as  well  as  with  the  profession. 

Judge  Hagelin  was  born  in  Illinois,  August  28,  1873,  and  there  began  his 
schooling,  but  in  1881  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wayne  county,  Nebraska.  In 
that  state  he  attended  the  Fremont  Normal  College  and  subsequently  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Nebraska,  being  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  that  state  in  June,  1903,  and  to  the  Idaho  bar  in  Boise,  December  7th 
of  the  same  year.  He  immediately  took  up  the  practice  of  the  profession  at 
Nampa  and  continued  in  the  private  practice  of  law  until  June  27,  1906,  when 
he  was  appointed  probate  judge  of  Canyon  county  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 


214  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Judge  Church.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  office  and 
was  reelected  in  1908.  In  January,  1910,  however,  he  resigned  as  judge  and 
then  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Hon.  O.  M.  Van  Duyn  as  prosecuting  attor- 
ney. After  this  he  was  a  candidate  for  district  judge  but  was  defeated  at  the 
election  and  resumed  the  private  practice  of  law  and  has  ever  since  been  very 
successful  in  his  legal  career.  He  is  forceful  and  resourceful,  deeply  learned  in 
the  law  and  ever  ready  for  attack  and  defense.  It  is  therefore  but  natural  that 
in  the  course  of  years  his  name  has  been  linked  with  many  of  the  important  cases 
in  his  district.  During  the  years  1905  and  1906  he  was  associated  with  O.  M. 
Van  Duyn  as  a  law  partner,  but  this  relationship  was  dissolved  upon  his  accept- 
ing the  appointment  of  probate  judge.  At  that  time  Mr.  Hagelin  not  only 
fulfilled  the  duties  of  judge  but  also  served  as  city  attorney  of  Nampa.  For 
four  years  he  was  attorney  for  the  Nampa  Highway  district,  another  position 
'which  brought  important  duties  to  him,  and  his  interest  in  education  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  for  two  years  he  served  as  school  trustee.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Nampa  Lodge. 
At  present,  however,  he  is  not  active  in  politics  and  now  gives  his  undivided  time 
to  the  private  practice  of  his  profession. 

There  is  great  credit  due  Judge  Hagelin  for  what  he  has  achieved  in  life, 
as  he  provided  all  of  the  necessary  means  for  his  education.  His  father,  Gustavus 
Hagelin,  died  when  his  son  Frederick  was  but  a  child  and  therefore  the  son  found 
it  necessary  to  work  at  farming  in  order  to  provide  for  his  own  living.  His  mother 
has  also  passed  away. 

On  August  6,  1906,  Judge  Hagelin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sophie 
E.  Simonson,  who  is  also  a  native  of  Illinois  but  was  reared  at  Whitehall,  Muske- 
gon  county,  Michigan.  To  this  union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Evelyn,  who  is  now 
attending  school.  The  family  are  prominent  socially  and  in  Nampa  have  found 
a  real  home  and  many  congenial  friends.  Judge  Hagelin  was  much  influenced 
in  his  selection  of  Idaho  as  a  place  of  residence  by  the  Idaho  state  exhibit  at  the 
exposition  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  which  he  carefully  inspected  and  greatly  admired. 
Throwing  in  his  fortunes  with  this  state  and  its  inhabitants,  he  has  here  found  a 
fruitful  field  for  his  talents  and  has  attained  a  success  in  life  which  is  highly 
creditable. 


HERBERT  FREDERICK  LEMP. 

Herbert  Frederick  Lemp,  a  Boise  capitalist,  is  a  representative  of  a  family  that 
has  been  well  known  in  the  capital  from  pioneer  times,  his  father  being  John  Lemp, 
mentioned  at  length  on  another  page  of  this  work.  The  son  was  born  in  Boise,  June 
24,  1884,  and  supplemented  his  public  school  training  by  a  course  in  a  business  college. 
Early  in  life  he  became  interested  in  ranching  and  the  raising  of  live  stock,  and  his 
well  directed  efforts  along  those  lines  brought  to  him  substantial  success.  He  also  be- 
came interested  in  the  management  of  properties  of  various  kinds  and  at  present  is 
executor  of  the  estate  of  his  father,  which  includes  many  valuable  realty  holdings  not 
only  in  Boise  but  in  other  parts  of  the  state  as  well.  With  corporation  interests  he  is 
also  closely  connected,  being  now  a  director  of  the  Pacific  National  Bank  of  Boise,  of 
the  Idaho  State  Life  Insurance  Company  and  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company.  He  like- 
wise holds  stock  in  various  other  corporations,  with  many  of  which  he  is  officially  con- 
nected. He  is  widely  and  favorably  known  through  his  active  connection  with  the 
live  stock  and  cattle  industry  of  the  state,  being  prominently  identified  with  the  Idaho 
Packing  &  Provision  Company,  one  of  the  leading  industrial  establishments  of  Boise. 
He  was  also  the  organizer  and  is  general  manager  of  the  H.  F.  Lemp  Live  Stock  Com- 
pany, in  which  are  associated  with  him  several  of  the  representative  live  stock  men 
of  the  northwest.  This  company  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  development  of  the 
live  stock  industry  throughout  Idaho  and  adjacent  states,  not  alone  in  the  breeding 
and  raising  of  better  grades,  but  also  in  buying,  fattening  and  marketing  cattle,  having 
had  as  many  as  six  thousand  "feeders"  in  their  yards  during  a  single  season. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1906,  in  Hancock,  Michigan,  Mr.  Lemp  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Marguerite  A.  Nolan,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  J.  Nolan,  the  former  a  retired 
capitalist.  Mrs.  Lemp  completed  her  education  in  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College. 


HERBERT  F.  LEMP 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  217 

By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children:     John,  born  at  Boise, 
February  19,  1907;   and  Katherine  Marie,  born  at  Boise,  April  13,  1908. 

Politically  Mr.  Lemp  maintains  an  independent  course,  nor  has  he  ever  sought  or 
filled  public  office  save  that  he  has  served  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Haines.  In  matters 
of  citizenship  affecting  the  welfare  of  city  and  state,  however,  his  aid  and  influence  are 
always  on  the  side  of  progress  and  improvement,  and  his  cooperation  can  be  counted 
upon  to  further  any  measure  for  the  general  good.  In  fraternal  and  social  circles  he 
is  a  Mason  and  an  Elk:  holds  membership  in  the  Commercial  and  the  Rotary  Clubs,  is 
also  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Boise  Gun  Club,  and  finds  much  pleasure  and  rec- 
reation in  trap  shooting,  at  which  he  has  won  recognition  as  one  of  the  leading  shots 
of  this  section. 


C.  R.  SHAW. 

C.  R.  Shaw,  whose  recognition  and  utilization  of  opportunity  has  placed  him 
in  the  front  rank  of  business  men  in  Boise,  his  activities  ever  being  of  a  character 
which  have  contributed  to  the  material  development  and  progress  of  the  state 
as  well  as  to  the  advancement  of  his  individual  interests,  comes  to  the  northwest 
from  Missouri.  He  was  born  in  Ray  county,  September  14,  1859,  the  youngest 
.of  the  six  children  of  William  P.  and  Julia  A.  (Watterman)  Shaw.  His  father 
was  born  in  Tennessee  and  became  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Ray  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  for  many  years  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  building  and  in  the 
construction  of  railroads.  For  a  brief  period  he  served  in  the  Confederate  army 
under  General  Price  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Volunteers.  His  wife  was  a 
native  of  New  York  and  they  became  parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  survive. 

C.  R.  Shaw  began  his  business  career  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  as  an 
employe  in  the  offices  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  While  thus  engaged  he 
mastered  telegraphy  and  when  given  charge  of  a  station  on  the  line  was  the 
youngest  telegrapher  in  the  United  States  having  full  control  over  an  office.  Hav- 
ing worked  in  that  capacity  until  1881,  he  then  removed  westward  to  Brecken- 
ridge,  Colorado,  and  conducted  a  stage  line  from  Como,  Park  county,  to  Brecken- 
ridge,  Summit  county,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles  across  the  Continental  Divide. 
He  supervised  a  series  of  stages,  driving  one  of  them  himself,  and  built  up  the 
business  to  gratifying  proportions.  After  two  years  thus  passed  he  sold  the  busi- 
ness and  made  his  way  to  Kuna,  Idaho,  where  he  became  station  agent.  A  year 
later,  however,  he  resigned  to  devote  his  attention  to  farming  and  cattle  raising 
near  Mountain  Home  and  while  thus  engaged  he  subsequently  conducted  a  stage 
line  between  that  point  and  Atlanta,  remaining  as  superintendent  of  the  line  for 
two  years.  When  that  period  had  expired  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber 
trade,  in  which  he  has  since  won  notable  success.  After  operating  independently 
for  a  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  R.  A.  Cowden  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  in  1891 
and  in  addition  to  their  yard  at  Caldwell  they  established  branches  at  Mountain 
Home,  Idaho  Falls,  Nampa  and  Murphy,  conducting  the  business  under  the  part- 
nership relation  until  1899,  when  Mr.  Shaw  removed  to  Boise  and  turned  his 
attention  to  the  wholesale  lumber  business,  also  handling  cement  and  all  kinds 
of  building  material.  His  patronage  has  steadily  increased  with  the  passing  years 
until  his  business  became  the  largest  of  the  kind  between  Salt  Lake  City  and  the 
Pacific  coast.  He  has  had  an  especially  extensive  trade  in  cement,  sold  in  con- 
nection with  the  building  of  irrigation  and  power  projects.  In  1902  he  erected  the 
Shaw  block,  one  of  the  large  business  blocks  of  the  city,  in  which  he  has  well 
appointed  offices.  One  of  the  features  of  his  success  has  been  his  ability  to  sur- 
round himself  with  a  corps  of  competent  assistants  and  workmen.  Careful  or- 
ganization has  also  been  a  feature  in  his  trade,  which  has  been  carried  on  accord- 
ing to  the  most  advanced  commercial  standards  and  in  accordance  with  the  most 
progressive  spirit.  Whatever  he  undertakes  calls  forth  his  best  effort  and  receives 
the  closest  attention.  Aside  from  his  operations  as  a  wholesale  lumber  merchant 
his  name  is  widely  known  in  connection  with  mining  and  irrigation  interests. 
Of  both  he  has  made  a  close  study  and  his  investments  have  been  carefully  and 
judiciously  placed,  bringing  substantial  returns.  He  financed  and  built  at  Mountain 
Home  the  first  reservoir  in  Idaho,  thus  introducing  water  into  a  hitherto  arid  dis- 
trict that  has  now  been  converted  into  valuable  farm  and  orchard  property.  He 


218  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

has  closely  studied  the  problem  of  irrigation  and  the  value  of  his  service  in  this 
direction  can  scarcely  be  overestimated,  and  his  efforts  have  been  highly  contribu- 
tive  toward  bringing  about  the  development  of  various  irrigation  projects  in  dif- 
ferent sections  of  Idaho,  thus  greatly  enhancing  the  value  of  cultivable  lands  in 
the  state.  His  election  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Canyon  county 
soon  after  he  became  a  resident  of  Caldwell  indicated  public  confidence  in  his 
judgment  and  ability  and  during  his  two  years'  service  as  chairman  of  the  board 
he  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Pioneer  Irrigation  District, 
which  covers  twenty-eight  thousand  acres  of  land  surrounding  Caldwell.  This  is 
now  one  of  the  most  successful  irrigation  systems  in  the  state.  Mr.  Shaw  is 
himself  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit  raising  and  he  has  made  extensive 
investments  in  Boise  realty. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1891,  Mr.  Shaw  was  united  in  marriage  in  Silver  City, 
Idaho,  to  Miss  Mabel  L.  Stucker,  a  daughter  of  the  late  A.  J.  and  Sarah  (DeHaven) 
Stucker.  Her  father  went  to  California  in  1849,  attracted  by  the  gold  discoveries 
in  that  state,  and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  residents  of  Idaho,  where  he  was 
active  in  quelling  the  Indian  uprisings  and  in  restoring  law  and  order  out  of  the 
chaotic  condition  that  existed  in  the  state  in  frontier  days.  In  1862  he  estab- 
lished his  home  at  Silver  City,  where  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Shaw,  was  reared  and 
educated.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  have  been  born  five  children:  Clarence  Rupert, 
Harold  L.,  Inez  Frances,  Delia  Elizabeth  and  Louis  DeHaven. 

Mr.  Shaw  is  connected  with  various  fraternal  organizations,  having  mem- 
bership with  the  Masons,  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Commercial 
Travelers.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Caldwell  Commercial  Club 
and  became  the  first  president  of  that  society,  which  has  been  a  valuable  contribut- 
ing factor  to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Canyon  county.  Following  his 
removal  to  Boise  he  joined  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  served  ten  years  as 
one  of  its  directors.  He  is  a  typical  American  citizen,  alert  and  energetic,  winning 
success  through  close  application  to  business  but  never  regarding  it  as  the  sole 
end  and  aim  of  life,  for  he  has  ever  found  time  to  cooperate  in  plans  and  projects 
for  the  public  good  and  Idaho  has  profited  greatly  thereby. 


JAMES  PINCKNEY    POPE. 

James  Pinckney  Pope,  assistant  attorney  general  of  Idaho  and  a  resident  of 
Boise  since  1909,  was  born  in  Jackson  parish  of  Louisiana  on  the  31st  of  March, 
1884.  His  parents,  Jesse  T.  and  Lou  (McBride)  Pope,  natives  of  Alabama  and  of 
Louisiana  respectively,  are  still  living  in  Jackson  parish,  where  the  father  is  a 
cotton  planter.  The  family  numbered  twelve  children,  five  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  James  P.  Pope  is  the  eldest.  He  was  reared  upon  his  father's  planta- 
tion and  attended  public  school  during  the  summer  months.  He  supplemented  his 
public  school  course  by  study  in  the  Louisiana  Industrial  Institute  of  Ruston,  that 
state,  and  was  there  graduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1906,  receiving  there- 
from the  Bachelor  of  Industry  degree.  Taking  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  he 
was  thus  identified  with  the  schools  of  Louisiana  for  three  years  but  regarded  this 
merely  as  an  initial  experience  to  other  professional  labor,  for  with  definite  deter- 
mination he  was  laying  his  plans  to  become  a  member  of  the  bar. 

On  attaining  his  majority  he  matriculated  as  a  student  in  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Chicago  and  there  won  his  LL.  B.  degree  upon  graduation  with 
the  class  of  1909.  He  then  went  abroad  for  a  bicycle  trip  through  England,  Scot- 
land and  Wales — a  liberal  education  to  supplement  his  university  training.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  land  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  he  made  arrangements  to  become 
a  resident  of  Boise,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month  of  October  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Morrison  &  Pence,  well  known  attorneys.  He  was  associated  with  the  firm 
until  January,  1910,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  with  E.  P.  Barnes  under  the 
firm  style  of  Pope  &  Barnes,  a  connection  that  was  maintained  for  three  years. 
He  afterward  practiced  alone  until  January  1,  1916,  when  he  became  city  attorney 
of  Boise,  occupying  the  position  until  March  1,  1917,  when  he  was  made  assistant 
attorney  general  of  Idaho,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  January  6,  1919,  when 
he  again  entered  the  private  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boise.  He  is  a  careful 
and  able  lawyer  and  has  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  members  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  219 

bar,  and  his  career  has  been  marked  by  steady  progression  since  he  entered  upon 
the  active  work  of  the  profession  in  Boise  a  decade  ago. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  1913,  Mr.  Pope  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Pauline 
Ruth  Horn,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  one  son,  Ross  P.,  who  was  born  May  14, 
1914.  Mr.  Pope  is  fond  of  golf.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  athletics  in  his  col- 
lege days  and  for  three  years  was  a  member  of  the  football  team.  It  was  also 
during  his  college  days  that  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  University  of  Chicago 
debating  team  and  was  prominent  in  intercollegiate  oratorical  contests.  He  is  an 
effective  public  speaker.  After  America's  entrance  into  the  war  he  campaigned 
for  the  Red  Cross  and  other  war  work.  He  belongs  to  the  Ada  County  and  Idaho 
State  Bar  Associations.  He  has  membership  in  the  Delta  Chi,  a  college  fraternity, 
and  in  the  Delta  Sigma  Rho,  an  honorary  college  oratorical  fraternity.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  that  institution  has  found 
in  him  an*  active  worker  and  supporter.  His  interests  are  broad  and  varied,  touch- 
ing those  questions  and  activities  which  are  matters  of  public  concern,  and  while 
the  practice  of  law  claims  the  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  he  yet  finds 
opportunity  for  active  cooperation  where  the  welfare  of  community,  commonwealth 
or  country  is  involved.  In  Masonry  he  has  attained  the  eighteenth  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite  and  he  is  also  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks. 


HON.  JOHN  THOMAS  BOURNE. 

There  is  probably  no  man  who  stands  higher  with  all  classes  in  the  state  of 
Idaho  than  Hon.  John  Thomas  Bourne,  of  Pocatello,  who  is  representing  his  district 
in  the  state  legislature  and  who  is  active  in  business  circles  as  a  railway  conductor. 
He  was  born  in  Farmington,  Utah,  August  21,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Jane  (Stewart)  Bourne.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Birmingham,  England,  and 
on  the  22d  of  May,  1875,  arrived  at  Cokeville,  Wyoming.  For  thirty  years  he  con- 
ducted a  pumping  station  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  being  now  a  pensioned 
railroad  employe.  He  is  engaged  in  ranching  and  live  stock  raising  and  is  in 
splendid  health.  His  wife  was  the  first  white  child  born  on  Mormon  island,  about 
ninety  miles  north  of  Sacramento,  California.  She  died  in  Cokeville,  Wyoming, 
in  1915  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 

It  was  at  Cokeville  that  John  Thomas  Bourne  acquired  his  early  education  as 
a  public  school  pupil  and  in  the  fall  of  1887,  having  qualified  for  teaching,  he 
secured  a  school  at  Auburn,  Wyoming.  He  did  not  find  that  occupation  sufficiently 
remunerative,  however,  and  on  the  16th  of  July,  1888,  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad.  It  was  originally  his  wish  to  become  a  member 
of  the  bar,  but  on  account  of  early  responsibilities  he  was  unable  to  give  the 
required  time  to  study,  and,  turning  his  attention  to  railroad  work,  he  has  since 
continued  -with  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  being  at  present  a  conductor  on  the  Idaho 
and  Utah  division. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1891,  Mr.  Bourne  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  Frost,  of 
Le  Mars,  Iowa,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children:  Margaret  A., 
who  is  attending  the  Technical  College  at  Pocatello,  pursuing  a  business  course; 
Eugene  Frederick,  twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  was  in  France  as  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-eighth  Engineer  Corps  and  is  a  fine  type  of  American  manhood,  being  more 
than  six  feet  in  height  and  an  all  round  athlete;  Harriet,  who  is  attending  high 
school;  Florence  Helen,  a  public  school  pupil;  and  John  Percival,  who  has  passed 
away.  Mr.  Bourne  also  has  a  cousin,  LeRoy  Bourne,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Field  Artillery  of  Utah  and  did  active  service  with 
that  splendid  command  in  France. 

While  Mr.  Bourne  has  always  remained  in  the  railway  service,  he  has  been  a 
most  prominent  and  influential  factor  in  the  public  life  of  his  community.  He  was 
for  three  years  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Pocatello,  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  the  fall  of  1909.  During  his  connection  with  the  board  they  succeeded  in  putting 
the  school  funds  out  on  a  three  per  cent  basis  on  daily  balances,  something  which 
had  not  been  done  previously.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  independent  school  district, 
No.  1,  and  was  personally  instrumental  in  reducing  the  cost  of  the  school  insurance 
from  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  a  dollar  and  a  quarter.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the 


220  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

purchasing  department  and  while  there  saved  the  board  a  large  amount  of  money, 
as  he  found  many  discrepancies  in  the  purchasing  of  supplies  and  in  some  instances 
saved  as  much  as  one  hundred  per  cent.  In  1918  he  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  state  legislature  on  the  republican  ticket,  the  nomination  coming 
to  him  unsolicited.  The  chairman  of  the  state  republican  committee  wrote  him, 
stating  that  If  he  would  accept  the  nomination  it  would  be  equivalent  to  his  elec- 
tion. There  is  no  man  in  the  state  who  stands  higher  with  all  classes,  especially 
with  the  laboring  classes  and  railroad  men,  as  they  have  implicit  confidence  in  his 
ability  and  integrity.  He  has  justified  their  faith  by  the  excellent  service  which 
he  has  rendered  to  Idaho  as  a  member  of  the  general  assembly.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Trainmen's  convention  held  at  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1902  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  of  Railway  Conductors  held  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  in  1913.  He 
attended  the  convention  of  Railway  Condutcors  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  the 
capacity  of  a  visitor  in  1910.  He  is  an  effective  and  earnest  speaker,  expressing 
himself  forcefully  and  clearly,  and  his  friends  predict  that  he  has  not  yet  reached 
the  heights  to  which  he  will  attain  politically.  He  gives  thoughtful  and  earnest 
consideration  to  the  vital  problems  coming  up  for  settlement  and  does  not  hesitate 
to  support  any  cause  if  he  is  a  believer  in  its  justice  and  worth. 


HON.  FREMONT  WOOD. 

Fremont  Wood  was  born  in  Winthrop,  Kennebec  county,  Maine,  July  11,  1856.  His 
parents,  on  both  his  father's  and  mother's  side,  were  descendants  of  the  early  New 
England  Puritan  stock.  His  grandfather,  Andrew  Wood,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Maine,  having  moved  from  Massachusetts  to  Winthrop,  the  birthplace  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  before  the  annexation  of  Maine  into  the  Union,  and  upon  one  occasion 
he  represented  his  town  or  district  in  the  general  court  at  Boston.  Thomas  Camp 
Wood,  his  father,  was  born  in  Winthrop,  Maine,  in  1809.  He  was  the  youngest  of  ten 
children  and  was  prominent  in  his  day  and  time  in  religious  and  political  circles.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  New  England  abolitionists.  He  served  in  the  Maine  legislature 
as  a  colleague  of  Hannibal  Hamlin,  with  whom  he  formed  a  close  friendship  which  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  Mr.  Wood.  Emily  Waugh  Wood,  mother  of  Fremont  Wood, 
was  a  cousin  of  Bishop  Waugh,  once  a  prominent  bishop  of  the  Methodist  church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  a  farm  in  his  native  town,  about  ten  miles 
from  Augusta,  the  capital  of  Maine,  where  he  resided  until  he  was  nearly  fifteen  years 
of  age.  At  this  time  his  father  died,  but  before  his  death  the  family  farm  was  disposed 
of.  The  death  of  his  father  left  him  with  an  invalid  mother  and  two  sisters  younger 
than  himself.  Prior  to  his  father's  death  he  had  attended  the  village  schools  and  con- 
tinued thereafter  in  the  high  school  and  academy  in  his  native  town.  In  1887  he  grad- 
uated from  the  Waterville  Classical  Institute,  now  Coburn  Institute,  at  Waterville, 
Maine,  and  the  same  year  entered  Bates  College  at  Lewiston,  Maine.  He  continued  his 
studies  here  for  two  years,  when  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his  college  course  on  account 
of  sickness  in  his  family  and  for  financial  reasons.  Prior  to  this  time  he  had  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  one  of  the  law  offices  of  his  native  town,  which  was  con- 
tinued after  the  close  of  his  college  work.  He  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1881  and 
in  later  years  was  given  his  degree  of  B.  A.  by  the  college  which  he  had  previously 
attended. 

On  June  16,  1881,  Fremont  Wood  arrived  in  Boise,  Idaho.  He  came  direct  from  his 
native  town  in  Maine  and  immediately  settled  in  Boise  City.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  supreme  court  of  Idaho  in  September,  1881,  when  he  entered  upon  active 
practice  of  the  law.  In  the  early  years  of  his  practice  he  served  as  city  attorney  for 
Boise  City  and  as  assistant  to  the  United  States  attorney  for  the  territory  of  Idaho.  He 
was  appointed  to  the  latter  position  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Idaho  and  served  for 
nearly  three  years,  from  1885  until  the  latter  part  of  1888  under  James  H.  Hawley, 
United  States  attorney  for  the  territory  during  the  first  administration  of  President 
Cleveland.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  by  President  Harrison,  the  last  attorney  of  the 
United  States  for  the  territory  of  Idaho,  and  in  September,  1890,  following  the  admis- 
sion of  Idaho  to  the  Union,  he  was  appointed  first  United  States  attorney  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Idaho.  He  occupied  this  position  for  more  than  four  years,  from  the  time  of 
his  first  appointment,  when  he  resigned  his  office  for  the  purpose  of  confining  his  atten- 
tion to  his  private  practice. 


FREMONT  WOOD 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  223 

While  United  States  attorney  for  the  district,  Mr.  Wood  prosecuted  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  miners  for  conspiracy*  at  a  special  term  of  the  United  States  court  held  at 
Coeur  d'Alene  City.  The  conspiracy  charge  involved  the  violation  by  the  organized 
miners  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  district  of  Idaho  of  an  injunction  issued  by  the  federal 
court,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  several  miners  and  the  destruction  of  much  valu- 
able mining  property.  One  of  the  defendants  prosecuted  and  convicted  upon  this  trial 
was  George  A.  Pettibone,  whose  name  later  became  known  to  the  world  as  one  of  the 
persons  charged  with  the  death  of  the  late  Governor  Frank  Steunenberg.  After  his 
retirement  as  United  States  attorney  Mr.  Wood  continued  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, specializing  particularly  in  irrigation  and  mining  law. 

At  the  November  electon  in  1906  Mr.  Wood  was  elected  judge  of  the  third  judicial 
district  of  Idaho,  comprising  Ada  and  Boise  counties,  to  succeed  the  late  George  H. 
Stewart,  who  at  the  same  election  was  chosen  associate  Justice  of  the  supreme  court. 
During  the  first  year  of  Judge  Wood's  service  on  the  bench  more  than  one-third  of  his 
time  was  occupied  in  the  trial  of  the  murder  charge  against  William  D.  Haywood  and 
George  A.  Pettibone,  who  had  been  previously  indicted,  together  with  Charles  Moyer, 
for  the  killing  of  Ex-Governor  Frank  Steunenberg  at  Caldwell,  Canyon  county,  Idaho. 
When  Judge  Wood  was  elected  and  called  to  the  bench  he  had  no  expectation  of  sitting 
upon  the  trial  of  these  cases.  The  killing  for  which  Moyer,  Haywood  and  Pettibone 
were  indicted  took  place  in  Caldwell,  Canyon  county,  which  was  a  part  of  the  seventh 
judicial  district,  and  at  the  time  of  the  election  was  presided  over  by  the  late  Frank  H. 
Smith,  before  whom  the  indictment  was  returned  and  all  the  preliminary  proceedings 
took  place.  Judge  Smith,  however,  failed  in  the  election,  and  Edward  L.  Bryan  was 
elected  his  successor.  Judge  Bryan,  under  appointment  of  the  court,  had  acted  as  attor- 
ney for  Harry  Orchard,  who  was  indicted  for  the  same  crime  with  which  Moyer,  Hay- 
wood  and  Pettibone  were  charged.  On  account  of  this  association  with  the  case,  Judge 
Bryan  felt  that  he  was  disqualified,  and  immediately  following  his  qualification  as 
Judge,  on  the  1st  of  January  following  the  election,  he  requested  Judge  Wood  to  preside 
at  the  trial  and  take  charge  of  these  cases.  While  this  request  was  made  early  in 
January,  the  matter  was  kept  a  secret  between  the  two  judges  until  the  April  following 
when  the  cases  were  next  called  for  trial.  At  the  commencement  of  the  term  in  Cald- 
well, early  in  April,  1907,  Judge  Wood  assumed  the  bench  in  the  seventh  judicial  dis- 
trict and  continued  in  charge  of  the  cases  until  they  were  disposed  of. 

Frank  Steunenberg,  who  was  murdered  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb  when  opening 
the  gate  at  his  residence,  had  been  governor  of  the  state  for  four  years  and  had  resided 
continuously  at  Caldwell,  Canyon  county,  since  his  first  settlement  in  Idaho.  The 
defendant  Moyer  was  president  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  an  organization 
extending  over  all  the  gold  and  silver  mining  states.  Haywood  was  secretary  of  the 
organization,  and  the  defendant  Pettibone  closely  associated  therewith.  On  account  of 
the  prominence  of  all  the  parties  and  the  published  charge  that  the  motive  of  the  mur- 
der grew  out  of  the  facts  involving  the  strict  performance  of  duty  by  Governor  Steunen- 
berg, when  the  state  was  involved  with  the  striking  miners  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  dis- 
trict, during  Governor  Steunenberg's  second  administration,  the  case  was  removed  for 
trial  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in  Judge  Wood's  district.  The  trial  commenced  May  9,  1907,  and 
continued  to  the  last  of  July  following.  This  trial  attracted  not  only  nation  wide  but 
world  wide  attention.  The  leading  attorneys  of  the  country  were  employed  both  in  the 
prosecution  and  defense.  One  of  the  remarkable  features  of  the  case  was  the  almost 
total  absence  of  time  ^ccupied  in  argument  upon  the  admissibility  of  evidence.  The 
defendants  were  tried  separately.  The  charge  in  the  indictment  was  made  without 
alleging  the  conspiracy;  yet  the  state  relied  exclusively  upon  proof  of  conspiracy  to 
prove  the  charge;  or  in  other  words  to  corroborate  the  accomplice.  The  homicide 
involved  was  actually  perpetrated  by  Harry  Orchard,  who  upon  the  trial  testified,  with- 
out equivocation,  to  the  fact  that  Moyer,  Haywood  and  Pettibone  were  each  the  actual 
procurers  and  inciters  of  the  act.  While  United  States  attorney.  Judge  Wood  had 
prosecuted  the  conspiracy  cases  above  referred  to  and  at  once  showed  himself  so  familiar 
with  the  principles  involving  the  law  of  criminal  conspiracy  that  his  rulings  were 
promptly  made  and  accepted  without  controversy. 

The  trial  of  the  defendant  Haywood  occupied  eighty-one  days,  the  trial  of  the 
defendant  Pettibone,  over  one  half  that  time.  Both  defendants  were  acquitted.  Upon 
both  of  the  trials  Judge  Wood  was  required  to  rule  upon  motions  for  advisory  verdicts 
of  acquittal.  In  the  Haywood  case  he  promptly  overruled  the  motion,  without  giving 
detailed  reasons  therefor,  assigning  as  the  reason  for  this  course  the  fact  that  two  other 
defendants  were  to  be  tried,  presumably  upon  the  same  evidence,  and  he  did  not  think 


224  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

their  interests  should  be  prejudiced  by  a  discussion  of  the  evidence  fronj  the  bench. 
Upon  the  trial  of  Pettibone,  when  the  motion  for  advis^y  acquittal  was  requested,  it 
had  become  apparent  that  the  defendant  Moyer  would  not  be  tried,  on  account  of  the 
Insufficiency  of  the  evidence  corroborating  the  accomplice,  Harry  Orchard,  and  at  this 
time  Judge  Wood  rendered  an  exhaustive  opinion  from  the  bench,  not  in  the  presence 
of  the  jury,  overruling  the  motion  and  sustaining  the  sufficiency  of  the  corroboration,  if 
the  evidence  was  accepted  and  believed  by  the  jury. 

A  few  weeks  later,  when  called  upon  to  pronounce  the  sentence  of  death  upon  the 
defendant,  Harry  Orchard,  who  admitted  his  guilt,  Judge  Wood  declared  that  he  be- 
lieved that  Orchard,  on  the  trials  of  Haywood  and  Pettibone,  had  testified  truthfully. 
Upon  this  point  Judge  Wood  said,  "I  am  more  than  satisfied  that  the  defendant  now  at 
the  bar  of  this  court  awaiting  final  sentence,  not  only  acted  in  good  faith  in  making 
the  disclosures  that  he  did,  but  that  he  also  testified  fully  and  fairly  to  the  whole  truth, 
withholding  nothing  that  was  material,  and  declaring  nothing  which  had  not  taken 
place." 

After  a  thorough  review  of  the  testimony,  Judge  Wood  at  the  same  time  concluded: 
"During  the  two  trials  to  which  I  have  referred,  the  testimony  of  the  defendant — 
Orchard — covered  a  long  series  of  transactions,  involving  personal  relations  between 
himself  and  many  others.  On  the  first  trial  he  was  subjected  to  the  most  critical  cross- 
examination,  by  very  able  counsel  for  six  days,  and  I  do  not  now  recall  that  at  any 
point  he  contradicted  himself  on  any  material  matter,  but  on  the  other  hand,  he  dis- 
closed his  connection  with  the  commission  of  many  other  crimes  that  were  probably 
not.  known  by  the  attorneys  for  the  state,  or  at  least  not  brought  out  by  them  on  the 
direct  examination  of  the  witness." 

"Upon  the  second  trial  referred  to,  the  same  testimony  was  given,  and  a  thorough 
and  critical  examination  of  the  witness  followed,  and  in  no  particular  was  there  any 
discrepancy  in  material  matters  between  the  testimony  given  upon  the  latter  trial,  as 
compared  with  the  testimony  given,  by  the  same  witness,  on  the  former  trial." 

"It  was  the  particular  province  of  the  court  to  observe  and  follow  the  witness 
upon  the  former  trial,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  no  man  living  could  conceive  the 
stories  of  crime  told  by  him  and  maintain  himself  under  the  merciless  fire  of  cross- 
examination  by  leading  attorneys  of  the  country,  unless  upon  the  theory  that  he  was 
testifying  to  facts  and  circumstances  which  had  an  actual  existence  in  his  own  expe- 
rience. A  mere  child  may  testify  truthfully  and  maintain  himself  upon  cross-examina- 
tion. A  man  of  mature  years  may  be  able  to  frame  his  story  and  testify  falsely  to  a 
brief  statement  of  facts  involving  a  single  transaction  and  maintain  himself  on  cross- 
examination.  But  I  cannot  conceive  of  a  case  where  even  the  greatest  intellect  can 
conceive  a  story  of  crime,  covering  years  of  duration  with  constantly  shifting  scenes 
and  changing  characters,  and  maintain  that  story  with  circumstantial  detail  as  to 
times,  places  and  persons  and  particular  circumstances,  and  under  as  merciless  a  cross- 
examination  as  was  ever  given  a  witness  in  an  American  court,  unless  the  witness  thus 
testifying  was  speaking  truthfully  and  without  any  attempt  to  misrepresent  or  conceal. 
Believing  as  I  do  that  this  defendant  acted  in  good  faith,  and  when  called  as  a  witness 
for  the  state  he  told  all  and  withheld  nothing,  I  can  the  more  readily  fulfill  the  duty 
that  I  consider  the  law  imposes  upon  me." 

The  court  sentenced  Orchard  to  be  hanged  but  accompanied  the  sentence  with  the 
recommendation  that  the  pardon  board  at  least  commute  the  sentence  to  life  imprison- 
ment. Before  pronouncing  the  judgment,  the  defendant  Orchard,  in  answering  ques- 
tions by  the  court,  declared  that  he  had  received  no  promise  or  suggestion  of  immunity, 
either  from  attorneys  representing  the  state  or  from  any  one  representing,  or  pretend- 
ing to  represent,  the  state  pardon  board.  To  this  Judge  Wood  replied  that  he  was 
satisfied  that  the  defendant  was  speaking  truthfully,  and  that  he  had  personally  inter- 
viewed a  majority  of  the  pardon  board  and  had  their  solemn  assurance  that  the  ques- 
tion of  immunity  for  Orchard  had  never  been,  mentioned  by  any  one,  either  to  them  or 
in  their  presence. 

The  trials  of  Haywood  and  Pettibone  disclosed  several  attempts  to  kill  men  prom- 
inent in  political  and  judicial  circles  in  Colorado,  Idaho  and  elsewhere,  notably  Pea- 
body,  Ex-Governor  of  Colorado,  and  Goddard  and  Gabbert,  justices  of  the  supreme  court 
of  Colorado.  Referring  to  these  attempted  crimes,  Judge  Wood  in  sentencing  Orchard 
said:  "I  want  to  take  the  opportunity  of  this  solemn  occasion  to  say  to  the  associates 
in  crime  of  this  defendant,  that  they  cannot  by  such  acts  terrorize  American  executives 
and  prevent  them  from  performing  their  plain  duties,  and  they  cannot  prevent  Amer- 
ican courts  from  declaring  the  law  exactly  as  they  find  it.  Judges  and  executives  may 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  225 

be  placed  out  of  the  way  by  the  hand  of  the  assassin,  but  there  will  be  others  immedi- 
ately to  take  their  places  just  as  ready  and  Just  as  determined  to  perform  their  duties 
as  their  predecessors  were,  and  backed  by  a  public  opinion  that  will  ferret  out  and  dis- 
close the  authors  of  every  such  crime." 

Judge  Wood  has  been  a  republican  from  boyhood  and  until  he  was  elected  to  the 
bench  was  prominent  in  the  political  activities  of  his  state.  While  upon  the  bench  he 
took  an  advanced  stand  in  promoting  Judicial  reforms,  and  many  changes  afterward 
made  in  the  procedure  were  due  to  his  recommendations.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate 
of  a  non-partisan  Judiciary  and  contributed  much  to  the  movement  which  resulted  in 
the  selection  of  Judicial  candidates  without  reference  to  party. 

In  1885  Judge  Wood  was  married  at  Boise,  Idaho,  to  Miss  Carrie  Cartee,  eldest 
daughter  of  the  late  General  LaFayette  Cartee.  Of  this  union  there  are  three  daughters 
and  four  sons.  Two  of  his  sons,  Walter  Elliott,  the  eldest,  and  Cartee,  the  second  son. 
were  in  the  military  service  when  the  armistice  was  signed,  the  elder  of  the  two  having 
served  in  France  since  August,  1917. 


COLONEL  EDGAR  M.  HOOVER. 

Colonel  Edgar  M.  Hoover,  identified  with  various  corporate  interests  which 
have  had  to  do  with  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of  Boise  as  well  as  the  advance- 
ment of  individual  success  for  stockholders,  is  perhaps  most  widely  known  through 
his  connection  with  the  lumber  industry.  The  city,  too,  finds  in  him  one  whose 
efforts  have  been  a  potent  force  in  upholding  municipal  standards  and  in  solving 
municipal  problems.  He  is  now  filling  the  office  of  commissioner  of  streets  and 
public  improvements  in  the  city  council  of  Boise. 

Mr.  Hoover  has  always  resided  west  of  the  Mississippi.  He  was  born  in  Mus- 
catine,  Iowa,  July  23,  1866,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Hubbard)  Hoover  and  a 
great-grandson  of  Michael  Hoover  who  resided  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  It 
was  there  that  Henry  Hoover  was  born  and  in  1854  he  became  a  resident  of  Mus- 
catine,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  business. 
Patriotism  ever  being  one  of  his  dominant  qualities,  he  responded  to  the  country's 
call  for  troops  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  was 
made  a  captain  by  brevet  and  at  the  close  of  hostilities  was  acting  adjutant  of  the 
Thirty-fifth  Iowa  Infantry.  He  remained  at  the  front  throughout  almost  the  entire 
period  of  military  operations  between  the  two  sections  of  the  country,  partici- 
pating in  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  the  Red  River  campaign,  the  siege  of  Mobile 
and  various  important  engagements,  in  which  he  escaped  both  wounds  and  im- 
prisonment, although  twice  he  had  horses  shot  from  under  him.  Returning  to 
Iowa,  he  was  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Muscatine  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1881,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 
It  was  in  Chicago,  in  1863,  that  he  married  a  daughter  of  Abel  Hubbard,  who  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  the  family  being  founded,  however,  in  Vermont  in  colonial 
days. 

Edgar  M.  Hoover,  the  eldest  of  the  five  children  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Hub- 
bard) Hoover,  completed  a  high  school  education  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
an'd  started  out  in  the  business  world  not  only  to  meet  his  individual  requirements 
but  also  in  order  that  he  might  support  his  widowed  mother.  His  initial  step 
was  made  as  a  clerk  with  the  Musser  Lumber  Company  of  Muscatine,  Iowa,  and 
thus  he  gained  the  preliminary  experience  which  has  made  him  a  prominent  figure 
in  connection  with  the  lumber  trade  of  the  northwest.  He  won  various  promotions 
through  close  application  and  reliability  and  at  the  end  of  ten  years  was  holding 
the  position  of  chief  clerk  with  the  firm.  The  possibilities  of  winning  advance- 
ment in  connection  with  the  lumber  trade  led  to  his  removal  to  Little  Falls,  Min- 
nesota, then  a  center  of  the  lumber  industry  in  the  northwest,  and  for  eleven 
years  he  was  there  associated  with  the  Pine  Tree  Lumber  Company  as  assistant 
secretary  and  sales  manager.  The  opportunities  of  the  northwest,  however,  proved 
to  him  an  irresistible  lure  and  he  came  to  Idaho,  reaching  Boise  in  May,  1904, 
soon  after  the  organization  of  the  Payette  Lumber  &  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  which  he  was  made  general  manager.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  directed 
the  activities  and  policies  of  this  corporation,  building  up  a  business  of  large  pro- 
portions. The  company  holds  extensive  pine  lands  and  has  a  well  equipped  plan* 

Vol.  11—15 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

for  the  conduct  of  its  business.  Mr.  Hoover  has  made  it  his  purpose  to  familiarize 
himself  with  every  phase  of  the  lumber  trade,  and  keeping  in  close  touch  with 
the  market,  has  been  enabled  to  make  judicious  investments  and  profitable  sales 
for  the  company,  building  up  a  business  that  has  steadily  grown  with  the  develop- 
ment of  Boise  and  the  northwest.  Extending  his  efforts  into  other  fields,  ho 
became  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Northwest  Paper  Company  of  Minnesota 
and  his  name  is  on  the  directorate  of  the  Boise  Title  &  Trust  Company  and  the 
Boise  City  National  Bank. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1899,  Colonel  Hoover  was  married  to  Miss  Jane 
Redfield,  daughter  of  William  W.  Redfield,  of  Minneapolis,-  and  they  now  have 
two  sons;  John  Redfield,  who  was  born  at  Little  Falls,  Minnesota,  April  12,  1903; 
and  Edgar  M.,  born  at  Boise,  February  22,  1907.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Hoover  hold 
membership  in  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  vestryman,  and 
he  is  also  a  trustee  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  He  belongs  to  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  of  Boise  and  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  has 
served  as  treasurer  and  director.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and 
Elks  lodges  and  is  president  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  Boise.  He  has  figured 
prominently  before  the  public  in  connection  with  the  Iowa  State  Militia  and  as 
member  of  the  governor's  staff  of  Minnesota  and  of  Idaho.  His  connection  with 
the  Iowa  State  Militia  covered  eleven  years  and  his  service  on  the  governor's  staff 
of  Minnesota  compassed  the  period  of  the  Spanish-American  war.  Since  his  re- 
moval to  Idaho  he  has  served  on  the  staff  of  Governors  Gooding,  Brady,  Hawley 
and  Haines.  He  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  champion  of  republican  principles  and 
was  appointed  by  President  Roosevelt,  one  of  the  three  delegates  from  Idaho  to 
the  first  conservation  congress  at  Washington.  He  has  ever  been  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  subject  of  conserving  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  west  and  has 
kept  in  close  touch  with  many  of  the  most  vital  public  problems  affecting  the 
welfare  of  his  district,  his  state  and  his  country.  Throughout  his  career  he  has 
recognized  the  obligations  as  well  as  the  duties  and  privileges  of  citizenship.  He 
was  secretary  of  the  Idaho  State  Central  Liberty  Loan  Committee  during  all  five 
Liberty  Loan  campaigns  and  chairman  of  the  local  branch  of  the  Military  Train- 
ing Camps  Association  during  the  war  activities. 


FRANCIS  M.  SNELL. 

Francis  M.  Snell  is  occupying  an  enviable  position  in  the  financial  circles  of 
Idaho,  being  now  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  St.  Anthony.  He  was  born 
at  Spanish  Fork,  Utah,  December  14,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  George  D.  and  Alexanderine 
(McLean)  Snell,  who  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  George  D.  Snell 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  At  the  usual  age  he  began  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  adult  age.  He 
learned  the  miller's  trade  when  about  eighteen  years  of  age  and  later  he  engaged  in 
the  milling  business  at  Springville,  Utah,  where  he  was  active  for  three  years.  He 
then  sold  out  and  returned  to  Spanish  Fork,  where  he  occupied  the  position  of  post- 
master fbr  five  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  he  entered  the  railway  mail  service,  his  run  being  from  Ogden  to  Grand  Junc- 
tion, to  Salt;  Lake  and  to  Butte,  Montana.  For  four  years  he  remained  in  the  mail 
service  and  then  returned  to  Spanish  Fork,  where  he  purchased  the  interest  of  his 
brother  George  in  the  Bank  of  Spanish  Fork,  which  later  was  converted  into  the  First 
National  Bank.  Mr.  Snell  serving  as  cashier  until  1910,  when  his  brother  Cyrus  died 
and  Francis  M.  Snell  then  took  his  place  in  the  Payson  Exchange  Savings  Bank,  hav- 
ing charge  .of  both  banking  institutions  until  1912.  Although  retaining  his  interest 
in  the  Spanish  Fork  Bank,  he  came  at  that  time  to  Idaho,  settling  at  St.  Anthony. 
Here  he  and  his  brother,  George  D.  Snell,  purchased  the  controling  interest  in  the 
First  National  Bank  from  G.  E.  Bowerman,  and  Francis  M.  Snell  became  the  cashier 
of  the  bank,  and  so  continued  for  about  a  year.  He  has  since  served  as  president 
and  in  this  connection  is  giving  his  attention  to  constructive  effort  and  executive  con- 
trol. His  labors  are  resulting  in  the  continuous  growth  and  success  of  the  institution. 
On  the  2d  of  February,  1891,  Mr.  Snell  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Thomas  at 
Manti,  Utah,  and  to  them  have  been  born  fourteen  children:  Francis  M.,  Earl  B., 
Lucille,  Mildred,  Mable,  Wilma,  Gladys,  Hazel,  Alden,  George,  Phillip,  Gordon,  Melva 


FRANCIS  M.  SNELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  229 

and  Elizabeth.  The  son  Earl  enlisted  at  Salt  Lake  in  1917  and  was  stationed  on 
Kelly's  Field  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  as  a  member  of  the  Aviation  Corps.  Just  before 
receiving  his  discharge  he'  was  put  in  the  officers  training  camp  at  Waco,  Texas,  and 
was  there  when  the  armistice  was  signed.  He  received  his  discharge  in  November, 
1918. 

Since  coming  to  St.  Anthony,  Mr.  Snell  has  served  as  mayor  for  a  term,  and  he 
had  previously  filled  that  position  for  two  terms  at  Spanish  Fork,  discharging  his 
duties  with  promptness  and  ability.  He  has  always  voted  with  the  republican  party, 
which  finds  in  him  a  stalwart  advocate.  A  lifelong  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  he  has  held  various  offices  therein  and  for  twenty-six 
months  he  filled  a  mission  in  Ohio.  His  life  has  ever  been  the  expression  of  business 
enterprise,  of  upright  principles  and  patriotic  citizenship. 


RAYMOND    D.    THATCHER. 

Raymond  D.  Thatcher,  United  States  commissioner  and  manager  of  the 
Thatcher  Realty  Company,  with  offices  at  Rexburg  and  at  Rigby,  was  born  May 
1,  1883,  in  the  town  of  Thatcher,  Idaho,  his  parents  being  John  B.  and  Sarah 
(Davis)  Thatcher,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  father  crossed  the  plains  with  four  brothers  to  Salt  Lake  City  in  1847  and 
thence  continued  his  Journey  to  California.  He  returned  in  1849,  however,  and 
established  a  home  at  Logan,  Utah,  where  he  lived  for  some  time  and  there  man- 
aged Zion's  Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution  for  a  number  of  years.  He  became 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  Thatcher  Brothers  Bank  at  Logan  and  continued 
in  the  banking  business  for  a  long  period.  He  afterward  removed  to  Bannock 
county,  Idaho,  where  he  purchased  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land  that  he  developed 
and  improved.  He  also  established  the  town  of  Thatcher  and  while  there  residing 
was  twice  elected  to  the  Idaho  legislature.  He  also  filled  the  office  of  assessor 
and  was  collector  of  the  old  county  of  Bannock  for  two  terms.  He  continued  to 
reside  in  Idaho  throughout  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  September,  1917, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three.  He  was  a  bishop  and  high  priest  in  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  held  various  other  offices  in  the 
church.  He  represented  one  of  the  most  prominent  families  of  Utah  and  of  Idaho 
and  contributed  much  to  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  country.  The 
mother  of  Raymond  D.  Thatcher  is  still  living  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Logan, 
Utah. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Logan,  Raymond  D.  Thatcher  pursued  his  early  edu- 
cation, which  he  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan. 
He  afterward  clerked  in  stores  for  some  time  and  then  went  to  work  in  the  office 
of  the  master  mechanic  at  Pocatello,  where  he  continued  through  1906  and  1907. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  came  to  Rexburg,  where  he  was  variously 
employed  until  1910,  when  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Rexburg 
State  Bank,  thus  continuing  until  1915,  when  he  entered  the  Farmers  &  Traders 
Bank  at  Pocatello  serving  as  teller  for  a  year.  Returning  to  Rexburg,  he  was 
made  division  storekeeper  for  the  Utah  Power  &  Light  Company  and  thus  con- 
tinued from  September,  1915,  until  September,  1916.  He  afterward  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business  on  his  own  account  and  in  March,  1917,  incorporated  the 
business  with  a  capital  of  twenty  thousand  dollars,  Richard  H.  Smith  becoming 
president,  with  Mr.  Thatcher  as  manager.  The  firm  style  of  the  Thatcher  Realty 
Company  was  adopted  and  operations  are  now  carried  on  under  that  name.  Mr. 
Thatcher  is  also  a  stockholder  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  United 
Mercantile  Company. 

In  June,  1905,  Mr.  Thatcher  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elsie  Webster 
and  they  have  become  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Raymond  W.,  who  was 
born  April  22,  1906,  and  passed  away  April  13,  1908;  Alice  whose  birth  occurred 
July  2,  1908;  Grant  W.,  whose  natal  day  was  March  31,  1910;  Don  W.,  born  May 
31,  1912;  and  Dorothy,  who  was  born  on  the  9th  of  August,  1918.  Mr.  Thatcher 
owns  a  nice  home  which  he  built  in  1916.  He  has  been  active  in  the  public  life 
of  the  community  and  in  January,  1919,  was  made  United  States  commissioner, 
which  position  he  is  still  filling.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 


230 

Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  he  is  counselor  of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improve- 
ment Association  of  the  second  ward  of  Rexburg. 

He  is  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Commercial  Club,  to  which  dual  office 
he  was  elected  in  March,  1919.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  demo- 
cratic party  and  at  all  times  he  has  been  progressive  in  matters  of  citizenship.  «He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  State  Insane  Asylum  at  Blackfoot 
for  a  year  and  during  the  period  of  the  war  he  took  active  and  helpful  part  in 
promoting  public  interests,  acting  as  chairman  of  the  fuel  administration  board 
in  his  district  and  serving  as  secretary  of  the  eighth  district,  which  embraced  five 
counties.  He  has  ever  manifested  patriotic  devotion  to  his  community,  to  the  com- 
monwealth and  the  country  and  he  is  classed  with  those  substantial  citizens  whose 
work  constitutes  the  basis  of  progress  and  improvement  in  the  district  in  which 
they  live. 


WILLARD  S.   BURTON. 

A  resident  of  Rigby  who  has  for  a  number  of  years  been  prominent  in  religious 
and  educational  circles  of  this  section  is  Willard  S.  Burton,  the  first'  superintendent 
of  schools  for  Jefferson  county.  He  was  born  in  Kaysville,  Utah,  July  11,  1878,  a 
son  of  Christopher  and  Susan  (Stewart)  Burton,  both  of  whom  were  originally 
from  England. 

It  was  in  1853  that  Christopher  Burton  landed  upon  American  soil  and  in  the 
same  year  he  pushed  on  westward  by  the  clumsy  means  of  transportation  afforded 
by  that  period,  finally  locating  on  a  tract  of  new  land  in  what  was  then  the  territory 
of  Utah.  With  the  same  zeal  that  was  characteristic  of  the  immigrant  of  those 
days,  he  set  to  work  to  develop  his  holding  and  soon  brought  it  to  a  state  of  culti- 
vation. Since  he  found  the  section  where  he  had  located  especially  adaptable  to 
settlement  and  since  he  was  possessed  by  an  intense  interest  in  building  up  this 
area,  he  was  instrumental  in  getting  a  number  of  immigrants  to  drive  through  from 
the  more  populous  regions  of  the  east  in  their  ox-drawn  prairie  schooners  to  settle 
in  that  part  of  Utah  where  he  had  made  his  home.  Christopher  Burton  remained 
in  Utah  the  rest  of  his  life,  continuing  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  25,  1914.  He  thus  witnessed  the  development  of  the  west  from  an 
expanse  of  wild  land  to  an  area  dotted  here  and  there  with  populous  cities  of  com- 
fortable homes.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  still  living 
and  makes  her  home  in  Utah. 

Willard  S.  Burton  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Utah,  where  he 
experienced  all  the  pleasures  and  discomforts  of  rural  life  in  the  far  west  at  that 
time.  In  a  neighboring  school  where  he  received  his  elementary  education  he  first 
felt  the  desire  for  an  advanced  education,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  high 
school  course  in  Davis  county,  he  entered  the  University  of  Utah,  graduating  from 
the  same  with  the  class  of  1901.  At  that  time,  as  never  before,  the  west  needed 
young  men  of  experience  and  ability  to  care  for  its  educational  interests,  and  Mr. 
Burton  accordingly  entered  the  teaching  profession  and  taught  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  state  during  the  winter  and  farmed  during  the  vacation  months  in  the 
summer,  creditably  holding  the  position  of  principal  of  the  schools  of  North  Ogden, 
Plain  City  and  Layton  at  different  times.  In  1908  Mr.  Burton  came  to  Rigby, 
Idaho,  where  he  had  been  principal  of  the  Garfield  district,  it  being  in  close 
proximity  to  his  one  hundred  and  forty-five  acre  farm.  That  position  he  success- 
fully held  until  1913.  At  that  time  Jefferson  county  had  been  newly  organized 
and  the  people  of  the  county,  being  desirous  of  a  man  of  ability,  education  and 
experience  in  the  teaching  profession  for  county  superintendent  of  schools,  elected 
Mr.  Burton  to  that  office,  which  he  held  until  1916.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Lewis- 
ville,  Idaho,  where  he  had  been  elected  principal  of  the  high  school.  After  he  had 
served  in  that  capacity  for  two  years,  he  returned  to  Rigby  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1918  he  was  again  elected  to  the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools,  which 
was  an  indication  of  the  efficient  service  he  had  given  the  county  during  his  former 
administration. 

Along  with  his  educational  activities,  Mr.  Burton  'devotes  considerable  atten- 
tion to  agriculture  and,  since  the  greater  part  of  his  supervisory  work  in  the  county 
schools  is  carried  on  during  the  winter  months,  his  farming  work,  in  which  he  has 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  231 

• 

achieved  marked  success,  in  no  wise  interferes  with  the  performance  of  the  duties 
of  his  office. 

It  was  on  October  8,  1908,  tbat  Willard  S.  Burton  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Cora  Chandler,  the  daughter  of  J.  J.  Chandler,  the  treasurer  of  Jefferson  county, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burton  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  who  are  in  the  order  of  their  birth  as  follows:  Willard  C.,  Myron, 
Ruth.  Paula.  Mary  and  Hubert  Chandler.  v 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burton  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  in  Rigby,  to  which  they  lend  complete  material  and  spiritual  support,  the 
former  having  served  the  denomination  locally  in  several  official  capacities.  He 
formerly  was  superintendent  of  the  mutuals  of  the  stake  and  at  this  time  he  is 
serving  as  mutual  teacher,  teacher  trainer  of  all  church  organizations  in  Rigby, 
the  duties  of  which  position  he  performs  in  addition  to  those  of  president  and 
teacher  of  the  seventies.  Since  his  secular  work  is  along  educational  lines,  Mr. 
Burton  finds  a  wide  sphere  of  usefulness  in  the  Sunday  school  of  the  local  stake 
In  which  he  serves  as  teacher.  He  has  also  represented  his  denomination  in  the 
foreign  field,  having  spent  about  three  years  in  missionary  work  in  Australia.  He 
is  a  republican  in  politics  and  has  a  good  citizen's  understanding  of  and  interest 
in  the  policies  and  aspirations  of  his  party. 


ALBERT  CLARE   HINDMAN. 

Albert  Clare  Hindman  is  the  United  States  district  attorney  for  the  Panama 
canal  zone,  with  headquarters  at  Ancon,  Panama.  He  has  for  many  years  been 
numbered  among  the  prominent  members  of  the  Boise  bar,  where  he  has  an  ex- 
tensive circle  of  friends.  He  filled  the  office  of  assistant  attorney  general  of  the 
state  prior  to  the  incoming  of  the  present  republican  administration.  He  was  born 
in  Clarion,  Pennsylvania,  November  28,  1884,  a  son  of  Frank  R.  Hindman,  a  lawyer, 
who  died  March  9,  1901,  when  forty-seven  years  of  age.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Ella  S.  Craig  and  is  now  a  widow,  residing  in  Boise. 

Albert  C.  Hindman  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Clarion,  Pennsyl- 
vania, when  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  three  brothers  were  also  graduates  of  the 
same  school  and  all  four  were  graduated  when  fourteen  years  of  age  and  all  won 
the  valedictorian  honors  of  their  respective  classes.  In  1901,  when  sixteen  years  of 
age,  Albert  C.  Hindman  was  graduated  from  the  Pennsylvania  State  Normal  School. 
About  this  time  his  father  died  and  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  entei  business 
life.  For  two  years  he  was  librarian  of  the  State  Normal  School  and  in  the  fall 
of  1904  he  entered  the  Indiana  University  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  spending  a  year 
in  study  there.  In  the  meantime  he  had  mastered  stenography  and  typewriting  and 
in  the  summer  of  1905  successfully  passed  a  civil  service  examination  and  received 
an  appointment  on  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Commission  at  Washington.  He 
spent  four  years  in  that  connection  in  the  capital  city,  during  which  time  he  devoted 
his  leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  law  in  connection  with  the  course  at  the  George 
Washington  University,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1908.  While  a  law  student  there  he  distinguished  himself  in  debate  and  won  the 
debater's  prize  in  his  university  in  the  year  of  his  graduation.  He  also  took  part 
in  three  intercollegiate  debates,  winning  two  of  the  contests.  From  1908  until 
1910  Mr.  Hindman,  still  in  the  civil  service,  was  stationed  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  the  capacity  of  examiner  of  applicants. 

It  was  on  the  1st  of  April,  1910,  that  Mr.  Hindman  arrived  in  Boise,  Idaho, 
having  removed  to  this  city  to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Boise,  his  future 
home.  He  here  formed  a  partnership  in  1911  with  the  late  Governor  John  T.  Morrison, 
under  the  firm  style  of  Morrison  &  Hindman.  This  association  was  maintained  until 
April  1,  1915,  when  Mr.  Hindman  withdrew  and  afterward  practiced  alone  until 
January  1,  1917,  when  he  became  by  appointment  assistant  attorney  general  of  the 
state  of  Idaho.  He  made  a  most  excellent  record  in  that  position  and  continued  in 
the  service  until  a  change  in  the  state  administration.  He  retired  from  the  office 
in  January,  1919,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Boise.  In  March,  1919,  Mr. 
Hindman  was  appointed  by  President  Woodrow  Wilson  to  the  office  of  United  States 
district  attorney  for  the  Panama  canal  zone,  with  headquarters  at  Ancon,  a  suburb 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

• 

of  Panama  City,   and   went  to  that  place  to  assume  his  duties  in  May,   1919,  but 
regards  Boise  as  his  permanent  place  of  residence. 

Mr.  Hindman  is  married.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Blanche  M.  Hall,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Hindman  is  a  member  of  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  a  college 
fraternity,  and  he  also  has  a  membership  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  democrat  and  was  chairman  of  the 
Ada  county  democratic  central  committee  from  1914  until  1916.  He  was  also  a 
vice  chairman  of  the  democratic  state  central  committee  from  1916  until  1918. 
In  June,  1918,  he  was  appointed  as  the  Idaho  member  of  the  democratic  national 
congressional  committee.  In  the  fall  of  1918  Mr.  Hindman  had  personal  charge 
of  the  campaign  of  Hon.  John  F.  Nugent  for  election  to  the  United  States  senate. 
He  still  retains  his  membership  in  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  prominent  young  representatives  of  the  state  bar  and  one  of 
the  democratic  leaders  of  the  commonwealth.  The  talents  with  which  nature  en- 
dowed him  he  has  used  wisely  and  well  and  in  a  profession  where  advancement  de- 
pends entirely  upon  individual  merit  and  ability  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily 
upward. 


LEO  J.  FALK 

The  name  of  Falk  is  inseparably  associated  with  the  history  of  mercantile  develop- 
ment in  Boise.  No  story  of  commercial  progress  here  would  be  complete  without  ex- 
tended reference  to  the  establishment  which  stands  as  the  oldest  and  largest  mercantile 
house  of  the  city  and  to  its  founders  and  promoters.  Today  Leo  J.  Falk  is  president 
of  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  of  which  his  father,  Nathan  Falk,  was  one  of  the 
organizers.  The  latter  was  a  youth  of  but  fifteen  years  when  he  came  from  his  native 
land  of  Bavaria  in  1864  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Boise,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
days.  He  became  one  of  the  city's  pioneer  merchants  and  remained  a  prominent  factor 
in  the  commercial  life  of  the  capital  until  his  demise. 

It  was  on  the  19th  of  September,  1868,  that  David  and  Nathan  Falk,  brothers, 
opened  a  little  mercantile  establishment  in  a  small  building  on  Main  street  a  few  feet, 
from  the  corner  of  Eighth  street,  under  the  firm  style  of  David  Falk  &  Brother.  The 
beginning  was  a  most  modest  one.  The  stock  was  limited  and  Boise  at  that  time  was 
a  little  frontier  town.  The  firm  used  a  wheelbarrow  for  the  delivery  of  goods  and  there 
was  little  to  foreshadow  the  greatness  which  the  establishment  was  to  reach  in  the 
future.  The  methods  of  the  Falk  Brothers,  however,  were  most  progressive,  and  they 
catered  to  the  support  of,  the  public  through  honorable  dealing  and  an  earnest  desire 
to  please  their  patrons.  The  trade  steadily  grew  and  after  fifteen  years,  or  in  1873, 
they  were  joined  by  their  brother,  Sigmund  Falk,  who  was  admitted  to  a  partnership. 
From  the  beginning  the  firm  maintained  a  most  progressive  policy  and  by  1891  their 
trade  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  a  corporation  was  formed  to  carry  on  the 
business,  this  being  The  Falk-Bloch  Mercantile  Company,  with  Nathan  Falk  as  the 
president,  I.  Bloch,  vice  president,  Sigmund  Falk,  treasurer,  and  William  Stark,  secre- 
tary. A  change  in  the  personnel  occurred  in  1900,  when  Mr.  Bloch  disposed  of  hip 
interest  to  the  other  active  members  of  the  firm  and  the  firm  style  of  the  Falk  Mer- 
cantile Company  was  adopted.  In  1903  Nathan  Falk  after  thirty-five  years'  continuous 
connection  with  the  business,  passed  away  and  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  by  Sig- 
mund Falk,  at  which  time  Leo  J.  Falk  of  this  review  became  treasurer  and  William 
Stark,  general  manager.  In  1915  another  change  occurred  when  Sigmund  Falk  sold  his 
entire  interest  in  the  business  to  the  present  owners  and  his  nephew,  Leo  J.  Falk,  was 
elected  to  the  position  of  president.  Max  Mayfield  remains  as  the  vice  president  and 
William  Stark  is  secretary  and  general  manager.  Thus  a  continuous  growth  in  the 
business  has  followed  the  establishment  of  Boise's  oldest  mercantile  house.  Continued 
watchfulness  and  the  utilization  of  every  available  legitimate  opportunity  character- 
ized the  founders  of  the  business,  who  did  everything  possible  to  promote  the  trade  and 
give  to  the  city  an  establishment  of  which  from  the  first  it  has  reason  to  be  proud. 

Leo  J.  Falk,  now  at  the  head  of  the  company,  was  born  in  Boise,  September  24, 
1882.  The  public  school  system  of  the  city  afforded  him  his  early  educational  oppor- 
tunities and  he  afterward  attended  the  Mount  Tamalpais  Military  Academy  at  San 
Rafael,  California,  for  three  years.  Throughout  his  entire  business  career  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  for  with  his  return  from  the  academy 


LEO  J.  FALK 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  235 

at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered  the  department  store  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Eighth  streets.  This  was  in  1900.  He  made  it  his  purpose  to  thoroughly  learn  every 
phase  of  the  business  and  to  fill  positions  in  each  department  in  order  that  he  might 
familiarize  himself  with  every  branch  of  the  trade.  Upon  his  father's  death  in  1903 
Mr.  Falk  became  treasurer  and  continued  as  such  for  twelve  years.  In  1915  he  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  and  is  now  the  controlling  spirit  in  this  large  establishment, 
which  occupies  a  three-story  building  with  large  plate  glass  display  windows  on  the 
first  floor  on  both  Main  and  Eighth  streets,  where  for  more  than  a  half  century  the 
business  has  now  been  carried  on.  Within  this  time  the  company  has  had  to  enlarge 
its  quarters  on  various  occasions.  It  was  installed  in  part  of  its  present  location  in 
1868,  increased  its  floor  space  in  1888  and  again  in  1897  and  eventually  enlarged  the 
building  to  its  present  extensive  proportions.  On  the  I9th  of  September,  1918,  the 
company  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  business,  making  it 
a  memorable  occasion  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  city.  The  store  was  beautifully 
decorated  with  autumn  leaves  and  fall  flowers,  and  a  most  cordial  welcome  was  ex- 
tended to  old  and  new  patrons  and  to  all  who  cared  to  visit  the  establishment.  The 
company  has  always  held  to  the  highest  standards  in  the  line  of  goods  carried,  in  the 
personnel  of  the  house  and  in  the  conduct  accorded  its  patrons. 

Leo  J.  Falk  has  not  only  been  active  in  the  management  and  control  of  the  Falk 
Mercantile  Company  for  a  long  period  but  in  many  other  ways'  has  also  been  a  factor 
in  the  business  development  of  Boise.  In  1909  he 'organized  the  Owyhee  Hotel  Com- 
pany of  Boise  and  built  a  fine  modern  hotel  valued  at  over  four  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  entire  capital  was  subscribed  by  Boise  citizens  and  from  the  beginning  Mr. 
Falk  has  been  president  of  the  company.  The  hotel  was  opened  May  10,  1910.  Mr.  Falk 
is  also  the  president  of  the  Falk  Wholesale  Company,  a  dry  goods  and  grocery  concern 
of  Boise;  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Star  Orchard  Company,  which  owns  and  conducts 
a  large  apple  and  prune  orchard  near  Star,  Idaho;  and  in  the  past  has  had  extensive 
mining  interests.  He  is  likewise  a  director  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank  and  is 
the  treasurer  of  the  Nampa  department  store  at  Nampa,  Idaho. 

On  the  3d  of  February,  1914,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Leo  J.  Falk  nnd  Miss 
Helen  Friendly,  of  Elmira,  New  York,  and  they  are  now  parents  of  two  daughters, 
Elaine  F.  and  Jane.  It  would  be  an  inadequate  sketch  of  Mr.  Falk  if  one  did  not 
speak  of  his  active  service  in  behalf  of  the  city  in  which  he  has  so  long  made  his  home. 
His  cooperation  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  plan  or  measure  for  the 
general  good.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  served 
on  its  first  board  of  directors,  while  for  two  years  he  was  its  chief  executive  officer, 
filling  the  chair  of  president  in  a  most  capable  manner  and  greatly  promoting  the 
interests  of  the  organization  while  in  the  office. 


HARRY    A.    LYON. 

Harry  A.  Lyon,  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Markets  of  the  Idaho  Department  of 
Agriculture,  with  headquarters  in  Boise,  was  born  in  Mason,  Ingham  county,  Mich- 
igan, February  6,  1888,  his  parents  being  Alva  G.  and  Ettie  M.  (Austin)  Lyon, 
also  natives  of  the  Wolverine  state.  The  mother  died  in  Michigan  in  1911,  and  the 
father  dfcw  resides  in  Cedarville,  California.  There  were  but  two  sons  in  the  fam- 
ily, the  younger  being  Laurence  A.,  who  is  five  years  the  junior  of  Harry  A.  and 
makes  his  home  in  Lansing,  Michigan. 

In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  Harry  A.  Lyon  was  graduated  from  the 
high  school  of  Mason,  Michigan,  and  afterward  entered  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, in  which  he  continued  his  studies  until  1908.  For  several  years  he  was  then 
associated  with  his  father  in  farming  and  the  raising  of  horses.  He  first  came  to 
the  west  in  1910.  making  his  way  to  Montana,  where  he  spent  a  year,  giving  his 
attention  to  different  pursuits.  A  part  of  the  time  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  the 
government  in  connection  with  irrigation  projects.  During  1912  he  was  engaged 
in  the  work  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  at  Jackson,  Michigan,  and  in 
1913  he  again  came  to  the  west,  making  Idaho  his  destination.  Here  he  became 
manager  of  the  irrigated  ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  owned  by  Rogers  Brothers 
near  Idaho  Falls  and  acceptably  filled  that  position  until  the  1st  of  January,  1915. 
During  the  summer  of  1915  he  acted  as  manager  of  what  perhaps  was  the  largest 
tourist  camp  in  the  United  States  in  Yellowstone  Park.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 


236  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  embarked  in  the  grain  and  produce  business  at  Roberts,  Jefferson  county,  Idaho, 
giving  his  attention  to  that  business  and  to  farming  until  the  spring  of  1918,  when 
on  the  1st  of  May  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture as  a  specialist  in  farm  help.  In  this  capacity  he  worked  on  the  farm  labor 
problems  in  Wyoming  and  Idaho  during  1918.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Boise  but  remained  in  his  position  until  the  31st  of  March,  1919,  when 
he  resigned  to  become  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Markets  of  the  Idaho  Department 
of  Agriculture,  which  position  he  is  now  most  acceptably  filling.  He  is  doing  work 
of  practical  value  along  this  line  and  his  record  is  indeed  commendable.  Mr.  Lyon 
finds  his  chief  delight  and  recreation  in  farming  and  resides  on  a  forty-acre  farm 
two  miles  from  Boise,  to  the  further  development  and  improvement  of  which  he 
gives  much  of  his  attention  or  all  of  the  time  that  he  can  spare  from  his  official 
duties,  which  are  never  neglected  in  the  slightest  degree. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1913,  Mr.  Lyon  was  married  to  Miss  Eleanor  R. 
Russell,  also  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute. 
They  have  four  children:  Hugh,  Billy,  Virginia  and  Harry  A.,  Jr. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lyon  is  a  republican  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office  as 
a  reward  for  party  fealty.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  also  to 
the  Boise  University  Club  and  he  finds  his  association  among  men  who  are  most 
keenly  interested  in  the  questions  of  the  day  and  scientific  investigation  which  bears 
upon  problems  of  general  interest. 


FRANK  L.  DAVIS. 

Frank  L.  Davis,  cashier  of  The  Fremont  County  Bank  at  Sugar,  was  born  in 
Nevada,  November  17,  1877,  a  son  of  Walter  and  Theodocia  (Walker)  Davis,  who 
are  natives  of  England  and  of  Utah  respectively.  In  his  boyhood  days,  about  the 
year  1851,  Walter  Davis  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  and  later 
learned  telegraphy,  which  he  followed  for  many  years.  He  was  also  employed  on 
a  newspaper  in  Salt  Lake  City  for  a  considerable  period  and  finally  went  to  Ne- 
vada as  agent  for  the  pony  express.  When  the  first  telegraph  lines  were  built 
across  the  country  he  was  made  one  of  the  first  operators  and  he  is  now  telegraph 
operator  and  agent  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  at  Fort  Hall  on  the  Indian 
reservation.  The  mother  of  Frank  L.  Davis  is  also  living. 

The  son  was  reared  at  Battle  Mountain,  Nevada,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  later  supplementing  his  early  educational  opportunities  by  study  in  the 
University  of  Nevada,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1896.  He 
has  since  been  employed  in  various  ways,  doing  railroad  work,  farming  and  book- 
keeping. The  year  1897  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho,  at  which  time  he  settled 
at  Lewisville,  Jefferson  county,  where  he  purchased  and  improved  land,  continuing 
the  cultivation  of  the  place  for  two  years.  He  afterward  engaged  in  bookkeeping 
for  a  time  and  in  1903  entered  the  employ  of  the  Utah-Idaho  Sugar  Company  at 
Idaho  Falls,  where  he  acted  as  weight  master.  Later  he  was  transferred  to  the 
store  room  and  subsequently  was  given  an  office  position,  which  he  held  until  Jan- 
uary 20,  1904,  when  he  was  sent  by  the  company  to  Sugar  City  to  act  as  receiving 
clerk.  In  the  following  July  he  was  made  cashier  and  served  in  that  capacity  until 
July  1,  1907,  when  he  resigned  his  position  to  become  cashier  of  The  Fremont 
County  Bank,  thus  serving  to  the  present  time.  This  bank  was  organized  in  1904. 
Its  officers  are:  Mark  Austin,  president;  G.  E.  Bowerman,  vice  president;  and 
Frank  L.  Davis,  cashier.  The  bank  is  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
has  a  surplus  of  five  thousand  dollars  and  its  deposits  amount  to  two  hundred  and 
nineteen  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Davis  is  not  only  the  cashier  but  also  one  of  the 
stockholders  and  directors.  He  has  contributed  much  to  the  success  of  this  institu- 
tion and  is  a  wide-awake  and  progressive  business  man  who  has  made  the  bank  a 
business  concern  of  marked  value  to  the  community.  Aside  from  his  banking  in- 
terests Mr.  Davis  is  connected  with  farming  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  well 
known  in  banking  circles,  is  now  vice  president  of  the  savings  bank  section  of  the 
American  Bankers'  Association,  is  the  president  of  the  Upper  Snake  River  Bank- 
ers' Association  and  was  honored  with  the  presidency  of  the  Idaho  Bankers'  Asso- 
ciation in  1915  and  1916. 

On  the  llth  of  October,  1899,  Mr.  Davis  was  married  to  Miss  Alvaretta  Har- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  237 

mon  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  living, 
namely:  Frank  L.,  Alvaretta,  Caddie,  Leota,  Harmon,  Walter,  Ollie,  Guy,  Naoma 
and  Rowena.  Those  who  have  passed  away  are  Adele,  Orville,  Orwith  and  Marjorie. 
In  community  affairs  Mr.  Davis  is  deeply  and  helpfully  interested.  He  has 
served  on  the  town  board  of  Sugar  for  several  years  has  also  been  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  and  for  twelve  years,  by  appointment,  he  served  as  chairman 
of  the  state  board  of  accountancy  and  to  the  position  was  reappointed  but  would 
not  accept.  For  four  years  he  has  been  the  president  of  the  Commercial  Club  and 
in  this  connection  he  has  put  forth  most  effective  effort  in  connection  with  interests 
of  vital  importance  to  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  community.  He  has  always 
voted  with  the  democratic  party.  His  religious  belief  Is  that  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  he  is  ward  clerk  of  Sugar  ward  and  first 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  Fremont  stake.  His  developing 
powers  have  brought  him  to  a  place  of  leadership  in  various  lines  of  activity  and 
there  is  nothing  which  contributes  to  the  welfare  of  the  community  and  the  uplift 
of  the  individual  that  fails  to  receive  his  endorsement. 


WILLIAM   B.   OLDHAM. 

The  educational  interests  of  Madison  county  are  being  ably  protected  and 
promoted  by  William  B.  Oldham,  who  is  county  superintendent  of  schools.  Hold- 
ing to  high  ideals  in  educational  affairs,  he  is  putting  forth  every  effort  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  schools  and  promote  the  standards  of  public  instruction. 
While  now  a  resident  of  Rexburg,  Idaho,  he  is  a  native  of  Utah,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Cache  county,  September  11,  1885.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Brown)  Oldham,  who  were  natives  of  England.  The  mother  died  in  August,  1918. 
Mention  of  the  father  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  S.  P.  Oldham  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

In  his  youthful  days  Wiliam  B.  Oldham  attended  the  district  schools  and 
afterward  became  a  high  school  pupil,  while  later  he  continued  his  education  in  a 
normal  school  and  in  the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  Utah.  He  next  became 
a  student  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
Bachelor  of  Science  degree  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1910.  He  has  since  taken 
post-graduate  work  in  the  University  of  Illinois,  in  which  he  was  a  student  in 
1917  and  1918.  Throughout  much  of  his  life  he  has  given  his  attention  to -educa- 
tional interests.  He  taught  the  high  school  branches  in  Ricks  Academy  for  three 
years  and  then  went  to  Sugar  City,  where  he  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  for 
three  years.  He  afterward  devoted  one  year  to  rural  extension  work  for  the  depart- 
ment of  agriculture,  traveling  extensively  through  the  south  and  the  northwest,  but 
ill  health  obliged  him  to  abandon  that  work  and  in  October,  1918,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Madison  county  and  has  since 
filled  that  position  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

In  September,  1913,  Mr.  Oldham  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Pfost  and  to 
them  have  been  born  three  children:  Reed,  Mary  Verena  and  Inez.  Mr.  Oldham 
has  farming  interests  in  Madison  county  and  he  is  agent  for  the  Idaho  State  Life 
Insurance  Company,  but  allows  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  to  interfere  with  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  duties  as  administrator  of  public  school  interests  for 
Madison  county.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  his 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 


FREDERICK  M.   FISHER. 

Efficiency  in  office  is  demonstrated  in  the  record  of  Frederick  M.  Fisher,  who 
is  serving  as  county  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder  of  Bingham  county  and  makes  his 
home  at  Blackfoot.  He  was  born  at  Seward,  Nebraska,  July  21,  1875,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  C.  and  Melvina  (Moore)  Fisher,  who  were  natives  of  New  York  and  Wis- 
consin respectively.  The  father  went  to  Nebraska  at  an  early  day  and  there  car- 
ried on  farming  for  a  few  years.  He  later  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  followed 
farming  until  1883,  save  for  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  joined  the  Union 


238 

army,  enlisting  in  the  Fourteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  for 
three  years  and  seven  months,  thus  largely  aiding  in  maintaining  the  supremacy 
of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  He  was  seriously  wounded  and  the  injuries  which  he 
sustained  affected  him  throughout  his  remaining  days.  In  1883  he  removed  from 
Kansas  to  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  took  up  land  which  he  cultivated  for  a  time,  while 
later  he  made  his  home  in  Blackfoot.  Here  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
police  judge  and  continued  his  residence  in  Blackfoot  throughout  his  remaining  days, 
his  death  occurring  December  10,  1915,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty-two. 
His  widow  is  still  living  and  is  now  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 

Frederick  M.  Fisher  spent  his  youthful  days  in  Kansas  up  to  the  time  when 
the'  family  home  was  established  at  Blackfoot.  He  is  indebted  to  the  public  school 
systems  of  the  Sunflower  state  and  of  Idaho  for.  the  educational  privileges  which 
he  enjoyed,  and  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
he  started  out  in  the  business  world  in  connection  with  railroading,  becoming  agent 
and  express  messenger.  He  was  also  in  the  train  service  and  followed  railroading 
on  the  Short  Line  Railroad  for  fifteen  years.  In  1902  he  took  up  carpentering  and 
contracting  and  devoted  his  attention  thereto  until  1913,  when  he  resumed  railroad 
work.  He  was  thus  employed  until  January,  1915,  when  he  accepted  the  position 
of  deputy  county  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder.  In  1916  he  was  appointed  to  that 
office  and  in  the  fall  of  1918  was  elected  to  the  position  with  practically  no  oppo- 
sition, a  fact  indicative  of  the  capable  and  efficient  service  which  he  has  rendered 
and  his  fidelity  to  duty  in  every  circumstance. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  1906,  Mr.  Fisher  was  married  to  Miss  Alvie  I.  Sturdevant, 
a  native  of  Parkers  Prairie,  Minnesota,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children: 
Muriel,  Glenn  and  Margaret.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  politically  Mr.  Fisher  is  a  republican,  giving  stal- 
wart allegiance  to  the  party.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  is  a  faithful  follower  of  those  organizations.  While  he  was 
engaged  in  contracting  he  did  much  work  in  California  and  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and 
was  also  with  the  Borden  Construction  Company  at  Reno,  Nevada,  and  at  San 
Francisco  was  associated  with  an  oil  company.  His  has  been  an  active  and  useful 
life  in  which  enterprise  and  industry  have  been  dominant  characteristics.  He 
brings  these  splendid  qualities  to  bear  in  the  conduct  of  his  business  affairs,  and 
his  indefatigable  energy  and  unfaltering  spirit  have  made  him  a  most  capable  official. 


HON.  DAVID   WILLIAM   DAVIS. 

Fighting  the  battle  of  life  with  exceptional  courage  and  typical  American  grit, 
David  William  Davis,  governor  of  Idaho,  typifies  in  his  career  the  ideal  spirit  which, 
fighting  against  and  contending  with  handicaps,  meeting  and  surmounting  obstacles 
with  the  confidence  of  youth,  enables  him  to  reach  the  highest  office  in  his  state 
through  his  own  unaided  efforts  and  self-developed  capacities.  There  are  noble  and 
immortal  lessons  in  the  story  of  the  life  of  the  man  who  without  other  means  than 
a  strong  heart  and  clear  head  conquers  adversity  and  achieves  an  honorable  success, 
rich  in  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellowmen.  Such  men  rise  into  prominence 
and  become  objects  of  high  consideration  in  public  estimation  only  through  the  de- 
velopment of  the  best  attributes  of  manhood,  for  the  accidents  of  birth  and  fortune 
and  the  adventitious  aid  of  chance  and  circumstance  can  do  little  to  give  them  endur- 
ing place  in  history.  The  records  of  the  lives  of  successful  men  who  influence  and 
mould  events  is  always  interesting  and  instructive  and  become  even  more  so  when 
-they  present  in  combined  view  the  elements  of  material  success  harmoniously  blended 
with  completeness  of  moral  attribute  and  unblemished  reputation.  Such  characters 
stand  forth  as  proof  of  human  progress — the  illustration  of  human  dignity  and  worth. 

Governor  Davis  is  a  native  of  Wales,  born  on  the  23d  of  April,  1873,  and  a  son  of 
John  Wynn  and  Frances  (Lewis)  Davis.  The  family  came  to  America  when  the  son 
David  was  but  two  years  of  age,  locating  in  Iowa,  where  the  father  found  employ- 
ment as  a  miner,  later  turning  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  Idaho,  where 
he  spent  his  remaining  years,  passing  away  in  American  Falls  in  1913.  He  is  still 
survived  by  his  widow,  who  yet  resides  in  American  Falls  and  is  vigorous  and  well 
preserved. 

The  early  boyhood  days  of  David  W.  Davis  were  spent  in  the  humble  surround- 


HON.  DAVID  W.  DAVIS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  241 

ings  of  a  miner's  home  in  Angus,  Iowa.  Little  opportunity  was  afforded  the  youth  in 
the  way  of  educational  advantages  and  when  but  twelve  years  of  age  he  began  work- 
ing in  the  mines,  but  such  circumstances  did  not  dfunt  the  spirit  of  the  youth  who 
was  later  to  rise  so  far  above  his  early  surroundings  as  to  become  an  exceptionally 
successful  business  man  and  public  servant,  revered  and  trusted  by  the  people.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  the  company  which  operated  the 
mine  in  which  he  had  worked.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  had  become  the  manager 
of  a  store  at  Rippey,  and,  a  short  time  later,  in  recognition  of  his  business  acumen 
and  fidelity  to  details,  he  was  given  the  position  of  cashier  of  the  bank  there.  It  was 
there  that  he  made  his  initial  step  in  the  banking  business  and  gained  a  knowledge  of 
the  business  which,  with  the  passing  years,  has  brought  a  substantial  pecuniary  re- 
ward and  the  honorable  and  responsible  position  of  president  of  the  Idaho  State 
Bankers  Association,  which  office  he  was  filling  when  elected  governor  of  the  state. 

Failing  health  caused  him  to  retire  from  active  business  and,  tempted  by  the 
lure  of  the  west  with  its  boundless  opportunities,  he  spent  a  year  in  travel,  chiefly 
through  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Colorado.  These  journeys  were  made  by  wagon 
and,  by  sleeping  out  in  the  open  and  "roughing  it"  In  true  western  style,  he  succeeded 
in  achieving  complete  restoration  of  his  health  and  strength. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  also  spent  some  time  im  the  state  of  Washington,  where 
he  had  some  land  interests,  and  in  1906  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  American  Falls, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  his  removal  to  Boise  following  his  election 
as  governor.  In  February.  1907,  he  founded  the  Bank  of  American  Falls  and  became 
its  president,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  continued.  In  the  fall  of  1907  the  bank 
was  nationalized  and  has  since  been  known  as  the  First  National  Bank.  Entering  en- 
thusiastically into  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  had  decided  to  make 
his  home,  it  may  be  said  that  largely  through  his  far-sightedness  and  sound  judgment 
the  possibilities  of  the  great  dry  farming  district  surrounding  American  Falls  were 
first  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  public.  With  unbounded  confidence  in  the  future 
growth  and  prosperity  of  his  adopted  state  he  evidenced  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions by  making  liberal  financial  advances  to  those  possessing  the  same  brand  of 
courage  as  himself  and  were  pioneering  a  new  country,  and  to  many  of  whom  this  aid. 
extended  at  the  vital  moment,  meant  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  difference  be- 
tween success  and  failure.  In  short,  it  may  truly  be  said  that  to  Governor  Davis, 
more  than  to  any  other  individual,  is  due  the  credit  for  making  the  American  Falls 
district  one  of  the  greatest  dry  farming  communities  in  the  country. 

In  his  political  faith  Governor  Davis  has  ever  been  an  earnest  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  the  republican  party.  In  1912  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  where 
he  made  an  enviable  record  for  sound  judgment,  though  he  declined  to  again  become 
a  candidate  for  the  office.  He  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  republican  national  con- 
vention in  Chicago  in  1912.  In  1916.  members  of  his  party  recognizing  in  him  a  leader 
of  undoubted  strength,  made  him  its  nominee  for  governor,  and,  though  he  was  de- 
feated in  this  campaign,  it  is  a  striking  commentary  upon  his  popularity  with  the 
people  of  Idaho,  irrespective  of  party  affiliations,  that  he  lost  by  the  narrow  margin 
of  five  hundred  and  seventy-two  votes,  while  the  democratic  nominee  for  president. 
Woodrow  Wilson,  carried  the  state  by  twenty  thousand.  Again,  in  1918,  he  was  the 
party's  choice  for  governor  and  the  huge  majority  given  him  indicated  him  as  the 
people's  choice.  He  was  inaugurated  as  the  chief  executive  of  Idaho,  January  6.  1919. 
During  the  war  with  Germany  Governor  Davis  was  extremely  active  in  war  work, 
speaking  In  all  parts  of  the  state  and  acting  as  state  chairman  of  two  liberty  loan 
drives. 

Governor  Davis  has  been  twice  married.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
married  Florence  O.  Gilliland.  who  died  in  1903;  and  on  April  5,  1905,  he  wedded 
Miss  Nellie  Johnson,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  was  reared,  however,  in  the  Hawkeye 
state.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Margaret  Ruth,  David 
William,  Jr.,  and  Donald  J.  The  Governor  holds  membership  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  for  many  years  has  served  on  the  official  board  of  the  First  Meth- 
odist church  of  American  Falls.  He  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  a  Noble  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  Elk. 

The  fifteenth  session  of  the  Idaho  legislature,  which  closed  March  6,  1919,  pre- 
sented the  largest  completed  program  of  results,  based  upon  the  suggestions  of  its 
chief  executive,  of  any  legislature  in  the  history  of  the  state  and  perhaps  in  the 
Union.  By  its  action  Idaho's  system  of  government  has  been  completely  remodeled. 

Vol.  U— 16 


242  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Nine  commissioners,  appointed  by  and  directly  responsible  to  the  governor,  will 
supervise  the  civil  administration  of  the  state  government  under  a  centralization  of 
powers  heretofore  scattered  between  forty-eight  state  divisions,  an  arrangement  which 
will  save  to  the  tax-payers  of  the  state  vast  annual  sums,  while  promoting  greatly  in- 
creased efficiency  in  the  dispatch  of  the  public  business. 

At  the  age  of  forty-six  Governor  Davis  faces  a  term  as  chief  executive  during 
the  state's  reconstruction  period,  and  in  the  minds  of  those  who  know  him  best — even 
in  the  minds  of  his  political  opponents — there  exists  no  doubt  but  that  the  record  he 
makes  will  mark  an  epoch  of  businesslike  methods  in  the  conduct  of  the  affairs  of 
the  state. 


O.  H.  PARKER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  O.  H.  Parker,  state  medical  director  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  an  active  practitioner  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Boise  since  1912,  was  born 
in  New  York  city,  March  15,  1872.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Arkansas  City, 
Kansas,  in  1885  and  in  1891  he  became  a  student  in  the  department  of  pharmacy  of  the 
University  of  Kansas,  from  which  he  was  graduated  on  the  completion  of  a  three  years' 
course 'in  1894.  He  next  matriculated  in  the  Kansas  City  Medical  College  and 
thoroughly  mastered  the  three  years'  course,  so  that  he  is  numbered  among  the 
alumni  of  that  institution  of  1897.  For  fifteen  years  he  engaged  in  the  active 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  was  in  charge  of  the 
Kansas  City  General  Hospital  from  1899  until  1902.  He  also  served  as  coroner 
of  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  from  1904  until  1908. 

With  his  removal  to  Boise  in  1912,  Dr.  Parker  opened  an  office  in  this  city  and 
recognition  of  his  ability  has  come  to  him  in  a  constantly  increasing  practice  which 
is  also  of  steadily  growing  importance.  Broad  reading  and  investigation  have  kept 
him  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  scientific  thought  and  research  and  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment  is  manifest  in  the  excellent  results  which  attend  his 
labors. 

In  1901  Dr.  Parker  was  married  in  Kansas  City  to  Mrs.  Pauline  St.  John.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  of  the  last  named  he  is  state  medical  director. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Boise  Physicians  Club.  He  is  conscientious  in  the  per- 
formance of  all  of  his  professional  duties,  patient  under  adverse  criticism,  a  thor- 
ough student  and  one  in  whom  keen  sympathy  as  well  as  scientific  knowledge  con-' 
stitute  a  source  of  success. 


DOW  WILLIAMS. 

Dow  Williams,  a  well  known  real  estate  dealer  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in 
Polk  county,  Iowa,  January  4,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  William  and  Johanna 
(Mullin)  Williams,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland,  while  the  latter  was  born  in 
Troy,  New  York.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1859,  settling  first  in 
Vermont,  where  he  remained  until  1865  and  then  removed  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
before  the  railroad  was  built  to  that  place.  He  bought  land  at  what  is  now  Ninth 
and  Walnut  streets  in  Des  Moines  and  later  traded  the  property  for  a  team  of 
mules,  a  fact  indicative  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country.  He  then  removed 
to  Humboldt,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  land,  which  he  cultivated  and  improved, 
continuing  the  further  development  of  the  property  until  1909,  when  he  came  to 
Idaho  Falls  with  his  son  Dow.  He  is  now  living  on  the  latter's  ranch  four  miles 
from  Idaho  Falls.  The  mother,  however,  passed  away  in  February,  1909.  Her 
father  and  her  brothers  were  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war. 

Dow  Williams  was  reared  in  Humboldt,  Iowa,  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
He  was  a  classmate  there  of  Frank  Gotch,  the  wrestler.  When  fourteen  years  of 
age  he  left  home  and  went  to  South  Dakota,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  hotel  for 
four  years.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  went  upon  the  road,  selling  barbers'  supplies 
for  Fred  Dolle,  of  Chicago,  for  three  years.  He  then  removed  to  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
sota, and  became  a  representative  of  the  Inter-State  Land  Company,  with  which 
he  continued  until  1907.  He  then  again  went  upon  the  road,  representing  the 


1 1 1  STORY  OF  I DAHO  243 

Koken  Barber  Supply  Company  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  with  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated until  1909,  traveling  in  twenty-nine  states  of  the  Union  as  representative  of 
that  firm.  In  1909  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
Before  his  removal  to  the  west  he  was  in  St.  Paul  for  three  months  out  of  the  year 
for  four  years,  acting  as  manager  for  Frank  Gotch,  and  in  1905  they  toured  the  west. 

With  his  removal  to  Idaho  Falls,  Mr.  Williams  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  in  farming,  and  in  1919  he  had  nine  hundred  acres  of  land  planted  to 
wheat.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  "round-ups"  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
He  has  put  on  round-up  shows  in  Idaho  Falls,  also  two  in  Blackfoot,  two  in  Salt 
Lake  and  one  for  the  Wizards  of  Wasatch  in  1916.  He  likewise  put  on  one  for  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Salt  Lake  in  1919  and  assisted  in  staging  one  at  the  old  Cub  ball  park 
at  Chicago  in  1917.  He  put  on  shows  at  Idaho  Falls  from  1912  until  1916  and  the  last 
one  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  held  in  the  world,  there  being  over  two  and  a  half 
miles  of  moving  pictures  taken  at  that  time.  Mr.  Williams  is  the  owner  of  twelve 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Idaho  .in  partnership  with  his  brother.  His  business 
affairs  have  been  wisely  and  carefully  managed  and  have  brought  to  him  a  notable 
measure  of  success.  He  is  interested  in  the  One  Thousand  Springs  Land  &  Irriga- 
tion Company  and  also  in  the  Bryan  Union  Oil  Company  and  is  president  of  the 
Continental  Kelly  Mining  Company. 

Politically  Mr.  Williams  is  a  republican  and  in  1918  was  a  candidate  for  the 
legislature  but  was  defeated  by  twelve  votes.  He  assisted  in  electing  James  H. 
Hawley  governor  of  the  state.  He  has  always  been  active  in  politics  and  does  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  party  whose  platform  in  his  belief 
contains  the  best  elements  of  good  government.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  he  has  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  a  past  exalted  ruler  in  the  local  lodge. 
He  remains  an  active  factor  in .  real  estate  circles,  and  his  own  investments  are  of 
an  extensive  and  important  character,  bringing  to  him  a  splendid  financial  return. 


HON.  ARTHUR  HODGES. 

Hon.  Arthur  Hodges,  who  has  been  mayor  of  Boise  and  is  the  secretary  and 
general  manager  of  the  Boise  Motor  Car  Company,  is  a  western  man  by  birth,  train- 
ing and  preference  and  his  entire  career  has  been  actuated  by  the  spirit  of  western 
enterprise  and  progress  which  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of 
this  section.  He  was  born  in  Benton  county,  Oregon,  March  14,  1865,  a  son  of 
Monroe  Hodges,  who  was  a  farmer  and  pioneer  of  Oregon.  Born  in  Ohio,  he  re- 
moved to  the  west  in  1847  and  spent  his  remaining  days  in  Oregon,  where  he  passed 
away  in  1905,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Rhoda  Wilson,  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  died  in  Oregon  in  1898.  In  the 
blood  of  Arthur  Hodges  flows  a  mingled  English  and  Scotch  strain,  for  his  father 
was  descended  from  the  English  cavaliers,  while  his  mother's  ancestry  were  equally 
distinguished  in  Scotland.  On  both  sides,  too,  he  comes  of  Revolutionary  war 
ancestry,  indicating  that  his  forebears  came  to  the  new  world  at  a  very  early 
period.  His  paternal  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Hodges,  served  under  Francis 
Marion  with  those  southern  troops  who  endured  such  untold  hardships  in  the 
swamps  in  order  to  aid  in  winning  American  independence.  He  lived  in  South 
Carolina,  where  he  was  the  owner  of  a  plantation  and  a  number  of  slaves.  His 
son,  Jesse  M.  Hodges,  was  born  in  South  Carolina  and  served  under  General  Jack- 
son in  the  Creek  Indian  war  and  also  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  In  1847  Jesse 
M.  Hodges  brought  an  emigrant  train  across  the  plains  to  Benton  county,  Oregon, 
and  became  one  of  the  pioneers  and  an  extensive  farmer  of  that  district.  His  son, 
Monroe  Hodges,  then  a  boy,  was  a  member  of  the  emigrant  train,  which  numbered 
eighty  wagons.  Jesse  M.  Hodges  held  a  captain's  commission  by  reason  of  his 
service  in  the  Creek  Indian  war,  in  which  he  participated  with  General  Sam  Hous- 
ton and  David  Crockett.  In  1871  Monroe  Hodges  removed  from  Benton  county  to 
Crook  county,  Oregon,  and  became  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Prineville,  of  which 
Arthur  Hodges,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  elected  mayor  when  but 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  also  at  the  same  age  elected  county  clerk  of 
Crook  county  on  the  republican  ticket  and  occupied  the  latter  position  for  four- 
teen consecutive  years. 


244  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Subsequently  he  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Prineville,  where  he  resided 
until  1907,  when  he  removed  to  Boise  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  sheep  in- 
dustry. His  fitness  for  leadership,  however,  led  to  his  election  for  mayor  of  the 
city  in  1912  and  endorsement  of  his  first  term's  service  came  in  reelection  in  1914, 
so  that  he  served  for  two  full  terms.  In  1916,  after  retiring  from  the  mayoralty, 
he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  Motor  Car  Company,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  the  secretary  and  general  manager.  This  company  are  distributors  in 
southwestern  Idaho  and  eastern  Oregon  for  the  Fierce-Arrow,  Hudson,  Reo  and 
Dodge  Brothers  motor  cars. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1900,  Mr.  Hodges  was  married  to  Miss  Stella  Gesner, 
of  Salem,  Oregon,  and  they  now  have  a  daughter,  Rhoda,  who  was  born  February 
15,  1901.  The  family  is  prominent  socially,  while  the  position  of  leadership  that 
Mr.  Hodges  has  attained  in  business  and  official  circles  is  attested  by  the  consensus 
of  public  opinion  on  the  part  of  his  fellowmen. 


JUDGE  OTIS  EDDY  McCUTCHEON. 

Judge  Otis  Eddy  McCutcheon,  an  eminent  member  of  the  Idaho  bar,  who  has  proven 
an  influential  factor  in  shaping  the  political  records  of  the  state  and  in  influencing  public 
progress  and  the  development  of  the  commonwealth  in  many  ways,  now  makes  his 
home  at  Idaho  Falls.  He  was  born  in  Dryden  township,  Tompkins  county,  New  York, 
August  8,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Ren'sselaer  and  Elvira  (Bishop)  McCutcheon,  who  were 
also  natives  of  the  same  locality.  The  great-great-grandfather  and  his  son,  George 
McCutcheon,  came  to  America  in  1762,  making  the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  in  their 
own  ship,  which  they  afterward  sold  in  New  York.  They  had  outfitted  in  Belfast, 
Ireland,  and  after  reaching  the  American  port  they  proceeded  up  the  Hudson  to  a  point 
near  Saratoga,  New  York,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  devoting  their  at- 
tention to  farming.  The  progenitor  of  the  family  in  the  new  world  was  Andrew  Mc- 
Cutcheon, and  his  son  George  McCutcheon,  served  throughout  the  American  revolution. 
He  afterward  returned  to  Saratoga  and  there  Robert  McCutcheon,  grandfather  of 
Judge  McCutcheon,  was  born.  In  1806  the  family  removed  to  Uryden  township,  Tomp- 
kins county,  New  York.  In  the  maternal  line  the  Judge  is  descended  from  James 
Bishop,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war  from  Warren  county,  New  Jersey,  and 
a  physician  by  profession.  He  went  to  Tompkins  county  in  1810,  there  spending  his 
remaining  days.  In  that  county  Rensselaer  McCutcheon  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  upon  land  that  his  father  entered  in  1806  and  which  is  still  in  possession  of 
the  family.  In  1846,  however,  Rensselaer  McCutcheon  removed  to  Albion  township, 
Calhoun  county,  Michigan,  and  settled  on  land  that  his  father  took  up  in  1832.  He 
cultivated  and  improved  the  property  and  lived  thereon  until  he  finally  retired  and 
removed  to  the  village  of  Albion,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  called  to  his  final 
rest  in  June,  1880.  His  wife  passed  away  in  February,  1895. 

Judge  McCutcheon  was  reared  in  Michigan  and  supplemented  his  public  school 
education  by  study  in  Albion  College  of  that  state,  in  which  institution  he  won  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  taught  school  for  three  years  and,  on  the  completion 
of  his  college  course,  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  under  private  instructors,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  August,  1872.  He  afterward  opened  an  office  at  Oscoda,  Mich- 
igan, where  he  remained  in  practice  for  twenty  years,  and  then  went  to  Saginaw,  Mich- 
igan, where  he  followed  his  profession  for  a  decade.  In  1896  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls 
to  look  after  the  property  of  an  eastern  client  and  finally  decided  to  remain.  He  has 
since  practiced  law  here  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  eminent  representatives  of  the 
Idaho  bar. 

In  1872  Judge  McCutcheon  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  losco  county.  Mich- 
igan, and  filled  that  position  for  two  terms.  He  also  filled  other  local  offices  there, 
including  that  of  county  superintendent  of  schools.  In  1879  he  was  elected  to  the 
house  of  representatives  of  Michigan  and  was  reelected  in  1881.  He  likewise  had  a 
long  period  of  service  as  secretary  of  the  board  of  education.  Following  his  removal 
to  Idaho  he  was  called  upon  for  public  service  and  in  1902  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Morrison  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  State  Asylum  at  Blackfoot  and  served  for  two 
years  as  president  of  the  board.  From  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in  this  state  he 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  republican  party  and  served  as  chairman 
of  the  republican  county  central  committee  from  1904  until  1907.  In  1906  he  was 


JUDGE  OTIS  E.  McCUTCHEON 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  247 

elected  to  the  state  senate,  in  which  he  served  for  a  term.  In  the  spring  of  1907  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  State  University  and  so  con- 
tinued until  1910.  In  the  fall  of  1908  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of  representatives 
and  served  for  one  term  and  in  1910  he  was  appointed  dean  of  the  law  school,  to  suc- 
ceed Judge  McLain,  at  Moscow,  thus  serving  until  June,  1913.  Business  interests 
have  taken  him  into  every  state  in  the  Union  save  four  and  he  has  also  visited  Alaska, 
and  twice  he  has  been  to  Europe.  He  has  been  a  very  active  man  but  in  1915  to  some 
extent  put  aside  the  more  strenuous  duties  to  which  he  had  hitherto  given  his  atten- 
tion. However,  he  is  still  the  owner  of  the  McCutcheon  hardware  business,  of  which 
his  son,  Robert  B.,  acts  as  manager,  and  he  is  also  president  of  the  Idaho  Farm  Loan 
Company  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Carnegie  public  library.  He 
remains  an  active  factor  at  the  bar,  and  his  opinions  constitute  an  influencing  force 
in  relation  to  many  public  interests. 

Judge  McCutcheon  was  married  in  November,  1872.  to  Miss  Mary  Ella  Goffe,  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Ann  (Barrett)  Goffe,  who  were  natives  of  Massachusetts, 
the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Butler  Barrett,  of  Three  Rivers,  Massachusetts.  To 
Judge  and  Mrs.  McCutcheon  have  been  born  four  children:  N.  D.,  residing  in  Salt 
Lake  City;  Otto  E.,  an  attorney  at  law  of  Idaho  Falls;  Grace  B.,  the  wife  of  Arthur 
Lyons,  of  Lansing,  Michigan;  and  Robert  B.,  also  residing  at  Idaho  Falls. 

Mrs.  McCutcheon  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Mc- 
Cutcheon is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks  and  has  always  been  a  most 
loyal  follower  of  the  teachings  of  the  craft.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  remained  a 
close  and  discriminating  student  of  all  questions  which  are  of  vital  interest  and 
moment  to  the  state  and  nation  and  has  taken  an  advanced  stand  concerning  many 
important  public  problems.  The  soundness  of  his  judgment  and  his  known  patriotic 
spirit  have  largely  made  him  a  leader  of  public  thought  and  opinion 


CHRISTOPHER  T.  AND  WILLIAM  J.   COUGHLIN. 

Christopher  T.  and  William  J.  Coughlin,  brothers,  were  the  founders  and 
organizers  of  the  business  that  is  now  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Standard 
Furniture  Company  at  Nos.  810  and  812  Bannock  street  in  Boise.  The  business 
has  been  in  existence  for  fourteen  years,  having  been  established  in  1905  on  North 
Eighth  street.  The  brothers  incorporated  their  interests  under  the  present  firm 
name  in  1900,  with  William  J.  Coughlin  as  president  and  Christopher  T.  Cough- 
lin as  treasurer,  while  P.  C.  Ray  was  made  secretary.  On  the  llth  of  November, 
1910,  the  business  was  removed  to  No.  807  Idaho  street  and  on  the  llth  of  No- 
vember, 1912,  to  the  present  location  on  Bannock  street,  where  the  company  oc- 
cupies a  four-story  brick  building  with  basement,  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five feet.  They  carry  a  stock  which  according  to  season  is  valued  at  from  fifty 
to  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  handling  furniture  made  by  the  Grand 
Rapids  Furniture  Company.  They  also  have  a  warehouse  on  Railroad  street  in 
Boise.  Their  store  is  thoroughlv  attractive  in  the  line  of  goods  carried  and  the 
company  also  maintains  the  highest  standards  in  the  personnel  of  the  house  and 
in  the  treatment  accorded  patrons. 

Christopher  T.  Coughlin,  the  treasurer  of  the  company,  was  born  in  Mine- 
ville,  New  York,  June  30,  1873,  while  William  J.  Coughlin,  the  president,  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  November  10,  1878.  They  are  sons  of  William  and  Mary  (Kehoe) 
Coughlin,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Empire  state  and  have  now  passed 
away.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  The  grandparents  in  both  the  paternal 
and  maternal  lines  came  from  Ireland,  William  Coughlin  being  a  son  of  Christopher 
and  Katharine  (Gorman)  Coughlin,  while  Mary  Kehoe  was  a  daughter  of  Martie 
Kehoe.  A  removal  was  made  by  the  Coughlin  family  to  Colorado  when  the  sons. 
C.  T.  and  W.  J.,  were  small  boys  and  they  were  reared  at  Silver  Plume,  that  state, 
where  they  pursued  a  public  school  education.  Both  came  to  Boise  in  1904  and 
the  following  year  founded  the  furniture  business  which  has  since  been  conducted 
by  them  and  which  has  developed  into  one  of  the  important  commercial  enter- 
prises not  only  of  the  city  but  also  of  this  section  of  the  country. 

Christopher  T.  Coughlin  has  been  married  \wlce.  In  1903  he  wedded  Winifred 
Townsend,  of  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  who  passed  away  in  1910.  and  in  1916  he 
married  Miss  Gussie  Kingsbury.  He  is  a  Catholic  in  religious  faith,  a  member  of 


248  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  in 
1915  he  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  legislature.  He  belongs 
to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city  is  mani- 
fest in  his  active  cooperation  in  the  plans  and  measures  of  that  organization  for 
the  city's  good.  He  is  fond  of  fishing,  to  which  he  turns  for  recreation.  C.  T\ 
Coughlin  is  a  director  of  the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Company. 

William  J.  Coughlin  pursued  his  education  in  parochial  schools  of  Leadville, 
Colorado,  and  on  the  10th  of  August,  1910,  was  married  in  Butte,  Montana,  to  Miss 
Florence  Murphy,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Portland,  Oregon,  August  8,  1893.  They 
have  become  parents  of  four  children:  Florence,  who  was  born  May  19,  1911; 
William  C.,  whose  birth  occurred  June  19,  1912,  and  who  passed  away  on  the 
8th  of  April,  1914;  Carmilla  Teresa,  born  July  10,  1915;  and  James  John,  whose 
natal  day  was  December  29,  1916. 

Like  his  brother,  William  J.  Coughlin  is  a  Catholic  and  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  also  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He, 
too,  has  membership  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  They  concentrate  their  efforts 
and  energies  largely,  however,  upon  the  further  development  and  conduct  of  their 
furniture  business.  What  they  have  accomplished  represents  the  fit  utilization  of 
their  innate  talents  and  their  opportunities,  and  their  business  has  ever  been  of 
a  character  that  has  contributed  to  public  prosperity  as  well  as  to  individual 
success. 


FRANK  H.  PARSONS. 

Frank  H.  Parsons,  whose  recent  activity  has  been  that  of  one  of  the  "dollar 
a  year  men"  of  the  United  States  government,  giving  his  time  without  remuneration 
to  service  for  his  country  as  director  of  sales  of  United  States  treasury  certificates 
of  indebtedness,  had  previously  been  a  well  known  figure  in  banking  circles  of 
Boise,  occupying  for  ten  years  the  position  of  cashier  of  the  Pacific  National  Bank. 
Mr.  Parsons  comes  of  an  ancestry  that  has  been  distinctively  American  in  the 
lineal  and  collateral  lines  through  many  generations.  His  great-great-grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Parsons,  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Vermont  and  there  built  a  home 
that  has  since  been  in  possession  of  the  family,  covering  a  period  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years.  His  son,  Nathan  Parsons,  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Mexican  war. 
He  was  the  father  of  Nathan  S.  Parsons,  who  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  old  Vermont 
homestead,  devoting  his  attention  to  the  occupation  of  farming  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  about  fifteen  years  ago.  He  had  in  early  manhood  wedded 
Susan  Lee,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Vermont  and,  like  her  husband,  of  English 
descent.  She  was  born  May  2,  1828,  and  is  yet  enjoying  good  health  at  the  age 
of  ninety-two  years,  occupying  the  old  Parsons  homestead  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont. 
In  the  family  were  but  two  children,  the  daughter  being  Julia  E.  Parsons,  who 
lives  with  her  mother  in  New  England. 

The  only  son,  Frank  H.  Parsons,  was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  Febru- 
ary 5,  1866,  on  the  old  homestead,  of  which  he  is  now  the  owner.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Vermont  State  Normal  School  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  through  the 
succeeding  four  years  taught  school  in  the  winter  seasons  in  his  native  county.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  made  his  way  westward  and  for  four  years  he  occupied  the 
position  of  bookkeeper  and  teller  in  the  Cloud  County  Bank  at  Concordia,  Kansas, 
a  bank  that  was  owned  by  Vermont  people.  In  1891,  when  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  Mr.  Parsons  removed  to  Bozeman,  Montana,  where  he  was  teller  in  a  bank 
for  a  year. 

In  1892  he  arrived  in  Idaho,  locating  first  at  Hailey,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  on  his  own  account.  In  connection  with  R.  F.  Buller,  formerly  a 
wealthy  citizen  of  Carthage,  Missouri,  he  purchased  the  controlling  interest  in  the 
Fisrt  National  Bank  of  Hailey,  Mr.  Buller  becoming  the  president,  with  Mr.  Parsons 
as  the  cashier,  a  position  which  he  occupied  for  fourteen  years.  During  the  same 
period  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  mining,  opening  and  developing  several  silver 
and  lead  properties  in  Elaine  county.  He  also  had  agricultural  and  live  stock  inter- 
ests in  that  county  and  thus  conducted  business  affairs  of  large  extent  and  impor- 
tance. In  1907  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  Bank  of  Hailey  and  afterward 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  249 

spent  a  year  in  European  travel,  visiting  Ireland.  England,  Scotland,  France,  Italy 
and  Spain.  He  also  went  to  Egypt  and  to  Palestine,  where  he  visited  Jerusalem  and 
Jericho.  With  his  return  to  the  United  States  in  1908  he  made  his  way  to  Boise, 
Idaho,  where  he  at  once  became  active  in  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of  Idaho. 
which  two  years  later  was  converted  into  a  national  bank  under  the  name  of  the 
Pacific  National  Bank.  Of  the  institution  under  the  first  organization  and  after  the 
nationalization  Mr.  Parsons  served  as  cashier  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  but  in 
January,  1918,  sold  his  stock  in  the  bank  and  retired  from  active  business  to  take 
a  position  under  the  treasury  department  of  the  United  States  government,  becom- 
ing director  of 'sales  of  the  United  States  treasury  certificates  of  indebtedness — a 
patriotic  service  without  remuneration. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1910,  Mr.  Parsons  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Moore, 
the  youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Christopher  W.  Moore,  formerly  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Boise.  Mrs.  Parsons  belongs  to  the  Columbian  Club  and  was 
very  active  in  Red  Cross  work  and  in  other  organizations  which  had  to  do  with  the 
furtherance  of  war  interests.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons  volunteered  for  service 
in  France,  in  the  quartermaster's  department,  Mrs.  Parsons  to  do  canteen  work. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Parsons  has  always  been  a  republican  since  age  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  political 
office.  He  has  found  his  chief  recreation  in  golf.  He  belongs  to  the  Rotary  Club, 
to  the  Boise  Country  Club  and  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  He  has  also  served  as 
president  of  the  Idaho  State  Bankers  Association. 

Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Elks  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  in  Masonry  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite  and  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert  with  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  His  estimate  of  life's  values  is  largely  correct,  his  judgment  sound  in  all 
vital  matters,  and  his  cooperation  in  affairs  of  public  benefit  has  been  far-reaching 
and  resultant. 


PARIS  MARTIN. 

Paris  Martin,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Martin  &  Cameron,  of  Boise, 
was  born  in  Blackburn,  Saline  county,  Missouri,  June  6,  1881,  the  eldest  of  the 
four  children,  twe  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  Frank  T.  and  Susan  Ann  (Chowning) 
Martin,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  former  was  a  son  of  Samuel  T. 
Martin.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  removed  with  his  parents  to  Saline  county, 
Missouri,  when  a  child.  In  1885  he  came  to  Idaho  and  spent  his  last  days  at  Idaho 
Falls,  where  he  passed  away  in  1908  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 

Paris  Martin  was  a  lad  of  but  four  years  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Idaho 
and  has  since  made  his  home  within  the  borders  of  the  state.  The  family  located  on 
a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  ranch  adjoining  the  city  of  Idaho  Falls  and  there  he 
largely  spent  his  youthful  days,  assisting  his  father  in  ranching  and  cattle  raising. 
Liberal  educational  advantages  were  accorded  him  and  following  his  graduation 
from  the  high  school  of  Idaho  Falls  he  pursued  a  college  preparatory  course  in 
Ithaca,  New  York.  It  was  his  intention  to  enter  Cornell  University  of  Ithaca  but 
he  was  awarded  a  scholarship  at  Dartmouth  College  of  Hanover,  New  Hampshire, 
and  accordingly  entered  the  latter  institution  in  the  fall  of  1901.  He  finished  his 
freshman  year  at  Dartmouth  and  then  had  to  leave  school  in  order  to  earn  the 
money  with  which  to  continue  his  course.  In  1902  he  returned  to  Idaho  and  spent 
two  years  as  paymaster  and  timekeeper  at  the  Milner  dam  on  Snake  river,  then 
under  construction.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  arranged  for  a  course  of  study  in 
Cornell  University  Law  School,  which  he  entered  in  the  fall  of  1904,  being  graduated 
therefrom  in  1907  on  the  completion  of  a  thrjee  years'  course,  winning  the  LL.  B. 
degree.  While  at  Dartmouth  he  had  been  pitcher  on  the  baseball  team.  At  Cornell 
he  was  also  interested  in  athletics  and  was  pitcher  of  the  Varsity  Nine  and  was 
right  halfback  on  the  football  team,  making  a  fine  record  in  athletics  in  baseball,  in 
football  and  on  the  track.  Neither  were  his  studies  neglected,  as  he  graduated  from 
Cornell  University  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  at  Rochester  on  the 
9th  day  of  July,  1907.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Boise  and  at  once  entered 
into  partnership  with  William  E.  Cameron,  who  had  been  a  classmate  at  Cornell. 
The  firm  of  Martin  &  Cameron  still  exists  and  through  the  intervening  period  of 


250  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

twelve  years  they  have  enjoyed  a  large  and  important  practice,  figuring  in  connec- 
tion with  many  notable  cases  heard  in  the  courts  of  Boise.  Mr.  Martin  also  belongs 
to  the  Ada  County  Bar  Association,  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association  and  the  Ameri- 
can Bar  Association. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1909,  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss  Winnifred 
Townsend,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  had  formerly  been  a  teacher  in  the  Boise  public 
schools  and  was  principal  of  the  Washington  school.  She  was  educated  in  the  high 
school  at  Sycamore,  Illinois,  and  in  the  University  of  Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin 
have  three  children:  Paris  Townsend,  William  M.  and  Winnifred. 

Mrs.  Martin  belongs  to  the  Columbian  Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Martin  has  membership  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  the  Boise 
Country  Club  and  gains  his  chief  recreation  from  golf,  tennis  and  fishing.  In 
politics  he  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  sought  nor  desired  political  office.  How- 
ever, on  three  different  occasions  he  has  been  nominated  by  his  friends,  first  for 
the  Idaho  legislature  in  1908  and  for  prosecuting  attorney  in  1916  and  again  in 
1918.  He  has  always  preferred  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his 
professional  duties,  and  the  firm  of  Martin  &  Cameron  engages  in  the  general 
practice  of  law  but  also  largely  makes  a  specialty  of  irrigation  practice.  In  all 
duties  of  citizenship  Mr.  Martin  maintains  a  most  progressive  stand  and  served  as 
federal  food  administrator  for  Ada  county  in  conjunction  with  Craig  Coffin,  cashier 
of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank. 


DANIEL  W.  CHURCH. 

Daniel  W.  Church,  who  has  recently  become  connected  with  the  state  administra- 
tion of  Boise  and  who  is  well  known  in  financial  circles  in  Idaho  as  the  president  of 
the  Bannock  National  Bank  of  Pocatello,  was  born  upon  a  ranch  near  Mankato,  Minne- 
sota, October  18,  1858.  His  experiences  have  largely  been  those  of  the  frontier,  with 
later  active  connection  with  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  west.  He  remem- 
bers distinctly  the  famous  Indian  massacre  which  occurred  near  Mankato  during  his 
youth,  when  he  saw  thirty-eight  of  the  Indians  who  were  implicated  hanged  at  that 
place.  One  of  the  settlers  warned  his  father  of  the  outbreak,  so  that  Mr.  Church  with 
a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  wagon  moved  his  family  from  the  ranch  where  they  lived  to  an 
old-fashioned  windmill,  where  they  safely  secreted  themselves  for  the  night,  and  the 
next  day  they  moved  on  to  Mankato,  where  they  took  up  their  permanent  residence 
and  lived  in  safety.  General  Sibley  was  in  command  of  the  military  forces  at  the 
time,  and  after  the  thirty-eight  Indians  were  executed,  the  remainder  of  the  savages 
were  removed  to  a  reservation  and  this  practically  ended  the  Indian  trouble  in 
Minnesota. 

After  leaving  school  in  Mankato  at  the  age  of  about  sixteen  years,  Mr.  Church  en- 
tered a  dry  goods  store  as  clerk  and  there  remained  until  1879,  when  he  removed  west- 
ward to  Evanston,  Wyoming,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
as  locomotive  fireman,  and  in  1882  was  promoted  engineer.  He  became  a  resident  of 
Portland,  Oregon,  and  was  with  the  Oregon  Railroad  &  Navigation  Company  as  an 
engineer.  He  served  in  that  connection  until  1883,  in  which  year  he  went  by  stage 
coach  from  Pendleton,  Oregon,  to  Mountain  Home,  Idaho,  and  thence  to  Shoshone.  Idaho. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad 
as  an  engineer  under  Master  Mechanic  Lewis  and  on  the  19th  of  January,  1884,  he 
pulled  the  first  train  from  Caldwell  to  Weiser,  which  at  that  time  was  the  terminus  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line,  the  construction  having  been  continued  only  to  that  point.  On 
the  following  morning  after  reaching  Weiser  and  when  starting  upon  the  return  trip 
with  a  mixed  train,  his  train  was  ditched,  caused  by  the  breaking  of  a  switch  rod,  and 
the  rear  part  of  the  train  was  wrecked.  No  one  was  injured,  but  the  accident  occa- 
sioned Mr.  Church  the  loss  of  his  position. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1884,  Mr.  Church  went  to  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  and 
accepted  a  position  in  the  railroad  shops  but  finally  went  to  work  again  as  an  engineer 
on  the  Northern  Pacific.  About  the  1st  of  November  of  the  same  year  he  again  lost 
his  job  and  returned  to  Shoshone  to  the  home  of  his  parents,  where  he  spent  the 
winter.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  went  to  work  in  the  shops  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line 
Railroad  at  Shoshone  and  in  a  short  time  became  a  fireman  on  a  locomotive,  while  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  returned  to  the  position  of  engineer.  Thus  he  con- 


DANIEL  W.  CHURCH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  253 

tinued  until  December  1,  1889.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
clothing  business  in  connection  with  George  North  of  Pocatello  but  continued  on  the 
railroad,  however,  for  a  time,  while  his  partner  conducted  the  clothing  store.  On  the 
1st  of  December,  however,  he  entered  the  store  as  an  active  partner  in  the  business. 
The  day  has  ever  been  a  memorable  one  to  him,  for  on  that  day  occurred  one  of  the 
most  terrific  blizzards  that  has  ever  figured  in  the  history  of  Idaho.  On  the  1st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1895,  Mr.  Church  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  to  Mr.  North  but  retained  the 
ownership  of  the  building.  He  then  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  with  Daniel 
Swinehart,  with  whom  he  continued  for  a  year,  when  he  sold  out  to  Sell  &  Reuss. 

Mr.  Church  has  always  been  more  or  less  deeply  and  actively  interested  in  politics 
and  in  April,  1896,  became  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  mayor  of  Pocatello  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  but  was  defeated.  On  the  1st  of  May  he  purchased  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness of  Edward  Stein  and  afterward  became  associated  with  Earl  C.  White  of  Pocatello 
and  in  1907  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  his  partner.  In  July  of  that  year  he 
became  the  cashier  of  the  Bannock  National  Bank,  with  which  he  was  thus  connected 
until  January  21,  1918,  when  he  became  its  president.  He  owns  a  farm  in  the  Fort  Hall 
irrigation  project  and  is  likewise  a  half  owner  in  the  magnificent  building  on  the  east 
side  of  Pocatello,  known  as  the  Church  &  White  block.  Associated  with  Mr.  North  and 
Mr.  Swinehart,  he  built  the  first  brick  building  in  Pocatello  in  1891  and  he  and  Mr. 
North  moved  their  clothing  stock  into  this  building  in  1892. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1894,  Mr.  Church  was  married  to  Miss  Chloe  Ramsey,  of  Port- 
land. Michigan,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  four  children:  Mabel  Minerva;  Daniel 
Whipple,  Jr.,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  who  is  now  in  France  with  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment; Arthur  Ramsey,  who  is  sixteen  years  of  age  and  is  attending  school  in  Pocatello; 
and  Bertha  Lucinda,  a  student  in  the  Pocatello  high  school. 

In  public  affairs  and  in  the  social  and  fraternal  life  of  Pocatello  and  other  sections 
of  the  state  Mr.  Church  is  widely  known.  He  is  a  Mason,  which  order  he  joined  in  18#8 
in  Shoshone,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and  he  is  also 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  It  was  Mr.  Church  who  or- 
ganized the  Elks  lodge  in  Pocatello  in  1901.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Rotary  Club,  also 
of  the  Commercial  Club  and  the  Shriners  Club.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  an  earnest 
republican  and  in  1909  he  was  elected  as  mayor  of  Pocatello,  serving  for  a  two  years' 
term.  He  also  became  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees.  For  five  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  city  council,  also  served  on  the  school  board  and  in  1898  was  elected 
to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  senate.  In  1912  he  acted  as  county  chairman  of 
the  republican  central  committee  and  he  was  chairman  of  the  second,  third  and  fourth 
Liberty  Loan  committees  in  Pocatello.  Mr.  Church  was  made  the  toastmaster  of  the 
Commercial  Club  at  the  dedication  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  depot  here  and  made 
the  occasion  a  memorable  one  with  all  the  old-timers  by  his  ever  ready  humor,  re- 
calling many  incidents  of  the  past  which  only  he  among  the  old-timers  was  able  to 
relate.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  best  story  tellers  and  after-dinner  speakers  in 
Idaho  and  his  presence  at  any  public  entertainment  always-  assures  a  good  time.  His 
popularity  is  proverbial  among  all  classes.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  and 
has  had  a  wide  and  varied  experience  in  western  life  such  as  would  be  impossible  to 
anyone  born  in  the  present  generation.  He  possesses  a  remarkable  memory  for  dates 
and  incidents  and  was  personally  acquainted  with  many  of  the  historical  characters 
of  early  western  life.  He  is  considered  one  of  Pocatello's  most  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive business  men,  where  he  is  known  to  his  many  friends  as  "Dan."  He  has 
recently  entered  upon  active  connection  with  the  interests  of  Boise  as  a  member  of 
the  present  administration  of  state  affairs  and  those  who  know  Daniel  W.  Church  feel 
that  Idaho  is  most  fortunate  in  gaining  his  services  in  this  connection. 


DANIEL  C.  McDOUGALL. 

Daniel  C.  McDougall,  to  whom  public  opinion  accords  the  honor  of  being  one 
of  the  best  attorney  generals  that  Idaho  has  ever  had,  is  now  engaged  in  the  private 
practice  of  law  in  Pocatello.  He  was  born  at  Delta,  New  York,  about  six  miles 
from  Rome,  on  the  5th  of  June,  1863.  His  birthplace  is  now  covered  by  a  lake 
which  furnishes  storage  for  the  Erie  canal.  His  father,  Isaac  McDougall,  was  a 
native  of  Schenectady,  New  York,  and  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  which 
elected  Roscoe  Conkling  to  the  United  States  senate.  His  occupation  was  that  of 


254  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

farming.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  both  have  passed 
away. 

Daniel  C.  McDougall  dates  his  residence  in  Idaho  from  1890,  when  he  settled 
at  Malad,  where  he  took  up  the  practice  of  law,  there  remaining  for  nineteen 
years,  or  until  1909,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  attorney  general  of  Idaho 
and  removed  to  Boise  in  January  of  that  year.  He  served  as  attorney  general 
during  the  administration  of  the  late  Governor  and  United  States  Senator  Brady, 
being  reelected,  he  also  served  through  the  administration  of  Governor  Hawley  and 
filled  the  office  with  marked  credit  and  ability,  being  acknowledged  one  of  the 
most  capable  men  who  has  ever  acted  as  attorney  general  of  Idaho.  With  his 
retirement  from  office  he  removed  to  Pocatello  and  entered  into  a  partnership  rela- 
tion as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  McDougall  &  Jones,  attorneys  at  law,  who  now 
receive  a  large  share  of  the  legal  business  of  this  portion  of  the  state.  Their 
offices  are  located  in  the  Hub  building  and  their  clientage  is  very  extensive  and 
important.  The  thoroughness  with  which  he  prepares  his  cases  has  always  been 
one  of  the  marked  characteristics  of  Mr.  McDougall's  law  work.  He  is  never 
surprised  by  an  unexpected  attack  of  an  adversary  but  prepares  his  cases  from  the 
•standpoint  of  defense  as  well  as  of  prosecution.  His  mind  is  naturally  analytical, 
logical  and  inductive,  and  his  deductions  bear  the  stamp  of  a  keen,  clear  and  most 
minute  reasoning. 

In  January,  1892,  Mr.  McDougall  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Owens,  of  Ogden, 
Utah,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children.  Isaac  E.,  twenty-eight  years 
of  age,  is  the  present  county  prosecuting  attorney.  Harry  O.,  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  at  the  training  camp  at  Moscow,  Idaho, 
but  resigned  his  commission  as  a  member  of  the  infantry  to  become  a  member 
of  the  Air  Corps,  of  which  he  is  a  first  lieutenant.  He  took  part  in  forty-two 
bombardments  and  thirty-eight  air  battles,  was  cited  for  bravery  and  awarded 
the  distinguished  service  cross  and  croix  de  guerre.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
without  examination  by  the  supreme  court  when  he  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  and  joined  the  service  of  his  country.  Helen  Elizabeth  is  now  attending 
the  University  of  Wisconsin,  pursuing  a  special  course  in  French  and  Spanish. 
Daniel  C.  Jr.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  became  a  member  of  the  Students  Army 
Training  Corps  of  Moscow,  Idaho.  Mr.  McDougall  has  every  reason  to  be  proud 
of  what  his  son  did  in  the  aerial  service  and  also  his  intellectual  powers  and  ac- 
complishments as  a  representative  of  the  bar. 

While  the  son  was  at  the  front  Mr.  McDougall  was  doing  his  full  part  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the  country  through  work  at  home.  He  was  the  vice 
president  of  the  County  Council  of  Defense,  was  one  of  the  Four  Minute  men  and 
chairman  of  the  census  committee.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  an  Elk  and  a 
Woodman  of  the  World.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  poise  and  pleasant  manner,  easy  of 
approach,  whose  ambition  is  centered  in  his  profession  and  whose  pleasure  is 
centered  in  his  home. 


ED.  F.   FOWLER. 

Ed.  F.  Fowler,  the  pioneer  jeweler  of  Boise  and  one  whose  business  record 
measures  up  to  the  highest  commercial  standards,  was  born  in  Stephenson  county, 
Illinois,  June  20,  1856,  his  birthplace  being  a  little  one-room  log  cabin  on  a  farm 
near  Freeport.  His  parents  were  Harry  G.  and  Sallie  Marie  (Pickard)  Fowler. 
The  father  was  born  in  Vermont,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  went  to  Illinois 
with  his  father  and  brother.  He  took  up  farming  in  early  manhood  and  also 
devoted  a  part  of  his  time  to  school-teaching.  Later  he  conducted  a  harness 
shop  in  Lena,  Illinois,  but  business  interests  were  accorded  none  of  his  attention 
when  the  country  needed  his  military  aid.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war  as  a  member  of  Company  G,  Ninety-second  Illinois  Regiment,  and  remained 
at  the  front  until  victory  crowned  the  Union  arms.  He  died  in  Lena,  Illinois,  in 
1883  and  is  still  survived  by  his  widow,  who  is  now  nearly  eighty  years  of  age 
and  resides  with  a  daughter  in  Roscoe.  Illinois. 

Ed.  F.  Fowler  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  at  Lena,  Illinois,  his  parents 
there  removing  from  the  farm  when  he  was  a  little  lad  of  but  four  summers.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  after  whi«h 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  255 

he  worked  in  his  father's  harness  shop  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  thorough- 
ly learning  the  harness  maker's  trade  save  cutting  and  fitting.  His  father  wished 
him  to  become  a  harness  maker  but  on  reaching  adult  age  Mr.  Fowler  decided 
upon  another  course  in  life.  He  did  not  dislike  the  trade  but  the  extremely  high 
temperature  of  the  harness  shop  in  cold  weather  proved  detrimental  to  his  health, 
as  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the  leather  warm  and  soft.  Accordingly  he  decided 
to  learn  the  jeweler's  trade  and  apprenticed  himself  to  a  local  jeweler  in  Lena, 
Illinois,  serving  a  term  of  three  years  and  two  months  In  that  store.  In  1882  he 
made  his  way  westward  to  Nebraska  and  for  eight  years  was  engaged  in  the 
jewelry  trade  there.  In  1890  he  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  opened  a  jewelry 
store  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  business  here  ever  since,  being  the  pioneer 
jeweler  of  the  city  engaged  exclusively  in  that  line  of  trade.  He  belongs  to  the 
Idaho  State  Jewelers  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  Association  of 
Optometrists,  of  which  he  has  served  as  president.  He  has  always  carried  an 
attractive  line  of  goods  and  his  reasonable  prices  and  earnest  efforts  to  please  his 
patrons  have  been  the  foundation  of  a  growing  and  profitable  business. 

In  Nebraska,  Mr.  Fowler  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Glasser,  who  was  born 
near  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  and  togther  they  have  traveled  life's  journey  for 
more  than  thirty-five  years.  They  have  two  daughters:  Maude  Inez,  who  enlisted 
in  government  service  for  the  duration  of  the  war,  becoming  a  bookkeeper  at 
Bremerton,  Oregon;  and  Ethel  Lucile,  at  home  with  her  parents.  Both  daughters 
are  fond  of  art,  in  which  they  have  developed  decided  talent,  and  the  younger 
daughter  is  also  a  musician. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fowler  has  always  been  a  republican.  His  father  was  originally 
a  whig  but  in  1854,  on  the  organization  of  the  republican  party,  joined  its  ranks, 
and  in  that  political  faith  Ed.  F.  Fowler  was  reared  and  has  never  seen  occasion 
to  change  his  allegiance.  While  always  a  stalwart  supporter  of  republican  prin- 
ciples, he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  is  a  past  chancellor  of  his  lodge.  He  also  has  membership  in  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  has  been  a  faithful  follower  of  its  teachings, 
while  the  sterling  traits  of  character  which  he  has  manifested  throughout  his 
entire  life  have  gained  for  him  the  warm  regard  of  all  with  whom  business  or  social 
relations  have  brought  him  in  contact. 


RAYMOND  C.  WILSON. 

• 

Raymond  C.  Wilson,  cashier  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  St.  Anthony, 
was  born  in  Denver,  Colorado,  November  26,  1884,  his  parents  being  Marion  G.  and 
Mary  E.  (Chamberlain)  Wilson.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  was  a 
railroad  man  who  also  followed  mining  for  a  number  of  years.  He  removed  west- 
ward to  Colorado  in  1875  and  settled  in  Denver,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
feed  business  in  the  early  days.  He  was  working  in  the  mines  at  Georgetown, 
Colorado,  when  the  state  was  admitted  into  the  Union.  Later  he  removed  to 
Pueblo  and  afterward  was  at  Cripple  Creek,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  May  23,  1917.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
is  still  living,  now  making  her  home  at  Bremerton,  Washington. 

Raymond  C.  Wilson  was  largely  reared  and  educated  in  Pueblo,  Colorado,  being 
there  graduated  from  the  Central  high  school  with  the  class  of  1904.  He  spent 
one  year  as  a  student  in  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines  at  Golden,  but  when  his 
father  died  it  was  necessary  that  he  go  to  work  and  provide  for  his  own  support. 
He  secured  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with  the  Woods  Investment  Company  and 
remained  with  them  for  three  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Golden 
Cycle  Mining  Company  at  Cripple  Creek  and  was  with  them  for  eight  years.  The 
company  then  purchased  two  banks  and  Mr.  Wilson  was  made  assistant  cashier 
of  the  Cripple  Creek  State  Bank,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1917.  This 
was  a  .('arleton  institution.  On  leaving  that  bank  he  removed  to  St.  .Anthony, 
Idaho,  and  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the  Commercial  National 
Bank,  where  he  proved  his  capability  in  so  efficient  a  manner  that  after  four 
months  he  was  made  cashier.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  bank  and  is  now 
largely  shaping  its  policy,  which  is  of  a  most  progressive  character,  tempered  by  a 
safe  conservatism. 


256  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  August,  1909,  Mr.  Wilson  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Ridell,  and  they  now 
have  three  children:  Ruth  M.,  who  was  born  in  September,  1910;  Clark  L., 
born  in  June,  1914;  and  Howard  G.,  born  in  February,  1919. 

Mr.  Wilson  belongs  to  the  -Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  loyal  follower  of  the 
craft.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  stands  stanchly 
for  every  interest  which  he  believes  of  benefit  in  matters  of  citizenship.  His  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


JAMES  THOMAS  LAUGHLIN. 

Mercantile  interests  in  Boise  find  a  prominent  representative  in  James  Thomas 
Laughlin,  who  has  one  of  the  highest  class  jewelry  stores  of  the  city,  his  establish- 
ment being  located  at  No.  802  Main  street.  .  Not  only  does  he  carry  well  selected 
lines  but  he  also  enjoys  a  high  reputation  as  an  optometrist.  His  store  is  known 
as  one  of  the  Hallmark  stores,  which  alone  gives  to  his  patrons  the  highest  guaran- 
tee of  reliability.  The  Hallmark  stores  are  members  of  the  United  Jewelers,  Inc., 
an  association  which  is  composed  of  more  than  eight  hundred  of  the  leading  jewelers 
throughout  the  country,  and  only  one  jeweler  in  any  community  is  eligible  to 
membership.  It  need  not  be  said  that  standards  must  be  of  the  highest.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  national  association  do  an  annual  business  of  over  twenty-five  million 
dollars  and  cooperatively  own  and  control  the  product  of  many  great  factories,  so 
that  virtually  each  member  is  his  own  manufacturer.  In  this  way  goods  can  be 
sold  at  a  minimum  without  endangering  the  quality  of  the  merchandise  handled. 
The  design  and  workmanship  of  the  goods  handled  by  the  Hallmark  stores  are 
always  of  the  best,  for  they  carry  only  exclusive  designs.  As  far  as  value,  style, 
workmanship,  quality  and  distinctiveness  of  the  merchandise  are  concerned  the 
Hallmark  stores  have  therefore  an  advantage  over  competitors  and  it  is  but  natural 
that  Mr.  Laughlin  has  built  up  one  of  the  foremost  establishments  of  its  kind  in 
the  capital  city.  In  fact  his  store  is  a  credit  to  Boise  and  besides  the  advantages 
set  forth  there  has  entered  into  his  business  that  creditable  enterprise  which  is  one 
of  his  personal  characteristics.  His  customers  are  always  treated  with  consideration 
and  satisfactorily  served,  and  his  list  of  patrons  is  therefore  a  long  one  and  is 
continually  growing. 

Mr.  Laughlin  came  to  Boise  in  1895  and  has  therefore  been  a  resident  of  the 
city  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1863,  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  Laughlin,  also  a  native  of  Harrison  county, 
where  he  was  for  many  years  quite  successful  as  an  agriculturist.  He  is  now 
living  in  Wayne  county,  Nebraska,  and  has  reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  He  at  first  removed  from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Iowa  and  subsequently 
to  Nebraska.  The  mother  of  our  subject  passed  away  when  her  son,  James  Thomas, 
was  but  seven  years  of  age,  in  1870.  Subsequently  Mr.  Laughlin,  Sr.,  married  Mrs. 
Margaret  Clark,  the  ceremony  being  performed  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  this  esti- 
mable lady  fully  took  the  mother's  place  in  regard  to  James  T.  Laughlin  and  his  four 
brothers.  She  has  also  passed  away  and  her  demise  was  sincerely  mourned  by  all  of 
the  family.  Our  subject  has  one  brother  living,  Eli  Laughlin,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Wayne  county,  Nebraska. 

James  T.  Laughlin  remained  with  his  father  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Iowa  and  in  those 
states  he  received  his  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  however,  he  left  hpme 
and  went  to  Avoca,  Iowa,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  jewelry  store. 
In  1886  he  began  his  westward  course  by  going  to  Omaha,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  a  large  wholesale  and  retail  jewelry  establishment  which  also  was  engaged 
in  manufacturing.  Six  months  later,  in  August,  1886,  he  went  to  the  famous  watch 
city  of  Massachusetts — Waltham — where  he  spent  eight  years  with  the  Waltham 
Watch  Company.  During  that  period  he  was  a  valued  employe  in  the  finishing  and 
adjusting  departments.  He  already  was  a  competent  jeweler  when  he  arrived  in 
Waltham  but  in  that  factory  he  greatly  improved  his  knowledge  in  regard  to  all 
the  infinitesimal  details  of  watch  making.  Desiring,  however,  to  make  himself 
Independent  in  the  business  world,  he  concluded  that  the  west  offered  better  oppor- 
tunities and  in  1895  he  came  to  Boise,  which  has  since  remained  his  home.  Here 
he  has  built  up  a  substantial  establishment,  so  that  he  is  now  considered  one  of  the 


JAMES  T.  LAUOHLIN 


Vol.  II— IT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  259 

leading  business  men  of  the  city  as  well  as  one  of  the  pioneer  jewelers.  The  quality 
of  his  goods  ever  comes  up  to  the  expectations  of  those  who  purchase  them  and  it 
is  therefore  but  natural  that  confidence  and  trust  have  grown  up  between  him  and 
his  large  patronage. 

In  Waltham,  Massachusetts,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1889,  Mr.  Laughlin  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Evelyn  S.  Elliott  and  they  reside  in  a  handsome  home  at  No.  1101 
Jefferson  street,  Boise.  A  number  of  years  ago  he  purchased  the  lot  with  a  view 
toward  building  and  in  1907  erected  thereon  a  modernly  appointed,  high  class 
apartment  building  which  in  every  way  meets  the  highest  demands  of  the  most 
discriminating  renter.  He  thus  has  provided  not  only  a  splendid  home  for  himself 
but  also  receives  a  most  gratifying  income  from  the  investment.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  perfectly  level  velvety  green  lawn  and  maples  and  elms  set  off  the  picture 
and  afford  the  necessary  shade. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laughlin  are  Christian  Scientists,  and  fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Masons,  in  which  he  has  taken  the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scottish 
Rite,  and  is  also  a  Shriner.  He  is  likewise  identified  with  the  Elks.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Commercial  Club,  ever  giving  his  support  to  measures  under- 
taken by  that  organization  in  the  interests  of  a  greater  and  better  Boise,  and  along 
the  line  of  his  business  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  State  Association  of  Optometrists. 
There  is  much  that  is  creditable  In  the  career  of  Mr.  Laughlin,  as  he  has  made  his 
way  in  the  world  practically  unaided,  and  his  career  furnishes  a  valuable  example 
of  what  may  be  accomplished  when  there  is  the  will  to  dare  and  to  do. 


HON.    DREW   W.    STANDROD. 

Hon.  Drew  W.  Standrod  has  long  been  a  consistent  and  conscientious  worker 
for  the  welfare  of  Idaho  without  idea  of  material  gain  for  himself,  and  while 
he  is  now  living  retired  from  public  office  and  partially  from  business,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  a  man  of  his  studious  nature  and  discriminating  mind  not  to 
keep  in  close  touch  with  the  vital  problems  and  questions  of  the  day  and  exer- 
cise at  least  in  a  quiet  manner  a  marked  influence  over  public  thought  and  action. 
A  lawyer  by  profession,  the  strength  of  his  argument  in  the  discussion  of  any 
public  question  is  at  once  evident  and  his  opinions  are  at  all  times  based  upon 
a  thorough  study  of  the  points  at  issue.  Aside  from  his  profession,  in  which 
he  won  marked  success  and  high  judicial  preferment,  he  figured  most  promi- 
nently'in  banking  circles,  but  all  this  has  been  largely  put  aside  that  he  may 
live  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  those  pursuits  to  which  a  discriminating  taste 
and  an  habitual  trend  of  mind  direct  him. 

Judge  Standrod  was  born  at  Rockcastle,  Kentucky,  August  12,  1859,  and 
comes  of  Scotch  ancestry  of  a  remote  period,  however,  the  family  having  been 
represented  on  American  soil  from  early  colonial  days.  His  grandparents  were 
Basil  and  Rebecca  (Rogers)  Standrod.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Samuel  and  Elvira 
(Campbell)  Standrod,  also  natives  of  Kentucky  where  the  father  practiced  for 
many  years  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  of  Rockcastle.  His  wife  died  of  cholera 
in  1873,  when  but  thirty-three  years  of  age,  after  which  Dr.  Standrod  removed 
to  the  west  and  for  some  years  was  a  resident  of  Malad,  Idaho,  where  he  passed 
away  in  1885,  in  his  sixtieth  year.  The  family  numbered  seven  children,  of 
whom  three  reached  adult  age,  but  the  only  two  now  living  are  Drew  W.  and 
Mrs.  Frances  Nicholas,  a  resident  of  Ogden,  Utah. 

Judge  Standrod  continued  his  education  at  Cadiz  Institute.  Kentucky,  after 
mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  there 
graduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1880,  following  which  he  was  at  once 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  it  was  not  long  afterward  that  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Malad,  Idaho.  No  dreary  novitiate  awaited  him. 
Almost  immediately  his  ability  was  recognized  and  he  was  soon  accorded  a  large 
and  distinctively  representative  clientage.  The  thoroughness  with  which  he  pre- 
pared his  cases  was  at  once  evident  and  he  was  seldom  if  ever  at  fault  in  the 
application  of  a  legal  principle.  Recognition  of  his  ability  came  to  him  in  elec- 
tion to  the  office  of  district  attorney  in  1886  and  at  the  close  of  a  two  years' 
term  he  was  reelected  to  that  position,  In  which  he  served  until  1889.  That 
year  brought  him  election  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  fifth  judicial  district 


260  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  Idaho  and  his  record  upon  the  bench  was  in  harmony  with  his  record  as  a 
man  and  a  lawyer,  distinguished  by  marked  fidelity  to  duty  and  by  a  masterful 
grasp  of  every  point  presented  for  solutfon.  His  decisions  were  the  highest 
expression  of  justice  as  interpreted  by  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  his  capability 
led  to  his  continuance  upon  the  bench  through  popular  suffrage  until  1899. 

Four  years  before  his  retirement  from  office  Judge  Standrod  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Pocatello  and  at  the  close  of  his  judicial  service  he  reentered  upon  the 
private  practice  of  law  and  was  soon  accorded  a  most  extensive  clientage.  He 
possesses  much  natural  ability  but  was  withal  a  hard  student  and  was  never 
contented  until  he  had  mastered  every  detail  of  his  cases.  He  believed  in  the 
maxim  "There  is  no  excellence  without  labor"  and  he  followed  it  closely, 
fortifying  himself  as  well  for  defense  as  for  attack,  so  that  he  was  never  sur- 
prised by  some  unexpected  discovery  by  an  opposing  lawyer.  Whatever  he.  did 
was  for  the  best  interests  of  his  clients  and  for  the  honor  of  his  profession. 
No  man  gives  to  either  a  more  unqualified  allegiance  or  riper  ability  than  did 
Judge  Standrod  and  so  high  was  the  respect  entertained  for  his  legal  ability 
and  integrity  that  his  assertions  in  court  were  seldom  questioned  seriously. 
Following  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  entered  into  a  partnership  under 
the  firm  style  of  Standrod  &  Terrell  and  thus  practiced  for  a  number  of  years. 
While  upon  the  bench  he  presided  over  one  of  the  largest  districts  of  the  state, 
including  Oneida,  Bingham,  Bannock,  Fremont,  Lemhi,  Custer  and  Bear  Lake 
counties. 

In  banking  circles,  too,  Judge  Standrod  won  a  notable  place  and  most  hon- 
orable position.  He  became  interested  with  J.  N.  Ireland,  W.  G.  Jenkins  and 
D.  L.  and  L.  L.  Evans  in  eleven  different  banking  institutions  in  the  Inter- 
Mountain  country,  nine  of  these  banks  being  rated  among  the  strongest  national 
and  private  financial  institutions  of  Idaho.  In  1895  the  five  partners  acquired 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Pocatello,  of  .which  Judge  Standrod  was  elected  vice 
president,  while  later  he  was  chosen  for  the  presidency.  He  afterward  became 
president  of  the  bank  of  D.  W.  Standrod  &  Company  at  Blackfoot,  a  director 
of  the  private  bank  of  J.  N.  Ireland  &  Company  at  Malad,  the  D.  L.  Evans  & 
Company  private  bank  at  Albion,  the  W.  G.  Jenkins  &  Company  bank  at  Mackay, 
the  Evans  State  Bank  at  American  Falls  and  the  Bank  of  Commerce  at  Arco,  a 
stockholder  in  the  State  Bank  at  Downey  and  the  executive  head  of  the  First 
Savings  Bank  of  Pocatello;  In  1915  he  sold  his  interests  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Pocatello  and  the  First  Savings  Bank.  He  had  been  the  organizer  of 
the  latter  and  wrote  the  charter  under  which  the  bank  did  business.  In  1913, 
associated  with  J.  N.  Ireland  and  Captain  Healey,  he  purchased  the  Haywood 
interest  in  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Ogden,  Utah,  which  has  a  total 
capital  of  over  two  million  dollars  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  strongest  bank- 
ing institutions  in  the  state.  In  the  same  year  he  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  the  National  City  Bank  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  which  was  formed  with  a 
capital  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  while  it  now  has  a  capital 
of  five  million  dollars.  Judge  Standrod  also  organized  the  Lava  Hot  Springs 
State  Bank  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Idaho  Falls  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  is  a  director.  While  he  is  still  financially  interested  in  various 
important  banking  concerns'  and  business  enterprises,  he  has  practically  retired 
from  all  active  business. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1888,  Judge  Standrod  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Van  Wormer,  a  native  of  New  York  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Van 
Patten)  Van  Wormer,  who  were  likewise  born  in  that  state  and  belonged  to  old 
Knickerbocker  stock.  Mrs.  Standrod  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  / 
American  families,  dating  in  America  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  island 
of  Manhattan  and  figuring  prominently  in  the  history  of  the  little  Dutch  colony 
and  of  the  state  through  the  period  of  British  occupancy  and  on  through  the 
Revolutionary  war  period.  The  ancestral  line  is  traced  back  to  Dominie  Ever- 
hardus  Bogardus,  the  first  settled  minister  of  the  New  Netherlands,  who  came 
to  America  from  Holland  in  1633,  with  his  friend,  Governor  Wouter  Van  Twiller, 
and  arriving  in  New  Amsterdam,  founded  the  first  Dutch  Reformed  church  of 
the  new  world.  He  was  its  pastor  until  he  met  death  by  accidental  drowning 
September  27,  1647.  His  home  was  located  on  what  is  now  Broad  street  in 
New  York  city.  One  of  his  descendants  was  the  Rev.  Cornelius  Bogardus,  founder 
and  pastor  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  of  Schenectady,  New  York.  From 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  261 

his  branch  of  the  family  Mrs.  Standrod  is  descended.  Her  first  American  ances- 
tor in  the  paternal  line  was  Casper  Van  Wormer,  who  was  also  one  of  the  earliest 
colonizers  to  settle  in  the  Hudson  river  valley.  He  married  Eva  Van  Dyke, 
whose  parents  were  also  from  Holland  and  were  of  the  same  family  as  was 
Fiscal  Van  Dyke,  the  treasurer  of  the  New  Netherlands  in  colonial  days  and 
one  of  the  two  associates  of  Governor  Peter  Stuyvesant.  The  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Standrod  in  the  maternal  line  was  Captain  John  Van  Patten,  who  served 
as  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  who  through  intermarriage  with  the 
famous  Conde  family  of  Huguenot  blood  was  united  with  the  house  of  Van 
Patten.  The  great-grandmother  of  Mrs.  Standrod  was  Catalina  Bogardus,  who 
married  Adam  rondo.  To  Judge  and  Mrs.  Standrod  were  born  two  children: 
Elvira  Campbell,  who  died  in  1906  after  a  brief  illness;  and  Drew  W.,  Jr. 

Judge  Standrod  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  repre- 
sentatives of  the  republican  party  in  the  northwest.  In  1896  and  again  in  1898 
he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  supreme  judge  of  Idaho.  In 
1900  he  became  its  candidate  for  governor  although  political  conditions  were 
such  in  the  state  that  all  knew  there  was  no  hope  of  election.  He  has  never 
failed  to  consistently  support  the  republican  party  in  all  of  its  campaigns,  both 
as  a  campaign  speaker  and  as  a  writer.  He  presents  his  question  in  the  same 
manner  in  which  he  has  put  forth  his  evidence  in  the  courts.  Having  taken  active 
part  in  promoting  and  encouraging  power  and  .water  projects  In  Idaho,  being 
connected  with  such  public  utilities  at  American  Falls,  Montpelier  and  Downey, 
it  was  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Governor  John  M.  Haines  urgently  requested 
him  to  accept  an  appointment  as  a  member  of  Idaho's  first  public  utilities  com- 
mission, his  appointment  being  for  a  term  of  six  years.  He  helped  to  organize 
the  commission  which  had  under  its  control  all  utilities  of  the  state,  its  oper- 
ation proving  a  remarkable  success.  Judge  Standrod  remained  a  member  of 
the  commission  until  1914,  when  he  resigned. 

At  the  time  of  the  World  war  Judge  Standrod  was  called  upon  to  give  his 
son  to  the  service  of  the  country,  for  at  that  time  Drew  W.  Standroa,  Jr.,  enlisted 
in  the  Officers  Reserve  Corps  and  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant.  He  was 
transferred  from  Camp  Lewis,  Washington,  to  Blacksburg,  Virginia,  and  was 
made  a  teacher  in  the  Polytechnic  Institute  there.  Later  he  was  commissioned 
captain  as  a  reward  for  his  efficiency  and  valuable  service.  Although  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  he  was  one  of  only  two  in  his  class  who  were  marked  excellent 
in  military  examination.  In  1916  he  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  and  was  in 
active  practice  until  war  was  declared.  He  is  a  young  man  of  splendid  mental 
powers  and  capacities,  "well  descended  and  well  bred,"  whose  ideals  of  life, 
professional  and  otherwise,  will  undoubtedly  bring  him  most  prominently  to  the 
front.  While  his  son  was  on  duty  in  the  east  Judge  Standrod  was  serving  as 
food  administrator,  without  pay,  for  Bannock  county,  doing  most  excellent  work 
in  this  connection.  He  has  used  every  possible  opportunity  of  raising  himself  to 
the  level  of  the  high  American  ideals  which  he  entertains. 


WILLIAM  L.  FRAZIER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  William  L.  Frazier,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Randolph  county,  Missouri,  May  4,  1877,  a  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  H.  and  Deniza  E. 
(Epperly)  Frazier,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  The  father,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia,  was  both  a  farmer  and  physician.  He  was  graduated  from  a  medical 
college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  practiced  for  about  a  third  of  a  century  in  Missouri, 
where  he  passed  away  in  1892.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  two  decades, 
her  death  occurring  in  1913.  Dr.  Frazier  of  this  review  is  the  only  member  of  the 
family  living  in  Idaho  but  has  four  living  brothers  and  four  living  sisters.  One 
of  the  former,  Dr.  Leland  Frazier,  was  formerly  a  surgeon  of  the  United  States 
Army,  but  is  now  practicing  in  Rupert,  Idaho.  Another  brother  is  Joseph  Frazier, 
a  graduate  of  the  West  Point  Military  Academy  of  the  class  of  1891  and  now  a 
lieutenant  colonel  in  the  United  States  regular  army.  Oliver  Frazier  is  an  attorney 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  Aubrey  C.  Frazier  follows  farming  in  Missouri. 

Dr.  William  L.  Frazier  was  reared  upon  a  Missouri  farm  and  acquired  his 
early  education  in  a  country  school.  He  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his 


262  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

father  died,  after  which  he  assumed  the  burden  and  responsibility  of  operating  the 
home  farm,  to  which  he  gave  his  attention  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
being  the  eldest  son  at  home.  Thus  he  assisted  in  caring  for  his  mother  and  the 
younger  children  of  the  family,  and  in  this  and  other  ways  he  earned  the  money 
necessary  to  pay  his  expenses  while  in  medical  college.  After  reaching  the  age 
of  twenty  he  taught  school  for  three  years  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  entered 
the  Missouri  Valley  College,  a  Presbyterian  institution,  in  which  he  pursued  a 
two  years'  academic  course.  When  twenty-six  years  of  age  he  matriculated  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  Missouri  State  University  at  Columbia,  Missouri,  and 
was  there  graduated  in  1908,  winning  his  professional  degree  when  thirty  years  of 
age.  He  practiced  medicine  first  at  Warren,  Texas,  from  1908  until  1910  and  in  the 
latter  year  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Mountain  Home,  where  he  followed  his  pro- 
fession until  December,  1917.  He  had  previously  taken  a  post-graduate  surgical 
course  under  the  famous  Mayo  Brothers  of  Rochester,  Minnesota,  in  1915.  Re- 
moving from  Mountain  Home  to  Boise  in  1917,  he  has  since  practiced  in  the  capital 
city.  While  he  still  continues  in  the  general  practice  of  medicine,  he  is  particularly 
skilled  in  surgery  and  his  practice  is  largely  along  that  line*  He  has  done  much 
research  work,  particularly  as  to  the  cause  of  diabetes,  and  at  all  times  he  keeps 
in  touch  with  the  latest  scientific  discoveries  and  investigation.  He  has  been  a 
frequent  and  valued  contributor  to  the  standard  medical  publications  and  he  is 
now  preparing  a  treatise  on  typhoid  fever  which  will  be  published  in  book  form. 
He  finds  his  chief  interest,  recreation  and  delight  in  research  work. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1908,  Dr.  Frazier  was  married  in  the  state  of  Missouri 
to  Miss  Mary  S.  Walsh,  of  Miami,  Missouri,  who  had  formerly  been  a  teacher.  They 
have  become  parents  of  three  sons:  William  Lawrence,  Jr.,  Edward  Leland  and 
Virgil  Lowry.  All  are  strong,  healthy  boys. 

Dr.  Frazier  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith  and  in  early  manhood  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  to 
every  cause  which  he  espouses  he  is  ever  found  true  and  loyal,  cooperating  to  the 
extent  of  his  time  and  ability  in  its  support.  His  success  is  the  result  of  direct 
and  earnest  effort,  the  pursuit  of  a  well  defined  plan  and  the  stimulus  of  a  laudable 
ambition.  Helpfulness  has  been  a  keynote  of  his  character,  manifest  from  the 
time  when  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years  he  took  up  the  responsibility  of  aid- 
ing in  the  support  of  his  mother  and  her  younger  children.  He  is  continually  ex- 
tending an  assisting  hand  to  those  who  need  aid  and  his  cheerfulness  and  encour- 
agement constitute  a  vital  force  in  his  success  in  medical  practice. 


GEORGE  D.   SNELL. 

George  D.  Snell  is  the  vice  president  and  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  the  oldest  and  strongest  bank  north  of  Idaho  Falls.  He  was 
born  at  Spanish  Fork,  Utah,  January  23,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  George  D.  and  Alex- 
anderine  (McLean)  Snell,  who  were  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  England  respec- 
tively. The  father  came  to  Utah  in  1854,  settling  in  Salt  Lake  City,  but  after  a  short 
time  removed  to  Spanish  Fork,  where  he  became  a  bishop  of  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  purchased  land  there  and  continued  its  cultivation 
for  many  years,  while  subsequently  he  became  interested  in  merchandising  and  in 
banking,  devoting  a  considerable  portion  of  his  life  to  those  interests.  In  1906  he 
retired  from  active  business  and  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  May,  1911.  The  mother  came  to  America  in  1857  and 
is  still  living,  her  home  being  now  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

George  D.  Snell  .was  reared  in  Spanish  Fork  and  there  pursued  his  education. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  had  attained  his  majority  and  worked  in  the  cooper- 
ative store  for  several  years.  In  1892  he  was  sent  upon  a  mission  for  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  to  the  British  isles,  where  he  labored  for  two  years. 
Following  his  return  home  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  county  collector 
on  the  republican  ticket  in  1894  but  was  defeated.  He  then  entered  the  Bank  of 
Spanish  Fork  as  cashier  and  subsequently  bought  the  controlling  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, remaining  as  the  executive  head  of  the  bank  until  1906.  In  the  meantime  he  and 
his  brother,  Cyrus  E.  Snell,  had  purchased  the  Payson  Exchange  Savings  Bank,  at 
Payson,  Utah,  and  in  1906  George  D.  Snell  acquired  an  interest  in  the  First  National 


GEORGE  D.  SNELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  265 

Bank  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  becoming  cashier  of  the  latter  institution  and  occupying 
the  position  for  five  years,  or  until  1911,  when  he  sold  out.  He  and  his  brother, 
Francis  M.  Snell,  became  purchasers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  St.  Anthony,  Idaho, 
buying  out  G.  E.  Bowerman.  Later  their  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  but  they 
immediately  erected  a  fine  two-story  structure  seventy-five  by  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  at  a  cost  of  forty-five  thousand  dollars.  Such  a  building  today  could  not  be 
put  up  for  less  than  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  They  have  recently  remodeled 
the  bank  building,  installing  new  marble  fixtures  and  making  it  in  equipment  and  in 
banking  methods  an  institution  that  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  greater  size. 
The  bank  was  organized  in  1889  as  a  state  bank  but  was  nationalized  in  1901.  The 
present  officers  are  Francis  M.  Snell,  president,  and  George  D.  Snell,  vice  president  and 
cashier.  The  bank  has  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  all  paid  in,  has  a 
surplus  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  its  deposits  amount  to  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  The  bank  has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  business  from  the  beginning. 
Its  business  methods  have  always  been  such  as  would  bear  the  closest  investigation 
and  scrutiny  and  from  the  beginning  its  officers  have  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
bank  is  most  worthy  of  support  and  confidence  which  most  carefully  safeguards  the 
interests  of  its  patrons.  Mr.  Snell  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Spanish  Fork,  Utah,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  directors,  and  he  likewise  has  farm- 
ing interests  in  Fremont  county  and  is  connected  with  the  Fremont  Abstract  Company 
of  St.  Anthony.  His  real  estate  interests  embrace  residence  property  in  both  Salt 
Lake  City  and  St.  Anthony. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1905,  Mr.  Snell  was  married  to  Ivy  B.  Price  and  to  them  have 
been  born  three  children:  George  D.,  Jr.,  who  was  born  April  4,  1909;  Helen  Mae, 
who  was  born  August  15,  1917,  and  died  on  the  9th  of  October  of  the  same  year;  and 
Eleanor  Ann,  born  September  6,  1918. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snell  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Quorum  of  Seventy.  His  political  endorsement  is  given 
to  the  republican  party,  which  finds  in  him  a  stalwart  advocate.  His  business  affairs 
are  capably  conducted.  Tireless  energy,  keen  perception  and  honesty  of  purpose, 
joined  to  every-day  common-sense  and  the  genius  for  devising  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time,  have  been  and  are  his  chief  characteristics. 


ALEXANDER  W.   GATE,  D.   D.   S. 

Dr.  Alexander  W.  Cate  is  the  third  oldest  dentist  of  Boise  in  years  of  contin- 
uous connection  with  the  profession  in  this  city.  He  removed  to  Idaho  from  Chat- 
tanooga, Tennessee,  in  1894,  and  throughout  the  intervening  period,  or  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century,  he  has  continuously  practiced  dentistry  in  the  capital.  He  brought 
with  him  knowledge  and  experience,  having  through  the  previous  four  years  been 
in  active  practice  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee. 

Dr.  Cate  is  a  native  of  that  state.  He  was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Tennessee, 
June  6,  1867,  a  son  of  Robert  Elder  and  Armenda  (Stephenson)  Cate.  The  Cate 
family  is  of  French  descent  and  was  founded  in  America  by  four  brothers  who  came 
from  Normandy.  The  family  is  a  very  prominent  and  well  known  one  of  eastern 
Tennessee,  in  which  section  of  the  state  there  is  a  district  known  as  Gate's  Kingdom, 
so  numerous  are  the  representatives  of  the  family  there.  Both  the  parents  of  the 
Doctor  were  natives  of  Tennessee  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  state.  The 
father  operated  a  grist  mill  and  also  gave  his  attention  to  farming. 

Dr.  Cate  received  his  professional  training  in  the  dental  department  of  Van- 
derbilt  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1890.  He  at  once  located  for 
practice  in  Chattanooga,  where  he  remained  for  four  years,  and  then  attracted  by 
the  opportunities  of  the  growing  west,  removed  from  that  city  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in 
1894  and  thus  through  a  period  of  twenty-six  years  has  remained  in  practice  here, 
his  arrival  being  antedated  by  only  two  other  representatives  of  the  profession  who 
are  still  in  active  practice.  Dr.  Cate  was  a  member  of  the  International  Dental 
Congress  at  St.  Louis  in  1904. 

Dr.  Cate  has  been  married  twice.  On  the  3d  of  March,  1897,  he  wedded  Mrs. 
Cleo  S.  Ganter,  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Kentucky,  who  passed  away  July  27,  1913.  On 
the  3d  of  September,  1914,  he  married  Miss  Lena  R.  Morgan,  of  Tennessee,  with 


266 

whom  he  had  been  acquainted  in  his  boyhood  days,   and  they  now  have  one  son, 
Alexander  W.  Gate,  Jr.,  born  February  6,  1917. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Gate  are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  in  which  the  Doctor 
is  serving  as  deacon,  and  in  the  church  work  they  take  an  active  and  helpful  in- 
terest. Dr.  Gate  is  the  owner  of  a  prune  orchard,  nine  years  old,  which  he  is  de- 
veloping and  which  is  situated  five  miles  from  Boise.  He  has  an  attractive  home 
at  109  West  Jefferson  street  and  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  his  rose  garden,  in 
which  he  spends  his  leisure.  He  takes  the  greatest  delight  in  cultivating  the 
"queen  of  flowers"  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Rose  Society.  A  visit  to  his 
garden  cannot  fail  to  give  the  keenest  pleasure  to  any  lover  of  flowers. 


THOMAS   C.    HOLLINGSHEAD. 

Thomas  C.  Hollingshead,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  Oakes  &  Company,  whole- 
sale grocers  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  the  youngest  son  of  John  and 
Martha  Hollingshead,  who  are  mentioned  at  greater  length  on  another  page  of  this 
work  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  John  L.  Hollingshead. 

Spending  his  youthful  days  in  his  native  city,  Mr.  Hollingshead  was  there 
reared  and  educated.  He  supplemented  his  public  school  course  by  study  in  the 
Northwestern  University,  with  the  class  of  1892.  He  soon  afterward  entered  upon 
his  business  career,  which  has  brought  him  steadily  forward.  For  several  years 
he  was  identified  with  banking  interests  in  Chicago,  being  first  connected  with  the 
Chicago  National  Bank  and  later  with  the  National  Bank  of  the  Republic,  occupy- 
ing clerical  and  semi-official  positions.  He  dates  his  residence  in  Boise  from  1909 
and  through  the  intervening  period  has  been  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  wholesale 
grocery  firm  of  Oakes  &  Company,  with  his  elder  brother,  John  L.  Hollingshead. 
He  devotes  his  entire  attention  to  this  busines  and  his  close  application  and  enter- 
prise have  constituted  a  direct  and  salient  feature  in  the  attainment  of  the  success 
of  the  house,  the  trade  of  which  has  since  steadily  grown  and  developed. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1898,  Mr.  Hollingshead  was  married  in  Chicago  to 
Miss  Carolyn  H.  McMullan,  of  that  city,  and  they  have  one  son,  Robert  Creighton, 
who  was  born  November  30,  1902.  Mr.  Hollingshead  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Christian  Science  church,  in  which  he  is  serving  at  this  time  as  reader.  His  wife 
belongs  to  the  Columbian  Club,  is  active  in  the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, of  which  she  is  a  director,  and  is  also  an  earnest  Red  Cross  worker,  likewise 
serving  as  a  director  in  that  organization.  Mr.  Hollingshead  belongs  to  no  lodges 
or  clubs,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his  business  and  other  inter- 
ests, and  since  becoming  a  factor  in  the  commercial  circles  of  Boise  he  has  made 
steady  progress  through  the  progressive  methods  which  he  has  employed  in  the 
upbuilding  of  his  business. 


COLONEL   EDGAR   M.    HEIGHO. 

Colonel  Edgar  M.  Heigho,  formerly  president  of  the  Pacific  &  Idaho  Northern 
Railway  Company,  became  a  resident  of  Boise  in  the  fall  of  1918  after  having 
made  his  home  for  many  years  at  New  Meadows.  The  story  of  his  life  is  the  story 
of  earnest  endeavor  and  orderly  progression.  Born  in  Essex,  England,  on  the  23d 
of  October,  1867,  he  is  a  son  of  George  and  Amelia  (Stevens)  Heigho,  who  were 
natives  of  England  and  of  Anglo-Saxon  descent.  The  educational  advantages  which 
the  son  received  continued  only  until  he  reached  his  eleventh  year,  when  it  was 
necessary  that  he  provide  for  his  own  support.  Since  that  time  he  has  depended 
entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  has  justly  won  the  proud  American  title  of  a 
self-made  mar.  He  dates  his  residence  in  the  United  States  from  1874  and,  making 
his  way  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  he  there  secured  the  position  of  office  boy  en  the 
Detroit  Free  Press.  He  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  when  he  made  his  initial  step  in 
connection  with  railroad  interests,  entering  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  at 
Detroit.  He  was  afterward  connected  with  the  Erie  &  North  Shore  Despatch,  the 
Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway,  the  Commercial  Express  Fast  Freight  Line 
and  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  His  expanding  powers  and  his  fidelity  won  him 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  267 

promotion  from  time  to  time  and  in  1887  he  came  to  Boise  to  accept  the  position 
of  chief  clerk  to  the  superintendent  of  the  Idaho  Central  Railway.  He  served  in  that 
capacity  for  three  years  and  in  1891  became  transit  man  on  the  government  sur- 
vey of  the  Lost  River  district  of  Idaho.  He  returned  to  railway  service  in  1892 
as  an  employe  in  the  office  of  the  freight  traffic  manager  of  the  Missouri  Pacific 
Railway  at  St.  .Louis,  Missouri,  and  subsequently  he  became  a  bookkeeper  for  the 
Allen  Foundry  Company  in  Detroit,  winning  promotion  with  that  firm  to  the 
position  of  assistant  manager.  In  1893  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  Standard  Foundry  Company,  and  in  1894  he  de- 
voted his  attention  to  private  business  interests  in  Detroit,  Michigan.  The  lure  of 
the  west  was  upon  him,  however,  and  in  1895  he  made  his  way  to  Wyoming,  de- 
voting three  years  to  ranching  in  Jackson's  Hole.  In  1899  he  became  connected 
with  the  traffic  department  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  where  he  continued  until  June,  1903,  and  then  accepted  the  position  of 
auditor  of  the  Pacific  &  Idaho  Northern  Railway  at  Weiser,  Idaho,  thus  again  be- 
coming identified  with  the  interests  of  this  state.  In  July,  1904,  he  was  elected 
vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Pacific  &  Idaho  Northern  Railway  but 
resigned  the  latter  position  in  November,  1909.  After  a  short  time,  however,  he 
returned  to  the  road  as  its  president  and  general  manager,  with  headquarters  at 
New  Meadows,  Idaho,  and  continued  in  the  dual  capacity  until  the  fall  of  1918, 
when  he  retired  from  the  position  of  general  manager,  although  he  still  retained 
the  presidency  of  the  road.  Those  who  read  between  the  lines  will  get  the  story 
of  his  constantly  developing  ability.  His  record  is  an  illustration  of  the  fact  that 
power  grows  through  the  exercise  of  effort  and  that  activity  does  not  tire  but  gives 
resistance.  Railroad  service  makes  for  intense  Alertness  and  ready  recognition  of 
opportunities  and  these  qualities,  developed  in  Colonel  Heigho,  have  made  him 
cognizant  of  chances  for  the  conduct  of  successful  business  along  various  other  lines. 
That  his  interests  and  activities  have  broadened  in  scope  is  indicated  in  the  fact 
that  aside  from  his  work  as  president  of  the  railroad  company  he  became  pres- 
ident and  general  manager  of  the  Central  Idaho  Telegraph  &  Telephone  Company, 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  Coeur  d'Or  Development  Company,  owning 
the  New  Meadows  town  site  and  the  Hotel  Heigho,  vice  president  and  a  director  of 
the  Weiser  National  Bank  at  Weiser,  Idaho,  and  a  director  of  the  Meadows  Valley 
Bank  at  New  Meadows. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1900,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  Colonel  Heigho  was 
married  to  Miss  Nora  Alice  Gwin,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Katherine  Gwin,  of 
Keota,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Heigho  was  for  ten  years  prior  to  her  marriage  one  of  the 
capable  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  Salt  Lake.  She  has  become  the  mother  of 
three  children:  Cedric  Atheling,  who  at  the  age  of  seventeen  responded  to  the  rail 
of  the  colors,  joining  a  military  training  camp;  Virginia  Gwin  and  Katherine  Audley, 
twins,  now  entering  upon  young  womanhood.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is 
manifest  in  the  fact  that  they  are  communicants  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church, 
in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an  active  and  helpful  part.  Broad  indeed  are 
the  interests  and  activities  of  Colonel  Heigho,  who  has  membership  in  various 
social  and  educational  organizations  and  in  those  societies  which  touch  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  mankind.  He  has  membership  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  in 
the  Alta  Club  of  Salt  Lake  City,  in  the  American  Mining  Congress,  the  American 
Society  of  International  Law,  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science, 
the  American  Economic  Association  and  the  National  Geographic  Society.  For 
several  years  he  was  connected  with  independent  military  organizations  and  with 
the  Idaho  National  Guard.  He  served  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Gooding  as  captain 
and  aide-de-camp  and  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Brady  as  colonel  and  commissary 
general.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  republican  party 
and  he  has  frequently  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  conventions,  while  in  June, 
1908,  he  was  delegate  at  large  for  Idaho  to  the  national  republican  convention  held 
in  Chicago.  He  and  his  wife  have  taken  most  helpful  interest  in  war  activities, 
particularly  in  Belgian  relief  work,  and  for  many  months  have  been  acting  as 
American  godfather  and  godmother  to  several  young  Belgian  soldiers,  sending  them 
regularly  sums  of  money  with  which  to  purchase  necessaries  and  tobacco.  They 
have  maintained  a  regular  correspondence  with  these  brave  little  fighting  Belgian 
wards  and  have  received  scores  of  letters  of  thanks  and  gratitude  which  they 
highly  prize,  together  with  various  war  relics  which  have  been  sent  them  by  the 
Belgian  soldiers  in  evidence  of  their  keen  appreciation.  In  a  review  of  the  career 


268 

of  Colonel  Heigho  it  will  be  seen  that  the  subjective  and  objective  forces  of  life 
are  in  him  well  balanced,  making  him  cognizant  of  his  own  capabilities  and  powers, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  thoroughly  understands  his  opportunities  and  his  obliga- 
tions. To  make  his  native  talents  subserve  the  demands  which  conditions  of  society 
impose  at  the  present  time  is  the  purpose  of  his  life,  and  by  reason  of  the  mature 
judgment  which  characterizes  his  efforts  at  all  times  he  stands  today  as  a  splendid 
representative  of  the  prominent  business  man  to  whom  business  is  but  one  phase 
of  life  and  does  not  exclude  his  active  participation  in  and  support  of  all  the  other 
vital  interests  which  go  to  make  up  human  existence. 


JACOB  COHN,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Jacob  Cohn,  a  Boise  dentist,  was  born  March  3,  1872,  in  the  city  which  is 
still  his  home,  being  the  youngest  of  the  six  children  of  the  late  Peter  Cohn,  who 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Boise,  having  removed  with  his  wife  to  this  city  from 
California  during  the  Civil  war  period.  The  father  followed  mercantile  pursuits, 
becoming  one  of  the  early  representatives  of  commercial  activity  in  Boise,  where  he 
died  when  his  son,  Dr.  Cohn,  was  but  a  young  lad.  The  mother  still  lives  in  Boise 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  is  yet  splendidly  preserved.  Of  their  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  are  yet  living. 

Dr.  Cohn,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Boise,  where 
at  the  usual  age  he  entered  the  public  schools,  passing  through  consecutive  grades 
until  he  had  acquired  a  good  common  school  education  to  serve  as  the  basis  upon 
which  to  build  up  his  professional  knowledge.  He  was  still  quite  young  when  he 
started  out  in  the  business  world  as  a  drug  clerk,  being  employed  in  the  White- 
head  drug  store  and  in  similar  establishments  of  the  city  for  several  years.  In 
early  manhood,  however,  he  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry,  becoming  a  student 
in  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  California,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years,  being  graduated  with  the  D.  D.  S.  degree  as  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1896.  He  then  took  up  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Boise,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, and  his  record  stands  in  contradistinction  to  the  old  adage  that  a  prophet 
is  never  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country,  for  Dr.  Cohn  has  won  a  creditable 
name  and  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  dental  profession  here. 

In  1905  Dr.  Cohn  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  Wolf,  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia.  They  have  three  children :  Elizabeth,  Peter  and  Louise. 
Dr.  Cohn  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  also  has  membership 
in  the  Boise  Dental  Society.  He  is  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  public 
progress  and  upbuilding  in  his  city  and  at  the  same  time  he  keeps  in  close  touch 
with  all  the  progressive  elements  in  his  profession. 


PRESLEY  F.  HORNE. 

Presley  F.  Home,  of  Caldwell,  grand  secretary  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  Idaho,  was^born  at  Fontanelle,  Adair  county,  Iowa,  January  27,  1882,  his 
parents  being  William  *F.  and  Emma  (Figgins)  Home,  the  father  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  the  mother  of  Iowa.  William  F.  Home  was  a  merchant  at  Hailey,  Idaho,  from 
1884  until  his  death  and  his  wife  has  also  passed  away. 

It  was  in  1884,  when  but  two  years  of  age,  that  Presley  F.  Home  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Idaho  and  in  the  graded  schools  of  Hailey  he  pursued  his  education  to 
the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  then  started  out  in  the  business  world  by  becoming  a 
clerk  in  the  United  States  land  office  and  subsequently  he  accepted  the  position  of 
cashier  of  the  Commercial  &  Savings  Bank  of  Hailey,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
for  five  years.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  right-of-way  department  of  the  Idaho  Irriga- 
tion Company  at  the  time  of  its  organization  and  so  continued  for  a  year  and  a  half. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to  Boise  and  was  made  assistant  cashier 
of  the  Bank  of  Idaho,  now  the  Pacific  National  Bank,  so  serving  for  one  year.  Return- 
ing to  Hailey,  he  became  register  of  the  United  States  land  office  under  the  Taft  admin- 
istration and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  four  and  a  half  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  was  made  grand  secretary  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  now 


PRESLEY  F.  HORNE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  271 

devoting  his  entire  attention  to  the  duties  of  this  position,  exclusive  of  the  time  em- 
ployed in  writing  on  fraternal  subjects  for  fraternal  journals  and  magazines.  His 
duty  involves  the  visiting  of  the  various  lodges  in  the  state  that  he  may  assist  and 
stimulate  them  in  their  work. 

In  1904  Mr.  Home  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Wolters,  who  was  born  in  the  old 
United  States  assay  office  in  Boise,  a  picture  of  which  is  found  in  this  history.  Her 
father  was  A.  Wolters,  government  assayer  at  Boise  in  the  early  days  but  now  living 
retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Home  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children:  Adrienne  E. 
and  Presley  Jr. 

Mr.  Home's  activities  in  banking  and  official  circles  have  made  him  widely  known 
and  he  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  fraternal  interests  in  the  state, 
loyal  to  the  teachings  and  high  purposes  of  the  organization  which  he  represents,  while 
his  labors  are  a  contributing  factor  to  its  further  growth. 


JAMES  A.  EWING. 

One  of  the  foremost  mercantile  enterprises  of  Boise  is  that  of  the  Peoples  Co- 
operative Mercantile  Company,  of  which  James  A.  Ewing  is  president  and  general 
manager.  In  these  days  of  high  prices  an  institution  of  this  kind  is  especially 
appreciated  by  the  public  as  it  tends  to  reduce  living  expenses  to  a  possible  mini- 
mum. In  its  management  Mr.  Ewing  has  not  only  shown  rare  executive  ability  but 
has  also  Instituted  a  number  of  features  for  the  convenience  of  the  public  which 
greatly  facilitate  business  transactions.  The  store  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Idaho 
and  Seventh  streets,  Boise,  where  he  occupies  modern  quarters. 

Mr.  Ewing  came  to  Boise  in  1902  from  Mankato,  Minnesota,  in  the  vicinity 
of  which  city  he  had  made  his  home  for  the  previous  thirty-five  years.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  February  18,  1852,  being  one  of  ten  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  four  daughters,  born  to  Isaac  N.  and  Amanda  (Cusick)  Ewing, 
natives  of  East  Tennessee  and  Virginia  respectively.  The  father,  Isaac  Newton 
Ewing.  who  had  distinguished  himself  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars, 
spent  his  early  life  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  but  in  1868  removed  with  his  family 
to  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  and  there  he  passed  away  thirty  years  later,  in 
1898,  his  widow  surviving  him  four  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1902. 

James  A.  Ewing  accompanied  the  family  on  their  removal  to  Minnesota,  going 
to  Blue  Earth  county  in  1868,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  for  thirty- 
five  years  he  remained  a  resident  of  that  county.  He  received  thorough  school 
training  in  Illinois  and  Minnesota,  rounding  out  his  primary  knowledge  by  attend- 
ance at  the  Minnesota  State  Normal  School  at  Mankato,  where  he  was  a  student 
for  three  years.  He  then  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed 
for  a  time,  and  later  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Eagle  Lake, 
Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  conducted  a  store  for  twelve  years  and 
also  served  as  postmaster  for  eight  years,  having  been  appointed  to  the  latter  posi- 
tion during  the  administration  of  Benjamin  Harrison.  As  may  be  inferred,  he  is 
a  republican,  stanchly  supporting  the  policies  of  that  party,  and  in  1896  was  elected 
county  treasurer  of  Blue  Earth  county  and  reelected  in  1898.  To  the  discharge 
of  his  official  duties  he  brought  a  rare  conscientiousness  as  well  as  more  than  aver- 
age ability  and  thus  he  earned  the  just  praise  of  the  public.  His  election  to  the 
office  of  county  treasurer  necessitated  his  removal  to  Mankato,  the  county  seat, 
where  he  resided  for  six  years,  from  1896  until  1902.  After  having  completed  his 
second  term  as  treasurer  he  was  chosen  cashier  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of 
Mankato,  remaining  in  that  position  until  he  organized  with  others  the  National 
Bank  of  Commerce  of  that  city.  Coming  to  Boise  in  1902,  he  became  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Peoples  Cooperative  Mercantile  Company  and  has  since  been  its 
president.  To  his  duties  he  brings  not  only  thorough  mercantile  experience  but 
also  a  rare  knowledge  of  financial  and  banking  affairs  and  these  qualities,  combined 
with  his  energy  and  executive  force,  have  been  salient  factors  in  the  successful  ex- 
istence of  the  enterprise  of  which  he  now  is  the  head. 

In  1880  Mr.  Ewing  was  married  in  Minnesota  to  Isabel  Leonard  and  to  this 
union  were  born  two  children:  Bernyce,  who  is  now  Mrs.  H.  J.  Rossi,  of  Wallace, 
Idaho;  and  Edith,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Perrault,  Jr.,  of  Boise.  There  are  two  grand- 
children, Edith  Perrault  and  Herman  J.  Rossi,  Jr. 


272  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

.  While  a  resident  of  Minnesota  Mr.  Ewing  was  always  very  actife  in  republican 
circles  and  one  of  the  potent  factors  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  in  his  county.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  republican  county  central  committee  for  two  terms  and  it  is 
worthy  of  mention  that  at  two  elections  he  succeeded  in  having  every  man  on  his 
ticket  elected — a  thing  which  has  never  happened  since  in  Blue  Earth  county. 
Since  coming  to  Boise,  however,  Mr.  Ewing  has  given  his  whole  attention  to  the 
multitudinous  duties  that  fall  on  his  shoulders  in  connection  with  the  affairs  of 
the  Peoples  Cooperative  Mercantile  Company.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Elk,  in  which 
organization  he  is  very  popular,  and  has  been  chosen  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Boise  lodge  of  that  organization. 


HENSLEY   G.   HARRIS. 

Among  the  representatives  of  the  Fremont  country  bar  is  Hensley  G.  Harris, 
who  has  practiced  at  St.  Anthony  since  1916.  t  He  was  born  at  Franklin,  Simpson 
County,  Kentucky,  July  4,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Black  and  Ellen  (Harris) 
Harris,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  The  father 
was  a  captain  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war  and  passed  away  in  1914  at 
the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  has  reached  the  age 
.of  seventy-three. 

Spending  his  youthful  days  in  his  native  state,  Hensley  G.  Harris  {,here  pre- 
pared for  the  practice  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Kentucky  bar.  He  then  took 
up  the  active  work  of  the  courts  at  Paducah,  remaining  a  representative  of  the 
profession  in  the  Blue  Grass  state  for  four  years.  The  same  spirit  of  patriotism 
and  loyalty  that  prompted  his  father  to  join  the  Union  army  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  caused  him  to  offer  his  services  to  the  country  in  the  Spanish-American 
war  and  he  became  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third  Kentucky  Infantry.  He  also 
served  for  two  and  a  half  years  in  the  Philippine  Islands  with  the  First  United 
States  Infantry.  Later  he  became  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Kansas 
City,  where  he  was  a  lumber  merchant  from  1903  until  1910.  He  was  afterward 
with  the  United  States  forest  service  until  1916  but  in  1912  came  to  Idaho  and 
resumed  the  practice  of  law  at  St.  Anthony  on  retiring  from  the  forest  service. 
He  has  since  gained  a  good  clientage  that  has  connected  him  prominently  with  im- 
portant litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  his  district. 

In  1909  Mr.  Harris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  G.  Blume,  a  native 
of  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters:  Mar- 
garet, born  December  1,  1910;  and  Virginia,  born  July  31,  1913. 

Mr.  Harris  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  becoming 
identified  with  the  lodge  of  Paducah,  Kentucky.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated 
by  his  connection  with  the  Union  church.  He  is  a  broad-minded  man  who  has  led 
an  active  life  and  in  the  school  of  experience  has  learned  many  valuable  lessons, 
which  he  has  turned  to  excellent  account. 


CHARLES  B.  OVER,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Charles  B.  Over,  one  of  the  alumni  of  the  dental  department  of  the  North- 
western University  of  Chicago,  now  practicing  in  Boise,  was  born  at  Sterling,  Illinois, 
November  26,  1877,  a  son  of  Daniel  L.  and  Lucy  (Piper)  Over,  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  but  were  married  in  Illinois  in  1865.  The  father  is  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living  at  Sterling,  where  in  1915  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  They  have  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  the  record  is  a  remarkable  one  in  that  the  family  circle  has  never 
been  broken  by  the  hand  of  death. 

Dr.  Over  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  in  Idaho.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  and,  passing  through  consecutive  grades,  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
of  Sterling  with  the  class  of  1896.  He  afterward  completed  a  course  in  a  business 
college  there  and  for  several  years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  International  Harvester 
Company,  his  first  position  being  that  of  stenographer,  while  later  he  became  book- 
keeper and  subsequently  went  upon  the  road  as  traveling  salesman  for  the  cor- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  273 

poration.  In  1901  that  concern  sent  him  to  Helena,  Montana,  which  place  he  made 
his  headquarters  as  representative  of  the  International  Harvester  Company  until 
1907,  when  he  resigned  his  position  and  entered  upon  the  study  of  dentistry,  having 
determined  to  devote  his  attention  to  a  professional  career.  He  returned  to  his 
native  state  and  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  Northwestern  University  of 
Chicago,  where  he  pursued  a  three  years'  course  and  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1910,  at  which  time  the  D.  D.  S.  degree  was  conferred  upon  him.  Immediately 
afterward  he  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  west  and  opened  an  office  in 
Boise,  where  he  has  since  successfully  practiced,  having  now  an  extensive  patronage, 
He  is  well  qualified  to  perform  the  multitudinous  delicate  duties  connected  with 
dental  surgery,  has  the  mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity  necessary  for  the  operative 
work  and  at  all  times  keeps  in  touch  with  the  latest  scientific  researches  and  dis- 
coveries. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1902,  Dr.  Over  was  married  in  Billings,  Montana,  to  Miss 
Alice  Cruse,  also  a  native  of  Sterling,  Illinois,  whom  he  had  known  in  his  school 
days.  They  have  one  child,  Dorothy  C.,  born  March  4,  1917.  Dr.  Over  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  has  membership  with  the  Masons  and  the 
Elks.  In  the  former  organization  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  When  leisure  permits  he 
enjoys  a  hunting  or  fishing  trip  but  allows  nothing  to  interfere  with  the  faithful 
performance  of  his  professional  duties  and  has  made  for  himself  a  creditable  posi- 
tion in  the  ranks  of  the  dental  profession  during  the  nine  years  of  his  practice  in 
Boise. 


HON.  LOUIS  W.  THRAILKILL. 

Hon.  Louis  W.  Thrailkill  is  not  only  widely  known  in  the  business  world  of 
Boise  through  his  insurance  activities  but  also  occupies  a  foremost  position  on 
the  public  stage  of  the  commonwealth,  being  at  this  time  senator  from  Ada  county. 
He  has  been  in  legislative  work  before,  having  been  state  representative,  and  has 
much  experience  along  that  line,  so  that  he  is  eminently  fitted  for  the  position 
which  he  now  occupies.  He  has  been  engaged  in  business  in  Boise  since  1902  and 
in  the  course  of  years  has  won  the  complete  confidence  and  trust  of  all  who  have 
had  dealings  with  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  well  known  insurance  firm  of  Buis, 
Thrailkill  &  Company. 

Mr.  Thrailkill  came  to  Boise  in  1900  from  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  was 
born  September  15,  1874,  a  son  of  Joseph  C.  and  Martha  S.  (Evans)  Thrailkill,  the 
former  of  Scotch  and  German  descent  and  the  latter  of  English  and  Welsh  ancestry. 
The  father  was  born  in  Holt  county,  Missouri,  February  14,  1840,  and  throughout 
his  active  career  successfully  followed  farming.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  how- 
ever, he  laid  aside  his  private  interests  and  served  on  the  Union  side.  Later  in 
life  he  became  a  resident  of  Boise,  where  he  died  March  2,  1916,  being  survived 
by  his  widow,  who  here  makes  her  home  and  is  now  in  her  eighty-second  year, 
still  enjoying  vigorous  health.  A  native  of  Indiana,  she  was  born  June  13,  1838. 
There  are  two  brothers  and  one  sister  of  our  subject  living,  one  of  the  brothers 
being  William  I.  Thrailkill,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Boise. 

Louis  W.  Thrailkill  was  reared  and  educated  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he 
attended  grammar  school  and  rounded  out  his  fundamental  learning  by  a  course 
in  a  business  college.  During  a  part  of  his  youth  he  spent  the  summer  vacations  on 
the  farm,  thus  becoming  quite  familiar  with  agricultural  methods.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen,  however,  he  took  up  another  line  of  work,  entering  the  service  of  the 
Bell  Telephone  Company  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  from  1891  until  1902  he  was 
connected  with  the  telephone  business  and  with  electrical  lines  in  various  capaci- 
ties. While  he  was  in  the  telephone  service  he  became  so  interested  in  things  elec- 
trical that  he  carefully  studied  that  branch  and  was  chiefly  employed  in  the  main- 
tenance and  construction  department.  During  this  period  he  spent  his  time  in 
various  states  throughout  the  west,  largely  in  construction  work  for  both  the  Bell 
Telephone  Company  and  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  He  came  to 
Boise  In  1900  as  foreman  of  construction  for  the  Independent  Telephone  Company 
and  continued  in  that  way  until  1902.  Desiring,  however,  to  have  a  business  of 
his  own,  he  embarked  in  the  transfer  business  in  1902,  and  with  W.  B.  Horn  estab- 
voi.  n— u 


274  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

lished  the  White  Line  Transfer  Company.  Later  he  was  associated  with  Bradley 
Sheppard  in  the  same  business  but  in  1905  sold  out  his  interests  of  this  kind,  and 
since  has  given  his  close  attention  to  the  insurance  business,  particularly  fire  and 
life,  but  he  also  engages  in  a  general  line  of  insurance.  In  October,  1914,  he  and 
W.  A.  Buis  formed  the  present  firm  of  Buis,  Thrailkill  &  Company,  who  are  promi- 
nent in  general  insurance  lines.  They  also  act  as  special  agents  of  the  Northwestern 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  for  southwestern  Idaho  and  southeastern  Oregon. 
Mr.  Thrailkill  has  thoroughly  studied  the  insurance  business  and  is  familiar  with 
its  intricate  angles.  He  is  familiar  with  all  kinds  of  policies  and  is  careful  to  ex- 
plain a  contract  to  a  prospective  customer  so  that  no  misunderstanding  may  arise 
and  no  dissatisfaction  result.  He  has  therefore  earned  a  reputation  for  reliability 
which  places  him  high  as  a  business  man.  Moreover,  he  is  enterprising  and  is  a 
born  salesman  who  readily  makes  friends  and  it  is  therefore  but  natural  that  he 
has  taken  a  very  important  part  in  the  success  of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  now  a 
member. 

In  politics  Mr.  Thrailkill  is  a  republican  and  in  1915  was  chosen  to  represent 
his  district  in  the  state  legislature,  acting  as  chairman  of  the  joint  prohibition 
caucus  and  being  largely  instrumental  in  passing  the  prohibition  measure  in  Idaho. 
That  he  performed  his  duties  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  recently  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  Ada  county. 

On  June  15,  1904,  Mr.  Thrailkill  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Ethel  R.  Brown, 
a  native  of  Colorado.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thrailkill  belong  to  the  First  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Boise,  in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an  active  and  helpful  inter- 
est, and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  in  which  organization  he  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Boise  Commercial  Club  and  is  deeply  interested  in  its  projects  for  a  larger  and 
better  city.  He  finds  recreation  in  hunting  and  is  .very  fond  of  outdoor  sports, 
being  active  in  athletics  of  various  kinds.  Having  come  across  the  plains  of  Ne- 
braska and  Wyoming  and  having  arrived  in  the  Boise  valley  simultaneously  with 
the  fruit  blossoms  in  the  spring  of  1900,  he  was  so  delighted  with  the  aspect  of  the 
place  and  the  beauty  of  the  valley  that  he  decided  to  remain  in  Ada  county  and  for 
eighteen  years  he  has  been  one  of  its  substantial  residents,  stoutly  maintaining  that 
there  is  no  better  place  on  earth  than  Boise,  that  there  is  no  richer  valley  than 
this,  no  better  county  than  his  county  and  no  finer,  cleaner  and  more  courageous 
people  than  those  who  sought  and  found  a  home  in  the  pure  mountain  country  of 
Idaho. 


PETER  PENCE. 

Peter  Pence  has  passed  the  eighty-second  milestone  on  life's  journey  and  yet  the 
years  rest  lightly  upon  him.  He  is  a  remarkable  man  for  one  of  his  age,  his  mind 
keenly  alert  and  active,  his  face  glowing  with  health,  and  he  remains  an  invaluable 
factor  in  the  life  of  Payette,  to  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  which  he  has  made 
so  large  contribution. 

Mr.  Pence  was  born  in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  12,  1837,  and 
his  meager  education  was  confined  to  attendance  at  the  country  schools  for  three 
months  during  the  winter  seasons.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  started  out 
in  life  on  his  own  responsibility  and  in  the  spring  of  1858  proceeded  by  boat  to  St. 
Paul.  Minnesota,  but  not  being  favorably  impressed  with  that  city  continued  his 
journey  to  Atchison,  Kansas,  where  he  began  earning  a  living  by  chopping  cord- 
wood.  In  1860  he  took  up  the  work  of  freighting  with  ox  teams  from  Atchison,  Kansas, 
to  Denver,  Colorado,  and  on  his  first  trip  in  March  of  that  year  hauled  the  merchandise 
for  the  fourth  store  in  Denver.  He  made  three  trips  that  summer,  the  round  trip 
being  fourteen  hundred  miles.  On  his  first  return  trip,  at  a  place  known  as  Boxelder, 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  east  of  Denver,  the  party  was  held  up  by 
the  Indians,  who  were  determined  to  revenge  themselves  on  white  people  because  of 
a  cut  inflicted  on  one  of  their  band  by  the  storekeeper  at  Boxelder.  After  a  long 
conference,  however,  they  decided  to  be  pacified  by  a  gift  of  various  kinds  of  stores 
and  no  blood  was  shed. 

At  this  time  of  the  year  buffaloes  were  migrating  and  the  freighters  found  it  neces 
sary  to  shoot  the  animals  to  keep  them  from  running  over  their  wagons,  so  numerous 


PETER  PENCE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  277 

were  they.  The  men  were  forced  to  stop  their  train  and  chain  their  ozen  to  the 
wagons  to  keep  them  from  stampeding.  In  the  spring  of  1861  an  Influential  man 
by  the  name  of  Jim  Lane  took  to  Atchison  a  six-pounder  cannon  and  one  hundred 
rounds  of  ammunition  to  protect  the  town  from  the  rebels.  With  his  team  Mr.  Pence 
hauled  the  cannon  to  the  Missouri  Heights,  from  which  location  they  fired  thirteen 
rounds  across  the  river  at  the  enemy,  who  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  The  rebel  troops 
were  under  the  command  of  General  Price  and  their  object  was  to  eeize  the  ferry. 
During  that  summer  Mr.  Pence  engaged  in  farming,  raising  corn,  which  he  sold  at 
fifteen  cents  per  bushel,  and  during  the  winter  he  operated  a  threshing  machine.  At 
that  time  the  country  was  overrun  with  horse  thieves  and  murderers,  so  that  Mr. 
Pence  decided  to  move  farther  west.  In  1862,  therefore,  with  an  ox  team,  he  Joined 
a  train  of  fifty  wagons  and  three  hundred  and  sixty  people  headed  for  Idaho.  They 
arrived  on  the  east  side  of  the  Malheur  river,  opposite  the  town  of  Vail,  September 
26,  1862,  and  there  they  buried  one  of  their  party  who  had  died  of  jaundice.  The 
following  day  they  resumed  their  journey,  but  three  of  their  party  soon  left  them  to 
make  their  way  to  the  Boise  basin.  Arriving  at  Baker  City,  Oregon,  the  party  found 
there  the  foundation  for  two  houses  in  the  way  of  settlement  and  at  that  point  awaited 
the  report  of  the  men  who  were  sent  to  reconnoiter  the  Boise  basin  and  who  returned 
with  reports  that  caused  Mr.  Pence  to  immediately  start  for  Boise  basin.  He  arrived 
just  in  time  to  attend  the  first  miners'  meeting  at  Placerville  in  the  Boise  basin  on  the 
3d  of  November,  1862. 

In  crossing  the  Snake  river,  seven  miles  south  of  Payette,  at  what  was  called 
the  Whit  ley  Bottom,  he  was  charged  two  dollars  and  a  half  by  a  ferryman  for  taking 
him  across  in  a  skiff,  swimming  his  ponies.  In  order  to  pay  this  ferryman  he  was 
compelled  to  borrow  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  from  a  companion,  so  he  arrived  in  Idaho 
truly  empty-handed  save  for  his  grubstake.  The  day  following  the  meeting  of  the 
miners  Mr.  Pence  and  his  associate,  Samuel  Kenney,  went  to  the  present  site  of  Idaho 
City  and  there  Mr.  Pence  engaged  in  prospecting  and  his  partner  hauled  logs  for  the 
building  of  the  town,  for  which  he  received  a  wage  of  sixteen  dollars  per  day.  The 
two  men  built  a  log  cabin  for  themselves  large  enough  to  accommodate  four  people. 
About  this  time  the  rush  started.  On  Christmas  day  they  hired  a  man  who  had  a 
scythe  to  mow  hay  on  Elk  creek  for  their  oxen.  That  winter  they  whipsawed  sluice 
lumber,  paying  forty-five  dollars  for  the  whipsaw  and  sawing  about  one  hundred  feet 
per  day,  which  they  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  per  foot,  and  before  their, supply  of 
lumber  was  exhausted  they  were  paid  three  hundred  dollars  a  thousand  for  the 
remainder  by  Henry  Stark  and  Joe  Olden,  two  of  the  picturesque  gamblers  of  the  times, 
who  were  anxious  to  open  a  saloon.  Prices  were  very  high  at  that  time.  Mr.  Pence 
and  his  partner  were  paying  one  dollar  per  pound  for  flour,  two  dollars  and  a  half 
per  pound  for  bacon,  twenty-five  dollars  for  gum  boots,  twelve  dollars  for  a  pick 
and  eight  dollars  for  a  shovel.  In  April,  1863,  they  resumed  mining  and  lost  all  their 
lumber  profits.  The  partnership  was  then  dissolved  and  Mr.  Pence  engaged  in  packing 
with  horses  and  mules  from  Umatilla,  Oregon,  to  Silver  City,  Idaho,  receiving  twenty- 
eight  dollars  per  hundred  pounds.  Later  he  teamed  from  Umatilla,  Oregon,  and  Walla 
Walla,  Washington,  in  the  years  1864  and  1865,  and  in  1866  he  took  his  teams  to 
The  Dalles,  Oregon,  and  went  to  Portland,  where  he  purchased  a  threshing  machine, 
for  by  this  time  there  was  considerable  grain  being  raised  in  the  Boise  valley  and 
threshers  received  from  fourteen  to  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel  while  grain  was  worth 
twenty-five  cents  a  pound  as  soon  as  it  was  threshed. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  Mr.  Pence  sold  his  threshing  outfit  and  on  the  9th  of  January. 
1867,  left  Boise  for  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  to  buy  cattle.  In  the  spring  he  brought  to 
the  Payette  valley  one  of  the  first  bands  of  cattle.  With  every  phase  of  pioneer  life 
In  this  section  of  the  state  he  is  familiar.  The  town  of  Boise  was  just  being  staked 
out  when  he  arrived  in  1863.  He  tells  a  story  which  indicates  the  conditions  that 
existed  In  those  days.  He  and  his  partner,  returning  to  their  mine  from  Idaho  City, 
stepped  into  the  butcher  shop  to  get  a  steak.  Just  at  that  time  a  fight  broke  out  in 
the  street  and  Jones,  the  butcher,  decided  to  interfere.  Being  a  powerful  man,  he 
threw  the  fighters  apart  and  in  so  doing  stopped  a  bullet  by  his  head,  resulting  in 
his  instant  death.  He  was  left  lying  where  he  fell  until  the  next  day,  when  a  rope 
was  put  around  his  neck  and  he  was  dragged  away — such  was  the  little  value  placed 
•upon  a  man's  life  at  that  time.  In  the  summer  of  1867  Mr.  Pence  gave  Bill  Hill 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  in  gold  bars  to  vacate  his  claim  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Willow, 
in  Payette  county  in  favor  of  Mr.  Pence,  who  has  since  developed  the  land  into  one 
of  the  best  stock  ranches  in  this  section.  It  is  now  the  property  of  his  two  youngest 


278  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

sons  and  is  known  as  the  Pence  Brothers  ranch.  Thereon  they  cut  annually  eight 
hundred  tons  of  hay,  which  is  fed  to  stock,  which  they  are  raising  extensively.  All 
of  Mr.  Pence's  children  save  one  were  born  upon  that  ranch. 

When  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  was  completed  into  Oregon,  Mr.  Pence 
removed  to  Payette,  where  he  has  since  lived.  For  some  years  he  handled  real  estate 
and  at  the  same  time  raised  cattle  and  sheep  on  his  ranch.  Later  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  banking,  acquiring  a  large  amount  of  stock  in  the  Bank  of  Commerce, 
while  subsequently  he  became  one  of  the  chief  owners  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
into  which  he  merged  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  and  since  then  he  has  been  the  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Payette.  He  owns  an  interest  with  William  A. 
Coughanour  in  the  First  National  Bank  building  and  they  are  both  largely  interested 
in  the  Idaho  Canning  Company  of  Payette,  the  only  canning  plant  west  of  Utah,  Mr. 
Pence  being  the  president.  He  has  also  been  connected  with  the  irrigation  interests 
and  was  president  of  the  Lower  Payette  Ditch  Company,  which  has  one  of  the  best 
irrigation  plants  and  thp  lowest  water  rate  in  the  state,  this  being  twenty-five  cents 
per  acre. 

In  1872  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Peter  Pence  and  Annie  Bixby,  a  native  of 
Nebraska,  who  passed  away  July  18,  1906.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Belle  Satoris,  the  eldest,  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren:" Harline  now  attending  the  normal  school  at  Moscow,  and  Fred,  a  high  school 
pupil  in  Payette.  Edward  C.,  who  is  connected  with  the  Graves  Transfer  Company 
of  Boise,  married  Besse  Venable,  of  Boise,  whose  brother  is  private  secretary  to 
Senator  Borah  at  Washington.  Edward  C.  and  his  wife  have  two  children,  Earl  and 
Mildred.  Albert  Lloyd  married  Cady  Taylor,  of  Missouri,  and  they  have  six  children: 
Katherine,  Gladys,  Peter  M.,  Pauline  and  Albert  Lloyd  all  attending  school  in  Payette, 
and  Margaret.  Harry  D.  married  Delia  Applegate,  of  Idaho.  Walter  G.  married  Ada 
Cram,  of  Payette,  and  they  have  one  child,  Lucille.  Grace  E.  is  the  wife  of  R.  D. 
Bradshaw  and  they  have  a  daughter  and  two  sons,  Edith,  Douglas  and  Kenneth,  all 
attending  school  in  Payette.  Mr.  Pence  is  very  proud  of  his  grandchildren  and  pre- 
sented each  one  of  them  with  a  hundred-dollar  Liberty  bond  at  Christmas  time  of 
1918. 

While  Mr.  Pence  has  conducted  most  extensive  and  important  business  interests 
that  have  constituted  valuable  elements  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  city  and  state,  he  has 
also  further  advanced  the  public  welfare  through  service  in  office.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  and  he  was  chairman  of  the  school  board  of  Payette 
when  the  first  brick  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  city  and  was  largely  instrumental  in 
buying  the  block  where  the  school  stands.  For  several  terms  he  served  as  mayor  of 
Payette,  being  its  first  chief  executive,  and  he  labored  earnestly  in  the  execution  of 
his  official  duties  to  advance  the  general  welfare.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  of  Payette  and  throughout  his  life  has  been  a  worthy  follower  of 
the  craft.  His  is  a  notable  career  of  activity  and  efficiency  and  to  him  the  lines  of 
Victor  Hugo  may  well  be  applied: 

"The  snows  of  winter  are  on  his  head, 
But  the  flowers  of  spring  are  in  his  heart." 


ROBERT   E.    SHELTON,   D.    D.    S. 

Although  a  comparatively  young  man  Dr.  Robert  E.  Shelton  already  enjoys  a 
large  practice  and  has  made  a  name  for  himself  in  the  dental  fraternity  of  Boise. 
He  maintains  well  appointed  offices  in  the  Yates  building  and  there  receives  and 
treats  a  large  number  of  his  patients,  all  of  whom  are  agreed  as  to  his  high  qual- 
ifications in  regard  to  his  profession.  Born  on  a  Kansas  farm,  March  12,  1886, 
he  is  a  son  of  Andrew  M.  and  Mary  (Killion)  Shelton.  The  father,  who  throughout 
his  life  has  successfully  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  now  resides  in  South  Boise 
and  has  valuable  farming  interests  in  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Wytheville,  Vir- 
ginia, June  11,  1853,  while  his  wife  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  February 
10,  1859.  On  the  paternal  side  Dr.  Shelton  is  of  Revolutionary  descent. 

Robert  E.  Shelton  was  reared  in  Kansas  amid  farm  surroundings  and  in  the 
acquirement  of  his  education  attended  the  country  schools,  so  continuing  until  the 
age  of  fifteen,  or  until  1901,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  state  of  Ore- 
gon, the  family  locating  in  Dallas,  in  the  Willamette  valley.  In  that  city  he  con- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  279 

tinued  his  education  in  La  Creole  Academy,  in  which  institution  he  completed  a 
high  school  course.  Having  decided  upon  a  professional  career  as  most  suited  to 
his  tastes  and  ability,  he  then  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry.  For  some  time  he 
practiced  in  the  state  of  Washington  and  also  in  Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho,  but  in  1913 
he  came  to  Boise,  having  been  attracted  by  the  advantages  offered  in  the  capital 
city.  Since  then  his  professional  labors  have  been  accompanied  with  more  than 
ordinary  success  and  he  now  has  a  well  equipped  suite  of  offices  in  the  Yates  build- 
ing, where  he  has  been  located  since  1914.  He  has  continuously  kept  in  touch  with 
the  latest  discoveries  and  methods  that  have  been  promulgated  in  his  profession 
and  makes  good  use  of  all  the  latest  approved  ideas.  His  reputation  is  therefore 
firmly  established  and  a  continually  growing  success  may  be  predicted  for  him. 

On  October  8,  1908,  Dr.  Shelton  was  united  in  marriage  in  Salem,  Oregon,  to 
Miss  Laurella  Holmstrom,  who  is  of  Swedish  descent  on  the  paternal  side  and  was 
born  in  Kansas.  Mrs.  Shelton  is  a  graduate  nurse.  She  and  the  Doctor  first  met 
in  Oregon.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children,  Dorothy  and  Robert  Killion,  aged 
ten  and  seven  years. 

Dr.  Shelton  is  quite  prominently  connected  with  fraternal  and  social  institu- 
tions of  Boise.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  and  the  Royal  Highlanders.  Along  professional 
lines  he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Boise  Dental  Association,  in  the  meetings  of 
which  he  participates  with  much  interest,  receiving  valuable  suggestions  and  also 
giving  readily  of  his  own  experience.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commer- 
cial Club,  in  the  proceedings  of  which  he  takes  a  laudable  interest,  readily  sup- 
porting projects  and  movements  undertaken  for  the  expansion  of  the  city  along 
material  as  well  as  moral  and  intellectual  lines.  Politically  Dr.  Shelton  is  a  dem- 
ocrat but  in  that  connection  has  never  proceeded  any  further  than  to  perform  his 
duties  as  a  private  citizen  at  the  ballot  box.  He  finds  recreation  in  hunting  and 
fishing,  is  fond  of  a  good  game  of  bowling,  and  thus  finds  the  needed  recreation  in 
order  to  return  to  his  arduous  professional  duties. 


THE  IDAHO  SANITARIUM.      . 

The  Idaho  Sanitarium  since  its  founding  in  1897  has  been  an  institution  of 
which  Boise  and  the  state  have  had  every  reason  to  be  proud.  The  most  efficient 
work  has  there  been  done  in  the  restoration  of  health,  w'ith  recognition  of  every 
scientific  method  for  the  prevention  of  disease.  The  location  of  the  sanitarium  is 
ideal.  It  stands  on  a  natural  elevation  amid  picturesque  surroundings  and  the 
quiet  restfulness  and  peace  of  the  place  appeal  to  every  visitor.  The  building  is 
a  large  and  substantial  brick  structure  with  spacious  rooms  and  broad  verandas. 
It  is  surrounded  with  beautiful  and  well  kept  lawns  overlooking  Boise  valley  and 
every  accessory  necessary  to  the  restoration  of  health  has  been  introduced.  The 
institution  is  supplied  with  pure  soft  artesian  water  and  various  hydropathic 
treatments  are  given  to  patients  together  with  scientific  massage. 

It  has  ever  been  the  policy  of  the  institution  not  only  to  study  the  disease 
of  the  patient  but  the  cause  which  has  brought  about  that  disease  and  in  a  quiet 
and  unobtrusive  but  effective  manner  it  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  institution  to 
educate  the  afflicted  and  increase  their  powers  of  resistance  by  giving  them  an 
understanding  of  the  laws  of  nature. 

Dr.  Mary  E.  Donaldson  is  at  the  head  of  the  institution  and  her  work  has 
brought  her  the  greatest  praise  from  physicians,  from  philanthropists  and  from 
the  general  public.  Her  love  of  humanity  and  desire  to  help  have  ever  been  the 
basic  principles  of  her  professional  service.  Her  labors  have  been  carried  out 
in  accordance  with  the  divine  law  of  health.  In  this  connection  Dr.  Donaldson  has 
said:  "Since  sickness  is  the  sure  result  of  the  transgression  of  God's  natural  laws, 
how  vastly  important  it  is  that  the  great  problem  of  how  to  properly  carry  on  life 
should  be  constantly  and  enthusiastically  considered  and  taught.  It  is  a  well 
known  scientific  fact  that  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  that  hydra-headed  disease, 
dyspepsia,  which  baffles  the  skill  of  so  many  physicians,  is  indirectly  due  to  the  use 
of  condiments;  and  it  is  also  a  well  known  fact  that  condiments  possess  no  food 
value  whatever.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  irritants,  and  positively  injurious  to 
health.  Chief  among  these  Irritants  are  cayenne,  or  red  pepper,  horse-radish  and 


280  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

mustard,  all  of  which  sting  and  bite  as  they  pass  downward.  The  diet  at  the 
sanitarium  eschews  all  these  unnatural  and  artificial  stomach  whips,  believing  and 
teaching  that  if  the  moderate  use  of  right  foods  and  healthful  drinks  were  taught 
and  used  in  the  nursery  and  at  the  home  board  the  parents  and  guardians  who  are 
entrusted  with  the  sacred  responsibilities  of  rearing  the  young  would  not  be  called 
upon  to  regret  the  implanting  of  false  appetites  in  their  children,  which  logically 
leads  to  dissipation  in  the  saloon  and  the  brothel  and  thence,  perhaps,  to  an  un- 
timely and  dishonored  grave,  or  to  the  ignominy  of  the  penitentiary  or  the  gallows. 
The  prevention  of  these  deplorable  conditions  is  of  priceless  value  and  of  far 
greater  moment  than  the  cure  of  them.  In  Brillat-Savarin's  great  work,  entitled, 
'The  Physiology  of  Taste,'  are  to  be  found  axioms  as  profound  as  ever  Plato  or 
Epictetus  set  down.  For  example:  'The  education  of  the  tastes  and  the  appetite 
should  be  an  index  to  the  degree  of  civilization.'  'The  fate  of  nations  depends 
upon  how  they  are  fed.'  'A  man  of  sense  and  culture  alone  understands  eating.' 
The  sanitarium  diet  prevents  the  formation  of  false  appetites,  abnormal,  un- 
natural— preventing  those  thus  taught  and  reared  from  falling  a  natural  prey  to 
the  universal  curse  of  drunkenness  by  thus  cutting  off  the  demand  for  intoxicants; 
and  when  this  demand  is  cut  off  the  vexed  and  pathetic  question  of  the  ages,  the 
abolition  of  drunkenness,  will  be  forever  solved  and  a  most  glorious  heritage  will 
be  left  to  posterity  in  wide-spread  sobriety.  And  may  God  hasten  that  day!" 
Her  career  has  been  the  embodiment  of  the  spirit  and  words  of  Abraham  Lincoln: 
"There  is  something  better  than  making  a  living — making  a  life."  Moreover,  she 
has  ever  realized  that  "It  is  not  from  the  few  spectacular  or  so-called  great  deeds 
that  the  blessings  of  life  chiefly  come,  but  from  the  little  ministries  that  fill  the 
every  days,"  and  her  entire  career  has  not  only  been  one  of  assistance  and  helpful- 
ness to  her  fellowmen  but  also  one  of  inspiration. 


JOHN  McGLINCHEY. 

John  McGlinchey  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1838  and  passed  away  in  Payette, 
Idaho,  January  12,  1916,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  No  history  of  this  region 
would  be  complete  without  extended  reference  to  him.  He  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  he  left  home  and  from  that  time  he  made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  obtaining 
his  education  through  study  and  self-teaching.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age  he 
made  his  way  westward  to  Utah  and  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Salt  Lake  City  until 
1862,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  City,  Idaho,  and  again  established  a  mercantile  store,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  for  several  years.  Believing  that  better  opportunities  were 
offered  in  Wyoming,  he  then  went  to  that  state  and  was  engaged  in  the  hardware 
trade  at  Evanston.  He  was  sheriff  of  Sweet  Water  county  one  term  and  represented 
Uinta  county  one  term  in  the  Wyoming  legislature.  In  1881,  however,  he  sold  out 
and  again  went  to  Utah  but  after  remaining  there  for  a  brief  period  returned  to  Idaho, 
taking  up  his  abode  at  Weiser  in  1885.  He  purchased  a  relinquishment  claim  from  the 
original  homesteader  and  upon  that  property  were  located  fine  medicinal  hot  springs, 
which  he  called  the  McGlinchey  Hot  Springs.  These  are  now  designated  on  the  map 
as  Meadows. 

The  Indians  were  very  troublesome  at  that  time,  and  as  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled,,  Mrs.  McGlinchey  was  in  constant  fear  for  her  life;  so  after  eighteen  months, 
the  required  time  to  prove  up  on  their  claim,  they  were  induced  by  A.  B.  Moss,  an  old 
and  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  McGlinchey,  whom  he  had  formerly  known  in  Wyoming,  to 
remove  to  Payette.  As  an  inducement  Mr.  Moss  built  them  a  house  to  live  in.  From 
the  time  that  Mr.  McGlinchey  took  up  his  residence  in  Idaho  he  gave  considerable 
attention  to  the  cattle  business  in  connection  with  various  other  interests.  He  was 
a  self-made  man  and  deserved  great  credit  for  the  success  which  he  achieved  in  busi- 
ness. Whatever  he  undertook  he  carried  forward  to  successful  completion,  for  in  his 
vocabulary  there  was  no  such  word  as  fail  and  his  integrity  was  at  all  times  above 
question. 

At  San  Francisco,  California,  in  1878,  Mr.  McGlinchey  was  married  to  Mrs.  May 
(Noggle)  Alvord,  the  widow  of  Major  Alvord,  who  had  served  as  United  States  marshal 
of  Idaho  and  also  conducted  stores  at  Florence  and  at  Slate  Creek,  Idaho.  Subse- 
quently he  sold  his  business  interests  and  accepted  a  position  as  land  appraiser  with 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  officials  cf  which  were  among  his  personal  friends 


JOHN  McGLINCHET 


MRS.  MAT  E.  McGLINCHEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  285 

from  the  time  when  they  had  all  been  residents  of  the  east.  Major  Alvord  died  at 
Hollister,  California,  in  1876.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Alvord,  was  a  daughter  of  David 
Noggle,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in  1869  as  chief  justice 
of  the  state,  receiving  his  appointment  from  President  Grant.  He  was  reappointed,  but 
ill  health  caused  him  to  resign.  After  spending  some  time  in  California  he  took  up 
his  abode  at  Janesvllle,  Wisconsin,  where  his  death  occurred.  He  moved  to  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  from  Pennsylvania  in  1837,  making  the  journey  with  his  family  by  ox 
team.  The  Judge  was  a  man  of  rigid  uprightness  and  of  very  strong  character.  He 
served  as  postmaster  of  Beloit  in  the  early  pioneer  times  of  Wisconsin  and  afterward 
became  a  distinguished  representative  of  the  bar.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  James 
H.  Hawley  and  predicted  a  splendid  future  for  him.  Mr.  Hawley  was  the  only  man 
who  ever  accused  Judge  Noggle  of  perpetrating  a  joke,  for  the  Judge  never  indulged 
in  levity  and  in  fact  regarded  this  as  almost  unforgivable.  While  a  man  of  stern 
character,  his  entire  life  was  guided  by  the  most  upright  principles  and  he  commanded 
the  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife  was  one  of  the  oldest  twins  In  the 
United  States,  living  to  the  age  of  ninety-two  years,  when  death  called  her  at  Monroe, 
Wisconsin.  Their  son,  Major  Dorman  L.  Noggfe,  born  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  volunteered  in 
the  Twelfth  Battery  of  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  and  served  under  General  Grant  through- 
out the  entire  period  of  the  Civil  war,  taking  part  in  some  of  its  most  sanguinary 
battles  and  rising  from  the  ranks  to  the  position  of  major.  He  came  west  with  his 
father  in  1869  and  served  under  him  in  Boise  as  clerk  of  the  United  States  court,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  was  interested  with  his  brother-in-law,  Major  Alvord,  in  the 
ownership  and  conduct  of  stores  at  Slate  Creek  an'd  at  Florence,  Idaho.  He  resigned 
his  official  position  in  1874  to  take  a  position  in  the  United  States  mint  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  there  remaining  until  his  death  in  1914,  during  which  time  over  two 
billion  dollars  passed  through  his  hands.  Mrs.  McGlinchey,  like  her  brother  was 
born  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin.  She  can  relate  many  most  interesting  incidents  and  re- 
miniscences of  the  early  days.  At  the  first  dance  which  she  attended  after  removing 
to  Idaho,  the  violin  was  played  by  the  governor  of  Idaho,  whose  attire  was  by  no 
means  conventional,  as  his  great  long  boots  were  worn  one  on  the  outside  and  the 
other  on  the  inside  of  his  trousers'  legs.  Major  Alvord  left  a  widow  and  one  son,  D. 
D.  Alvord,  who  is  the  present  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Idaho  Department  Store, 
Ltd.,  located  at  Twin  Falls.  He  is  a  self-made  man  and  deserves  much  credit  for  what 
he  has  accomplished  in  business.  Mrs.  Alvord,  following  the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band, met  Mr.  McGlinchey  while  on  a  visit  to  a  sister  who  was  the  wife  of  a  railroad 
employe  at  Evanston,  Wyoming.  By  her  second  marriage  she  became  the  mother 
of  a  daughter,  Anna  May,  who  on  the  7th  of  July,  1902,  became  the  wife  of  W.  B.  Gil- 
more,  a  native  of  Reynolds,  Illinois,  born  March  9,  1879.  In  1881  he  went  with  his 
parents  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  thence  by  stage  to  Boise,  Idaho,  from  which  point 
they  traveled  to  Silver  City  and  finally  to  Sinker  creek  in  this  state,  where  lived  an 
uncle,  George  Gilmore,  who  after  going  to  California  in  1865  had  settled  in  Idaho, 
where  he  took  up  the  business  of  stock  raising.  W.  B.  Gilmore  is  now  farming  the 
McGlinchey  homestead,  raising  potatoes,  hogs  and  hay.  He  received  the  bronze  medal 
at  the  Panama  exposition  for  the  largest  yield  of  corn  in  the  western  states,  the  medal 
being  presented  to  him  in  Payette  at  the  Commercial  Club,  November  5,  1915,  by 
Governor  Alexander.  During  1910  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  offered  a  p'rize  to 
the  grower  of  the  largest  yield  of  potatoes  per  acre.  The  second  prize  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  was  won  by  Mr.  Gilmore,  whose  acre  of  potatoes  produced  six  hundred 
and  twenty-four  bushels  and  thirty-six  pounds,  from  which  sixty-five  bushels  and 
twenty  pounds  were  deducted  as  culls,  leaving  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine  bushels  and 
sixteen  pounds  of  marketable  potatoes.  The  following  year  he  raised  twenty-four  tons 
of  potatoes  on  one  acre,  and  to  prove  his  veracity  has  an  affidavit  to  that  effect.  He 
believes  it  possible  to  raise  thirty  tons  of  potatoes  per  acre  on  good  Idaho  soil  with 
plenty  of  water  and  sunshine.  He  has  received  many  congratulatory  letters  from  men 
of  prominence,  including  Governor  Haines  and  others.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.  Gilmore 
have  been  born  two  children:  May  Eileen  and  John  D. 

It  was  in  1887  that  Mr.  McGlinchey  took  up  his  residence  at  Payette.  The  follow- 
ing year  his  wife  purchased  the  forty  acres  upon  which  she  now  resides  from  the  orig- 
inal homesteader,  who  relinquished  his  claim  to  her  for  a  consideration.  The  tract  is 
now  a  part  of  the  finest  residential  district  of  Payette  and  her  home  is  at  No.  1226 
Seventh  avenue,  North,  a  street  that  is  more  familiarly  known  as  Lovers'  Lane.  Fol- 
lowing his  removal  to  Payette,  Mr.  McGlinchey  became  a  director  of  the  Moss  Mercan- 
tile Company,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  mercantile  establishments  in  Idaho, 


286  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  at  all  times  his  business  affairs  were  guided  by  sound  judgment  and  unfaltering 
enterprise  that  brought  to  him  a  gratifying  measure  of  success. 

Mr.  McGlinchey  was  a  devout  Catholic  in  religious  faith  and  was  a  man  of  unques- 
tioned integrity  as  well  as  business  ability.  He  ranked  for  many  years  as  one  of  Pay- 
ette's  most  energetic  and  progressive  citizens.  He  served  as  county  treasurer  of  Canyon 
county,  which  at  that  time  included  Payette  county,  and  he  for  many  years  filled  the 
office  of  school  trustee  of  Payette.  His  aid  and  influence  were  ever  on  the  side  of 
progress  and  improvement  and  his  labors  were  far-reaching,  effective  and  resultant. 

Mrs.  McGlinchey  has  long  been  a  prominent  figure  in  the  social  circles  not  only  of 
Payette  but  of  Idaho.  She  was  appointed  by  Governor  Gooding  one  of  the  hostesses  at 
the  Lewis  &  Clark  exposition  held  at  Portland,  Oregon,  and  was  one  of  the  few 
hostesses  who  were  reappointed.  She  has  held  the  most  important  offices  in  women's 
clubs  and  organizations  in  the  state  and  is  the  present  director  for  Idaho  of  the  General 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs.  She  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Red 
Cross  of  Payette  and  was  county  chairman  of  the  Women's  Liberty  Loan  Club  of  Pay- 
ette county.  She  is  a  devout  member  of  St.  James  Episcopal  church  and,  associated 
with  Mrs.  A.  B.  Moss,  has  been  untiring  in  her  efforts  to  upbuild  the  church,  which  is 
still  in  a  flourishing  condition  under  the  rectorship  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Ashworth. 
Her  aid  and  her  influence  have  constituted  a  most  potent  factor  in  the  moral  progress 
of  the  community  and  in  the  advancement  of  all  of  those  interests  which  make  for 
civic  virtue  and  civic  pride. 


MARY  ELIZABETH  DONALDSON,  M.  D. 

A  modern  philosopher  has  said:  "Not  the  good  that  comes  to  us  but  the  good 
that  comes  to  the  world  through  us  is  the  measure  of  our  success,"  and  judged 
by  this  standard  the  career  of  Dr.  Mary  Elizabeth  Donaldson  has  been  a  most 
successful  one.  Her  life  has  been  largely  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  others  and  in 
all  things  she  has  maintained  the  highest  standards  of  living  and  of  service.  Two 
splendid  institutions,  the  Donaldson  Home  for  the  Aged  and  the  Idaho  Sanitarium 
of  Boise,  are  largely  the  outgrowth  of  her  love  for  humanity,  combined  with  her 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  science  of  medicine  and  the  demands  of  nature. 

Dr.  Donaldson  was  born  in  Reedsburg,  Wisconsin,  January  12,  1851,  a  daughter 
of  Zachariah  and  Elizabeth  Delia  Craker.  Through  the  paternal  line  she  is  a 
cousin  once  removed  of  Charles  Dickens,  the  great  English  novelist.  Her  father 
was  born  at  Wadsdam,  Buckinghamshire,  England,  February  22,  1811,  and  in 
the  early  '40s  crossed  the  Atlantic.  For  twelve  years  he  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  after  which  he  brought  his  family  to  what 
was  then  the  new  west,  settling  at  Spring  Prairie,  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  wedded  Mrs.  Elizabeth  D.  Brown,  n6e  Marcher, 
whose  father  was  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  a  Baptist  clergyman  by  profession. 
Her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Delia  Wilson  and  was  a  lady  of  southern 
birth  and  deep  religious  convictions.  Mrs.  Craker  was  thus  reared  in  an  atmosphere 
tending  to  develop  beautiful  traits  of  character  and  was  a  woman  of  many  splendid 
qualities.  Mr.  Craker,  too,  was  a  man  of  genuine  personal  worth  and  both 
were  devoted  and  faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  death  occurred 
March  13,  1881. 

Dr.  Donaldson  was  the  eldest  of  nine  children  born  of  her  father's  second 
marriage.  Her  home  environment  was  such  as  developed  the  noblest  traits  of 
character  and  the  teachings  of  father  and  mother  left  a  never  to  be  eradicated 
impress  upon  her  life.  She  completed  her  early  education  as  a  high  school  pupil 
at  Reedsburg,  Wisconsin,  and  following  her  graduation  she  took  up  the  profession 
of  teaching  in  the  schools  of  that  locality.  She  devoted  four  years  to  the  work 
of  the  school  room  and  then  turned  to  home  duties,  while  in  1871  she  became  the 
wife  of  a  Mr.  Hesford,  from  whom  she  was  later  separated  by  the  process  of  law, 
the  marriage  having  proved  an  unhappy  one.  She  had  one  daughter,  Zella,  who 
was  a  most  precocious  and  lovable  child,  the  embodiment  of  unselfishness,  gentle- 
ness and  filial  devotion,  but  death  robbed  the  home  of  its  priceless  jewel.  Not  long 
afterward  Dr.  Donaldson  accompanied  her  brother  James  to  Idaho  and  concen- 
trated her  thought  and  efforts  upon  the  task  of  restoring  him  to  health.  Her 
services  were  resultant  and  she  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  young,  slender 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  287 

and  sickly  boy  develop  into  a  robust  and  vigorous  man,  weighing  more  than  two 
hundred  pounds.  While  caring  for  her  brother  she  again  resorted  to  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching  and  her  service  in  this  connection  in  the  newly  developed 
region  of  the  northwest  was  most  acceptable.  Later  she  became  the  wife  of 
Thomas  L.  Johnston,  a  prominent  early  resident  of  Idaho,  who  was  born  at  Millers- 
burg,  Ohio,  in  1833  and  became  a  resident  of  the  territory  of  Idaho  in  1862.  He 
was  closely  associated  with  the  development  of  mining  interests  in  the  state  and 
served  for  several  years  as  postmaster  at  Bellevue,  Idaho.  He  possessed  various 
substantial  and  admirable  traits  of  character  and  was  a  man  of  most  benevolent 
and  charitable  spirit  but  death  called  him  in  Boise  in  1898. 

In  the  meantime  Dr.  Donaldson  had  carried  out  long  cherished  plans  of  taking 
up  the  practice  of  medicine.  At  that  period  few  women  were  devoting  themselves 
to  medical  practice  and  she  had  the  appreciative  encouragement  and  assistance  of 
her  husband,  Mr.  Johnston,  and  in  1889  she  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Wooster  University  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  being  the  only  woman  to  graduate  and  re- 
ceive the  M.  D.  degree  in  the  class  of  1892.  Her  medical  course  had  been  pursued 
with  the  same  thoroughness  that  characterizes  everything  that  Dr.  Donaldson  under- 
takes and  with  her  return  to  Boise  she  opened  a  sanitarium  and  employed  two 
nurses.  It  was  not  long  before  her  establishment  was  most  liberally  patronized 
and  later  she  opened  an  office  and  conducted  a  large  private  practice  in  Milton, 
Oregon,  and  also  established  the  first  sanitarium  in  that  part  of  the  state,  retain- 
ing the  active  direction  thereof  until  it  had  become  a  well  established  and  paying 
institution,  after  which  she  removed  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  founded  the  first 
sanitarium  in  that  city.  For  four  years  she  remained  at  its  head  and  again  success 
attended  her  efforts  in  this  new  venture.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  she 
returned  to  Boise  and  in  the  spring  of  1898,  with  the  assistance  of  her  husband, 
she  built  and  opened  the  Idaho  Sanitarium  Institute,  with  which  she  has  since 
been  closely  associated.  Her  professional  services  have  been  given  to  the  institu- 
tion without  charge,  prompted  by  a  love  of  humanity  that  is  causing  her  constantly 
to  extend  a  helping  hand  where  aid  is  needed.  In  the  private  practice  of  medicine 
She  has  been  accorded  a  most  liberal  and  remunerative  practice  but  in  this  field, 
too,  her  broad  humanitarianism  is  constantly  manifest  in  her  professional  assistance 
to  hundreds  who  were  unable  to  compensate  her  in  a  financial  way  for  her  services. 
On  the  9th  of  January,  1912,  Dr.  Mary  E.  Johnston  became  the  wife  of  Captain 
Gilbert  Donaldson,  a  man  long  known  and  highly  esteemed  in  the  business  circles  of 
Boise  and  one  whose  philanthropy  and  large  social  service  made  between  them  a 
great  bond  of  sympathy  and  interest.  It  was  subsequent  to  this  marriage  that  Dr. 
Donaldson  saw  the  fulfillment  of  a  hope  which  she  had  entertained  from  1881  on 
visiting  an  institution  for  the  care  of  aged  men  and  women  in  Philadelphia.  The 
splendid  work  made  strong  appeal  to  her  and  it  was  her  desire  that  at  some  time 
she  might  found  an  institution  of  like  character  in  Boise.  As  the  years  passed 
she  never  lost  sight  of  the  project  and  utilized  every  opportunity  to  promote  its 
fulfillment.  She  won  the  cooperation  and  assistance  of  many  benevolent  people 
in  Boise  from  all  walks  of  life  and  at  length  the  Donaldson  Home  for  the  Aged, 
as  it  was  called  in  her  honor,  took  tangible  form.  It  is  located  on  Donaldson 
Heights  in  Boise  and  to  the  public  Dr.  Donaldson  sent  out  this  beautiful  appeal: 
"Let  the  whisper  of  love  and  plenty,  in  the  ears  of  loneliness  and  want,  dry  the 
tears  in  eyes  bedimmed  with  age,  and  the  sweet  fragrance  of  these  flowers  of  love 
will  perfume  all  the  air  of  Boise  and  every  county  in  the  state,  catching  the  sweet 
incense  thereof,  will  bring  their  offering  for  this  'Home  for  the  Aged,'  their  gold 
and  their  silver,  and  lay  them  on  Boise's  altar  of  love."  It  would  be  impossible 
to  enumerate  all  of  the  kindly  deeds  and  noble  actions  of  Dr.  Donaldson,  for  many 
of  these  have  been  known  only  to  the  recipients  thereof.  It  is  only  when  her  work 
could  not  be  hidden  from  the  public  that  she  has  spoken  of  it  and  at  all  times 
she  has  been  actuated  by  the  spirit  of  Him  who  commanded  that  the  left  hand 
should  not  be  allowed  to  know  what  the  right  hand  doeth.  Free  from  ostentation 
and  display,  recognizing  in  every  individual  a  brother  or  sister  who  had  claim 
upon  her  thought  and  love,  Dr.  Donaldson  has  brought  not  only  health  but  the 
blessings  of  companionship,  of  cheer  and  inspiration  into  many  lives.  Bereft  of 
her  own  beautiful  little  daughter,  she  has  been  a  mother  to  five  orphaned  children, 
directing  their  development  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  for  the  highest  standard 
of  physical,  mental  and  moral  progress.  She  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
the  American  Woman's  League  and  has  been  a  constant  contributor  to  its  litera- 
ture. In  December,  1903,  she  assisted  in  founding  and  assisted  in  conducting  the 


288  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Idaho  Magazine,  making  it  a  journal  of  much  importance  to  the  state.  She  also 
edited  and  published  the  Reform  Appeal,  which  was  established  to  do  away  with 
existing  public  conditions,  and  its  clear  presentation  of  affairs  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  bringing  about  the  election  of  a  democratic  mayor  of  Boise  although 
the  normal  republican  majority  was  fifteen  hundred.  Dr.  Donaldson  also  organized 
and  superintended  the  Prohibition  Alliance  and  her  work  in  behalf  of  temperance 
is  now  reaching  fruition  in  the  nation-wide  ratification  of  the  prohibition  amend- 
ment. It  is  impossible  to  measure  the  extent  and  influence  of  her  activities  in 
behalf  of  humanity  but  all  who  know  aught  of  her  history  acknowledge  the  great 
worth  of  her  work  as  a  valuable  contribution  to  physical,  intellectual  and  moral 
uplift  in  the  state  in  which  she  has  so  long  been  an  honored  resident. 


HON.  ROY  L.  BLACK. 

Hon.  Roy  L.  Black,  former  member  of  the  bar  of  Coeur  d'Alene  and  now  attorney 
general  of  Idaho,  making  his  home  in  Boise,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Topeka,  in  La- 
grange  county,  Indiana,  September  25,  1878,  a  son  of  William  Henry  and  Dulcina 
(King)  Black,  both  of  whom  are  now  living  at  Topeka  and  in  good  health.  The  father 
Is  a  well-to-do  retired  farmer,  who  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  February  22, 
1848,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Noble  county,  Indiana,  December  2,  1850. 
Her  parents  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Indiana,  driving  an  ox  team  across  the 
country,  and  became  early  settlers  of  Noble  county  in  the  latter  state.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Henry  Black  were  born  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  living  with  the  exception  of  the  youngest  daughter,  but  Roy  L.  Black 
is  the  only  one  now  in  Idaho. 

Reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  upon  which  he  was  born,  Roy  L.  Black  early  at- 
tended the  country  schools  and  thus  pursued  his  education  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  He  afterward  was  a  pupil  in  the  high  school  at  Topeka,  Indiana,  about 
two  miles  from  his  home,  there  pursuing  his  studies  for  two  years.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  seven  consecutive 
winters  in  Noble  county,  Indiana,  spending  the  first  five  years  in  the  country  schools 
and  during  the  last  two  years  he  taught  the  eighth  grade  in  the  Wawaka  graded 
schools  of  Noble  county.  In  the  meantime,  while  engaged  in  teaching,  he  had  become 
a  student  in  the  Valparaiso  University,  pursuing  his  studies  there  for  seven  months  in 
1900.  Later  he  matriculated  in  the  Ferris  Institute  at  Big  Rapids,  Michigan,  where  he 
spent  a  year.  In  the  fall  of  1904  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  and  after  three  years  was  graduated  with  the  LL.  B.  degree  in  June,  1907. 
In  his  senior  year  he  was  president  of  his  class,  which  numbered  three  hundred  and 
thirty-four  members.  During  his  junior  year  he  was  associate  editor  of  the  Michigan 
Law  Review,  published  at  the  university. 

In  July,  1907,  Mr.  Black  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Coeur  d'Alene  for  the  practice 
of  law,  and  has  since  been  prominently  and  actively  connected  with  the  profession, 
remaining  at  Coeur  d'Alene  until  the  fall  of  1918,  when  he  removed  to  Boise  to  assume 
the  duties  of  attorney  general  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  on 
the  5th  of  November  of  that  year  as  the  republican  candidate,  defeating  the  Non-Par- 
tisan  League  candidate  by  a  vote  of  fourteen  thousand,  four  hundred  and  eighty.  In 
1905,  while  attending  the  University  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Black  spent  the  summer  vaca- 
tions as  an  interurban  railway  conductor  on  the  line  between  Kent  and  Barberton,  Ohio, 
and  during  the  summer  vacation  of  1906  he  drove  a  stage  in  Yellowstone  National 
Park,  thus  utilizing  every  means  to  provide  for  the  expens'es  of  his  university  course. 
This  was  indicative  of  the  elemental  strength  of  his  character,  and  the  same  resolute 
spirit  has  carried  him  steadily  forward  in  his  practice.  He  is  a  lawyer  of  marked  abil- 
ity who  has  ever  prepared  his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  care,  and  his  presen- 
tation of  a  cause  has  ever  been  clear  and  cogent,  while  the  soundness  of  his  reasoning 
has  brought  desired  decisions.  The  high  standing  which  he  has  won  as  a  member  of 
the  bar  of  Coeur  d'Alene  and  his  well  known  loyalty  in  citizenship  combined  to  make 
him  a  logical  candidate  for  the  office  of  attorney  general. 

Mr.  Black  has  always  given  his  political  support  to  the  republican  party  and  in 
1909  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Coeur  d'Alene  and  served  for  two  years.  In  1910  he 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  and  for  one  term  was  a  member  of  the  house,  during 
which  he  \vas  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee.  It  was  subsequently  that  he  was 


HOX.  ROY  L.  BLACK 


Vol.  II—  II 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  291 

chosen  for  his  present  office,  in  which  he  is  making  a  most  creditable  record.     Fra- 
ternally he  Is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1911,  Mr.  Black  was  married  to  Miss  Stella  Bartels.  a 
native  of  Ohio,  who  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  residing  in  Wallace,  Idaho.  They 
are  parents  of  two  children:  John  R.,  born  December  17,  1912;  and  William  Augustus, 
born  January  27,  1916.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  have  gained  a  wide  acquaintance  dur- 
ing the  period  of  their  residence  in  Boise  and  are  highly  esteemed  wherever  known. 


HON.   JOHN   TRACY   MORRISON. 

- 

Able  lawyer,  sagacious  business  man,  a  wise  and  incorruptible  governor,  a 
devoted  husband  and  father,  a  faithful  friend  and  sincere  Christian — in  these 
words  are  summed  up  the  life  record  of  one  who  for  twenty-five  years  labored  for 
the  material,  intellectual,  social,  political  and  moral  progress  of  the  commonwealtn 
of  Idaho.  His  life's  journey  compassed  practically  fifty-five  years.  He  often  re- 
marked that  he  had  never  reached  his  ideals — but  who  of  us  does — and  through- 
out the  state  there  are  many  who  bear  testimony  to  the  worth  of  his  influence  and 
his  work  upon  the  development  of  the  state.  A  modern  philosopher  has  said,  "Not 
the  good  that  comes  to  us,  but  the  good  that  comes  to  the  world  through  us,  is  the 
measure  of  our  success,"  and  judged  by  this  standard  John  Tracy  Morrison  was  a 
most  successful  man.  At  memorial  services  held  in  Boise  two  weeks  following  his 
demise,  which  occurred  on  the  20th  of  December,  1915,  Dr.  Boone,  president  of  the 
College  of  Idaho  at  Caldwell,  said:  "The  year  1860  brought  a  glad  Christmas  time 
to  the  home  of  John  and  Sophia  Morrison,  of  old  Jefferson  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, for,  as  at  Bethlehem  of  old,  a  son  was  born.  The  child  grew  and  developed 
amid  the  favorable  physical,  'moral  and  spiritual  environments  of  a  Christian  Amer- 
ican home.  John  Morrison,  Sr.,  was  a  hardy  pioneer  of  the  early  west  and  lived  to 
the  ripe  age  of  over  four  score  and  ten.  Sophia  was  his  second  wife.  She  had 
given  a  considerable  portion  of  her  life  to  teaching  in  our  public  schools.  They 
were  a  very  intelligent,  high-thinking,  religious  couple,  with  most  worthy  ambi- 
tion for  the  success  of  their  two  sons — John  Tracy  and  William  Zalmon.  Thus  our 
friend  was  favored  with  a  most  noble  parentage,  an  aseet  for  true  success  that  can- 
not be  estimated. 

"Having  finished  his  education  as  far  as  ttte  schools  of  his  home  community 
could  carry  him,  the  school  year  1880-1881  found  John  Tracy  Morrison  a  student  in 
Wooster  University,  Wayne  county,  Ohio.  And  it  was  here  that  our  lifelong  asso- 
ciation and  friendship  began,  and  while  we  were  not  classmates  yet  we  were  thrown 
together  in  various  student  organizations,  and  with  the  one  exception  of  the  pastor 
of  this  church,  Dr.  Donaldson,  John  Morrison  was  the  longest  time  my  personal 
friend,  close  as  a  brother.  It  is  said  that  more  than  half  the  value  of  one's  edu- 
cation consists  in  the  friendships  formed  during  one's  school  days,  for,  after  all, 
the  living  book  is  the  most  closely  read. 

"In  studentship,  Morrison  was  far  above  the  average,  and  took  high  rank  in 
essay,  oratory  and  debate,  yet  he  was  neither  bookworm  nor  mollycoddle;  he  had 
time  to  play  baseball,  and  often  occupied  the  pitcher's  box,  and  in  the  gymnasium 
when  he  donned  the  mitts  his  adversary  knew  that  he  was  there.  After  staying 
out  a  year  to  teach,  he  graduated  in  1887,  taking  the  A.  B.  degree,  and  we  next 
find  our  friend  an  LL.  B.  from  Cornell  Law  School.  As  one  Abram  in  the  olden 
time  in  the  highly  fertile  valley  of  the  Euphrates  heard  the  call  of  the  Lord,  'Get 
thee  up  from  thy  country  and  from  thy  kindred  and  from  thy  father's  house  unto 
a  land  I  shall  show  thee,'  so,  John  T.  Morrison,  standing  conscious  of  his  young 
manhood's  strength,  well  equipped  for  efficient  service  through  his  chosen  pro- 
fession, the  law,  was  ready  for  a  call.  He  heard,  and  July,  1890,  found  him  in 
Caldwell  amid  the  sage  plains  of  Idaho,  and  later  in  the  year  he  was  joined  here 
by  his  wife  and  infant  daughter.  Just  how  God  made  known  his  will  to  Abram 
we  may  not  know,  but  Abram  was  certainly  most  human  in  executing  his  call  as  he 
loitered  along  the  road.  Just  how  the  call  to  Idaho  came  to  Mr.  Morrison  we  do 
not  know,  but  I  remember  that  early  In  1890  he  wrote  me  inquiring  about  the 
opportunity  for  a  young  lawyer  in  Idaho.  My  reply  was  not  that  of  the  orthodox 
real  estate  new  country  boomer,  but  was  to  the  effect  that  I  saw  nothing  but  hard 
foundation  work  with  little  pay  for  any  kind  of  professional  man.  But  a  man  with 


292  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

a  call  was  not  to  be  thwarted  by  any  such  pessimism,  so  another  letter  came.  My 
reply  was,  'Come,  see  for  yourself,  don't  take  my  word.'  He  came,  and  for  a  few 
weeks  the  newness  and  the  extreme  primitiveness  of  the  country  almost  appalled 
him,  but  the  pioneer  spirit  soon  got  him  and  from  that  day  to  his  last  day  he  was 
an  enthusiastic  citizen  of  Idaho. 

"We  leave  to  others  better  qualified  to  speak  the  estimate  of  our  friend's 
career  as  a  business  man.  lawyer  and  politician,  except  that  we  know  that  in  all 
these  he  was  actuated  by  the  highest  motives  and  ideals,  and  history  shows  that  as 
governor  of  Idaho  his  administration  was  clean  and  constructive. 

"The  first  twelve  years  of  his  life  in  Idaho  were  spent  at  Caldwell,  and  it  was 
here  that  we  were  most  closely  associated  through  church  and  school  activities. 
Morrison  did  not  leave  his  religion  on  the  other  side  of  the  divide,  but  at  once 
entered  the  religious  activities  of  the  community.  This  was  likewise  manifest  in 
his  choice  of  a  law  partner.  He  could  think  of  no  one  who  would  be  more  help- 
ful as  a  professional  man  and  a  Christian  in  the  town  than  his  friend  and  class- 
mate in  law  school,  Hon.  John  C.  Rice.  So,  early  in  November,  1890,  Mr.  Rice  came 
to  Caldwell,  and  has  proved  to  be  the  strong  professional  and  Christian  man  that  his 
friend  had  foretold. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  v  Morrison  soon  put  their  letters  into  the  little  Presbyterian 
Home  Mission  Church  and  became  active  workers,  Mr.  Morrison  superintendent  of 
Sunday  school,  and  with  Mr.  Rice  and  others  was  the  founder  of  the  first  C.  E. 
Society  in  Caldwell.  He  was  the  third  elder  elected  and  ordained  in  the  Caldwell 
church.  Some  five  times  he  was  sent  by  the  Presbytery  of  Boise  as  its  lay  dele- 
gate to  the  general  assembly,  and  on  each  occasion  the  interests  of  the  church 
were  wisely  cared  for  by  our  friend. 

"The  College  of  Idaho  had  been  located  in  the  town  of  Caldwell  in  the  spring 
of  1890.  John  was  enthusiastic  for  the  school  to  open  for  active  work,  and  a  large 
part  of  the  organization  of  the  school  was  effected  by  him  and  his  law  partner,  Mr. 
Rice.  When  we  opened,  October  7,  1891,  Morrison  and  Rice  were  on  hand  as 
teachers  in  the  new  college.  Morrison  held  the  chairs  of  English  and  history, 
and  Rice  Greek  and  mathematics.  Mr.  Morrison  taught  in  the  college  for  about 
two  years.  His  students  of  those  years  still  testify  of  his  efficiency  as  a  teacher 
of  English.  He  was  also  secretary  of  the  college  board  of  trustees  for  over  ten 
years. 

"Mr.  Morrison  loved  the  pure  and  beautiful  wherever  he  found  it,  in  nature, 
literature  or  art.  He  was  a  delightful  companion  in  the  mountains  of  Idaho;  he 
could  describe  a  sunset  or  dwell  on  the  beauties  of  woodland  and  valley. 

"He  was  a  discriminating  reader  and  a  real  literary  critic,  and  all  his  own 
compositions  were  well  finished.  His  home  in  Caldwell  was  a  gathering  place  for 
all  who  enjoyed  the  best  in  music,  literature  and  art,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison 
extended  these,  high  ideals  through  the  organiztaion  of  various  literary  and  musical 
societies  in  the  community. 

"Our  brother  was  a  man  of  large  sympathies.  He  stood  for  justice  as  between 
men.  In  the  hour  of  calamity  or  sorrow  he  was  a  helpful  friend.  He  was  a  great 
home  man.  To  design,  build  and  furnish  a  house  was  a  delight  to  him,  and  to 
tend  the  roses  on  his  lawn  a  real  relief  after  a  hard  day's  work." 

On  the  same  occasion  Hon.  John  C.  Rice,  of  Caldwell,  who  had  been  associated 
in  law  practice  with  Mr.  Morrison  there  for  a  number  of  years  and  who  was  asked 
to  speak  concerning  Governor  Morrison  as  a  Christian,  professional  and  public 
man,  said:  "A  man  is  known  through  his  various  relationships.  A  man  is  not 
abstractly  good  or  bad  or  mean  or  generous;  his  character  is  known  by  his  rela- 
tions as  husband,  father,  friend,  citizen.  And  Christianity,  when  it  enters  a  life, 
gives  tone  and  color  and  equality  to  every  relationship  which  a  man  assumes.  It 
was  my  privilege  to  be  associated  with  Governor  Morrison  for  four  years.  I  could 
say  that  I  never  knew  him  to  do  a  mean  or  dishonorable  thing.  I  could  say  that 
I  never  knew  him  to  betray  a  client  or  a  trust;  but  I  think  if  I  said  that  I  would 
not  be  passing  a  very  high  compliment  upon  him.  And  I  think  he  looked  upon 
the  practice  of  the  law  and  upon  his  position  as  a  public  man  in  a  very  different 
light  from  that.  Nowhere  in  the  Book  are  we  told  that  it  is  much  of  a  virtue  not  to 
betray  your  trust  and  not  to  do  the  mean  things  and  the  dishonorable  things,  and  I 
do  not  think  that  it  occupied  a  great  deal  of  Governor  Morrison's  attention  or 
thought  to  steel  himself  against  doing  the  things  of  that  sort.  But  I  think  that 
he  looked  upon  his  profession  and  himself  as  a  practitioner  at  the  bar  as  instru- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  293 

ments  of  justice.  Christianity,  as  applied  to  the  practice  of  the  law,  means,  first, 
justice  and  truth;  it  means,  next,  compassion  and  mercy;  and  the  highest  ideal  of 
every  Christian  man  who  enters  upon  that  as  upon  any  other  profession  is  that  of 
service.  And  when  I  express  these  ideals  I  think  I  am  expressing  the  ideals  that 
actuated  Governor  Morrison. 

"The  same  ideals  possessed  him  in  his  public  life — the  ideals  of  truth  and 
justice.  He  was  a  very  democratic  man.  I  did  not  enjoy  the  most  intimate 
association  with  Governor  Morrison  at  all  times,  but  I  did  happen  to  know  of  his 
attitude  toward  certain  questions  that  came  up  while  he  was  governor.  In  the 
eyes  of  Governor  Morrison  every  citizen  occupied  the  same  position  as  every  other 
citizen,  and  he  did  not  think  that  any  set  of  men,  or  any  man  of  any  particular 
faith,  occupied  any  position  in  the  eyes  of  the  State  different  from  the  great  bodv 
of  citizens.  All  were  entitled  to  the  same  consideration,  the  same  justice,  and  no 
one  should  ask  for  more. 

"It  is  every  man's  ambition,  or  should  be,  to  be  a  useful  citizen.  It  should 
be  his  ambition  to  leave  his  State,  if  he  is  at  all  a  public  man,  somewhat  advanced 
on  the  road.  Governor  Morrison's  purpose  ran  along  that  line.  His  desire  was 
to  do  something  constructive;  his  desire  was  that  the  State,  with  his  help,  should 
make  tome  progress  along  right  lines." 

It  was  on  the  8th  of  July.  1886,  in  Jamestown,  New  York,  that  Governor  Mor- 
rison was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Darling  Mackey,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  was  born 
in  Warren,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  James  Scott  and  Olive  (Susan)  Anderson  Mackey. 
The  Mackey  family  was  established  in  Ohio  in  1805,  becoming  pioneers  of  the 
Western  Reserve.  Mrs.  Morrison  was  educated  in  Lake  Erie  College  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wooster,  completing  a  course  in  the  musical  department  of  the  latter 
institution,  and  in  the  same  year  her  future  husband  graduated  from  another  de- 
partment of  the  school.  They  became  acquainted  during  their  student  days  and 
it  was  the  year  subsequent  to  their  marriage  that  they  were  graduated.  Mrs. 
Morrison  is  a  skilled  pianist  and  is  an  expert  in  the  teaching  of  music,  particularly 
piano.  The  art  of  music  has  always  been  her  source  of  recreation  and  inspiration 
throughout  her  life.  Her  love  for  this  has  led  her  to  teach  music  ever  since  her 
marriage,  not  of  necessity  but  from  choice,  because  of  the  great  pleasure  she  has 
derived  in  making  known  to  others  the  beauties  and  harmony  of  the  art.  She  has  also 
had  great  delight  in  literature  and  has  ever  been  of  a  studious  nature.  She  belongs  to 
the  leading  clubs  of  Boise, '  including  the  Columbian  and  Fortnightly  and  of  the  latter 
has  been  the  president.  Governor  and  Mrs.  Morrison  became  the  parents  of  a  daughter 
and  a  son;  Mary  Louise,  now  the  wife  of  Allen  Wilcox,  of  Star;  and  John  Mackey, 
who  was  a  student  in  Bowdoin  College  of  Maine  when  the  United  States  entered  the 
war  and  he  enlisted  in  the  aviation  branch  of  the  service  and  was  commissioned  a 
first  lieutenant.  He  returned  to  Bowdoin 'College  in  1919.  While  a  veil  of  privacy 
should  ever  shut  off  the  public  gaze  from  the  home  life,  it  is  well  known  that  Gov- 
ernor Morrison  was  largely  an  ideal  husband  and  father,  finding  his  greatest  happi- 
ness at  his  own  fireside  and  sharing  in  each  interest  of  wife  and  children.  Governor 
and  Mrs.  Morrison  were  no  more  closely  associated  in  any  line  of  activity  or  interest 
than  in  their  church  work.  They  were  devoted  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  on  their  removal  to  Caldwell  became  active  members  of  the  Home  Mission 
church  there  and  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian  church  following  their  removal 
to  Boise.  His  pastor  and  a  friend  of  many  years'  standing  said  of  Governor  Mor- 
rison: 'To  live  in  lives  made  better  by  our  presence  is  not  to  die.'  I  doubt  if  this 
sentiment  has  stronger  emphasis  anywhere  than  it  has  in  our  relation  with  this 
friend  who  has  finished  his  work  and  has  entered  into  his  rest.  He  lives  where  men 
are  measured  by  the  standard  of  manhood.  He  lives  where  human  interests  are 
creeping  up  laboriously  toward  attainments  in  righteousness  and  justice.  He  lives 
where  the  ideals  of  humanity  are  becoming  more  and  more  comprehensive  and 
where  they  who  seek  to  serve  their  fellowmen  are  not  only  thinking  the  thoughts  of 
men  but  are  thinking  the  thoughts  of  God  after  him.  He  lives  where  friendship 
means  something  that  is  rich  and  sacred  and  personal,  for  he  was  such  a  friend  as 
grappled  you  to  him  with  hooks  of  steel.  One  of  the  delightful  things  about  friend- 
ship is  that  you  are  not  required  always  to  explain  what  is  in  your  thought  for  him 
or  for  others.  The  true  friend  sits  in  quietness.  The  comradeship  itself  is  worth 
while.  He  measures  your  ideals  not  alone  by  the  words  that  are  spoken  but  by  the 
life  that  is  lived,  and  when  life's  great  tests  come  he  does  not  ask  you  to  explain  the 
things  that  he  has  not  understood.  He  believes  in  you;  he  believes  in  your  integrity; 


294  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  trusts  you  to  make  good.  Such  a  friend  was  John  Morrison  in  college,  when  we 
were  boys  together,  through  the  days  and  the  years  that  multiplied,  until  this  closing 
year  of  1915  when  he  finished  his  work.  Friendship  means  more  because  many  of 
us  have  learned  to  know  the  warm-heartedness  and  the  sturdy  integrity  of  John 
Morrison.  And  Christianity  means  more  because  of  the  frank  way  in  which  he  gave 
it  expression  in  his  life.  For  twenty  years  or  more  I  had  slight  acquaintance  with 
him,  but  coming  again  into  this  region  the  old  friendship  was  renewed.  I  have  often 
said  to  friends  east  and  west  that  nowhere  did  I  find  a  man  in  public  life — not  often 
in  private  life — who  would  take  you  into  his  office  and  talk  personal  religion,  initiat- 
ing the  subject  himself  as  naturally  as  he  would  speak  about  the  sunshine  of  IdaKo 
or  the  opportunities  of  the  future  years  in  material  affairs.  It  was  the  conversation 
of  a  man  who  has  traversed  the  ground  again  and  again  in  his  own  mind — a  man 
who  has  been  studying  the  prinicples  of  truth — a  man  who  has  been  seeking  to  apply 
them  to  other  lives  as  well  as  to  his  own — a  man  who  has  learned  the  lesson  of  life 
from  the  great  Teacher  of  life.  He  made  his  mistakes;  he  had  difficulties  that  no 
one  knew  better  than  himself.  Some  lives  are  smaller  because  of  the  obstacles  they 
must  meet.  Some  minds  have  grown  narrow  and  partisan  because  of  the  difficulties 
that  present  themselves  in  life.  Some  hearts  have  grown  bitter  because  of  the 
hindrances  that  are  in  the  way  of  their  progress.  I  think  John  Morrison  grew  more 
kindly  in  his  thought  for  his  fellowmen.  I  think  there  was  more  of  gentleness  and 
persuasion  in  his  life  in  these  latter  days  and  months.  He  learned  from  life's  dis- 
appointments and  discouragements  because  he  had  a  fellowship  with  the  Man  of 
Sorrows  who  was  acquainted  with  grief If  John  Morrison  has  been  misunder- 
stood, if  his  actions  have  been  misinterpreted,  he  has  a  large  company  of  men  who 
have  suffered  with  him,  when  they  undertook  to  stand  in  any  community  for  the 
right  and  the  truth.  He  lived  in  a  state  that  has  adopted  some  of  the  ideals  which 
he  incorporated  but  was  not  permitted  to  bring  to  full  realization.  It  is  a  most 
fascinating  study  to  see  how  the  states  in  their  development  have  caught  up  the 
ideals  of  this  man,  or  of  that,  or^of  another — how  the  nations  have  builded  their 
customs,  their  laws,  their  institutions,  about  the  ideals  of  some  man  who  stands 
out  strikingly  at  the  strategic  period  of  development.  Men  have  said  that  John 
Morrison  was  the  first  constructive  governor  of  Idaho.  I  do  not  know;  but  I  know 
that  he  purposed  to  be  a  builder — not  one  that  would  pull  down  anything  worth 
while  that  had  ever  been  built." 


ERNEST  GEORGE  EAGLESON. 

Ernest  George  Eagleson,  mayor  of  Boise,  was  born,  on  a  farm  near  Cadiz,  Ohio, 
January  13,  1864.  With  his  parents,  Andrew  Hervey  and  Martha  A.  (Kerr)  Eagleson,  he 
moved  to  Jefferson,  Iowa,  in  1871  and  eleven  years  later  to  Craig,  Nebraska,  where  the 
family  resided  until  1891,  when  the  permanent  home  was  made  in  Boise,  Idaho.  Ernest 
G.  Eagleson  received  his  educational  training  in  the  Jefferson  public  schools  and  academy, 
in  the  Fremont  Normal  College  and  in  the  University  of  Nebraska,  graduating  from 
the  engineering  department  of  the  last  named  institution  in  1889.  In  1907,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Viola  Scully,  formerly  of  Moscow,  Idaho,  whose  parents  came  to  this 
state  in  1880. 

Mr.  Eagleson's  first  engineering  experience  was  with  the  Des  Moines  and  North- 
western Railway  as  assistant  to  a  division  engineer  in  1881.  From  that  time  to  the 
present  he  has  been  engaged  almost  continuously  in  some  form  of  construction  work 
except  when  at  school  or  the  university.  After  graduating  from  the  university  he 
was  employed  by  the  Burlington  Railway  as  assistant  engineer  on  construction  and 
later  by  the  Union  Pacific  Coal  Company  of  Wyoming  as  assistant  mining  engineer. 
He  was  first  appointed  city  engineer  of  Boise  in  1893  by  Hon.  Peter  Sonna  and  served 
the  city  four  terms  or  eight  years  in  that  capacity,  but  not  continuously.'  He  was 
county  surveyor  of  Ada  county  for  one  term  and  served  as  United  States  surveyor 
general  for  Idaho  from  1902  until  1908.  He  is  an  associate  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers  and  was  president  of  the  Idaho  Society  of  Engineers  for 
one  term. 

Mr.  Eagleson  has  been  connected  with  various  mining,  railroad,  irrigation  and 
municipal  engineering  work  in  the  northwest  since  coming  to  Boise,  notable  among 
which  in  Idaho  was  that  of  the  Twin  Springs  Placer  Mining  Company,  which  operated 


ERNEST  G.  EAGLESON 


IIISK  )RY  OF  IDAHO  297 

on  the  upper  Boise  river.  He  was  also  chief  engineer  of  construction  of  the  New 
York  Canal,  now  the  United  States  Reclamation  main  canal,  in  1899  and  1900,  when 
water  was  gotten  out  upon  approximately  twenty-three  thousand  acres  of  lands  to  the 
south  of  Boise.  In  connection  with  his  surveys  and  investigations  for  the  Boise  City 
Carey  Act  project,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  thousand  acres  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Boise  river,  Mr.  Eagleson  discovered  the  storage  value  of  the  Arrowrock 
reservoir  site,  called  it  to  the  attention  of  the  chief  engineers  of  the  United  States 
Reclamation  Service  and  others  and  made  the  first  study  sketch  of  the  now  famous 
dam  for  filing  with  Idaho  state  engineer's  office.  This  plan  was  followed  very  closely 
in  construction  by  the  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service. 

In  politics  Mr.  Eagleson  is  a  stalwart  republican  and  has  been  untiring  in  his 
support  of  the  party  and  its  principles.  He  has  worked  earnestly  in  its  behalf  and, 
moreover,  he  has  always  stood  for  civic  improvement  and  development.  He  has  been 
a  close  student  of  questions  relative  to  the  upbuilding  of  Boise  and  these  questions 
he  has  studied  from  the  standpoint  of  a  civil  engineer  who  can  correctly  estimate 
upon  municipal  engineering  problems  and  also  from  the  standpoint  of  the  business 
man,  who  must  consider  his  financial  budget  in  promoting  his  plans.  On  the  22nd 
of  April,  1919,  Mr.  Eagleson  was  elected  mayor  of  Boise  by  a  substantial  majority. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  having  attained  the  higher  degrees  in  both  the  York  and 
Scottish  Rites.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  while  in  religious  affiliation  he  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


WILLIAM  HEALY. 

William  Healy  was  born  near  Windham,  Iowa,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1881. 
He  attended  the  University  of  Iowa  for  six  years,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in 
1906  and  LL.  B.  in  1908.  In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Idaho,  locating  at  Silver  City 
in  March,  1909.  He  practiced  law  at  that  place  until  1914,  when  he  came  to  Boise, 
where  he  has  since  been  located.  He  represented  Owyhee  county  in  the  lower  house 
of  the  state  legislature  in  1913.  In  1917  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  state 
board  of  education. 


EDWARD  W.   VALKER,   D.   D.   S. 

The  dental  profession  of  Boise  finds  an  able  representative  in  Dr.  Edward  W. 
Valker,  who  is  located  in  the  Yates  building  and  has  been  practicing  in  the  capital 
city  since  1907.  He  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  and  now  enjoys  a  large 
and  remunerative  practice.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho  since  1903,  at  which 
time  he  commenced  practice  at  Emmett.  Born  on  a  farm  in  Libertyville,  Illinois, 
February  27,  1875,  Dr.  Valker  is  the  youngest  of  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two 
daughters,  born  to  Ernest  and  Sophia  Valker,  natives  of  Germany.  They  were 
married,  however,  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  both  have  now  passed  away.  Their 
eight  children  are  all  living,  but  Dr.  Valker  of  this  review  is  the  only  one  who  makes 
his  home  in  Idaho.  When  he  was  but  two  years  of  age  the  family  removed  from 
Illinois  to  Minnesota  and  in  that  state  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  near  Glencoe  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. At  that  age  he  took  up  telegraphy  at  Glencoe  and  subsequently  acted  as 
operator  and  also  as  railway  brakeman,  continuing  in  either  of  the  two  capacities  in 
Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota,  Montana,  Colorado  and  Washington  for  about 
seven  years. 

Not  finding  satisfaction  in  those  pursuits,  he  decided  to  take  up  the  profession 
of  dentistry,  giving  up  railroad  work  in  1900.  In  order  to  pursue  the  necessary 
course  he  removed  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  there  entered  the  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  which  he. attended  for  three  years,  graduating  in  1903  with  the  degree  of 
D.  D.  S.  Having  in  his  railroad  connection  gained  a  fair  insight  into  western 
conditions  and  perceiving  the  greater  opportunities  offered  here,  he  decided  to  come 
to  Idaho  and  in  1903  opened  an  office  in  Emmett,  where  he  built  up  a  gratifying 
practice.  In  1907,  however,  he  removed  to  the  capital  in  order  to  participate  in 
the  greater  chances  offered  in  a  larger  city.  He  soon  demonstrated  his  ability  and 


298  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

in  the  course  of  years  has  become  one  of  the  leading  dentists  of  Boise,  now  having 
a  large  practice  and  maintaining  a  well  equipped  dental  suite  in  the  Yates  building, 
which  has  been  his  headquarters  since  1914.  He  not  only  has  thorough  experience 
in  regard  to  the  medical  aspect  of  dental  science  but  has  also  the  mechanical  ability 
so  necessary  to  the  successful  pursuit  of  his  profession,  so  that  it  is  but  natural 
that  the  list  of  his  patients  is  very  large.  Moreover,  he  is  a  man  of  good  business 
ability,  of  a  distinctly  energetic  and  pleasant  personality,  who  readily  makes 
friends,  all  of  which  qualities  have  entered  into  his  success. 

On  November  26,  1903,  at  Hutchinson,  Minnesota,  Mr.  Valker  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Maude  Evelyn  Walker,  a  boyhood  acquaintance  and  schoolmate,  and 
to  this  union  were  born  four  children,  three  daughters  and  a  son:  Carriene  Elizabeth, 
born  September  5,  1904;  Dorothy  Lucile,  September  29,  1908;  James  Lloyd,  No- 
vember 26,  1911;  and  June  Lenora,  June  22,  1914.  The  family  are  prominent  so- 
cially and  both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Valker  have  many  friends  in  the  city,  all  of  whom 
have  been  attracted  to  them  by  their  high  qualities  of  character. 

Dr.  Valker  is  a  republican  but  has  never  found  the  time  nor  has  he  felt  the 
inclination  for  political  office.  He  finds  recreation  from  his  arduous  duties  in 
hunting  and  fishing,  thus  well  balancing  a  professional  life  of  activity.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Elks  Lodge  of  Boise  and  has  many  friends  in  this  or- 
ganization. The  family  home  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Valker  is  at  No.  2009  North  Tenth 
street,  where  they  are  located  amid  pleasant  surroundings.  The  Doctor  has  become 
an  enthusiastic  resident  and  booster  of  Boise  and  has  ever  been  more  than  willing 
to  lend  his  aid  to  measures  and  movements  undertaken  on  behalf  of  the  betterment 
of  the  people  or  for  the  expansion  and  beautification  of  the  city  and  has  thus  proven 
himself  a  citizen  of  great  value  to  the  community. 


CHRISTOPHER  K.  MACEY. 

Christopher  K.  Macey.  who  for  years  was  state  horticultural  inspector  of  Idaho, 
is  now  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Boise  Valley  Nursery  Company  and  also  vice 
president  of  the  Jordan  Valley  Farms,  having  for  many  years  been  closely  con- 
nected with  agricultural  and  horticultural  development  in  this  state.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  Idaho  for  about  ten  years,  having  removed  to  Council  from  Leaven- 
worth,  Kansas.  ,  He  was  born  at  Dryden,  near  Ithaca,  New  York,  February  18,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Selina  (Carrington)  Macey,  natives  of  England,  in 
which  country  they  were  reared  and  married.  Both  were  well  educated,  having 
been  teachers  in  England.  In  1866  they  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Ithaca,  New  York,  and  in  that  city  the  father  passed  away  when  Christopher  K. 
Macey  was  but  five  years  old,  leaving  a  widow  and  six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  The  mother  passed  away  at  Binghamton, 
New  York,  in  August,  1919. 

Christopher  K.  Macey  was  reared  in  Ithaca,  New  York,  where  he  attended 
public  school,  rounding  out  his  primary  education  by  a  course  in  Eastman's  Busi- 
ness College  at  Poughkeepsie.  New  York,  and  also  attending  George  Washington 
University  of  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1892  he  entered  the.  civil  service  in  the  United 
States  fishery  commission  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  as  stenographer  and  while  serving 
in  that  position  completed  a  law  course  in  George  Washington  University'  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  He  has,  however,  never  practiced 
law  although  his  knowledge  has  been  of  great  value  to  him  in  many  business 
connections.  For  seven  years,  from  1892  until  1899,  he  was  connected  with  gov- 
ernment work  in  Washington,  being  three  years  with  the  United  States  fishery 
commission  and  four  years  in  the  department  of  justice.  For  a  period  of  six 
months  in  1898,  he  was  a  member  of  the  force  of  official  stenographers  in  the 
White  House.  In  1899  he  was  sent  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  as  chief  clerk  of  the 
United  States  prison  there  and  he  held  that  position  for  ten  years.  In  1909  he 
resigned  and  in  that  year  came  to  Idaho  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  the  irriga- 
tion system  for  the  Council-Mesa  Orchard  Company.  For  four  years  he  thus  gave 
his  close  attention  to  the  affairs  of  that  organization  as  general  manager  but  in 
1913  was  appointed  horticultural  inspector  of  the  state  of  Idaho  by  Governor  John 
M.  Haines  and  served  in  that  position  for  two  years,  ably  discharging  his  duties 
and  carefully  studying  the  situation,  making  many  new  suggestions  whi^h  have 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  299 

since  proven  of  value.  In  1915  he  leased  a  ranch  near  Boise  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  horticulture  on  his  own  account.  In  1916  he  purchased  this  ranch 
and  in  1917  became  associated  with  A.  H.  Reed  as  a  partner,  the  latter  being  an 
expert  nurseryman,  formerly  very  prominent  in  that  line  in  England,  and  the 
two  then  established  the  above  mentioned  ranoh,  the  new  business  being  conducted 
under  the  name  of  the  Boise  Valley  Nursery  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Reed  is  nursery- 
man and  Mr.  Macey  horticulturist.  It  is  distinctively  a  home  industry  and  there 
is  grown  everything  which  may  be  used  in  a  yard  or  orchard.  They  have  for  sale 
all  varieties  of  fruit  trees,  shade  and  ornamental  trees,  shrubbery  and  vines.  The 
nurseries  are  located  at  Pierce  Park  opposite  the  Country  Club.  Six  acres  of  the 
ranch  are  now  planted  to  nursery  stock.  Besides  this  interest  Mr.  Macey  is' vice 
president  of  the  Jordan  Valley  Farms,  a  large  realty  concern  operating  in  the 
Jordan  valley  of  Oregon. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1898,  Mr.  Macey  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Babcock, 
of  Washington,  D.  C.,  a  daughter  of  Elisha  J.  Babcock,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
who  in  his  later  career  served  as  private  secretary  to  John  Sherman  and  John  Hay 
and  is  now  connected  with  the  state  department  at  Washington,  D.  C.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Macey  were  born  five  children,  one  son  and  four  daughters,  namely:  Dorothy, 
Marshall,  Margaret,  Virginia  and  Helen.  The  eldest  children  are  graduates  of  the 
Boise  high  school  and  Marshall  is  now  a  student  in  the  University  of  Idaho. 

Mr.  Macey  has  always  taken  the  deepest  interest  in  horticulture  and  has  done 
much  toward  promoting  his  vocation  as  a  science  in  his  state.  He  is  a  valued 
member  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society.  Fraternally  he  is  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  Masons,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  Royal  Arch  degree,  and  he 
also  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  in  the  movements  of  which  he  is 
deeply  and  helpfully  interested,  and  he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Boise  University 
Club. 


MILLER   M.   HARSHBARGER,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Miller  M.  Harshbarger,  a  physician  and  surgeon  of  St.  Anthony,  who  holds 
to  high  professional  standards  and  has  made  for  himself  a  creditable  name  and 
place  by  reason  of  his  capability  and  his  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  his  patients, 
was  born  at  Woodbine,  Iowa,  June  1,  1875,  his  parents  being  Henry  Clay  and 
Nettie  (Edgerton)  Harshbarger,  the  former  a  native  of  Indiana,  while  the  latter 
was  born  in  New  York.  The  father  went  to  Iowa  in  early  life,  settling  at  Wood- 
bine, where  he  engaged  in  the  real  state  business.  He  became  a  prominent  factor 
in  the  public  life  of  that  community,  filled  the  office  of  mayor  of  his  town  and 
served  for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature.  He  also  held  various 
county  offices,  discharging  his  duties  with  marked  capability  and  fidelity.  He 
enlisted  at  Omaha  in  the  First  Nebraska  Infantry  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  and 
served  throughout  the  period  of  hostilities,  after  which  he  went  to  the  western 
frontier  and  fought  the  Indians  for  six  months.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  Shiloh  and  on  many  a  battlefield  gave  tangible  proof  of  his  valor  and  of  his 
loyalty.  Later  he  engaged  in  farming  at  Woodbine,  Iowa,  and  in  1901  he  removed 
to  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  where  he  purchased  land  near  St.  Anthony.  This  he 
improved  and  cultivated  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  life's  labors  being 
ended  in  death  in  March,  1912.  He  had  for  a  long  period  survived  his  wife,  who 
died  April  9,  1891. 

The  youthful  days  of  Dr.  Harshbarger  were  spent  at  Woodbine,  Iowa,  and  he 
is  indebted  to  its  public  school  system  for  the  early  educational  opportunities  which 
he  enjoyed.  He  afterward  entered  Hamline  University  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and 
studied  there  for  a  year.  He  then  enlisted  in  the  army  for  service  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  joining  the  Twenty-first  Kansas  Infantry.  He  was  with  the  Hospital 
Corps  most  of  the  time,  and  when  the  country  no  longer  needed  his  military  aid 
he  returned  to  Hamline  University,  where  he  completed  a  course  in  medicine  with 
the  class  of  1902.  He  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  new  and  growing  west,  making 
his  way  to  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  has  since  engaged 
in  practice  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  two  years  passed  in  Brownsville,  Texas, 
and  three  years  at  Mount  Vernon,  Illinois,  and  while  in  New  York,  taking  post 
graduate  work.  He  has  always  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern 


300  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

professional  thought  and  practice  and  has  comprehensive  understanding  of  the 
most  scientific  methods  of  the  treatment  and  prevention  of  disease.  He  now  owns 
a  homestead  in  Madison  county  and  has  proved  up  on  the  property. 

In  October,  1911,  Dr.  Harshbarger  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Campbell,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children:  Raquel  G.,  born  in  July,  1915;  and  William  M.,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  March,  1917. 

Dr.  Harshbarger  is  a  republican  in  his  political  belief.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons  and  has  become  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  these  as- 
sociations are  indicated  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct  and  shape  his  relations 
with  his  fellowmen.  Along  strictly  professional  lines  he  is  connected  with  the 
Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association  and  he  has 
served  as  city  physician  of  St.  Anthony  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  surgeon  for 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  and  also  for  the  Idaho  State  Industrial  School, 
which  is  located  at  St.  Anthony.  He  makes  his  profession  his  first  interest  and  does 
everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  patients.  To  this  end  he 
keeps  in  touch  with  the  latest  scientific  researches  and  discoveries  and  remains  a 
close  student  of  all  that  bears  upon  the  profession  or  has  to  do  with  his  efforts 
to  restore  health  and  prolong  life. 


GEORGE  E.  KNEPPER. 

George  E.  Knepper  is  widely  known  throughout  the  state  of  Idaho,  particularly 
to  the  Masons,  as  grand  secretary  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Idaho.  In  former 
years  he  was  also  closely  connected  with  educational  movements  and  was  numbered 
among  the  foremost  educators  in  the  country.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Berlin, 
Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  7,  1849,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Margaret 
(Meese)  Knepper,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  parents  were  also  natives 
of  Somerset  county,  the  father  having  been  born  in  1804.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  which  occupation  he  followed  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and  in  his 
early  manhood  took  a  prominent  part  in  democratic  politics  in  Somerset  county,  in 
which  he  held  important  positions,  including  those  of  sheriff  and  district  associate 
judge.  In  1861  the  Knepper  family  removed  westward  from  Pennsylvania  to  Lee 
county,  Illinois,  locating  on  a  farm  there,  and  on  that  Illinois  farm  George  E.  Knepper 
spent  his  boyhood  days.  The  father  later  became  a  resident  of  Wahoo,  Nebraska,  and 
there  he  passed  away  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety  years.  His  wife  had  preceded 
him  in  death,  having  reached  the  age  of  sixty-two.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knepper  were 
born  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
are  living.  The  two  sons  make  their  home  in  this  state:  Samuel  Knepper,  a  farmer 
of  Latah  county;  and  George  E.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  remained  on  the  home  farm  in  Lee  county,  Illinois,  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  having  in  the  meantime  received  a  good  education.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen,  however,  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  dutifully  turning 
over  his  wages  to  his  father  until  he  reached  his  maturity.  In  the  winter  months 
he  taught,  while  during  the  summer  seasons  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and 
proved  quite  successful  as  a  teacher  although  he  had  only  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. After  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  out  with  a  threshing  outfit  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  thus  earned  twenty-five  dollars,  which  were  the  first  wages  he  really 
could  call  his  own.  With  this  money  he  entered  the  Henry  City  Academy  of  Henry 
City,  Illinois,  and  also  taught  school  while  attending  that  institution,  so  continuing 
for  several  years.  Finally,  in  1872  he  became  a  student  in  Heidelberg  University  at 
Tiffin,  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  in 
1879  received  the  Master's  degree  from  the  same  school,  and  the  Ph.  D.  degree  from 
Highland  University,  Kansas,  in  1904.  For  the  following  forty  years,  from  1876 
until  1916,  he  was  prominently  connected  with  educational  work,  first  in  the  state 
of  Illinois  and  later  in  Minnesota,  California,  Idaho,  Kansas,  Missouri,  North  Da- 
kota and  then  again  in  Idaho.  At  Peoria,  Illinois,  he  was  principal  of  the  Greeley 
school  for  three  years,  principal  of  the  high  school  for  seven  years.  He  was  state 
institute  conductor  of  Minnesota  for  one  year,  was  superintendent  of  public  schools 
at  Winona,  Minnesota,  for  one  year  and  superintendent  of  public  schools  of  Santa 


GEORGE  E.  KNEPPER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  303 

Barbara,  California,  for  two  years.  In  1895  he  came  to  Idaho  and  founded  the  Lewis- 
ton  Normal  School,  of  which  he  was  president  for  eight  years,  thus  greatly  contribut- 
ing to  the  forward  educational  movement  in  this  state.  He  then  went  to  Kansas  In 
order  to  become  president  of  Highland  University  of  that  state,  which  position  he 
filled  for  four  years,  and  then  for  one  year  was  dean  of  Jamestown  College  of  North 
Dakota.  He  later  was  president  of  a  Presbyterian  school  in  Missouri  known  as  the 
School  of  the  Ozarks.  In  1911,  however,  he  returned  to  Latah  county,  Idaho,  and 
there  he  gave  his  attention  to  farming  and  teaching,  being  connected  with  the  Ken- 
drick  schools  until  1915.  In  September  of  that  year  he  was  elected  grand  secretary 
of  the  Masonic  Grand  Lodge  of  Idaho  and  for  that  reason  removed  to  Boise.  He 
still  holds  this  important  position  and  has  done  much  work  beneficial  to  the  order. 
For  a  period  of  seventeen  years  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  committee  on  foreign 
correspondence  for  the  Masonic  order  in  Idaho.  He  holds  all  of  the  degrees  in  Ma- 
sonry except  the  thirty-third. 

On  July  6,  1876,  Mr.  Knepper  was  united  in  marriage  to  Laura  A.  Bossemeyer,  of 
Dixon,  Illinois,  and  they  have  six  children  living,  one  son  and  five  daughters.  The 
son  is  Ralph  B.  Knepper,  editor  and  owner  of  the  Kendrick  (Idaho)  Gazette.  The  five 
daughters  are  L.  Margaret,  May,  Edith,  Elizabeth  and  Ethel. 

Mr.  Knepper  and  his  family  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Boise  and  the 
state,  where  they  have  many  friends.  He  is  one  of  the  valued  citizens  of  this  com- 
monwealth, having  ever  at  heart  intellectual  and  moral  progress,  and  particularly 
in  connection  with  Masonic  work  has  done  much  that  has  been  of  beneficial  result  to 
the  organization. 


MAJOR  FRED  R.  REED. 

An  idealist  with  practical  methods,  Major  Fred  R.  Reed  has  contributed  in 
substantial  measure  to  the  development,  settlement  and  upbuilding  of  the  northwest 
and  Boise  numbers  him  among  her  most  valued  and  highly  respected  citizens.  A 
native  of  New  Jersey,  he  was  born  in  Jersey  City  on  the  9th  of  August,  1858,  a 
descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family  that  held  to  the  strict  tenets  that  guided 
the  settlers  of  that  section  of  the  country  in  the  early  days.  The  educational  ad- 
vantages of  Major  Reed  were  limited  to  the  opportunities  afforded  by^the  public 
schools  and  he  did  not  have  the  chance  to  continue  his  studies  after  reaching  the 
age  of  thirteen,  when  he  became  a  sailor.  In  the  intervening  years,  however,  his 
leisure  hours  have  been  wisely  utilized  in  the  study  of  books,  of  men  and  of  nature 
and  in  the  school  of  experience  he  has  learned  many  valuable  lessons,  impressing 
one  at  once  as  a  man  of  broad  general  information. 

Attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  west,  Major  Reed  made  his  way 
to  the  Black  Hills  in  1877  and  arrived  at  Glens  Ferry,  Idaho  in  1878.  For  three  years 
he  rode  the  range  as  a  cowboy  and  then  became  interested  in  railroad  building,  be- 
ing made  foreman  and  riding  boss  of  a  Chinese  construction  gang  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  Winning  promotion  in  railroad 
service,  he  was  at  length  the  assistant  of  the  manager  of  construction  of  that  road. 
This  brought  to  him  knowledge  of  great  value  concerning  the  opportunities  of  the 
northwest  and  through  the  intervening  period  there  has  been  no  man  who  has  taken 
a  more  active,  valuable  or  resultant  part  in  bringing  about  the  settlement  and  de- 
velopment of  the  state  of  Idaho.  He  became  the  general  agent  for  the  Kuhn 
interests  and  in  connection  with  their  great  irrigation  enterprises  he  has  succeeded 
in  bringing  two  thousand  or  more  families  into  the  state.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century 
his  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  upbuilding  of  Idaho,  for  which  he  has  the  keenest 
love.  Pioneer  times  brought  hardships,  trials  and  discouragements  to  the  settlers 
that  he  induced  to  come  to  Idaho,  but  with  remarkable  prescience  he  recognized 
something  of  what  the  future  had  in  store  for  this  great  and  growing  country  and  knew 
that  if  the  men  whom  he  had  induced  to  come  to  the  state  could  tide  over  th.e  period 
of  hard  times  they  would  reap  generous  profits  for  their  labors.  To  many  a  one 
in  an  hour  of  discouragement  he  proved  a  friend  in  need  and  a  friend  indeed.  Even 
at  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  interests  he  gave  for  the  assistance  and  benefit  of  such 
and  helped  them  over  the  rough  places  until  their  labors  have  made  the  desert 
literally  bloom  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  There  are  hundreds  of  people  in  Idaho 
today  who  bless  him  and  speak  with  gratitude  concerning  the  assistance  which  he 


304 

rendered.  He  was  made  commissioner  of  immigration,  labor  and  statistics  from 
Idaho  and  did  most  important  work  for  the  state  in  that  connection.  He  was  also 
made  the  executive  commissioner  for  Idaho  to  the  Panama-Pacific  International 
Exposition  held  in  San  Francisco  in  1915.  His  work  in  both  connections  was  most 
satisfactory.  He  possesses  marked  executive  ability  and  his  enthusiastic  support 
of  the  west  and  recognition  of  its  opportunities  enabled  him  to  mass  and  illustrate 
the  vast  resources  of  his  adopted  state  in  a  splendid  manner  at  the  Pan-American 
Exposition. 

In  1882  Major  Reed  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  M.  Budd,  a  daugh- 
ter of  D.  E.  Budd  and  a  cousin  of  Governor  Budd  of  California.  Fraternally  Major 
Reed  is  connected  with  the  Masons  as  a  Knight  Templar,  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 
He  has  always  been  interested  in  military  matters  and  when  in  New  York  was 
a  member  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard  of  that  state.  On  re- 
moving to  the  west  he  became  a  private  in  the  National  Guard  of  Washington  and 
rose  to  the  rank  of  major  of  the  Cavalry  Squadron  of  the  state.  Such  in  brief  is 
the  history  of  his  career,  but  to  know  these  facts  is  not  to  know  the  man,  for  it 
gives  little  indication  of  those  characteristics  which  make  Major  Fred  R.  Reed 
one  of  the  best  loved  men  in  Idaho.  An  editorial  from  the  Idaho  Register  of  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1914,  said  of  him:  "When  the  history  of  Idaho  is  to  be  written,  the  history 
made  by  men  who  have  helped  to  make  the  state  what  it  is,  that  history  will  not 
be  complete  unless  it  contains  the  name  and  the  story  of  the  achievements  of  one 
of  its  biggest  men,  Fred  R.  Reed — big  physically,  big  mentally,  big  minded  and, 
best  of  all,  with  a  big  heart  which  throbs  for  humanity  and  which  answers  every 
appeal  made  and  never  stops  to  question.  Fred  R.  Reed  is  a  man  men  can  love, 
and  no  higher  tribute  can"  be  paid  a  man.  Unselfish  devotion  to  those  to  whom  he 
is  under  no  legal  obligation  has  whitened  his  hair  and  furrowed  his  face  but  has 
not  dimmed  the  kindly  light  of  his  eye,  which  beams  with  that  greatest  human 
asset — honesty.  Many  men  and  women  of  Idaho  have  first  learned  to  know  and 
then  to  love  Fred  R.  Reed.  There  is  no  gift  within  their  power  of  franchise  that 
they  would  not  be  pleased  to  honor  him  with  and  then  they  would  feel  that  they 
had  not  done  enough.  The  night  has  not  been  too  dark  nor  has  the  way  ever  been 
too  long  for  him  to  fail  to  heed  the  cry  of  distress.  His  life  has  been  devoted  very 
largely  to  others  and  he  has  let  opportunity  go  by  when  one  word  would  have 
brought  fortune  but  would  have  brought  it  at  the  expense  of  the  confidence  ex- 
pressed in  him  and  reposed  in  him  by  men — men  who  have  called  him  friend.  His 
life  has  been  devoted  for  more  than  two  decades  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  state  of 
his  adoption;  which  he  loves  to  call  home.  He  has  within  the  last  few  years 
been  able  to  realize  his  dream  and  has  seen  what  was  to  the  average  eye  the  most 
desolate  land,  a  land  which  God  forgot,  brought  under  the  subjection  of  man  and 
made  a  land  as  fair  as  it  was  barren.  This  has  not  been  done  without  sacrifice, 
but  to  hear  the  story  of  the  achievement  is  to  honor  the  man  who  has  done  so 
much  to  bring  it  about.  With  that  characteristic  modesty  which  attracts  people 
to  him,  Major  Reed  has  never  asked  for  credit  or  reward  and  is  willing — more  than 
willing — to  let  his  work  speak  for  itself  and  for  him." 


JOHN  M.  BOWMAN. 

John  M.  Bowman,  of  Caldwell,  has  reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
His  reminiscences  concerning  the  early  days  are  most  interesting  and  present  a  vivid 
picture  of  conditions  that  existed  in  Idaho  when  this  was  a  frontier  district,  in  which 
the  work  of  development  and  improvement  had  scarcely  been  begun.  Mr.  Bowman 
was  born  in  Greene  county,  Tennessee,  near  Greeneville,  on  the  9th  of  March,  1834, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Honor  (Newman)  Bowman.  The  old  home  of  the  Bowman 
family,  on  which  Joseph  Bowman  was  born,  bordered  the  highway  between  Tennessee 
and  Virginia,  and  his  people  were  originally  Virginians.  Josepk  Bowman  became 
the  owner  of  a  plantation  of  over  one  hundred  acres,  inheriting  the  property  from 
his  father.  He  married  Honor  Newman,  whose  father  was  of  Irish  birth,  while  her 
mother,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Miss  Bird,  was  born  in  England.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Joseph  Bowman  twelve  children  were  born:  Jacob,  Cornelius,  Joseph,  John, 
Henry,  Samuel,  Maunce  Bird,  Elizabeth,  Rebecca,  Mary,  Honor  and  Martha.  After 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  305 

the  death  of  the  mother  the  father  married  again  and  of  the  second  marriage  there 
were  born  nine  children:  George  W.,  Andrew  J.,  Benjamin  F.,  William,  Barbara, 
Liddy  Ann,  Hannah,  Nancy  and  Eliza. 

John  M.  Bowman  was  reared  in  Tennessee.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
became  a  member  of  Company  B,  of  the  First  Division  of  General  Y.  Slack's  army. 
He  had  previously  been  a  lieutenant  at  Lexington,  Missouri,  and  received  his  com- 
mission as  captain  just  before  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge.  He  now  has  in  his  possession 
a  Cross  of  Honor  which  was  presented  to  him  by  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy and  he  is  justly  proud  of  this  gift.  He  also  has  a  fine  gold-headed  ebony 
cane,  which  was  presented  him  recently  by  the  business  men  of  Caldwell  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  act  in  knocking  down  with  a  hickory  cane  a  socialist  who  had  hit  a 
recruiting  officer  while  he  was  recruiting  troops  for  the  Mexican  border.  He  also 
retains  possession  of  the  hickory  cane.  As  the  business  men  had  oversubscribed  the 
cost  of  the  gold-headed  cane  to  the  extent  of  thirty-five  dollars  he  was  asked  what 
disposition  should  be  made  of  this  balance.  He  suggested,  and  it  was  accordingly 
carried  out,  that  the  money  should  be  spent  in  purchasing  hickory  canes  such  as  the 
one  he  used  to  be  given  to  the  old  soldiers,  both  those  who  wore  the  blue  and  those 
who  wore  the  gray. 

Mr.  Bowman  came  to  Idaho  from  Missouri  in  1864,  crossing  the  plains  with 
ox  teams.  When  they  reached  Deer  Creek  station  on  the  North  Platte  river  in 
Nebraska,  twenty  head  of  their  stock  were  stolen  while  most  of  the  men  were  fishing. 
They  immediately  followed  the  Indians  as  soon  as  the  loss  was  discovered  and  the 
white  men  killed  four  of  the  Indians.  A  mule  which  one  Indian  had  been  riding 
returned  to  camp  and  this  was  the  extent  of  the  stock  recovered.  The  white  men 
were  so  greatly  outnumbered  by  the  Indians  that  they  were  forced  to  retreat.  Soon 
afterward  they  met  a  squad  of  soldiers  who  informed  them  that  there  were  no 
Indians  within  fifty  miles!  They  hurried  on  their  way  and  between  Deer  Creek 
station  and  Box  Elder  they  suddenly  met  about  fifty  Indians,  with  whom  they  fought 
a  running  fight.  Four  of  their  party  were  killed  and  three  were  badly  wounded. 
Mr.  Bowman  escaped  only  by  being  fleeter  of  foot  than  the  Indians,  who  pursued 
him  and  two  companions  into  the  timber,  into  which  the  red  men  were  afraid  to 
enter.  Mr.  Bdwman  and  his"  party  then  moved  on  without  further  incidents  of 
this  character  save  that  on  several  occasions  they  saw  Indians  in  their  war  paint 
and  feathers. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1864,  Mr.  Bowman  arrived  in  Boise  and  after  remain- 
ing there  for  a  few  days  moved  down  the  Boise  river,  locating  on  the  south  bank 
opposite  the  present  site  of  Notus,  although  there  was  no  town  there  at  the  time.  He 
cut  balm  trees  and  built  a  cabin  with  a  dirt  roof  and  dirt  floor  and  in  this  he  and 
his  family  lived  for  the  first  three  years.  Their  first  table  was  made  from  planks 
rudely  split  from  a  log  and  the  second  year  he  put  a  floor  in  his  cabin  of  the  same 
kind  of  planks.  A  cellar  was  dug  in  the  bank  of  a  stream  as  a  refuge  for  his  family 
when  in  fear  of  Indians.  Upon  his  farm  he  raised  stock  and  also  raised  the  first 
grain  grown  below  the  present  site  of  Caldwell,  paying  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per 
pound  for  the  seed  and  selling  his  crop  at  six  and  a  half  cents  per  pound.  Eight 
years  later  he  took  up  a  homestead  *f  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river  and  in  the  conduct  of  his  farming  and  stock  raising  interests  won  pros- 
perity. He  lived  upon  that  place  until  1880,  when  he  sold  both  the  homestead  and 
his  first  farm  and  took  up  his  abode  farther  down  the  river  on  the  south  bank.  In 

1877  the  Indians  became  very  troublesome  and  the  settlers  formed  a  company  and 
built  Fort  Tom  Johnson,  where  they  kept  their  families  for  more  than  a  month.     In 

1878  they  built  Fort  Kinkaid  and  for  portholes  put  in  large  wagon  hubs,  which  in 
the  distance  looked  like  cannon.    This  camouflage  movement  proved  so  effective  that 
the  Indians  would  not  venture  near.     There  the  settlers  kept  their  families  until 
they  felt  that  it  was  safe  to  return  to  their  homes.     In  1908  Mr.  Bowman  sold  his 
farm   property   and   removed   to   Caldwell,   retiring   from   active   business   life.      His 
former  toil  brought  to  him  the  competence  which  now  enables  him  to  enjoy  all  of 
the  necessities  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

In  1859  Mr.  Bowman  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Ireland,  of  Missouri, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Hester  Ann;  Martha  H.;  Henrj 
Newman;  Mary  Ada,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Froman  and  has  five  children,  Walter, 
Harry,  Grace,  Georgia  and  Ethel;  John  Calhoun,  who  married  a  Miss  Brown  and 
has  three  children,  Lola,  Luther  and  May;  Maunce  Bird,  who  wedded  Mary  Marrs 
and  has  one  child.  Birdie;  Robert  E.  Lee,  who  is  living  near  Nampa  and  who 

Vol.  II— It 


306  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

married  his  cousin  Liddy  Bowman,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  Charles  Richard 
and  Helen,  while  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he  wedded  Minnie  Bader,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Palmer  and  Roberta;  Martha  Honor,  the  widow  of  Harry 
Cook;  and  Luther;  Charles  Richard  Bowman,  son  of  Robert  E.  L^  Bowman,  has 
recently  returned  from  France,  where  he  was  in  the  balloon  service.  The  second 
wife  of  John  M.  Bowman  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Duncan,  of  Duncans  Ferry,  who  passed 
away  thirteen  years  ago. 

Mr.  Bowman  was  one  of  Governor  Hawley's  old  pioneer  friends  and  relates 
many  interesting  incidents  of  the  early  days  in  which  the  former  governor  figured. 
He  is  familiar  with  every  condition  of  frontier  life,  when  the  settlers  had  to  travel 
long  distances  to  market,  when  they  lived  in  log  cabins  or  other  rude  pioneer 
homes,  when  the  land  was  unclaimed  and  uncultivated,  the  streams  unbridged  and 
the  forests  uncut.  He  has  lived  to  witness  a  remarkable  change  as  the  years  have 
passed  and  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  transformation  that  has  been  steadily 
carried  forward. 


HON.  GEORGE  E.  HILL,  JE. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Rigby,  Jefferson  county,  is  the  Hon.  George 
E.  Hill,  Jr.,  who  for  a  number  of  years  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  all  the  major  com- 
mercial and  political  activities  of  the  southeastern  part  of  Idaho.  He  was  born  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  October  10,  1869,  the  son  of  George  E.  and  Frances  (Van  Tassell) 
Hill.  George  E.  Hill,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  and  first  settlers  in  the  Rigby  coun- 
try, where  he  brought  his  family  in  1886.  Here  he  took  up  a  homestead  and  began 
straightway  the  difficult  task  of  bringing  his  tract  of  stubborn  wild  land  into  a  state 
of  cultivation. 

George  E.  Hill,  Jr.,  was  only  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  Idaho  and  here  he  remained  for  four  years,  rendering  valuable  assistance 
in  the  development  of  the  homestead  and  undergoing  all  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life 
and  of  the  work  incidental  to  the  early  settlement  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state. 
After  he  had  become  of  age,  he  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  entered  college 
in  1890  and  graduated  a  few  years  later  from  the  commercial  department.  While  he^ 
was  yet  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Senator  Hill  received  some  practical  experience 
which  was  of  great  value  to  him  when  he  entered  a  broader  field  of  usefulness  in  later 
years.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  private  secretary  to  Hon.  Brigham  H.  Roberts,  then 
a  member  of  the  United  States  congress  from  Utah,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business  in  Salt 
Lake  City  as  reporter  on  the  Deseret  News,  then  the  leading  paper  of  Utah.  In  1893 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  James  H.  Moyle,  where  he  remained  for  four  years 
in  the  study  and  practice  of  law,  also  doing  abstract  and  title  work. 

It  was  not  until  1902  that  events  so  shaped  themselves  that  Senator  Hill  decided 
to  return  to  Idaho.  In  that  year  the  Yellowstone  branch  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line 
was  completed  north  from  Idaho  Falls  through  Rigby.  This  improvement  in  the  means 
of  transportation  and  communication  to  Rigby  caused  Senator  Hill  to  return  and  be 
chiefly  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Rigby  Hardware,  Lumber  &  Manufac- 
turing Company,  which  firm  has  since  gone  out  of  the  lumber  business  and  now  op- 
erates one  of  the  largest  department  stores  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  For  seven- 
teen years  Senator  Hill  served  as  secretary-treasurer  and  manager  of  this  enterprise, 
the  success  of  which  was  largely  due  to  his  efforts.  During  his  residence  in  Rigby 
he  has  organized  and  promoted  several  other  successful  concerns  of  which  he  is  now 
a  director  and  which  are  now  doing  a  prosperous  business  in  the  county  seat  of  Jef- 
ferson county.  He  is  a  director  and  the  general  manager  of  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar 
Company,  which  recently  completed  a  twelve  hundred  thousand  dollar  sugar  manufac- 
turing plant  near  Rigby  and  is  now  in  successful  operation.  Senator  Hill  has  been 
associated  with  this  company  from  its  organization,  the  success  of  which  has  been 
largely  due  to  his  business  capacity  and  executive  ability.  This  enterprise  is  an  inde- 
pendent and  cooperative  one,  the  stockholders  of  which  number  nearly  three  thou- 
sand farmers  and  men  in  other  lines  of  business  in  this  and  neighboring  communities. 
In  1919  Senator  Hill  took  an  important  part  in  extending  the  credit  facilities  of  this 
section  by  being  largely  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Jefferson  County 


SENATOR  GEORGE  E.  HILL  ENJOYING  HIMSELF  IN  HIS  FAVORITE  PASTIME, 
FISHING  IN  THE  HEADWATERS  OF  THE  SOUTH  FORK  OF  SNAKE  RIVER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  309 

National  Bank,  an  institution  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  of  which  he 
is  first  vice  president  and  a  director. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Rigby,  Senator  Hill  began  taking  a  prominent  part  in 
the  public  affairs  of  this  community  and  later  of  that  part  of  the  state.  For  two  years 
he  served  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Rigby  under  its  village  form  of 
government,  and  after  the  town  was  incorporated  in  1903,  chiefly  due  to  his  efforts, 
he  served  as  the  first  mayor  and  has  since  done  most  of  the  legal  work  of  the  corpo- 
ration. He  has  also  done  much  for  the  development  of  education  locally,  for  it  was 
chiefly  due  to  him  that  the  Rigby  school  district  was  made  into  an  independent  school 
organization,  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  which  he  has  served  for  twelve  years.  Now 
the  city  has  a  large  and  modern  district  school  and  an  accredited  high  school  in  which 
is  taught  agricultural,  scientific,  domestic  science  and  commercial  courses. 

In  the  fall  of  1910  Senator  Hill  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the 
state  legislature  of  Idaho  and  served  in  the  regular  session  of  1911  and  the  special 
session  of  the  following  year,  being  a  member  of  the  judiciary,  taxation  and  revenue, 
public  health,  and  fish  and  game  committees.  In  1911  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  State  Industrial  School  and  was  designated  by  Gov- 
ernor Hawley  as  referee  to  investigate  a  difficulty  that  arose  in  the  school  over  two 
boys  who  w»re  severely  punished  and  afterward  made  their  escape.  After  Senator 
Hill  had  investigated  the  situation  for  three  weeks,  he  drew  up  his  report  in  which 
he  placed  the  blame  upon  the  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  school  and  recom- 
mended his  removal.  In  1915  Governor  Alexander  appointed  him  a  member  of  the 
minimum  wage  commission,  the  task  of  which  was  to  make  investigations  and  then 
recommend  a  minimum  wage  law  for  the  women  workers  of  the  state  of  Idaho.  In 
1916  he  was  elected  state  senator  from  Jefferson  county,  which  he  was  instrumental 
in  having  created  three  years  before,  defeating  Hon.  John  W.  Hart,  who  had  repre- 
sented this  section  in  the  upper  house  of  the  state  legislature  for  many  years.  Dur- 
ing this  session  he  was  chairman  of  the  state  affairs  committee  of  the  senate  which 
had  charge  of  the  state's  legislative  program,  which  was  successfully  enacted  into  law. 

Senator  Hill  has  always  been  a  democrat  and  his  superior  abilities  as  an  organizer 
have  been  of  great  value  to  his  party.  In  1910  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  demo- 
cratic party  of  Fremont  county,  which  then  included  in  addition  to  what  is  now  Fre- 
mont county  the  counties  of  Jefferson,  Madison,  Teton  and  Clarke.  He  achieved  com- 
plete success  in  conducting  the  campaign  of  his  party  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  for 
the  entire  county  and  state  ticket  was  elected  by  eleven  hundred  majority  which  was 
sufficient  to  assure  the  election  of  Hon.  James  H.  Hawley  as  governor.  It  was  in  this 
election  that  Senator  Hill  was  first  elected  to  the  state  legislature.  His  success  as  an 
organizer  in  Fremont  county  gave  him  the  honor  of  being  made  secretary  of  the 
democratic  state  central  committee  during  1912-13,  and,  together  with  Hon.  Benjamin  R. 
Gray,  he  conducted  the  democratic  state  campaign  in  the  autumn  of  1912,  which  gave 
the  electoral  vote  of  Idaho  to  Woodrow  Wilson  when  he  was  first  elected  president  of 
the  United  States. 

While  Hon.  George  E.  Hill,  Jr..  was  living  in  Salt  Lake  City  he  there  married 
Maude  Johnson  in  January,  1895.  To  this  union  twelve  children  have  been  born,  ten 
of  whom  are  now  (1919)  living  at  home  with  their  parents  in  Rigby,  namely:  Leona, 
Ardath,  Elbridge,  Frances,  Afton,  Kenneth,  Hawley,  Jewel,  Tessie  and  Pershing.  The 
first  three  of  the  above  named  are  now  occupying  important  commercial  positions  in 
Rigby  and  the  four  oldest  of  the  remaining  are  attending  school  and  are  preparing 
themselves  for  useful  occupations  in  the  future.  Both  the  father  and  mother  are  loyal 
and  consistent  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Rigby, 
the  former  having  done  important  missionary  work  in  behalf  of  the  denomination 
in  the  southern  states  from  1897  until  1900,  and  while  he  was  thus  engaged  he  had 
five  hundred  elders  under  his  charge,  being  connected  with  the  headquarters  of  the 
southern  states  mission  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee. 


MISS  RETTA  F.  MARTIN. 

Miss  Retta  F.  Martin,  assistant  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in 
Idaho,  appointed  to  the  position  by  the  state  board  of  education  on  the  26th  of  March, 
1919,  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  having  been  born  and  reared  in  Washington  county, 
that  state.  Her  father,  Robert  Bruce  Martin,  also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  was  for 


310  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

thirty-five  years  identified  with  the  public  schools  of  the  state  as  a  teacher  in  Wash- 
ington county  and  in  1906  removed  to  the  state  of  Washington,  where  he  passed 
away  in  1910.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Susan  Whitt,  now 
resides  in  Spokane,  Washington. 

The  daughter,  Miss  Retta  F.  Martin,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  her 
native  county  and  after  her  graduation  from  the  high  school  at  Jonesboro,  Tennessee, 
completed  a  business  course  in  a  commercial  college  at  Roanoke,  Virginia.  She 
studied  stenography,  bookkeeping  and  other  branches  but  never  followed  that  line 
of  work.  Instead  she  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  pursuit  had  been 
followed  by  her  father  and  various  other  members  of  the  family.  After  six  years 
devoted  to  the  work  of  the  school  room, in  Washington  county,  Tennessee,  she  came 
to  the  northwest  in  1905,  believing  that  better  opportunities  were  to  be  secured  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  She  first  went  to  Whitman  county,  Washington,  where 
for  three  years  she  taught  in  the  eighth  grade  of  the  public  schools  of  Oakesdale. 
Her  sister,  Miss  A.  Gertrude  Martin,  taught  in  the  fifth  grade  of  the  same  school 
at  the  same  time.  She  is  now  married  and  resides  in  Bristol,  Tennessee. 

Since  1908  Miss  Retta  F.  Martin  has  been  engaged  in  educational  work  in 
Idaho,  all  of  the  time  in  Kootenai  and  Lewis  counties  until  her  recent  appoint- 
ment to  the  position  of  assistant  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  During 
the  first  three  years  of  her  residence  in  Idaho  she  was  principal  of  the  high  school 
at  Spirit  Lake,  Kootenai  county,  and  then  for  one  year  was  principal  of  the  high 
school  at  Vollmer,  Lewis  county.  Later  she  spent  five  and  a  half  years  as  county 
superintendent  of  Lewis  county  and  completed  her  third  term  on  the  15th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1919,  when  she  voluntarily  retired  from  the  position.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
Virginia  College  at  Roanoke,  Virginia,  where  she  won  her  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
in  1902.  She  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Peabody  Normal  School  at  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, and  was  thus  well  qualified  by  liberal  training  for  educational  work  in  the 
northwest.  She  is  a  member  of  the  National  Educational  Association,  also  of  the 
Inland  Empire  Teachers  Association  and  of  the  Idaho  State  Teachers  Association. 
She  has  written  much  for  educational  publication  and  has  been  active  in  teachers' 
associations  and  institutes.  She  holds  to  very  high  standards  in  her  chosen  pro- 
fession and  her  work  has  been  productive  of  splendid  results. 


LEO  H.  WALDEN. 

Leo  H.  Walden  is  the  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Kimberly  and  to 
the  discharge  of  his  present  duties  he  brought  broad  experience  gleaned  in  other 
fields.  He  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Missouri,  October  3,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  C.  and  Lillie  (Hill)  Walden.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  Carroll 
and  Nodaway  counties  of  Missouri  and  his  education  was  there  acquired.  On 
starting  out  in  the  business  world  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  the 
Northwestern  Bank  at  Burlington  Junction,  Missouri,  and  was  thus  employed  for 
five  years.  He  then  went  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  was  utility  man  with  the 
Tootle  Lemon  National  Bank,  with  which  he  was  connected  for  a  year.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  Kansas  City,  and  obtaining  a  position  in  a 
bank,  was  advanced  from  one  post  to  another  until  he  became  discount  clerk  in 
the  Missouri  Savings  Bank,  with  which  he  was  identified  for  eight  years.  On  the 
30th  of  October,  1916,  he  arrived  at  Kimberly,  Idaho,  to  assist  in  the  organization 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  the  work  of  which  was  completed  on  the  8th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1917,  and  on  the  1st  of  May  the  new  institution  opened  its  doors  for  busi- 
ness. On  the  15th  of  December,  1917,  a  new  building  was  completed.  The  bank 
is  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  has  a  surplus  of  five  thousand  dol- 
lars and  undivided  profits  of  twenty-nine  hundred  dollars,  while  its  deposits  amount 
to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  The  officers  of  the  bank  are: 
J.  M.  Steelsmith,  president;  H.  W.  Mund  and  Frank  Bower,  vice  presidents;  Leo 
H.  Walden,  cashier;  and  Carl  Ridgeway,  assistant  cashier.  The  bank  has  enjoyed 
a  prosperous  existence  from  the  beginning.  The  business  has  steadily  grown  under 
the  wise  direction  of  its  officers  and  Mr.  Walden  as  cashier  has  proved  not  only 
a  capable  but  a  popular  official  who  is  always  courteous  and  obliging,  ready  to 
extend  the  assistance  of  the  bank  to  its  patrons  to  any  point  that  will  not  jeopardize 
the  interests  of  the  stockholders. 

In  1909  Mr.  Walden  was  married  to  Miss  Blanch  Spargur,  a  native  of  Nodaway 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  311 

county,  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Spargur.     They  have  three  children: 
Hubert,  Lewis  and  Francis. 

Mr.  Walden  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  republican 
in  his  political  views  and  has  served  as  school  treasurer  and  also  as  treasurer  of 
Kimberly.  Those  who  know  him,  and  he  has  a  wide  acquaintance,  esteem  him 
highly  as  a  progressive  and  representative  young  business  man  whose  efforts  have 
been  a  valuable  asset  to  the  commercial  and  financial  development  of  the  district 
in  which  he  lives. 


HON.  JOHN  KIRBY  WHITE. 

Hon.  John  Kirby  White,  commissioner  of  public  welfare  in  the  cabinet  of 
Governor  D.  W.  Davis,  first  came  to  Idaho  in  1903  from  Seymour,  Indiana.  Through 
the  period  of  his  residence  in  this  state  he  has  taken  active  and  helpful  part  in 
promoting  public  progress  along  various  lines  and  has  been  active  in  public  office 
under  both  democratic  and  republican  administrations,  which  is  indicative  of  the 
fact  that  his  public  duties  are  not  biased  by  partisanship  or  by  personal  prejudice 
in  the  slightest  degree.  He  has  ever  regarded  a  public  office  as  a  public  trust  and 
it  is  well  known  that  no  trust  reposed  in  John  K.  White  has  ever  been  betrayed. 

Mr.  White  was  born  in  Seymour,  Indiana,  June  24,  1880,  the  elder  of  the  two 
sons  of  Harvey  W.  and  Susan  (Sutherland)  White,  both  of  whom  died  before  John 
Kirby  was  nine  years  of  age.  The  father  was  both  a  farmer  and  merchant  and 
passed  away  when  his  son  was  a  lad  of  but  six  years.  Three  years  later  he  was 
left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  mother  a.nd  from  that  time  forward  he  never 
knew  what  it  was  to  live  in  a  home  of  his  own  until  after  he  had  attained  his 
majority  and  was  married.  His  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  Seymour  and 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  left  school  in  order  to  earn  his  living.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  removed  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  worked  his  way  through  an 
Indianapolis  business  college,  earning  his  tuition  by  sweeping  floors,  making  fires 
and  doing  other  such  service.  He  completed  the  regular  commercial  course  and 
also  studied  telegraphy,  and  before  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  a  tele- 
graph operator  for  the  Jeffersonville,  Madison  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  in  Indian- 
apolis, his  position  being  at  an  office  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  He  acted  in  that 
capacity  for  several  years  and  his  wages  were  advanced  from  forty-five  to  sixty 
dollars  per  month.  In  1898  he  resigned  the  position,  however,  to  enter  the  army 
for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war  as  a  member  of  the  Third  United  States 
Cavalry.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  but  was  soon  made  sergeant  major  and  served 
throughout  the  Cuban  campaign  of  1898,  including  the  memorable  battle  of  San 
Juan  Hill,  where  the  American  troops  under  their  intrepid  commander  made  a 
brilliant  dash  up  the  hill,  displaying  the  characteristic  American  spirit  when  the 
American  soldier  is  defending  the  interests  of  his  country.  He  remained  in  the 
service  for  five  years  and  from  1900  until  1902  was  on  duty  in  the  Philippines.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  1903  and  was  mustered  out  at  the  Boise  barracks. 

It  was  this  that  brought  Mr.  White  to  Idaho.  He  was  pleased  with  the  state 
and  its  prospects  and  after  being  honorably  discharged  he  secured  the  position  of 
chief  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  warden  of  the  Idaho  state  penitentiary.  He  served 
in  that  capacity  for  nearly  two  years  and  then  went  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  the 
employ  of  United  States  Senator  W.  B.  Heyburn,  there  continuing  until  1912. 
Returning  to  Boise,  he  was  made  chief  deputy  in  the  state  dairy  food  and  sanitary 
department  under  command  of  Governor  Hawley  and  continued  in  that  department 
until  October,  1914,  when  he  was  advanced  from  the  position  of  deputy  and  made 
head  of  the  department  by  Governor  John  M.  Haines.  In  January,  1915,  he  was 
reappointed  by  Governor  Moses  Alexander,  from  whom  he  also  received  a  second 
appointment  in  January,  1917.  He  continued  in  the  position  until  January,  1919. 
when  he  became  private  secretary  to  Governor  D.  W.  Davis  and  on  the  31st  of 
March,  1919,  he  was  made  commissioner  of  public  welfare  in  the  cabinet  of  Gov- 
ernor Davis.  He  has  thus  been  retained  in  office  under  two  democratic  governors, 
Hawley  and  Alexander,  and  under  two  republican  governors,  Haines  and  Davis. 
This  fact  speaks  for  itself  concerning  his  capability  and  fidelity. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1906,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  John  K.  White  was  married 
to  Miss  Bessie  V.  Miers,  who  was  born  at  Harpers  Ferry,  West  Virginia,  but  was 


312  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

then    living    at    Brunswick,    Maryland,    and   with    whom    he    became    acquainted   in 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  White  gives  his  political  endorsement  to  the  republican  party  and  frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  He  belongs  to  the 
Boise  Commercial  Club  and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in 
the  Methodist  church.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  fishing  but  allows  nothing 
to  interfere  with  the  faithful  performance  of  his  public  duties,  which  he  has  dis- 
charged with  credit  to  himself  and  the  satisfaction  of  the  general  public. 


WARREN  D.  SPRINGER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Warren  D.  Springer,  chief  surgeon  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  of  Boise  from  its 
founding  until  his  death  and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  and 
surgeons  of  the  northwest,  was  called  to  his  final  rest  October  19,  1909,  yet  his  mem- 
ory is  cherished  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him  because  of  the  great  and  good_ 
work  which  he  did  in  behalf  of  suffering  humanity.  He  was  a  man  of  the  broadest 
sympathies  whose  interest  in  his  work  was  not  the  expression  merely  of  high  attain- 
ment along  scientific  lines  but  also  of  the  deepest  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
men. 

Warren  D.  Springer  was  born  in  Nelson,  Ontario,  March  30,  1864,  a  son  of  David 
Warren  and  Elizabeth  (Ghent)  Springer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Canada  and 
of  English  descent.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  There  were  eight  sons 
and  six  daughters  in  the  family  of  whom  Dr.  J.  S.  Springer  and  Leslie  A.  Springer 
are  living  at  Boise,  while  the  other  members  of  the  family  are  residents  of  Canada. 

At  the  place  of  his  nativity  Dr.  Warren  D.  Springer  was  reared  and  early  deter- 
mined upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  life  work.  Having  completed  his  public 
school  training,  he  then  became  a  medical  student  in  Trinity  College  at  Toronto, 
Canada,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1889.  He  after- 
ward pursued  a  course  in  the  College  of  Physicians  of  Ontario  and  is  numbered  among 
its  alumni  of  1890.  He  opened  an  office  in  his  native  city,  where  he  remained  for 
a  year,  enjoying  a  large  hospital  experience  during  that  period.  The  year  1892  wit- 
nessed his  arrival  at  Ogden,  Utah,  but  soon  afterward  he  came  to  Boise  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fairchild  &  Springer. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  generally  acknowledged  as  the  foremost  surgeon  in 
the  state.  Constant  professional  demands  were  made  upon  his  time  and  energies,  and 
his  powers  continually  increased  through  the  exercise  of  effort.  He  was,  moreover,  a 
close  and  discriminating  student  of  the  science  of  medicine  and  kept  in  touch  with 
the  latest  researches  and  discoveries  having  to  do  with  medical  and  surgical  prac- 
tice. While  he  continued  in  general  practice,  his  attention  was  most  largely  given 
to  surgical  work  and  in  that  field  he  attained  eminence.  He  became  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  of  Boise,  took  to  it  its  first  patient  and  remained  chief 
surgeon  to  the  time  of  his  demise.  He  was  intensely  interested  in  building  up  the 
surgical  department  to  its  present  high  state  of  efficiency.  He  took  a  deep  interest 
in  all  the  work  of  the  institution  and  the  nurses  of  St.  Luke's  to  this  day  hold  his 
name  and  memory  in  affectionate  regard.  When  the  call  for  volunteers  was  made  in 
1898  'for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war  Dr.  Springer,  although  enjoying  an 
excellent  practice,  put  aside  all  personal  interests  and  went  to  the  Philippines  as 
regimental  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  major.  He  left  his  home  on  the  19th  of  May, 
1898,  with  the  troops  from  Idaho,  and  returned  in  September,  1899.  His  regiment  was 
on  active  duty  in  most  of  the  skirmishes  with  the  Filipinos  and  Dr.  Springer's  services 
were  therefore  in  demand.  He  was  very  popular  with  the  soldiers,  caring  for  them 
with  untiring  devotion,  and  every  man  of  the  regiment  was  proud  to  claim  him  as  a 
friend. 

In  Warsaw,  Illinois,  on  the  3d  of  July,  1894,  Dr.  Springer  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Lulu  Eymann,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  at  Warsaw,  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Susanna  (Spori)  Eymann.  Her  mother,  now  a  widow,  is  still  living 
at  Warsaw,  her  father,  who  was  a  merchant,  having  passed  away  about  a  dozen  years 
ago.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Springer  had  two  children:  Eugene,  who  was  born  April  17,  1902; 
and  Warren  David,  who  was  born  November  14,  1909,  about  a  month  after  his  father's 
death,  for  whom  he  was  named. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  315 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Springer  has  continued  to  occupy  the  family 
residence  at  No.  1215  Jefferson  street.  This  is  a  commodious  and  splendid  property 
which  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Springer  had  planned  and  built  in  the  year  1901.  Mrs.  Springer 
devotes  practically  her  entire  attention  to  the  rearing  of  her  two  children.  She  is  a 
member  of  St.  Michael's  cathedral.  She  has  worked  untiringly  for  the  interests  of 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  of  which  her  husband  was  the  founder,  and  during  the  World 
war  was  active  in  support  of  all  local  war  measures. 

Dr.  Springer  was  a  very  prominent  Mason.  He  had  attained  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar degree  in  the  York  Rite  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  like- 
wise held  membership  in  the  Capital  City  Lodge  of  Elks.  While  he  never  sought  nor 
desired  political  office,  he  was  secretary  of  the  state  board  of  health  and  did  a  great 
deal  of  valuable  work  for  that  organization.  He  possessed  a  most  genial  manner  and 
kindly  disposition,  which  won  for  him  a  host  of  friends.  His  sympathy  and  broad 
humanitarianism  prompted  him  to  respond  to  every  call  for  professional  aid,  even  at 
the  sacrifice  of  his  personal  interests.  He  almost  instantly  won  the  confidence  of 
those  whom  he  attended  and  inspired  his  patients  with  much  of  his  own  cheer  and 
hopefulness.  He  greatly  enjoyed  all  forms  of  outdoor  life,  especially  hunting,  and 
when  leisure  permitted  would  make  a  trip  into  the  mountains  for  big  game.  It  was 
on  one  such  trip  that  he  suffered  dilation  of  the  heart  from  over  exercise  and  this 
was  the  primary  cause  of  his  death,  which  occurred  three  years  later.  His  life  and 
his  character  were  as  clear  as  the  sunlight.  No  man  came  in  contact  with  him  but 
speedily  appreciated  him  at  his  true  worth  and  knew  he  was  a  man  who  not  only 
cherished  a  high  ideal  of  duty  but  who  lived  up  to  it.  He  was  not  an  idle  sentimentalist 
but  a  worker,  devoting  the  major  portion  of  his  time  to  the  service  of  others,  and  hfs 
practice  was  at  all  times  filled  with  labors  of  love.  The  memory  of  his  sweet  and 
beautiful  life,  of  his  sincerity  and  simplicity  of  character,  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Cut  off  in  the  flower  of  his  manhood,  he  had  nevertheless  accomplished  a  work  far 
greater  than  that  of  many  others  who  reached  twice  his  years  and  his  memory  re- 
mains as  an  inspiration  to  many  who  knew  him. 


ORRIN  HALLETT  BARBER. 

"The  science  of  government"  is  no  mere  idle  term.  In  recent  years  almost 
every  question  of  public  concern  has  been  made  the  subject  of  scientific  research 
and  investigation  and  public  activity  has  been  along  the  lines  of  development  and 
progress.  This  is  manifest  in  no  field  of  public  service  more  largely  than  in  that 
which  has  to  do  with  immigration  and  labor,  for  the  statistics  which  have  been 
gathered  along  these  lines  have  brought  to  light  various  truths  which  have  been 
of  the  greatest  benefit  in  forwarding  the  interests  of  commonwealth  and  of  country. 
Orrin  Hallett  Barber  now  fills  the  important  position  of  commissioner  of  immi- 
gration, labor  and  statistics  in  the  cabinet  of  Governor  Davis  of  Idaho  and  has 
recently  removed  to  Boise  from  American  Falls,  Idaho,  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office  at  the  capitol.  He  had  previously  been  engaged  in  newspaper  work  as 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  American  Falls  Press,  the  oldest  paper  of  that  town. 

Mr.  Barber  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  his  birth  having  occurred  upon  a  farm  in 
St.  Clair  county  on  the  14th  of  March,  1866,  his  parents  being  Emerson  and  Calista 
(Pingree)  Barber,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio  but  spent  their  last  days  in 
Missouri.  The  father  devoted  his  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming  in  order  to 
provide  for  his  family,  but  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  all  business  and  personal 
considerations  were  put  aside  and  he  joined  the  Union  army  as  a  soldier  in  defense 
of  the  flag. 

Thomas  Barber,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  America  immigrated  from 
England  in  1635  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  He  served  as  sergeant  in  the  Pequot 
war.  The  Barber  family  remained  in  Connecticut  until  after  the  Revolutionary 
war,  when  Hallett  Barber,  with  his  parents,  removed  to  Vermont  and  there  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Vining,  a  woman  of  Scotch  descent.  He  moved  thence  to  New  York, 
and  from  there  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  the  Western  Reserve,  near  Greenville.  Of 
this  union  Emerson  Barber  was  born  January  12,  1827.  He  married  Calista  Pingree 
about  1850.  She  was  descended  from  Aaron  Pengrey,  who  had  settled  in  Massa- 
chusetts prior  to  1641.  A  subsequent  descendant,  spelling  his  name  James  Pingery, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  armies.  His  son  John  moved  to  Coshocton,  Ohio,  and 


316  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

his  son  John,  grandfather  of  Orrin  Hallett  Barber,  removed  to  Jay  county,  Indiana, 
and  was  the  second  white  settler  in  the  county.  He  married  Elizabeth  Babcock. 

Orrin  H.  Barber  spent  his  youthful  days  upon  a  Missouri  farm,  early  becoming 
familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors  incident  to  the  development  of  the  fields  and 
the  cultivation  of  the  crops  in  that  section  of  the  country.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  one  of  the  district  schools  near  his  home,  but  his  knowledge  was  largely 
acquired  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  a  man  of  liberal  education,  who  had  had 
college  training  in  the  east  and  had  successfully  engaged  in  teaching.  When  seven- 
teen years  of  age  Orrin  H.  Barber  discontinued  his  studies  to  become  a  teacher 
and  taught  for  two  terms.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  entered  a  newspaper 
office  in  Auburn,  Nebraska,  where  he  spent  four  years  and  by  this  time  he  had 
become  a  master  printer.  In  1889  he  removed  to  Burlington,  Colorado,  where  he 
was  manager  of  a  newspaper  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  from  1890  until  1894  he 
was  engaged  in  newspaper  publication  at  Ogden,  Utah.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  spent  nine  years  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  during  that  time  was  in  the  employ 
of  the  Western  Newspaper  Union.  In  1904  he  came  to  Idaho  and  after  spending 
two  years  at  Twin  Falls  and  a  brief  period  at  two  or  three  other  points  he  took  up 
his  abode  at  American  Falls,  where  he  lived  continuously  until  his  removal  to 
Boise  at  a  recent  date.  While  at  American  Falls  he  was  continuously  identified 
with  newspaper  work  and  in  May,  1907,  became  editor  of  the  Press  -and  has  been 
its  owner  for  many  years.  He  ever  made  his  paper  the  champion  of  progressive 
public  measures,  giving  stalwart  support  to  any  plan  or  project  which  he  believed 
would  prove  of  benefit  to  community  and  state.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
champion  of  republican  principles  and  he  served  as  state  game  warden  under  Gov- 
ernor John  M.  Haines  from  1913  until  1915,  during  which  period  he  lived  in  Boise, 
leasing  his  paper  in  American  Falls.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  take 
charge  of  the  paper  and  continued  its  publication  until  after  he  became  a  member 
of  the  cabinet  of  Governor  Davis,  when  he  once  more  became  a  resident  of  the 
capital.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  an  elective  office  but  has  twice  been 
appointed  to  high  office  by  two  different  governors  of  Idaho — John  M.  Haines  and 
David  W.  Davis.  The  latter  appointment  made  him  commissioner  of  immigration, 
labor  and  statistics  and  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  on  the  13th  of 
April.  He  is  now  bending  every  energy  to  the  mastery  of  the  tasks  that  devolve 
upon  him,  and  those  who  know  Mr.  Barber  and  his  characteristic  thoroughness  have 
no  doubt  as  to  the  outcome. 

On  the  llth  of  July,  1888,  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  Mr.  Barber  was  married 
to  Miss  Fannie  May  Hobson,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Brownstown,  Indiana.  They 
have  two  daughters:  Eunice,  now  the  wife  of  Chester  Greene,  of  American  Falls, 
Idaho;  and  Florence,  who  is  a  student  nurse  in  Holy  Cross  Hospital  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  The  religious  faith  of  Mr.  Barber  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church  and  his 
life  has  ever  been  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles.  As  a  newspaper  editor 
he  has  been  the  champion  of  many  interests  which  have  had  direct  bearing  upon 
the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  state  and  his  aid  is  ever  on  the  side  of  improve- 
ment, reform  and  civic  progress. 


WILLIAM  J.  HALL. 

In  forming  his  cabinet  Governor  D.  W.  Davis  has  drawn  around  him  men  of 
capability  who  are  accustomed  to  looking  at  vital  questions  from  the  standpoint 
of  broad-minded  citizenship  and  high  civic  ideals.  These  qualities  he  believes  to 
be  in  William  J.  Hall,  who  therefore  received  from  him  appointment  to  the  position 
of  commissioner  of  public  works.  Mr.  Hall's  connection  with  Idaho  dates  from 
1906,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Wallace  and  there  he  served  as  assist- 
ant general  manager  of  the  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting  Company,  continuing  in 
the  office  until  called  to  his  present  position  save  for  a  period  of  two  years,  from 
1914  until  1916,  during  which  time  he  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  same 
concern.  His  appointment  as  commissioner  of  public  works  came  to  him  on  the 
31st  of  March,  1919,  and  on  the  1st  of  April  following  he  took  up  his  duties  in  his 
new  position. 

Mr.  Hall  is  a  Canadian  by  birth.  The  place  of  his  nativity  is  Hamilton,  On- 
tario, and  the  date  February  7,  1872.  His  parents  are  Thomas  and  Ann  (Taylor) 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  317 

Hall,  the  former  a  native  of  England,  while  the  latter  was  born  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  Both  were  of  English  lineage.  William  J.  Hall  is  the  eldest  of  their  four 
children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  of  whom  one  son  passed  away  in  infancy.  The 
living  brother  is  Charles  Edward  Hall  and  the  only  sister  is  Mrs.  Caroline  Hall, 
who  married  a  man  of  the  same  name  as  her  own,  though  not  a  relative.  Both  the 
brother  and  sister  are  still  residents  of  Hamilton,  Ontario,  where  all  of  the  Hall 
children  were  born.  Both  Charles  E.  Hall  and  his  brother-in-law,  Percy  Stuart 
Hall,  are  manufacturing  jewelers  of  Hamilton,  being  members  of  a  large  cor- 
poration. 

William  J.  Hall  was  reared  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
public  schools  of  that  city  and  also  from  the  Hamilton  Collegiate  Institute,  com- 
pleting a  course  as  an  accountant  in  the  latter  institution.  He  then  practiced  his 
profession  in  his  native  city  for  several  years  and  in  1900  he  came  to  the  west. 
For  six  years  he  maintained  his  residence  in  Spokane,  Washington,  and  in  the  year 
in  which  he  took  up  his  abode  there  he  entered  the  employ  of  Charles  Sweeny,  a 
prominent  mining  man  of  Spokane,  as  an  accountant.  He  served  as  an  accountant 
not  only  for  Mr.  Sweeny  individually  but  also  for  the  Sweeny  interests  generally, 
which  were  large  and  of  varied  character.  In  1903  Mr.  Sweeny  became  the  chief 
organizer  of  the  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting  Company,  a  large  concern  formed  to 
develop  and  operate  extensive  mining  interests  near  Wallace,  Idaho.  Mr.  Hall, 
having  been  closely  associated  with  Mr.  Sweeny,  was  made  accountant  for  the  new 
corporation  and  in  1906  he  was  transferred  to  the  operating  department  as  assist- 
ant to  the  general  manager.  He  then  removed  to  Wallace,  where  he  continued  to 
make  his  home  until  called  to  his  present  official  position. 

Mr.  Hall  h|£  always  been  a  stalwart  republican  in  politics,  giving  unfaltering 
allegiance  to  the  party  and  its  principles,  but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  an 
elective  position.  The  chief  reason  of  his  selection  by  Governor  Davis  for  the  office 
of  commissioner  of  public  works  was  because  of  his  peculiar  and  especial  fitness  for 
the  duties  of  the  position,  which  during  the  next  biennial  period  will  be  of  a  very 
important  character,  as  plans  have  been  made  to  build  the  wings  to  the  new  capitol 
during  this  time.  Nine  hundred  thousand  dollars  has  already  been  appropriated 
for  this  improvement  and  much  other  public  building  is  contemplated  during  Gov- 
ernor Davis'  administration.  All  of  this  important  work  will  be  under  Mr.  Hall's 
immediate  supervision  as  commissioner  of  public  works. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1900,  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  Mr.  Hall  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Daniels,  also  a  native  of  that  place,  and  they  have  one  son,  Thomas*Edward, 
now  eighteen  years  of  age  and  a  student  in  the  University  of  Washington  at  Seattle, 
which  he  entered  in  1918  as  a  freshman. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Hall  is  an  Elk  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  He  belongs  to  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  is  constantly 
studying  along  that  line,  thus  promoting  his  knowledge  and  ability,  and  his  long 
experience  in  the  management  of  large  affairs  has  fitted  him  admirably  for  the 
duties  of  his  present  office. 


CHARLES  A.  ELMER. 

Among  those  who  have  to  do  with  the  government  of  Idaho  as  a  member  of 
the  cabinet  of  Governor  Davis  is  Charles  A.  Elmer,  commissioner  of  the  depart- 
ment of  public  investments.  He  was  born  in  Canada  and  comes  of  English-French 
lineage,  although  his  ancestors  in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  had  been 
among  the  earlier  pioneers  of  America.  His  parents  were  Andrew  B.  and  Delphine 
(Perrault)  Elmer,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  The  mother  died  in 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  when  her  son,  Charles  A.,  was  but  three  years  of  age, 
and  the  father  passed  away  in  Baker,  Oregon,  in  1904.  They  were  people  of  liberal 
education  and  broad  culture  as  well  as  innate  refinement.  The  father  held  the 
degrees  of  Master  of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  at  one  time  was  assistant  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  his  alma  mater. 

Charles  A.  Elmer  was  brought  to  the  Pacific  coast  during  his  infancy  and  spent 
his  earliest  years  in  Washington  and  Idaho.  He  began  his  education  in  Lewis- 
ton,  Idaho,  his  teacher  being  the  late  Hon.  W.  A.  Goulder,  poet,  philosopher  and 
historian.  His  school  days  ended  when  he  was  about  eight  years  of  age  and  until 


318  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  had  reached  early  manhood  his  life  was  spent  as  a  laborer  in  the  mines,  as  an 
assayer  and  a  printer.  For  twenty  years  he  was  a  writer  on  small  town  newspapers. 
Prom  1905  until  1909  he  was  the  secretary  to  Governor  F.  R.  Gooding.  During 
the  last  two  years  of  that  period  he  served  as  adjutant  general  of  Idaho  and  from 
1909  until  1915  he  was  employed  by  various  investment  companies.  In  the  succeed- 
ing year  he  became  secretary  and  publicity  secretary  of  the  republican  state  central 
committee  and  so  continued  through  the  year  1917.  During  the  latter  portion  of 
1918  and  the  early  months  of  1919  he  was  again  secretary  of  the  republican  state 
central  committee.  On  the  1st  of  April,  1919,  he  was  appointed  commissioner  of 
the  department  of  public  investments  by  Governor  D.  W.  Davis  and  is  now  serving 
in  that  capacity. 

In  1889  Mr.  Elmer  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Spurgeon,  a  native  of 
Vancouver,  Washington,  whose  parents  were  early  settlers  of  that  state  when  it 
was  still  under  territorial  rule.  They  took  up  their  abode  there  in  1851.  Mrs. 
Elmer  comes  of  Scotch  and  English  ancestry  and  by  her  marriage  has  one  daughter, 
Katherine,  who  is  now  entering  upon  young  womanhood. 


JAMES  L.  STEWART,  M.   D. 

Dr.  James  L.  Stewart,  who  since  1912  has  confined  his  attention  almost  exclusively 
to  the  practice  of  surgery  in  Boise,  where  he  has  now  made  his  home  for  more  than 
eighteen  years,  was  born  at  West  Point,  Iowa,  December  16,  1874,  and  is  the  eldest 
child  of  Salmon  C.  and  Ellen  (Goldsmith)  Stewart.  The  father  is  a  banker,  residing 
at  Lebanon,  Oregon.  The  mother  died  in  Minden,  Nebraska,  in  1881.  It  was  in  1880 
that  the  family  removed  from  Iowa  to  Nebraska  and  from  that  point  came  to  the  north- 
west. Dr.  Stewart  is  of  Revolutionary  "war  descent  in  the  paternal  line  and  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  The  Stewart  family  comes  of  Scotch 
and  English  ancestry,  while  the  Goldsmith  family  is  of  Pennsylvania  German  descent. 
The  Stewarts  have  been  represented  in  all  of  the  American  wars  from  the  Revolution 
down  to  the  present,  and  patriotic  loyalty  has  ever  been  an  outstanding  characteristic 
of  those  of  the  name.  Andrew  Stewart  came  from  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  in  the  year  1800 
and  settled  in  Connecticut.  He  was  the  great-grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  whose  grand- 
father was  James  Andrew  Stewart,  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  in  1811.  He  was 
a  farmer  and  local  preacher  and  in  1841  removed  from  the  Buckeye  state  to  Madison, 
Iowa,  while  later  he  became  a  resident  of  Nebraska,  where  his  death  occurred. 

Dr.  Stewart  spent  his  youth  at  Axtell,  Nebraska,  where  his  father  engaged  in 
banking.  He  attended  the  public  schools  there  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  after 
which  he  became  a  student  in  the  Nebraska  Wesleyan  University.  Subsequently  he 
spent  four  years  in  his  father's  bank  and  hardware  store  at  Axtell,  but  desirous  of 
becoming  a  representative  of  the  medical  profession,  he  then  matriculated  in  Rush 
Medical  College  of  Chicago  when  twenty  years  of  age,  pursuing  the  full  four  years' 
course,  after  which  he  was  graduated  in  1899  with  the  M.  D.  degree.  Later  he  spent 
nearly  two  years  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital  of  Chicago  and  subsequently  took  up 
practice  at  Loomis,  Nebraska.  From  1900  until  1902  he  followed  his  profession  as  a 
contract  surgeon  at  San  Pedro  and  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  and  in  1902  came  to  Boise, 
where  he  entered  upon  the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  The  notable  skill 
that  he  has  developed  along  the  latter  line,  however,  so  increased  his  practice  in  that 
connection  that  since  1912  he  has  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to  surgical  work,  and 
the  profession  and  the  public  acknowledge  his  high  efficiency.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
surgical  staff  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  and  of  St.  Alphonsus  Hospital  of  Boise  and  for 
many  years  he  was  surgeon  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad. 

Dr.  Stewart  has  been  married  twice.  In  September,  1899,  he  wedded  Eva  Mont- 
gomery, of  Axtell,  Nebraska,  and  on  the  25th  of  November,  1914,  having  lost  his  first 
wife,  he  married  Modjeska  Caldwell,  of  Williamsfield,  Illinois.  There  was  one  son  of 
the  first  marriage,  James  S.,  who  was  born  November  5,  1900,  and  by  the  second  mar- 
riage there  are  two  children:  Lona  Jean,  born  November  4,  1916;  and  Dorothy,  born 
May  14,  1918. 

Dr.  Stewart,  while  a  most  busy  surgeon,  constant  demands  being  made  upon  him 
for  professional  activity,  yet  finds  time  for  interest  in  those  things  which  maintain 
an  even  balance  in  life.  He  is  connected  with  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  the 
Boise  Country  Club  and  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  hunting  and  fishing.  He  is  a 


DR.  JAMES  L.  STEWART 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  321 

Knight  Templar  Mason  and  a  member  of  El  Koran  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and 
he  belongs  as  well  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In  politics  he  is  a 
republican  but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  Along  strictly  professional  lines 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Ada  County  Medical  Society,  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society, 
which  has  honored  him  with  its  presidency,  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
During  the  World  war  he  served  from  September,  1918,  until  January,  1919,  in  the 
Medical  Corps  of  the  United  States  army  with  the  rank  of  captain,  being  stationed 
throughout  that  period  in  New  York  city,  where  as  a  specialist  he  worked  along  cer- 
tain lines  of  surgery.  His  skill  and  efficiency  in  the  chosen  line  of  his  life  work  have 
been  developed  to  a  notable  degree,  and  his  name  is  written  high  on  the  roll  of  the 
eminent  surgeons  of  the  northwest. 


CLARENCE  T.  WARD. 

Clarence  T.  Ward,  secretary  of  the  Idaho  Power  Company  and  also  of  the 
Boise  Valley  Traction  Company  and  attorney  for  the  two  corporations,  was  born  at 
Ward,  Cassia  county,  Idaho,  April  26,  1888,  a  son  of  Charles  R.  Ward,  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  who  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cassia  county,  locating  there 
long  before  the  birth  of  his  son  Clarence.  He  removed  to  this  state  from  Willard, 
Utah,  being  a  representative  of  a  Mormon  family,  his  father,  George  W.  Ward, 
having  come  from  England  as  a  convert  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  serving,  as  the  first  bishop  of  Willard.  Both  the  father  and  mother 
of  Clarence  T.  Ward  have  now  passed  away.  The  latter  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Margaret  E.  Mason  and  was  born  in  Utah,  a  daughter  of  George  Mason,  who  also 
came  from  England. 

Clarence  T.  Ward  is  of  the  second  generation  born  in  America.  He  was  reared 
in  Cassia  county  upon  the  large  ranch  belonging  to  his  father,  who  was  a  prom- 
inent cattleman.  The  son  rode  the  range  to  a  large  extent  in  his  youth  and  early 
manhood.  Liberal  educational  advantages  were  accorded  him  and  he  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Latter-day  Saints  University  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  1905.  He  after- 
ward spent  two  years  in  Europe  as  a  missionary  of  the  church,  going  abroad  in 
1910.  He  was  situated  in  the  British  Isles  and  also  on  the  continent  and  returned 
in  January,  1912.  On  again  reaching  Idaho,  Mr.  Ward  took  up  the  live  stock  busi- 
ness in  Cassia  county,  to  which  he  devoted  two  years'  time.  He  then  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Montana  and  completed  the  regular  course, 
being  graduated  with  the  Bachelor  of  Laws  degree  on  the  7th  of  June,  1917.  On 
the  6th  of  September  of  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Idaho  bar  and  began 
practice  in  Pocatello,  where  he  remained  until  June  1,  1918,  when  he  accepted  his 
present  position  at  Boise  as  secretary  of  the  Idaho  Power  Company  and  also  of 
the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Company,  both  of  which  corporations  he  also  represents 
as  attorney. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1914,  Mr.  Ward  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ivy  Bedke, 
of  Cassia  county,  Idaho,  and  they  have  two  children,  Grant  Bedke  and  Margaret 
Ann.  During  the  period  of  their  residence  in  the  capital  they  have  gained  many 
friends.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association  and  his  entire 
life  has  been  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  progress  that  has  now  brought  him  into  prom- 
inent and  enviable  business  connections. 


WILLIAM    STARK. 

William  Stark,  the  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  Falk  Mercantile 
Company  of  Boise,  proprietors  of  the  leading  mercantile  house  of  the  city,  has 
here  made  his  home  since  1886,  removing  to  Idaho  from  San  Francisco,  California. 
Throughout  the  intervening  period,  covering  a  third  of  a  century,  he  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  which  is  the  oldest  mercantile  house 
in  the  city,  and  his  labors  have  been  a  contributing  factor  to  the  continued  suc- 
cess and  growth  of  the  establishment. 

Mr.  Stark  was  born  in  Bavaria,  March  20,  1867,  and  in  1884,  when  seventeen 
years  of  age,  bade  adieu  to  friends  and  native  land  and  came  alone  to  the  United 

Vol.  11—21 


322  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

States.  He  at  once  made  his  way  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  had  relatives  living, 
and  for  two  years  he  remained  in  that  city,  working  as  a  clerk  and  attending  night 
scnool,  thus  acquainting  himself  with  the  English  language  and  at  the  same  time 
gaining  knowledge  along  certain  educational  lines.  In  1886  he  arrived  in  Boise, 
then  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years,  and  at  once  took  a  position  in  the  Falk  store. 
For  five  years  he  was  merely  an  employe  of  Nathan  Falk  &  Brother  and  in  1891, 
when  the  business  was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  Falk  Bloch  Mercantile 
Company  and  was  incorporated,  he  became  secretary  of  the  concern  and  since 
1905  has  been  both  secretary  and  general  manager.  He  is  today  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  not  only  in  age  but  in  point  of  service,  and  the  remarkable  suc- 
cess of  the  business  and  the  unsullied  reputation  of  the  house  are  due  in  no  small 
measure  to  the  efforts,  the  enterprise  and  the  progressiveness  of  Mr.  Stark.  He 
is  also  the  vice  president  and  general  supervisor  of  the  Nampa  Department  Store 
and  throughout  his  connection  with  Idaho  he  has  manifested  the  keenest  interest 
in  the  development  of  the  state,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  his  own  interests,  but 
because  of  his  deep  attachment  for  the  place  of  his  residence. 

On  the  llth  of  March,  1894,  Mr.  Stark  was  married  to  Miss  Mattie  Cohn, 
a  native  of  Boise.  They  have  one  daughter,  Marian  E.  Stark,  who  is  an  accom- 
plished young  woman,  being  a  graduate  of  St.  Margaret's  School  of  Boise  and  of 
Smith  College  of  Massachusetts.  In  the  latter  institution  she  completed  her  course 
with  high  honors  and  during  the  period  of  the  World  war  she  served  as  a  nurse, 
having  prepared  herself  for  that  work  at  Vassar  College.  She  was  on  duty  at  Lane 
Hospital  in  San  Francisco  and  thus  assisted  to  the  extent  of  her  power  in  further- 
ing American  interests  during  the  period  of  world  strife. 

Mr.  Stark  belongs  to  the  B'nai  B'rith  and  is  a  member  of  the  Jewish  con- 
gregation of  Boise.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  a  val- 
ued member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Boise.  He  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Idaho  Territorial  Militia,  in  which  he  served  as  a  corporal  under  Captain  John 
Boomer.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  his  home  and  his  garden,  the  latter 
being  his  delight,  while  his  interest  centers  in  his  own  fireside.  He  is  a  man  of 
high  personal  worth,  of  marked  business  ability  and  one  who  has  ever  displayed 
the  keenest  and  most  helpful  interest  in  those  things  which  are  a  matter  of  civic 
virtue  and  of  civic  pride. 


FRANKLIN  IRVING  COATS. 

Franklin  Irving  Coats  is  one  of  the  prominent  representatives  of  Masonry  'in 
Idaho,  having  taken  all  the  various  degrees  in  both  the  York  and  Scottish  Rites, 
including  the  honorary  thirty-third  degree,  which  is  bestowed  only  in  recognition 
of  valuable  service  rendered  to  the  order.  Mr.  Coats  is  now  the  secretary  of  all  the 
higher  Masonic  bodies  in  Boise  and  also  secretary  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  came 
to  Idaho  from  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  but  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  on 
the  12th  of  November,  1877,  being  a  son  of  Albert  James  and  Sophie  Elizabeth 
(Van  Devan)  Coats,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  United  States,  the  father 
being  of  English  descent,  however,  and  the  mother  of  Holland  Dutch  lineage.  The 
father,  who  was  a  railroad  man,  has  passed  away,  but  the  mother  survives  and 
lives  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  being  now  sixty-three  years  of  age. 

Franklin  I.  Coats  was  but  an  infant  at  the  time  of  the  removal  of  his  parents 
to  Grand  Rapids,  where  he  was  reared  and  pursued  his  education  to  a  large  extent. 
In  1902  he  came  west  to  Boise  and  for  twelve  years  was  the  money  order  clerk  in 
the  Boise  postoffice.  In  1915  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  Auto 
Supply  Company,  of  which  he  was  made  secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager, 
so  continuing  until  April,  1918,  when  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  be- 
come deputy  food  administrator  for  the  state  of  Idaho,  serving  as  such  under  Rich- 
ard F.  Bicknell  until  September,  1919.  He  was  then  elected  to  his  present  position 
as  secretary  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  being  one  of  the  most 
prominent  Masons  in  the  northwest.  His  efforts  have  contributed  in  large  meas- 
ure to  the  growth  of  the  order  and  he  exemplifies  in  his  life  its  most  beneficent 
spirit  and  purposes.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1902,  Mr.  Coats  was  married  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan, 


HISTORY  OP  IDAHO  323 

to  Miss  Anna  Marie  McNamara,  who  was  born  in  that  state,  of  Irish  parentage. 
They  have  become  the  parents  of  one  son,  Robert  McNamara,  who  was  born  June 
26,  1903,  and  is  now  a  junior  in  the  Boise  high  school. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Coats  is  a  republican  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but  does  not  desire  office,  preferring  to  concentrate 
his  efforts  and  attention  upon  business  affairs  and  his  duties  as  a  fraternity  officer. 
He  has  always  been  most  loyal  to  every  cause  which  he  has  espoused  and  is  a  man 
whom  to  know  is  to  esteem  and  honor. 


FINLEY  MONROE. 

One  of  the  widely  known  and  honored  members  of  the  Emmett  bar  is  Finley 
Monroe,  whose  ability  in  the  legal  profession  has'  brought  him  into  prominent  con- 
nection with  much  of  the  important  litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  his  district. 
Moreover,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  substantial  improvement  of  Emmett  in 
many  ways.  He  is  numbered  among  the  citizens  that  Iowa  has  furnished  to  this 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  November  9,  1859,  bis 
parents  being  Alexander  and  Martha  A.  (Russell)  Monroe,  The  father  was  born  in 
Virginia,  from  which  state  he  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  married  Martha  A.  Rus- 
sell. She,  too,  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion  but  in  her  early  girlhood  accompanied 
her  parents  to  Ohio.  On  leaving  the  Buckeye  state  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monroe  became 
residents  of  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  where  for  twenty-five  years  he  followed  gen- 
eral farming.  In  1882  he  arrived  in  Washington  county,  Idaho,  where  his  remain- 
ing days  were  passed,  his  death  occurring  in  1892,  when  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  She  was  at  the  time  visiting  in  California,  but  her  remains  were 
brought  back  for  interment  in  the  Morris  Hill  cemetery  in  Boise.  Mr.  Monroe  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  served  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member  of 
the  Thirty-sixth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  eight 
children. 

The  seventh  in  order  of  birth  was  Finley  Monroe,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review  and  who,  after  acquiring  a  common  school  education  in  Iowa,  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  University  of  Tennessee  at  Nashville,  being  there  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1890.  Immediately  afterward  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Emmett  in  1891, 
when  the  town  was  a  tiny  hamlet.  Having  prepared  for  the  bar  he  at  once  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  law  and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  won  a  large 
and  distinctively  representative  clientage.  The  thoroughness  with  which  he  pre- 
pares his  cases,  the  clearness  and  cogency  with  which  he  presents  his  cause  are 
salient  elements  in  his  continued  success.  He  is  capable  of  crossing  swords  in 
forensic  combat  with  Idaho's  most  eminent  members  of  the  bar  and,  familiar  with 
principle  and  precedent,  he  is  seldom,  if  ever,  at  fault  in  the  application  of  a  legal 
principle.  He  has  become  the  owner  of  considerable  valuable  real  estate  at  Emmett, 
including  one  of  the  principal  brick  business  blocks  of  the  city,  the  first  floor  being 
used  for  store  purposes,  while  the  second  floor  is  divided  into  offices. 

In  December,  1890,  Mr.  Monroe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katie  Dagen, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Louisa  (Huba)  Dagen,  of  Emmett,  her  father  having  lo- 
cated in  Canyon  county  in  pioneer  times.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monroe  have  become 
parents  of  a  daughter  and  a  son.  Louise,  who  was  born  at  Emmett  in  1894,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  is  now  a  teacher 
in  the  fourth  grade  of  the  Emmett  high  school.  The  sqn,  Fred  D.,  born  in  1896, 
was  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  United  States  army.  He  had 
previously  graduated  from  the  Emmett  high  school  and  Link's  Business  College 
and,  volunteering  for  service,  joined  the  Second  Idaho  Regiment.  In  October,  1917, 
he  went  with  the  regiment  from  Boise  to  Camp  Greene,  South  Carolina,  and  was 
soon  afterward  transferred  to  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
sixth  Field  Artillery,  with  which  command  he  went  to  France  in  December,  1917. 
He  served  in  that  country  until  after  the  armistice  was  signed  and  was  then  sent 
to  Germany  with  the  American  army  of  occupation,  being  finally  discharged  at 
Camp  D.  A.  Russell  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  in  June,  1919,  after  which  he  returned 
home  and  is  now  a  student  in  the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley. 

Mr.  Monroe  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ind«- 


324  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

pendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  the  latter  organization  he  is  very  prominent 
and  in  1912  he  was  given  'a  handsome  gold  medal  in  recognition  of  the  high  regard 
entertained  for  him  by  his  brethren  of  the  fraternity.  He  and  his  wife  are  faithful 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  his  political  allegiance  is  given  to 
the  republican  party.  His  life  has  ever  been  actuated  by  high  and  honorable  prin- 
ciples. His  position  upon  any  public  question  is  never  an  equivocal  one.  The 
urgency  of  a  situation  brings  forth  his  strong  support  and  he  has  indeed  been  a 
valued  factor  in  promoting  the  advancement  and  welfare  of  Emme,tt. 


ALONZO  R.  CRUZEN. 

Alonzo  R.  Cruzen  is  a  capitalist  of  Boise  and  has  attained  his  present  distinctive 
and  enviable  position  in  business  and  financial  circles  entirely  through  his  own  efforts. 
His  success  has  been  gained  through  judicious  investment  and  the  careful  conduct  of  his 
business  affairs.  The  story  of  his  life  is  an  inspiring  one  and  should  serve  to  encourage 
others,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  when  there  is  a  will  to  dare  and  to  do  and 
when  industry  recognizes  and  utilizes  opportunity. 

Mr.  Cruzen  was  born  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  May  1,  1858,  and  was  reared  upon  a  farm 
in  that  state,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot 
of  the  farm-bred  boy  who  divides  his  time  between  the  acquirement  of  an  education  and 
the  work  of  the  fields.  His  father,  George  W.  Cruzen,  was  a  native  of  Xenia,  Ohio,  and 
the  mother,  Celesta  (Coffin)  Cruzen,  was  born  in  Richmond?  Indiana,  representing  one 
of  the  old  Quaker  families  of  that  section. 

After  spending  his  youthful  days  upon  the  home  farm  and  continuing  a  resident  of 
Iowa  until  1886,  Mr.  Cruzen  of  this  review  removed  to  Curtis,  Nebraska,  where  he 
established  one  of  the  first  banks  of  the  town.  He  continued  actively  in  the  banking 
business  in  that  state  until  1901  and  during  one  period  controlled  three  Nebraska  banks. 
He  had  also  become  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  valuable  land  in  that  state.  The  year 
1890  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho,  to  investigate  the  opportunities  for  investments, 
and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  made  some  very  important  investments  in  realty, 
both  in  Boise  and  in  the  adjoining  district.  This  land  has  become  very  valuable  with 
the  passing  of  time  and  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  country.  He  still  owns  quite  a  large 
amount  of  his  original  holdings  and  has  become  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  state 
through  his  judicious  purchases  of  property.  Something  of  the  increase  in  realty  values 
is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  a  quarter  block  which  he  purchased  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Bannock  and  Eighth  streets  in  Boise  in  1890  for  eight  thousand  dollars  was  sold  in 
1909  to  the  United  States  government  for  eighty  thousand  dollars,  to  be  used  as  a  site 
for  the  Federal  building.  It  was  also  in  1890  that  Mr.  Cruzen  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  Boise  on  the  southwest,  for  which  he  paid  six  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  has  since  sold  a  portion  of  this  for  forty  thousand  dollars  but  still 
retains  four-fifths  of  the  original  tract.  On  another  occasion  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  of  land  adjoining  Boise  on  the  northwest,  for  which  he  paid  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  and  he  has  since  sold  a  portion  of  this  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars,  while  the  amount  which  he  retains-  is  of  equal  value.  In  1907  he 
bought  what  is  now  known  as  the  Cruzen  canal  but  prior  to  that  date  was  known  as 
the  Perault  canal.  In  the  same  year  he  built  the  Capital  Water  Company  system,  piping 
the  water  from  the  Cruzen  canal  all  over  the  capital  city.  He  is  likewise  the  principal 
owner  of  Columbia  Park  in  Boise,  holding  over  four-fifths  of  that  land. 

He  figures  also  in  financial  circles  as  owner  of  a  bank  at  Donnelly,  Idaho,  and  the 
A.  R.  Cruzen  Investment  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  sole  owner.  This  is  a  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollar  paid  up  company.  Mr.  Cruzen's  hobby  is  the  man- 
agement and  supervision  of  his  beautiful  two  thousand  acre  White  Clover  Ranch,  which 
is  all  fine  smooth  land,  in  one  tract,  all  under  irrigation,  with  its  own  irrigation  system. 
It  is  located  at  Norwood,  Idaho,  in  the  Upper  Long  Valley,  in  Valley  County,  and  the 
railroad  station  of  Norwood  is  on  the  ranch.  Besides  white  clover  the  land  is  all  in 
blue  grass  and  timothy,  and  owing  to  the  delightful  climate,  Mr.  Cruzen  has  found  it 
an  ideal  place  to  spend  his  summer  months.  Outside  of  his  Boise  property,  he  owns 
some  of  the  finest  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  state  capital,  lands  ranging  in  price  from 
five  hundred  dollars  to  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per  acre. 

While  Mr.  Cruzen  came  to  Idaho  in  1890  to  make  investments,  he  did  not  remain 
permanently  at  that  period,  but  returned  for  a  time  to  Curtis,  Nebraska,  where  he  had 


MN  ^/^ 


X2^^ 

a 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  327 

banking  interests.  While  in  the  latter  state  he  took  a  very  prominent  part  in  political 
activity.  A  stalwart  republican,  he  served  for  several  years  as  a  member  of  the  repub- 
lican state  central  committee  and  was  also  elected  to  the  Nebraska  legislature.  In 
1889  he  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  house  and  was  made  chairman  of  the  ways 
and  means  committee,  one  of  the  most  important  committees  of  the  general  assembly. 
While  serving  in  that  connection  during  the  full  period  of  sixty  days  he  was  thrown 
into  almost  daily  contact  with  General  John  J.  Pershing,  then  a  young  lieutenant  who 
had  just  graduated  from  West  Point  and  at  that  period  was  training  the  cadets  at 
the  University  of  Nebraska,  Whenever  General  Pershing  wanted  an  appropriation,  he 
would  go  to  Mr.  Cruzen  and  ask  him  to  put  it  through.  Mr.  Cruzen  was  a  most  prom- 
inent figure  in  republican  circles  in  Nebraska  for  many  years  and  in  1901  was  appointed 
by  President  Roosevelt  to  the  position  of  consul  general  of  Porto  Rico  and  collector  of 
customs  and  custodian  of  all  government  property  and  all  government  financial  matters, 
having  two  hundred  people  in  his  service.  He  occupied  the  office  for  about  three  years, 
finally  resigning  to  give  his  attention  to  his  individual  interests. 

In  1904  he  came  to  Boise  to  look  after  his  investments  here  and,  pleased  with  the 
country  and  its  people,  decided  to  remain,  so  that  the  capital  gained  a  valuable  citizen. 
Mr.  Cruzen  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Boise  Country  Club  and 
fraternally  is  a  Mason  and  an  Elk.  In  the  former  organization  he  has  attained  the 
Royal  Arch  degree.  His  life  has  been  one  of  continuous  activity  in  which  has  been 
accorded  due  recognition  of  labor,  and  today  he  is  numbered  among  the  substantial 
citizens  of  his  adopted  state.  His  interests  are  thoroughly  identified  with  those  of 
Boise,  and  at  all  times  he  is  ready  to  lend  his  aid  and  cooperation  to  any  movement 
calculated  to  benefit  this  section  of  the  country  or  advance  its  wonderful  development. 


GEORGE  C.  HUEBENER. 

George  C.  Huebener,  attorney  at  law,  practicing  at  the  bar  of  Emmett  and 
dating  his  residence  in  Idaho  since  1904,  was  born  at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin,  March 
29,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  George  C.  and  Anna  (Seidel)  Huebener,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany  and  representatives  of  old  families  of  that  country,  save  on  the  mother's 
side  there  is  a  strain  of  French  blood.  The  parents,  however,  came  to  America  in 
early  life  and  were  married  at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin,  in  1878.  They  had  a  family 
of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  three  sons  and  a  daughter 
are  living.  George  C.  Huebener  is  the  eldest  of  the  family  and  the  others  who  sur- 
vive are:  Frank  O.,  residing  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  and  Walter  F.  and  Mrs.  Louise 
Peddycord,  both  residents  of  Portland,  Oregon.  The  father  came  to  the  United 
States  when  about  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  a  merchant  miller  but  after 
locating  in  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin,  conducted  a  hardware  store  for  many  years. 
His  last  days  were  spent  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  where  he  passed  away  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1904.  The  mother  survives  and  makes  her  home  with  her  only  daughter 
in  Portland,  Oregon,  yet  enjoying  good  health. 

George  C.  Huebener  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Eau  Claire,  Wis- 
consin, with  the  class  of  1898  and  afterward  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  night 
section  of  the  University  of  Minnesota  at  Minneapolis,  where  he  was  a  student 
between  the  years  1900  and  1903.  In  1904  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Coeur 
d'Alene,  and  on  the  12th  of  December  of  that  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Boise  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Coeur  d'Alene.  He  was  appointed 
chief  clerk  of  the  Idaho  state  penitentiary  at  Boise  by  Governor  Frank  R.  Gooding 
in  March,  1905,  and  filled  that  position  until  1909  but  in  April  of  the  latter  year 
resigned  to  accept  the  secretaryship  of  the  Idaho  Commission  at  the  Alaska-Yukon- 
Pacific  Exposition  at  Seattle,  to  which  place  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  James 
H.  Brady,  then  chief  executive  of  Idaho.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  exposi- 
tion and  from  1910  until  1915  maintained  a  law  office  in  Boise. 

From  January  1,  1914,  until  after  the  election  in  the  following  November  he 
was  private  secretary  to  the  late  United  States  Senator  Brady  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  resigned  the  position  in  November  to  resume  the  private  practice  of  law  in 
Boise  and  in  May,  1917,  he  removed  to  Emmett,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
active  practice.  He  now  has  a  large  clientage  and  his  work  in  the  courts  has  been 
of  a  distinctively  representative  character,  the  court  records  bearing  testimony  to 


328  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

his  ability  in  the  many  favorable  verdicts  which  he  has  won.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Bar  Association  and  is  vice  president  of  the  Gem  County  Bar  Association. 

Tn  Boise,  on  the  6th  of  August,  1918,  Mr.  Huebener  was  married  to  Miss  Beryl 
Lucile  Morrow,  of  Boise,  a  native  of  Idaho.  They  have  one  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Louise,  who  was  born  July  21,  1919. 

Mr.  Huebener  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  a  past  commander  of  Idaho  Com- 
mandery,  No.  1,  K.  T.,  at  Boise,  and  past  potentate  of  El  Korah  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Boise.  He  is  also  a  past  sovereign  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine 
and  is  a  most  loyal  follower  of  Masonic  teachings,  principles  and  purposes.  For 
recreation  he  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing  and  is  a  member  of  the  Emmett  Gun  Club. 


MISS  LIDA  COX. 

The  city  of  Rigby,  Idaho,  is  justly  proud  of  her  popular  and  efficient  post- 
mistress, Miss  Lida  Cox,  an  enterprising  business  woman  whose  initiative  and 
ability  as  an  executive  have  done  much  toward  the  betterment  and  growth  of  the 
postoffice  facilities  of  her  city.  Miss  Cox  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  her  birth  having 
occrured  at  Bunker  Hill  in  October,  1889,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Jennie 
(Ridgley)  Cox.  The  father,  who  was  a  merchant,  was  born  in  New  York  but  at 
an  early  day  removed  to  Missouri  and  located  at  Vandalia,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  clothing  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He  now  resides  in  Oklahoma  City, 
Oklahoma,  but  the  mother,  who  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  passed  into  the  great  be- 
yond in  January,  1894. 

Miss  Cox  began  her  education  at  Vandalia  and  later  attended  Pritchett  Col- 
lege of  Glasgow,  Missouri.  She  completed  her  studies  at  the  State  Normal  School 
of  Kirksville,  Missouri,  and  in  1912  came  to  Rigby,  Idaho,  where  she  taught  school 
for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  she  entered  the  service  of  the 
Jefferson  Title  &  Abstract  Company  and  subsequently  went  into  the  office  of  the 
county  recorder,  where  she  was  employed  until  the  time  of  her  appointment  as 
postmistress  of  Rigby  on  the  1st  of  May,  1918,  which  position  she  still  holds.  Her 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party,  while  her  religious  faith  is 
indicated  by  her  membership  in  the  Episcopal  church. 

Under  the  able  management  and  direction  of  Miss  Cox  the  Rigby  postoffice 
has  seen  many  important  changes  and  enlargements,  chief  among  which  is  the 
addition  of  the  Swan  Valley  route  with  five  more  postoffices.  It  is  also  largely  due 
to  the  efficient  supervision  and  direction  of  Miss  Cox  that  the  postoffice  receipts 
have  doubled  in  the  past  year  and  the  Rigby  postoffice  advanced  to  second  class. 
She  has  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  the  citizens  of  Rigby  whose  good  fortune 
it  has  been  to  know  her  personally  or  to  have  business  relations  with  her,  and  she 
now  enjoys  an  extensive  and  favorable  acquaintance  throughout  the  entire  com- 
munity. 


HON.   PETER   G.   JOHNSTON. 

Hon.  Peter  G.  Johnston,  of  Blackfoot,  prominently  identified  with  farming, 
banking  and  political  interests  and  thus  proving  one  of  the  leading  and  valued 
citizens  of  Bingham  county,  was  born  on  the  Orkney  islands  on  the  15th  of  August, 
1864,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Isabelle  (Green)  Johnston,  who  were  also  natives 
of  that  group  of  islands.  The  father  was  a  sailor,  fisherman  and  mechanic  and 
also  engaged  in  boat  building,  following  these  various  occupations  as  well  fis 
farming  on  the  Orkney  islands  and  on  the  mainland  of  Scotland.  He  sailed  to 
Labrador  for  ten  years.  He  passed  away  on  the  Orkney  islands  in  1901,  having  for 
a  long  period  survived  his  wife,  whose  death  occurred  in  February,  1878. 

Peter  G.  Johnston  was  reared  on  his  native  isle  and  there  remained  with  his 
father  until  1884,  when  he  came  to  America,  making  his  way  at  once  to  Salt  Lake 
City.  Soon  afterward  he  secured  employment  on  a  ranch  at  herding  sheep  and 
thus  spent  about  four  years.  In  1887  he  joined  James  Duckworth,  now  president 
of  the  Blackfoot  stake  of  Zion  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
and  they  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  until  1910,  when  Mr.  Johnston  closed  out 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  329 

his  connection  with  the  sheep  Industry.  For  thirty  years  he  had  been  identified 
with  sheep  raising  in  Idaho  but  made  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City  until  1902,  when 
he  removed  his  family  to  Blackfoot,  where  he  erected  a  fine  home  on  South  Shilling 
avenue.  Here  he  has  since  resided  and  his  former  success,  resulting  from  his 
business  sagacity  and  unfaltering  enterprise,  brought  to  him  a  notable  measure 
of  prosperity.  As  the  years  passed  his  Interests  broadened  in  scope  and  impor- 
tance and  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Blackfoot  City  Bank,  of  which 
he  was  elected  a  director,  and  he  is  also  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Pocatello  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Rexburg  State  Bank,  of  which  he  was  a 
director  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  likewise  one  of  the  stockholders  and  a 
director  of  the  Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company  and  thus  figures  prominently  in 
connection  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  He  still  holds  his  farming 
interests,  having  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  which  is  within 
the  city  limits  of  Blackfoot.  He  also  owns  a  ranch  in  Bonneville  county  of  a 
thousand  acres  and  personally  gives  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acre  place. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1893,  Mr.  Johnston  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Duck- 
worth, whose  parents  are  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of  James  Duckworth  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  To  this  marriage  were  born  four  children:  James  D.,  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Blackfoot  City  Bank;  Peter  Rich,  who  is  attending  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Logan,  Utah;  Lloyd  D.,  a  high  school  pupil;  and  Alice,  who  was  born  in 
1910  and  passed  away  at  birth.  The  mother  died  April  10,  1910,  and  Mr.  Johnston 
afterward  married  Flora  Harding  on  the  28th  of  January,  1913.  She  was  born  in 
New  Zealand  and  was  reared  in  Australia.  She  joined  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  and  came  to  America  in  1907,  making  her  way  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  she  was  employed  by  Zion's  Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution  to  the 
time  of  her  marriage. 

Mr.  Johnston  has  long  been  an  active  and  earnest  worker  in  the  church.  He  filled 
a  two  years'  mission  in  Scotland  and  Ireland  in  1896  and  1897  and  presided  over 
the  Union  stake  in  Oregon  for  one  year  as  president.  He  is  a  member  of  the  gen- 
eral auditing  committee  of  the  church  and  is  also  high  counselor  of  the  Blackfoot 
stake  and  has  served  as  bishop  of  Blackfoot.  He  has  traveled  quite  extensively 
over  Europe  on  two  different  occasions  and  after  the  armistice  was  signed  he  went 
to  New  Zealand  and  Australia.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican 
party  and  he  was  a  most  warm  and  ardent  admirer  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  "the 
foremost  American  citizen." 


ROBERT  NEWTON  CUMMINGS,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Robert  Newton  Cummings  is  widely  recognized  as  an  able  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Emmett,  where  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  since  1904. 
His  birth  occurred  at  Hindsville,  Arkansas,  July  18,  1874,  his  parents  being  Ross 
Kinyard  and  Margaret  E.  (Garrett)  Cummings,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Tennessee.  Their  marriage,  however,  was  celebrated  in  Arkansas.  They  became 
the  parents  of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:  Robert  Newton, 
who  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  in  Idaho;  Mrs.  Lula  Berry,  of  Long  Beach, 
California;  and  Edward  B.,  who  is  a  merchant  of  Springdale,  Arkansas.  The  father, 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  when  his  son  Robert  was  but  four  years  of  age. 

Robert  N.  Cummings  was  reared  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  supplemented 
his  early  education  by  a  course  of  study  in  the  University  of  Arkansas,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1898.  While 
a  student  there  he  became  a  member  of  the  southern  branch  of  the  Kappa  Alpha 
fraternity.  From  1898  until  1901  he  studied  medicine  in  the  medical  department 
of  Washington  University  at  St.  Louis,  completing  his  professional  training  in  the 
University  of  Denver  at  Denver,  Colorado,  which  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  in  1903.  He  subsequently  spent  a  year  as  interne  in  St.  Anthony  Hospital 
of  Denver  and  then  came  to  Idaho.  After  investigating  some  other  cities  he  decided 
to  locate  at  Emmett,  where  he  has  remained  continuously  since. 

On  the  19th  of  February,  1906,  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  'Dr.  Cummings  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet  A.  Reynolds,  who  was  born  at  Brownsville, 
Texas,  May  3,  1882.  Her  father,  Captain  S.  W.  Reynolds,  served  as  an  officer  of 


330  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  Union  army  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  and  later  engaged  in  the  drug 
business.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cummings  have  two  daughters:  Margaret,  who  was  born 
November  25,  1907;  and  Florence,  whose  natal  day  was  May  20,  1910.  A  son, 
Robert  Edward,  whose  birth  occurred  March  10,  1914,  passed  away  on  the  20th  of 
May,  1919. 


WILLIAM   N.   SWEET. 

One  of  the  most  useful  citizens  of  Boise,  an  enthusiast  and  booster  of  the  city  and 
state,  is1  William  N.  Sweet,  a  prominent  merchant  of  this  city,  who  is  president  of 
the  Sweet-Teller  Hardware  Company,  one  of  its  most  substantial  mercantile  establish- 
ments. Moreover,  he  has  been  connected  with  many  other  enterprises  which  have 
proven  of  great  value  to  the  commonwealth  along  various  lines  and  has  thus  demon- 
strated his  high  ideals  in  regard  to  his  duties  toward  his  city  and  state.  Outside  of 
business  affairs  he  is  greatly  interested  in  sports  and  has  successfully  promoted  organi- 
zations which  have  not  only  aroused  the  interest  of  the  public  but  have  been  of  finan- 
cial benefit  to  the  capital. 

Mr.  Sweet  was  born  at  Chariton,  Iowa,  October  26,  1870,  the  only  son  of  Newland 
and  Jennie  (Slagg)  Sweet,  natives  of  New  York  and  England  respectively.  He  is  of 
English  descent  on  both  sides.  His  father,  who  was  not  only  a  successful  agricul- 
turist but  was  also  a  talented  pianist,  died  six  months  before  his  son  was  born.  Mrs. 
Sweet  was  born  at  Red  Lodge,  Derbyshire,  England,  and  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  father,  her  mother  having  passed  away  in  England. 
Mrs.  Sweet  now  resides  at  Boulder,  Colorado,  at  the  venerable  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

William  N.  Sweet  was  but  a  year  old  when  his  mother,  then  a  widow,  removed 
with  her  three  little  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son,  to  a  homestead  in  Hall  county, 
Nebraska,  where  she  proved  up  on  a  claim  while  teaching  school  two  miles  away  in 
order  to  provide  for  the  family  larder.  On  this  claim,  in  a  sod  house,  William  N. 
Sweet  was  reared.  Indians  were  still  roaming  the  prairies  and  buffaloes  were  plenti- 
ful. Leaving  both  alone,  the  family  lived  in  peace  and  unmolested.  Mr.  Sweet  received 
his  first  lessons  in  the  little  schoolhouse  where  his  mother  had  previously  taught,  but 
later,  when  he  was  nine  years  old,  removed  with  the  family  to  Wood  River,  Nebraska, 
where  he  continued  his  education  and  passed  his  boyhood  days  until  the  age  of  thirteen. 
He  was  then  taken  out  of  school  and  placed  in  a  small  hardware  store  which  was. 
owned  by  his  stepfather,  his  mother  in  the  meantime  having  married  Andrew  Hof- 
meister.  He  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  hardware  business 
and  with  that  line  he  has  been  more  or  less  identified  all  his  life.  As  becomes  the 
vigorous  young  man  of  the  west,  he  was  fond  of  horseback  riding,  being  quite  pro- 
ficient along  that  line  when  a  mere  boy,  in  fact  he  became  quite  at  home  on  horseback 
when  but  three  years  of  age.  In  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  located  at  Wallace, 
in  southwestern  Nebraska,  which  is  situated  on  the  high  line  branch  of  the  Burling- 
ton Railroad,  which  at  that  time  was  being  built  from  Holdrege,  Nebraska,  to  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming.  There  at  that  early  age  he  gave  a  demonstration  of  his  business  ability, 
conducting  a  large  general  store,  selling  everything  that  a  cowman  or  homesteader 
required  with  the  exception  of  lumber,  furniture  and  coal.  The  home  ranch  adjoined 
the  townsite,  the  cattle  and  horses  ranging  the  hills  to  the  Platte  river.  Although  much 
of  Mr.  Sweet's  time  was  taken  up  with  his  business  affairs  his  heart  was  with  the  out- 
of-door  life,  and  his  interest  and  enjoyment  were  in  living  and  growing  things,  and 
this  interest  has  remained  with  him  to  this  day.  He  was  equally  fond  of  sitting 
in  the  saddle  or  at  table  and  he  assures  his  friends  that  he  was  equally  efficient  along 
both  lines.  He  never  found  a  horse  which  he  could  not  ride  and  those  with  the 
blackest  reputation  were  brought  to  him  from  all  over  that  section  of  the  cow  country. 
He  also  took  great  delight  and  pride  in  a  kennel  of  greyhounds  which  he  kept  on  the 
ranch  and  as  the  country  was  full  of  rabbits  and  wolves  he  enjoyed  a  great  deal  of  the 
truest,  cleanest  and  keenest  sport.  There  is  nothing  that  equals  a  race  between  a  grey- 
hound and  a  rabbit  or  a  fight  between  a  greyhound  and  a  wolf  when  you  are  mounted 
on  a  good  horse  with  nothing  but  the  sky  line  to  stop  you  and  the  feeling  that  nothing 
else  matters  and  the  world  is  yours.  Speaking  of  those  youthful  days,  brimful  of 
hard  work  and  exciting  adventures,  Mr.  Sweet  says:  "I,  my  dogs  and  my  horses  were 
known  not  only  in  Nebraska  but  in  Kansas,  Colorado  and  Wyoming.  I  spent  many 
days  at  Scouts  Rest  Ranch,  the  home  of  Colonel  Cody,  at  North  Platte,  Nebraska. 


WILLIAM  N.  SWEET 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  '  883 

There  I  rode  the  horse  Sitting  Bull,  the  favorite  saddle  horse  of  the  old  Indian  chief, 
which  he  presented  to  Colonel  Cody — a  grand  horse,  then  over  twenty  years  old  but  as 
proud  and  as  clean  as  any  four  year  old.  I  am  proud  of  having  known  two  such  true 
types  of  western  big  men  as  Buffalo  Bill  and  Governor  Jim  Hawley,  both  broad,  gen- 
erous men  of  the  Old  West  and  big  enough  to  build  and  develop  the  great  New  West. 
Some  good  things  end  prematurely  and  so  did  our  prosperity.  The  failure  of  crops 
year  after  year  and  our  effort  to  feed  the  entire  settlement  finally  ate  up  our  store, 
cattle  and  horses,  and  in  January,  1895,  I  sold  my  last  saddle  horse  for  enough  money 
to  get  me  to  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado.  There  I  walked  the  streets  among  thousands  of 
men — and  with  seven  dollars  in  my  pocket.  This  was  a  new  phase  of  western  life  to 
me  and  I  enjoyed  watching  it  and  working  in  it  and  got  a  place  in  a  hardware  store. 
Soon  I  climbed  and  climbed  high,  in  fact  I  was  advanced  over  twenty  men  to  a  place 
next  to  the  manager  in  two  months  and  thus  became  fired  with  the  ambition  to  become 
a  millionaire — quick.  With  partners  of  a  like  ambition  and  similar  shortage  of  cash 
I  tried  leasing  it  and  worked  eighteen  hours  a  day  but  went  broke  on  short  rations. 
I  then  prospected  in  the  Red  Mountain  country  on  a  grubstake — the  grub  was  fat  but 
the  prospect  lean — and  this  being  between  September  and  June,  the  snow  was  deep. 
Absence  makes  the  heart  grow  fonder  and  I  returned  to  my  old  hardware  Job.  During 
this  period  I  saw  the  great  Cripple  Creek  and  Victor  fires,  when  both  towns  were  prac- 
tically wiped  out.  I  then  noticed  everywhere  Major  Fred  Reed's  signs:  'Watch  Gillette 
Grow,'  Gillette  being  a  camp  near  Cripple  Creek,  and  she  did  grow  as  long  as  Fred 
stayed,  but  when  he  left  the  boom  and  boost  went  with  him  and  soon  the  streets  were 
dust,  the  tin  cans  rust  and  Gillette  went  bust.  Fred  Reed  went  to  Idaho.  In  1900  my 
boss  moved  to  Boulder,  Colorado,  and  I  moved  with  him  and  my  job  in  the  hard- 
ware store. 

"There  I  met  and  on  February  25,  1902,  married  Bessie  Lola  Morris,  beautiful  in 
her  home  life,  a  wonderful  mother,  untiring  in  her  efforts  to  build  up  our  independence, 
always  thoughtful  of  our  comfort  and  forehanded  for  the  future — with  a  love  rich  in 
everything  that  makes  home  and  home  life  everything  to  be  desired.  Brave  in  her 
years  of  suffering  from  ill  health,  cheerful  and  helpful  to  the  last — the  love  light  in 
her  'eyes  was  closed  to  us  suddenly  July  20,  1918.  Our  loss  is  great,  but  the  loving 
memories  will  always  be  comforting  and  beautiful. 

"In  March,  1902,  I  was  offered  and  accepted  a  position  with  the  Morrell  Hardware 
Company  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  became  manager  of  their  store  there,  the  headquar- 
ters being  at  Cripple  Creek.  In  Pueblo  we  built  our  first  home,  where  our  baby  girl, 
Marion  Louise,  was  born  October  27,  1904.  Those  were  happy  years  in  our  Pueblo 
house,  watching  together  the  growth  and  development  of  our  daughter.  The  Morrell 
Hardware  Company  having  decided  to  merge  the  Pueblo  stock  with  the  Cripple  Creek 
and  Victor  stores,  we  moved  to  Victor,  where  I  assumed  management  of  that  store, 
thus  continuing  until  I  came  to  Boise." 

On  April  10,  1907,  Mr.  Sweet  arrived  in  Boise,  becoming  assistant  manager  of  the 
Carlson-Lusk  Hardware  Company  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  became  a  member  of 
the  firm,  being  elected  secretary.  In  April,  1912,  he  severed  his  connection  with  the 
firm  and  in  August  of  that  year  bought  the  interests  of  Ben  S.  Eastman  in  the  Eastman- 
Teller  Hardware  Company,  becoming  president  of  the  new  firm  of  the  Sweet-Teller 
Hardware  Company,  their  store  being  located  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Main  streets, 
Boise.  This  has  developed  into  one  of  the  largest  hardware  establishments  within  the 
state  and  its  great  success  is  largely  due  to  the  long  and  thorough  experience  as  well 
as  the  irrepressible  energy  of  Mr.  Sweet.  His  prominence  in  regard  to  the  hardware 
trade  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  served  as  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Hardware 
&  Implement  Dealers  Association  for  two  years — 1911  and  1912. 

Although  his  business  duties  are  exacting  Mr.  Sweet  has  never  lost  his  love  for 
outdoor  sports  and  has  in  late  years  particularly  interested  himself  in  baseball.  At  the 
request  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  valued  member  and  one  of  the 
board  of  directors,  he  organized  the  Western  Tri-State  Baseball  League  in  1912  and  was 
elected  president  He  piloted  the  league  through  two  tempestuous  years,  in  which  were 
crowded  more  abuse,  trouble  and  grief  than  most  men  have  to  endure  in  a  lifetime. 
Mr.  Sweet,  however,  performed  his  duties  to  the  best  of  his  ability  and  gave  much  of  his 
time  to  the  league  although  there  was  not  a  penny  of  pecuniary  remuneration  attached 
to  the  position.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  having 
joined  Boulder  Lodge,  No.  566,  in  1900.  He  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the 
state  legislature  in  1915.  He  Is  a  director  of  the  State  Fair  and  until  recently  has  very 
efficiently  served  as  president  of  the  Idaho  Defense  League  of  Ada  County.  In  fact  it 


334  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

may  be  said  that  there  has  been  nothing  undertaken  which  has  proven  of  value  to  the 
development  and  growth  of  the  city  with  which  Mr.  Sweet  has  not  been  connected  since  he 
became  a  resident  of  Boise.  The  beauty  of  the  city  that  appeals  to  anyone  who  has 
lived  here  for  even  a  few  years  and  a  love  for  the  state  have  grown  upon  him  and, 
as  he  says:  "The  beauties  of  nature  and  the  mildness  of  the  elements  here  surely  have 
conspired  to  make  Idaho  a  most  desirable  place  in  which  to  live." 

Miss  Marion  Louise  Sweet,  now  a  young  lady  of  fourteen  years,  is  a  great  comfort 
to  her  father,  having  through  her  mother's  close  companionship  and  loving  care  and 
teachings  become  a  fine  girl.  A  rare  understanding  of  each  other  and  generous  disposi- 
tions have  made  their  life  a  happy  and  contented  one. 


ANDREW  J.   MYERS. 

Andrew  J.  Myers,  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Twin  Falls, 
was  born  in  Mason  City,  Iowa,  on  the  3d  of  February,  1888.  He  is  therefore  yet  a 
comparatively  young  man  but  in  his  profession  has  won  a  position  that  many  an 
older  lawyer  might  well  envy.  He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  and  Emma  R.  (Grout)  Myers 
and  while  spending  his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof  he  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  afterward  attended  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University  at  Bloomington.  Illinois,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with 
the  class  of  1915. 

Later  Mr.  Myers  came  to  the  west  in  search  of  a  location  and  decided  upon 
Twin  Falls.  Here  he  took  up  the  practice  of  law,  for  which  he  had  qualified,  be- 
coming a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Myers  &  Kinney.  At  a  later  period,  however,  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Myers  is  now  practicing  alone.  He  has  well 
equipped  offices  at  No.  135%  Shoshone  street  and  possesses  a  good  law  library, 
with  the  contents  of  which  he  is  largely  familiar.  He  prepares  his  cases  with  great 
thoroughness  and  care,  preparing  for  defense  as  well  as  for  attack,  and  his  ability 
has  brought  him  prominently  to  the  front,  winning  for  him  a  large  clientage.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  with  the 
Masons  and  is  a  loyal  follower  of  the  craft,  exemplifying  in  his  life  the  beneficent 
spirit  upon  which  the  order  is  based. 


SAMUEL  D.  RIGGS. 

Samuel  D.  Riggs,  postmaster  of  Emmett,  where  he  was  formerly  engaged  in 
merchandising,  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  state  and  a  representative  of  an 
honored  and  prominent  pioneer  family.  He  was  born  in  Boise,  March  31,  1875, 
and  is  the  youngest  son  of  the  late  Henry  C.  Riggs,  who  came  to  the  territory  of 
Idaho  from  Oregon  in  1863  and  set  up  the  first  tent  on  the  present  site  of  Boise. 
His  life  record  is  given  at  length  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

During  the  early  boyhood  of  Samuel  D.  Riggs  the  family  home  was  established 
upon  a  farm  in  the  Payette  valley  eight  miles  below  Emmett,  the  father  there  con- 
ducting a  horse  and  cattle  ranch.  It  was  upon  that  place  that  Samuel  D.  Riggs  was 
largely  reared.  He  attended  the  country  schools  of  Idaho  for  about  three  months 
out  of  the  year  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  pupil  in  the  town 
schools  of  Emmett,  there  pursuing  his  studies  for  two  years.  For  several  years 
during  his  early  manhood  he  gave  his  attention  to  mining  as  an  employe  in  Idaho, 
Washington,  Oregon  and  Montana.  Later  he  became  identified  with  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Emmett  in  the  capacity  of  salesman  and  was  thus  engaged  until  ap- 
pointed postmaster  in  February,  1916.  He  was  at  that  time  head  salesman  in  the 
Emmett  Cash  Grocery,  owned  by  Will  C.  Langroise,  his  brother-in-law,  and  had 
for  six  years  occupied  the  position.  He  has  been  a  very  active  factor  in  local  dem- 
ocratic circles  for  some  time  and  his  good  work  in  behalf  of  the  party  led  to  his 
appointment  as  postmaster  on  the  6th  of  January,  1916,  by  President  Woodrow 
Wilson.  He  has  since  held  the  office  and  has  proven  most  competent  and  efficient 
in  the  position. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  1911,  Mr.  Riggs  was  married  in  Payette  to  Miss 
Margaret  E.  Trevey,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  February  1,  1882,  a  daughter  of 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  335 

Hiram  C.  and  Mary  Ellen  (Taylor)  Trevey,  who  were  also  natives  of  Missouri. 
In  that  state  Mrs.  Riggs  was  reared,  completing  her  education  in  Buchanan  College 
at  Troy,  Missouri.  She  came  to  Idaho  in  1901,  joining  her  elder  sister,  Mrs.  Bettie 
Giesler,  of  Payette,  who  is  still  living  there.  In  the  Trevey  family  were  four 
pairs  of  twins,  Mrs.  Riggs  having  a  twin  brother,  Wheeler  Trevey,  of  Missouri. 
Three  of  the  four  pairs  of  twins  are  living  and  of  the  thirteen  children  in  the 
Trevey  family  ten  still  survive.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  have  no  children. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Riggs  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  his  religious  faith 
is  that  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is  fond  of  hunting,  to  which  he  turns  for 
recreation.  He  is  well  known  in  this  section  of  Idaho,  where  he  has  spent  his 
entire  life,  and  the  sterling  worth  of  his  character  has  gained  for  him  the  high 
regard,  confidence  and  goodwill  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 


ALFRED  A.   NEWBERRY,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Alfred  A.  Newberry,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  at 
Filer,  in  Twin  Falls  county,  was  born  near  Lockport,  Will  county,  Illinois,  October 
22,  1881,  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Lucile  (Bolin)  Newberry.  His  boyhood  days  were 
largely  passed  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  where  he  pursued  his  education.  It  was  in 
1898,  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  that  he  removed  to  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, and  there,  having  determined  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  life  work, 
he  prepared  for  his  chosen  calling  as  a  student  in  the  Denver  Gross  Medical  Col- 
lege. He  was  graduated  therefrom  and  in  the  fall  of  1907  removed  to  Filer,  Idaho. 
The  town  had  just  been  started.  It  was  a  tiny  hamlet  in  the  midst  of  a  wild 
country  covered  with  sagebrush  and  he  built  one  of  the  first  residences  of  the  town, 
having  his  office  in  his  residence  for  a  time.  He  was  the  first  physician  of  the 
locality  and  he  has  seen  the  town  grow  from  a  small  village  to  a  thriving  place  of 
twelve  hundred  population.  He  now  has  a  splendidly  equipped  office  in  the  First 
National  Bank  building  and  his  practice  is  extensive  and  of  an  important  char- 
acter. His  professional  interests  make  continuous  demands  upon  his  time  and 
energies  and  he  is  always  careful  to  conform  his  practice  to  the  highest  standards 
and  ethics  of  the  profession.  Reading  and  study  keep  him  in  touch  with  the 
advanced  thought  and  researches*  of  the  medical  fraternity  and  his  professional 
worth  is  widely  acknowledged. 

In  1909  Dr.  Newberry  was  married  to  Miss  Frieda  Berger,  a  native  of  the 
state  of  Washington,  and  they  have  one  child,  Wilmer.  The  family  occupies  an 
attractive  residence  at  Filer  and  they  are  people  of  social  prominence  in  their  sec- 
tion of  Twin  Falls  county.  Dr.  Newberry  votes  with  the  republican  party,  which 
he  has  supported  since  reaching  adult  age.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  also  with  the  Masons  and  he  holds  closely 
to  the  high  standards  of  manhood  and  citizenship  inculcated  by  those  organizations. 


GUS  S.  WENNSTROM. 

Gus  S.  Wennstrom  is  the  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  American  Falls, 
Idaho.  He  was  born  at  Alfta,  Sweden,  on  the  26th  of  December,  1885.  and  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Karen  (Olson)  Wennstrom,  who  are  also  natives  of  the  same 
country.  The  father  is  a  tailor  by  trade  and  followed  that  pursuit  in  Sweden  until 
1888,  when  he  came  to  America,  making  his  way  to  Chicago.  There  he  worked  at 
his  trade  until  1910,  when  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Gooding,  where  he  resumed 
the  tailoring  business  and  has  since  remained  an  active  factor  in  the  commercial 
circles  of  that  city.  His  wife  is.  also  living. 

Gus  S.  Wennstrom  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States.  They  remained  in  Chicago  for  four  years  and  then  removed  to  Avon, 
Illinois.  In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  Gus  S.  Wennstrom  supplemented  his 
public  school  training  by  study  in  Lombard  College  at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  made 
his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  a  shipping  clerk  for  the  Detroit  Stove  Works 
in  Chicago,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  Attracted  by  the  opportunities  of 


336  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  west  and  recognizing  the  chances  offered  by  its  steady  growth,  he  made  his 
way  to  North  Dakota,  where  he  lived  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to  Illinois. 

In  1909  Mr.  Wennstrom  arrived  in  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  at  Gooding, 
where  he  secured  land  under  the  Carey  act.  This  he  at  once  began  to  cultivate  and 
improve  and  for  a  year  he  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural  interests.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  and  eventually  became  connected 
with  banking,  entering  the  First  National  Bank  at  Gooding  in  the  capacity  of  book- 
keeper. There  he  continued  until  1915,  when  he  came  to  American  Falls,  being 
employed  as  bookkeeper  in  the  First  National  Bank.  'From  that  position  he  has 
worked  his  way  steadily  upward  until  he  is  now  cashier  and  has  the  entire  man- 
agement of  the  bank,  having  been  made  acting  cashier  on  the  1st  of  March,  1919. 
This  bank  was  organized  by  Governor  D.  W.  Davis  in  1907  and  has  enjoyed  a  steady 
growth.  It  was  originally  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  now  has 
a  capital  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  while  its  surplus  amounts  to  eight  thousand 
aollars,  and  its  deposits  have  increased  from  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  the  first 
year  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  by  the  1st  of  December,  1918. 
Governor  D.  W.  Davis  is  now  president,  while  the  vice  president  of  the  institution 
is  W.  S.  Sparks,  a  stock  raiser  of  American  Falls. 

On  the  18th  of  September,  1915,  Mr.  Wennstrom  was  married  to  Miss  Bernice 
Hughes,  and  they  now  have  three  children,  Harold  Blbert,  Elmer  and  Donald. 

Mr.  Wennstrom  has  some  farming  interests  adjoining  the  town  of  Gooding. 
In  community  affairs  he  is  actively  and  progressively  interested.  He  is  now  treas- 
urer of  the  Independent  School  District,  No.  1,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Power  County 
Chapter  of  the  Red  Cross.  He  was  active  in  all  Liberty  Loan  campaigns  and  in  the 
drives  for  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Salvation  Army.  He  belongs  to  the  Sigma  Nu 
fraternity  of  Lombard  College  and  is  an  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  his  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Universalist  church.  In  manner  he  is  pleasant  and  genial,  in 
business  reliable  and  enterprising,  and  in  citizenship  he  is  thoroughly  loyal.  Any 
community  might  be  glad  to  name  Gus  S.  Wennstrom  as  one  of  its  citizens. 


HON.  GEORGE  A.  DAY. 

The  history  of  Idaho's  development  would  be  incomplete  were  there  failure  to  make 
prominent  reference  to  the  Hon.  George  A.  Day,  who  was  most  active  in  creating  the 
land  department  of  the  state,  serving  for  twelve  years,  under  the  administration  of 
five  governors,  in  connection  with  this  department  of  the  state  service.  Moreover,  he 
is  a  recognized  leader  in  republican  circles,  while  as  a  business  man  his  position  is) 
one  of  prominence  owing  to  the  extent  and  importance  of  his  activities  as  a  farmer  and 
stockman.  He  today  owns  and  occupies  a  beautiful  home  at  Oakley,  while  his  first 
residence  there  was  a  little  log  cabin  with  a  dirt  roof.  The  contrast  between  that  and 
his  present  palatial  abode  is  also  indicative  of  the  progress  that  he  has  made  along 
every  line  in  which  he  has  directed  his  labors. 

Mr.  Day  was  born  at  Draper,  Utah,  May  23,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  E.  and 
Mary  Elizabeth  (Cotrell)  Day,  pioneers  of  Utah.  His  boyhood  was  largely  passed  upon 
the  home  farm  in  Salt  Lake  county  and  his  early  education,  acquired  in  the  public 
schools,  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Brigham  Young  University  at  Provo,  Utah, 
and  he  belongs  to  the  alumni  of  that  institution.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1889  as  the 
first  principal  of  the  Cassia  Stake  Academy  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  two  years. 
During  the  last  year  of  his  teaching  he  began  to  extend  his  efforts  more  and  more  largely 
into  the  stock  raising  business  and  from  time  to  time  purchased  land  as  his  financial 
resources  permitted  until  he  is  today  the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres.  He  has 
given  his  attention  largely  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep.  His  first  home  at  Oakley, 
as  previously  indicated,  was  a  little  log  structure  with  a  dirt  roof,  indicative  of  the 
humble  start  which  he  made  in  business;  but  he  used  every  opportunity  wisely  and 
well,  made  judicious  investment  in  property  and  in  live  stock  and  is  today  one  of  the 
most  substantial  and  prosperous  citizens  of  his  part  of  the  state. 

The  recognition  of  his  ability  on  the  part  of  his  fellow  townsmen  came  to  him 
when  in  1903  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  and  he  again  served  in  1905  and  in 
1907,  being  thus  for  three  terms  a  member  of  the  upper  house  of  the  Idaho  general 
assembly.  He  gave  the  most  thoughtful  and  earnest  consideration  to  all  the  vital  ques- 


Vol.  II-22 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  339 

tions  which  came  up  for  settlement,  standing  for  all  those  forces  which  he  believed  to 
be  of  real  worth  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  commonwealth.  In  1895  he  was  requested  by 
Governor  Gooding  to  assist  in  organizing  a  land  department,  and  when  Governor 
Gooding  was  succeeded  by  Governor  Brady,  the  latter  appointed  him  state  land  com- 
missioner, in  which  capacity  he  served  for  about  eight  years.  He  saw  the  office  grow 
until  it  became  one  of  the  great  departments  of  the  state.  Land  grants  were  filled ; 
isolated  sections  16  and  36  were  exchanged  to  the  government  for  consolidated  tracts 
amounting  to  a  half  million  acres;  and  through  his  foresight  in  consummating  these 
transactions  millions  of  dollars  were  made  for  the  public  institutions  of  Idaho.  During 
his  administration  he  encouraged  the  leasing  of  all  grazing  lands  as  well  as  agricultural 
lands  belonging  to  the  state  and  the  result  of  this  system  swelled  the  fund  materially 
for  the  educational  and  penal  institutions.  The  important  work  which  he  did  in  this 
connection  is  recognized  by  all  and  its  value  as  a  factor  in  the  development  of  the 
state  and  the  utilization  of  its  natural  resources  is  widely  appreciated.  Mr.  Day  is 
well  known  as  a  leader  in  republican  circles  and  for  two  terms  served  as  chairman  of 
the  republican  state  central  committee,  leading  his  party  successfully  through  two 
strenuous  campaigns.  His  opinions  carry  great  weight  in  the  councils  of  his  party  and 
his  influence  has  been  a  potent  force  on  the  side  of  progress  and  successful  achievement. 

In  June,  1890,  Mr.  Day  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  G.  Whittle,  a  native  of  Grants- 
ville,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Ann  (Severe)  Whittle.  Her  parents  were 
pioneers  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Oakley.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Day  have  been  born 
seven  children:  George,  Cloie,  Zella,  Elva,  Leroy,  Maeser  and  Dorcas. 

The  family  is  most  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Oakley,  occupying  a  prominent 
position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city.  Mr.  Day  is  now  serving  as  mayor  of  the  town, 
giving  to  it  a  business-like  administration,  characterized  by  various  needed  reforms  and 
improvements.  His  ideals  in  regard  to  municipal  affairs  are  high,  and  while  he 
is  never  willing  to  lower  his  ideals  in  the  least,  he  utilizes  the  most  practical  methods 
in  their  achievement.  There  is  nothing  of  the  visionary  theorist  in  his  make-up.  He 
studies  all  questions,  especially  those  of  public  concern,  from  the  standpoint  of  a  prac- 
tical business  man  and  patriotic  citizen  and  he  works  intelligently  in  the  direction  of 
his  purpose,  knowing  that  ultimately  the  right  will  triumph  and  that  progress  will  be 
conserved.  He  has  had  much  to  do  in  the  development  of  Idaho's  natural  resources  with 
shaping  public  thought  and  action,  and  in  many  ways  he  has  left  the  impress  of  his 
individuality  and  his  ability  upon  the  history  of  his  adopted  state. 


DOUGLAS  KNOX. 

Douglas  Knox,  of  Emmett,  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  Idaho's  living  pioneers.  He 
is  now  in  his  seventy-eighth  year  and  fifty-six  years  of  this  period  have  been  spent 
in  Idaho,  which  he  has  seen  emerge  from  territorial  form  to  take  on  the  graces 
and  opportunities  of  statehood.  He  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty-two  years 
when  he  came  to  Idaho  from  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  arriving  in  the  year  1864. 
He  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  January  27,  1843,  his  parents  being  James 
and  Agnes  (Douglas)  Knox.  He  was  largely  reared  at  Liberty,  Guernsey  county, 
Ohio,  where  his  father  followed  the  cabinet-making  trade.  In  1853  the  parents 
removed  to  a  farm  in  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1856  Douglas  Knox  left  that 
state  to  become  a  resident  of  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska.  There  he  •  resided  until 
1864,  when  he  made  the  trip  across  the  country  with  a  wagon  train  that  numbered 
from  twenty  to  thirty  wagons,  all  drawn  by  oxen.  A  part  of  the  luggage  and  freight 
which  was  transported  over  the  plains  by  this  train  was  a  quartz  mill,  its  Idaho 
destination  being  Rocky  Bar.  Mr.  Knox  remained  with  the  outfit  until  they  reached 
Rocky  Bar,  where  he  assisted  in  unloading  the  quartz  mill,  after  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Boise,  then  a  mere  military  post  and  emigrant  camp  on  the  frontier.  He 
spent  the  winter  of  1864-5  in  Idaho's  future  capital  and  then  removed  to  Idaho 
City,  where  he  resided  for  about  two  years. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1867,  Mr.  Knox  was  married  on  what  is  now  known  as 
Dry  creek,  about  ten  miles  west  of  Boise.  The  lady  whom  he  wedded  was  a  young 
widow,  Mrs.  Margaret  Davies  by  name.  In  her  maidenhood  she  was  Miss  Margaret 
Williams,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  Her  first  husband,  Thomas  Davies,  had  died, 
leaving  her  with  two  small  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  John  B.  and  Ida  Davies, 
but  the  latter  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  The  son,  however,  still  survives, 


340  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

making  his  home  in  Emmett.  The  daughter  was  born  while  her  parents  were 
en  route  from  Wisconsin  to  Idaho.  The  Davies  family  became  prominently  connected 
with  the  pioneer  development  of  this  section  of  the  state  and  the  son,  John  B. 
Davies,  is  now  a  prosperous  citizen  of  Gem  county,  being  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  Emmett.  He  is  married  and  his  only  son  and  child,  who  was  also  named 
John  Davies,  was  mortally  wounded  in  battle  in  France  in  the  fall  of  1918  and 
died  later  in  a  hospital  there,  being  buried  on  French  soil,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-six  years. 

While  Mr.  Knox  became  a  resident  of  Idaho  in  1864,  he  has  lived  continuously 
in  or  near  Emmett  since  1870  and  for  many  years  occupied  a  ranch  a  mile  below  the 
town.  About  thirteen  years  ago  he  sold  that  property  and  has  since  lived  in 
Emmett.  In  1885  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  Mrs.  Margaret 
(•Davies)  Knox,  who  was  most  devoted  to  her  home  and  family  and  whose  death 
was  the  occasion  of  deep  and  widespread  regret  throughout  the  community  as  well 
as  to  the  members  of  her  own  household.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knox  were  born  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  survive.  These  are:  Mrs.  Ella  Parrish,  now 
living  near  Emmett;  Clayton  B.,  a  resident  of  Emmett;  De  Loss  D.,  Walter  and 
Frank,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Emmett;  Mrs.  Lottie  Little,  whose  home  is  in  Wallace, 
Idaho;  Mrs.  Margaret  Wells,  of  Oregon;  and  Mrs.  Minnie  Murray,  of  Bigtimber, 
Montana.  All  of  the  eight  children  are  married  and  all  of  the  sons-in-law  and  the 
daughters-in-law  as  well  as  their  respective  wives  and  husbands  are  living.  Mr. 
Knox  has  about  forty  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren  who  survive,  there 
being  seven  of  the  latter.  All  four  of  the  sons  reside  in  Emmett  and  are  prosperous 
and  substantial  citizens.  Having  lost  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Knox  was  again  married. 
It  was  eighteen  years  after  her  death  that  he  wedded  Mrs.  Samantha  Lewis,  the 
Widow  of  James  Lewis,  of  Emmett,  and  they  are  now  pleasantly  and  happily  located 
in  one  of  the  cosy  homes  of  Emmett. 

Mr.  Knox  is  an  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  in  his 
political  views  is  a  democrat.  Since  taking  up  his  abode  in  Emmett  he  has1  re- 
sided in  five  different  counties,  Ada,  Washington,  Payette,  Canyon  and  Gem,  as  the 
different  subdivisions  of  the  state  have  been  named.  When  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Emmett  in  1870  it  was  a  part  of  Ada  county,  while  a  later  division  placed  it  in 
Canyon,  Washington  and  Payette  counties  and  finally  in  Gem  county.  He  served 
for  four  years  as  assessor  of  Ada  county  when  it  was  about  three  times  its  present 
size,  his  incumbency  in  the  office  continuing  from  1877  to  1881.  He  served  for 
two  years  as  a  commissioner  of  Canyon  county  and  has  been  almost  continuously 
a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Emmett  since  1871,  filling  the  position  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  For  only  three  years  was  he  off  the  board,  which  has  in  charge  the  educa- 
tional interests  of  what  is  known  as  the  independent  school  district  of  Emmetts- 
ville.  This  was  created  by  the  territorial  legislature  in  1885.  Previous  to  this 
time  Mr.  Knox  had  served  as  school  trustee  and  furthermore  during  all  these  years 
of  service  on  the  board  he  has  been  its  chairman  and  the  cause  of  education  has 
always  found  in  him  a  stalwart  champion.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Boise  Lodge 
No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1878,  became  a  charter  member  of  Butte  Lodge  No.  37. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Emmett  and  from  the  beginning  has  constantly  served  as  its 
treasurer.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  followed  the  teachings  of  the  order  concern- 
ing the  brotherhood  of  mankind  and  the  obligations  thereby  imposed. 


ALMA   HANSON. 

Alma  Hanson  is  filling  the  position  of  county  treasurer  of  Teton  county,  with 
office  at  Driggs,  where  he  also  makes  his  home.  He  was  born  in  Hyrum,  Utah, 
October  3,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  H.  P.  and  Bertha  (Carlson)  Hanson,  who  are 
natives  of  Denmark  and  came  to  America  in  1864,  settling  in  Utah.  They  made 
the  journey  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams  and  located  at  Brigham,  while  subse- 
quently they  removed  to  Bear  River  City.  Later  the  father  went  to  Hyrum,  Cache 
county,  Utah,  where  he  purchased  land,  which  he  improved  and  continued  its  culti- 
vation until  a  recent  date.  He  is  now  living  retired  and  resides  in  Hyrum  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years,  while  the  mother  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy-one 
years. 

Alma   Hanson   spent   his   youthful   days   largely   in   Hyrum   and   in    Logan   and 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  341 

supplemented  his  public  school  education  by  study  in  the  Brigham  Young  College. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  sheep  raising  in  partnership  with  his  father  and 
they  owned  from  three  to  seven  thousand  head  of  sheep  for  six  or  seven  years. 
Alma  Hanson  was  then  called  to  fill  a  mission  to  Germany  for  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  This  was  in  1902  and  he  returned  in  1905.  At  the 
elose  of  his  missionary  service  he  traveled  all  over  Europe  for  more  than  a  month. 
Following  his  return  home  he  took  up  the  insurance  business,  in  which  he  engaged 
for  a  few  months,  or  until  November,  1905,  when  he  removed  to  Darby.  He  taught 
school  for  eight  years  in  Teton  county  and  filed  on  land  at  Bates,  that  county,  and 
removed  to  his  farm  on  which  he  located  in  the  summer  of  1906.  He  bought  more 
land  from  time  to  time  and  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres,  constituting 
a  finely  improved  farm,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  continued  to  till  the 
soil  until  the  spring  of  1919,  when  he  removed  to  Driggs,  and  through  the  inter- 
vening period  he  has  rented  his  land,  deriving  therefrom  a  good  annual  income. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  1905,  Mr.  Hanson  was  married  to  Miss  Marie  Aslogsen 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Alma,  who  was  born 
August  11,  1906;  Lincoln,  who  was  born  April  21,  1908,  and  died  September  25, 
1914;  Irene  V.,  born  December  21,  1909;  Carl  E.,  September  17,  1911;  Gladys, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  November,  1915;  and  June,  born  in  June,  1918. 

Mr.  Hanson  has  remained  an  active  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  and  on  the  12th  of  August,  1908,  was  made  bishop  of  the  Bates 
*rard  and  held  that  office  for  nearly  eleven  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  high 
council  to  the  stake  president  of  the  Teton  stake  and  is  first  counselor  to  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association.  During  his  term  as 
bishop  he  instituted  many  improvements,  such  as  a  new  meetinghouse  and  a  new 
schoolhouse.  Politically  Mr.  Hanson  is  a  republican  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in 
the  local  ranks/  of  his  party.  In  1916  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
treasurer  of  Teton  county  and  has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  He  was  justice 
of  the  peace  at  Bates  for  two  years  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  city  council  and 
a  trustee  of  the  high  school  at  Driggs.  During  the  World  war  he  was  a  member 
of  the  County  Council  of  Defense  and  director  of  the  sale  of  War  Savings  stamps. 
He  stood  loyally  for  every  interest  which  he  believed  would  further  the  welfare 
of  the  nation  or  advance  the  interests  of  the  soldiers  in  camp  and  field. 


MRS.   MARY   E.   RIDENBAUGH. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Ridenbaugh,  a  prominent  club  woman  aid  one  who  has  done 
much  to  shape  educational  development  and  progress  in  the  state,  is  numbered 
among  the  pioneer  residents  of  Boise.  She  is  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Ridenbaugh  and 
in  her  maidenhood  bore  the  name  of  Mary  Elizabeth  Black.  '  She  was  born  on  a 
plantation  near  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  October  10,  1857,  a  daughter  of  Charles  M. 
Black,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  who  throughout  his  entire  life  engaged  in  business 
along  those  lines.  He,  too,  was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  during  the  Civil  war  he 
served  with  the  Confederate  army  under  General  Sterling  Price.  Six  of  his  brothers 
were  also  Confederate  soldiers  under  General  Price.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Riden- 
baugh was  Annis  Matilda  Daniels,  a  daughter  of  Archibald  and  Harriette  Lee 
(Hutson)  Daniels.  Annis  Matilda  Daniels  was  born  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Ridenbaugh  is  descended  in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  from  Revolu- 
tionary war  stock.  Her  maternal  ancestors  lived  in  Virginia,  while  the  Black  fam- 
ily was  represented  in  Kentucky. 

In  1864,  when  but  seven  years  of  age,  Mrs.  Ridenbaugh  was  brought  by  her 
parents  to  the  territory  of  Idaho.  They  traveled  westward  with  a  train  of  one 
hundred  wagons,  each  drawn  by  Missouri  mules.  The  complete  emigrant  train 
made  the  journey  from  the  vicinity  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  the  Black  family 
located  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Caldwell  in  Canyon  county,  Idaho. 
This  district  was  named  Dixie  by  the  thirty  or  more  of  the  hundred  families  who 
located  at  that  point.  The  Black  family  remained  at  the  Dixie  settlement  for  a 
year  and  in  1866  removed  to  a  cattle  ranch  in  Ada  county,  about  fifteen  miles  east 
of  Boise.  There  Mrs.  Ridenbaugh  remained  until  she  reached  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  and  while  her  parents  were  living  upon  the  ranch  she  acquired  her  pre- 
liminary education  in  St.  Michael's  parish  school.  Later  she  attended  St.  Vin- 


342  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

cent's  convent  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  for  two  years  and  afterward  com- 
pleted her  education  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  San  Jose,  California,  in  which 
she  continued  her  studies  for  two  years.  In  the  meantime,  after  leaving  the  con- 
vent at  Walla  Walla  and  before  entering  the  California  State  Normal,  she  taught 
two  terms  of  school  in  Ada  county.  It  was  her  intention  to  make  teaching  a  pro- 
fession but  on  the  3d  of  February,  1878,  just  a  few  months  after  returning  from 
the  normal  school  at  San  Jose,  she  was  married  to  William  H.  Ridenbaugh,  the 
well  known  Boise  lumber  dealer  and  merchant  miller.  Accordingly  she  never 
resumed  teaching  but  has  since  devoted  herself  to  her  home  and  family  and  her 
public  work.  She  has  one  daughter,  Mary  Florence,  who  was  married  October  10, 
1916,  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Calvin  D.  Cowles,  Jr.,  of  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  United 
States  army. 

Mrs.  Ridenbaugh  has  ever  been  a  broad  student  and  reader  and  has  taken  a 
very  active  part  in  support  of  educational  interests,  serving  under  three  different 
governors  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  Idahft  State  University,  and 
in  recognition  of  her  valuable  service  to  that  institution  the  women's  dormitory 
at  Moscow  was  named  Ridenbaugh  Hall.  She  it  was  who  planned  the  dormitory 
and  did  much  to  carry  the  plan  forward  to  successful  completion.  It  was  also  while 
acting  as  regent  that  she  succeeded  in  introducing  the  domestic  science  feature  of 
the  school,  now -constituting  one  of  its  valuable  departments. 

Mrs.  Ridenbaugh  has  been  a  leading  figure  in  club  circles  in  the  state.  She 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Columbian  Club  of  Boise,  becoming  a  charter 
member,  and  has  held  every  official  position  in  the  club.  She  was  also  a  charter 
member  of  the  Fortnightly  Club,  has  served  as  its  president  and  also  as  president 
of  the  Elizabethan  Literary  Club  of  Boise,  of  which  she  was  likewise  one  of  the 
organizers.  She  became  a  charter  member  of  the  Women's  Relief  Corps  of  Boise 
and  she  is  also  prominent  in  the  work  of  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church.  She 
served  as  the  first,  president  of  the  Woman's  Parish  Guild,  an  auxiliary  of  the  church 
and  she  has  been  a  leader  in  all  of  the  war  work  instituted  and  carried  forward 
by  the  church  and  by  the  Boise  Red  Cross,  of  which  she  was  likewise  one  of  the 
organizers.  She  is  also  a  member  of  Jeff  Davis  Chapter  of  the  United  Daughters  of 
the  Confederacy  of  San  Francisco,  California.  Perhaps  no  woman  in  Idaho  has 
served  on  as  many  boards  of  various  kinds  as  Mrs.  Ridenbaugh.  Actuated  by  the 
spirit  of  progress  at  all  times,  her  work  has  been  of  most  tangible  value  and  per- 
haps has  been  no  greater  or  more  far-reaching  in  its  results  than  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  domestic  science  course  of  study  in  the  Idaho  State  University.  She 
devoted  five  years  to  the  planning  and  development  of  this  department  while  on 
the  board  of  regents  and  brought  it  to  such  a  point  of  perfection  that  it  has  been 
used  as  a  model  by  the  universities  of  many  other  states.  She  also  labored  un- 
tiringly for  eight  years  to  secure  the  Carnegie  library  for  Boise  and  a~gain  her 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  To  Mrs.  Ridenbaugh,  more  than  to  any  other 
resident  of  Boise,  is  due  the  credit  of  having  the  beautiful  library  here.  Her 
labors  have  been  directly  resultant  along  many  lines  of  progress  and  the  value  of 
her  work  can  scarcely  be  overestimated. 


LEWIS   J.   MAGEE. 

Lewis  J.  Magee,  secretary  of  the  Boise-Payette  Water  Users  Association  and  a 
resident  of  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Bloomfield,  Davis  county,  Iowa,  October  23,  1868, 
his  parents  being  John  L.  and  Nancy  A.  (Thorp)  Magee.  The  father  was  also  a  native 
of  Davis'county,  Iowa,  while  the  former  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Missouri,  on  the 
12th  day  of  February,  1840.  During  his  early  life  John  L.  Magee  engaged  in  teaching 
school  and  later  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  in  Iowa.  In  1898  he  removed  to 
California  and  now  makes  his  home  at  San  Jose,  where  he  is  living  retired  from 
active  business.  He  served  during  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  an  Iowa  regiment, 
and  his  patriotism  has  ever  been  of  a  lofty  character.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1902. 

Spending  his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof,  Lewis  J.  Magee  attended  the 
common  and  high  schools  of  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  and  later  entered  the  University  of 
Nebraska  at  Lincoln.  He  next  pursued  a  business  course  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  which 
he  completed  in  1892,  and  then  returned  to  Nebraska,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching 
for  about  eight  years.  In  1901  he  came  to  Caldwell  and  took  up  farming,  which  he 


LEWIS  J.  MAGEE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  345 

followed  continuously  until  1917,  when  he  rented  his  land  and  became  secretary  of 
the  Boise-Payette  Water  Users  Association,  in  which  capacity  he  represents  the  farm- 
ers and  other  users  of  the  water  supply.  He  is  also  one  of  the  eleven  members  of 
the  beard  of  directors  of  the  association. 

In  1892  Mr.  Magee  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mina  Price,  of  Essex  county, 
Ontario,  Canada,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children:  Wallace  J.,  who 
is  engaged  in  farming  near  Caldwell;  Kenneth  L.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  artillery, 
stationed  at  Camp  Lewis,  Washington;  and  Doris  R.  and  Rosalie  E.,  who  are  pupils 
in  the  Caldwell  schools. 

Mr.  Magee  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  in  1915  was 
a  member  of  the  state  legislature  from  Canyon  county.  He  is  interested  in  all  that 
has  to  do  with  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  his  state  and  has  been  the  supporter 
of  many  movements  looking  to  the  general  good.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Baptist  church  and  its  teachings  guide  him  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  For  recreation 
he  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing,  but  he  is  a  man  who  finds  keen  pleasure  in  his  work, 
deriving  from  it  the  joy  which  comes  from  the  accomplishment  of  a  well  defined 
purpose. 


DAVID  RIRIE. 

The  late  David  Ririe,  who  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  business  in- 
terests and  religious  activities  of  his  community  and  for  whom  the  town  of  Ririe, 
Jefferson  county,  was  named,  was  born  in  West  Weber,  Weber  county,  Utah,  Novem- 
ber 21,  I860,  and  died  in  Denver,  Colorado,  July  3,  1919,  after  an  illness  of  almost 
two  years.  He  was  a  son  of  James  and  Anne  (Boyack)  Ririe,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Scotland.  They  came  to  America  in  their  youth,  probably  some  time  in 
the  '40s,  and  here  married.  They  then  established  their  home  in  Weber  county, 
Utah,  on  a  homestead  where  they  remained  for  a  number  of  years  developing  their 
land  into  a  modern  farm.  Sometime  later  they  bought  a  farm  near  Ogden  valley, 
Utah,  and  there  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  death  of  the  father  occurring 
in  1904  and  that  of  the  mother  in  1915. 

David  Ririe  received  a  public  school  education  in  Weber  county,  Utah,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood,  rendering  valuable  assistance  to  his  parents  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  homestead.  Thus  in  early  life  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  success  he  later 
achieved  when  he  took  up  agricultural  operations  on  his  own  account.  On  reaching 
his  majority,  he  left  his  father's  home  to  engage  in  sheep  raising  with  his  brother 
and  continued  at  that  occupation  until  1890.  That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in 
Idaho  and  he  located  in  that  part  of  Bingham  county  which  later  was  included  in 
Jefferson  county,  where  he  took  up  a  homestead.  In  those  days  this  country  pre- 
sented a  far  different  appearance  from  what  it  does  today  for  it  was  almost  entirely 
covered  with  sage  brush.  Such  was  the  condition  of  Mr.  Ririe's  homestead  when 
he  arrived  here,  but  he  set  to  work  with  his  limited  equipment,  cleared  his  land 
which,  after  years  of  toil,  he  developed  into  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in 
the  state  of  Idaho.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Ririe,  his  wife  took  up-  the  management 
of  this  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  cultivation  of  which  she  supervises 
along  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  dry  land  which  she  owns  and  two  hundred 
ano}  forty  acres  which  she  leases  and  intends  to  purchase. 

In  the  course  of  time  that  part  of  Jefferson  county  where  Mr.  Ririe  had 
located  had  developed  to  such  an  extent  as  to  warrant  the  need  of  a  commercial 
center.  He  was  the  first  to  recognize  this  need  and  accordingly  in  1915  platted  the 
site  of  the  town  of  Ririe  which  received  its  name  from  the  proprietor.  Determined 
upon  the  assurance  of  a  successful  future  for  the  town,  he  then  used  his  influence 
to  secure  the  railroad  facilities  which  the  citizens  now  enjoy.  Thus  whatever  dis- 
tinction this  busy  village  acquires  in  the  future  will  in  the  last  analysis  be  traceable 
to  the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  its  founder.  Aside  from  agriculture  Mr.  Ririe  had 
extensive  business  interests  in  that  part  of  the  county  of  which  he  was  a  resident. 
For  years  he  was  water  master  and  a  director  of  the  Farmers  Friend  Canal  Com- 
pany and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  same.  He  was  also  a 
stockholder  in  and  vice  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ririe  and  owned 
stock  in  the  Ririe  Mill  &  Elevator  Company,  the  Ririe  Garage,  the  Ucon  grist  mill 
and  the  Farmers  Equity  Elevator  Company. 


346  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  September  14,  1893,  Mr.  Ririe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Leah  A.  Lovell, 
who  was  born  in  Oak  City,  Millard  county,  Utah,  November  1,  1877.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  H.  and  Ellen  (Radford)  Lovell,  the  former  being  a  native  of 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  and  the  latter  of  Provo,  Utah.  When  only  a  small  child  Joseph 
H.  Lovell  removed  to  Utah  with  his  parents  who  located  on  a  farm  in  that  state 
in  the  early  days.  There  he  received  the  limited  schooling  which  the  frontier  settle- 
ments at  that  time  afforded  and  remained  on  his  father's  farm,  acquiring  a  practical 
training  in  agriculture,  until  he  started  out  for  himself.  He  carried  on  farming 
operations  until  1890,  in  which  year  he  left  Utah  and  located  in  Star  valley,  Wyo- 
ming, where  he  farmed  for  two  years.  He  then  removed  to  Idaho  and  settled  in 
that  part  of  Fremont  county  which  later  became  a  part  of  Bonneville  county.  There 
he  remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  month  of  June  in  the  year 
following  that  of  his  arrival.  The  mother  survives  and  is  now  living  in  Bonneville 
county. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  -David  Ririe  were  born  eight  children  namely:  David  the 
eldest  who  died  on  January  20,  1895,  at  the  age  of  six  months;  Joseph  H.  and  James 
E.  who  are  farming  the  home  place;  Elizabeth  A.,  George  F.,  Parley  A.,  Eldon  C. 
and  Sylvia,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Ririe  was,  as  is  his  wife,  a  lifelong  and  zealous  member  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  from  the  time  of  his  coming  to  Jefferson 
county  until  his  death  he  was  continuously  performing  some  valuable  service  which 
resulted  in  furthering  the  best  interests  of  his  denomination.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Shelton  ward  from  1890  until  1910,  during  which  time  he  served  as  a  ward 
and  Sunday  school  teacher.  He  then  became  bishop  of  the  Perry  ward  and  retained 
this  position  until  the  Ririe  ward  was  established  in  February,  1918,  when  he  was 
made  bishop  of  the  latter  ward  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  his  death  in  the 
following  year.  He  also  spent  twenty-six  months  in  England  as  a  missionary  of 
his  church.  Because  of  his  superior  business  ability  and  good  judgment,  Mr.  Ririe 
was  frequently  called  upon  to  lend  his  assistance  in  the  erection  of  church  edifices 
for  his  denomination  in  Jefferson  county.  Such  was  the  case  when  the  meeting 
houses  of  the  Shelton,  Perry  and  Ririe  wards  were  erected,  and  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  stake  tabernacle  at  Rigby,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  finance 
committee  which  did  an  important  piece  of  work  in  raising  the  funds  for  the 
erection  of  this  structure. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ririe  took  his  stand  with  the  democratic  party,  but  he  never 
sought  political  honors,  although  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of 
years.  It  must  appear  to  the  casual  observer  who  reviews  the  life  and  achievements 
of  this  man  that  with  his  passing  there  was  lost  to  the  community,  a  citizen  of  sterling 
worth  and  of  unselfish  devotion  to  the  common  weal. 


LEWIS  C.  MERRELL. 

Lewis  C.  Merrell,  who  is  well  known  in  business  and  financial  circles  in  Boise, 
was  born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  October  25,  1877,  a  son  of  G.  Lewis  and  Mary 
(Seward)  Merrell.  Both  were  representatives  of  old  and  prominent  families  of 
New  York,  having  ancestors  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  founder  of  the  Merrell 
family  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  landed  at  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  in  1632. 
The  Merrells  were  of  French  extraction,  while  the  Sewards,  who  have  also  been 
in  this  country  for  many  generations,  are  of  Scotch  descent. 

Lewis  C.  Merrell  was  graduated  from  Amherst  College  at  Amherst,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1899,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
actively  engaged  with  Merrell-Soule  Company,  a  large  manufacturing  concern  of 
Syracuse,  New  York,  of  which  his  father  was  one  of  the  founders.  In  1914  he  came 
to  Boise,  Idaho,  seeking  a  more  equable  climate  and  has  since  made  his  home 
here.  For  several  years  he  was  vice  president  of  the  Overland  National  Bank  here 
and  at  this  writing  is  a  director  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company.  He  is  likewise  a 
member  and  director  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  the  Boise  Country  Club  and 
the  University  Club.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Rotary  Club  here. 

On  June  17,  1914,  Mr.  Merrell  was  married  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  to  Miss 
Delphine  Michael,  a  native  of  Syracuse  and  a  boyhood  acquaintance.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merrell  have  a  daughter,  Dorothy,  who  was  born  in  1915.  They  are  members  of 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  347 

St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  fraternally  Mr.  Merrell  is  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  has  taken  an  active  and  prominent 
part  in  the  city's  affairs  since  he  located  here  and  has  done  much  toward  promoting 
measures  that  have  proved  of  benefit  to  the  community.  In  politics  he  is  a  repub- 
lican and  while  a  resident  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  served  as  president  of  the  com- 
mon council  and  also  on  the  board  of  estimate.  Since  coming  to  Boise  he  has 
demonstrated  his  value  as  a  citizen,  having  contributed  toward  development  along 
various  lines. 


ALBERT  S.  THOMPSON. 

Albert  S.  Thompson  is  a  well  known  and  influential  factor  in  the  business  life 
of  Rigby  as  president  of  the  Idaho  Title  &  Loan  Company.  His  birth  occurred  in 
M:u-on  county,  Missouri,  November  3,  1877,  his  parents  being  Joseph  S.  and  Elizabeth 
(Troutt)  Thompson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  In  the  '30s  the 
father  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Missouri,  the  Journey  being 
made  by  ox  team.  He  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  they  located  in  Macon  county, 
that  state,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated  and  where  he  carried  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  throughout  his  active  business  career.  At  the  time  of  hostilities 
between  the  north  and  the  south  he  enlisted  in  a  Missouri  regiment,  with  which  he 
served  during  the  period  of  the  war  with  the  exception  of  five  months  when  he  was 
suffering  from  a  wound  received  in  an  engagement  in  which  he  took  part.  He 
passed  away  in  November,  1913,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow,  who  is  still  living 
on  the  old  home  place  in  Missouri  with  all  the  other  members  of  the  family  save 
Albert  S.  of  this  review  and  a  brother  who  resides  in  Chicago. 

The  youthful  days  of  Albert  S.  Thompson  were  spent  in  Macon  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  acquired  his  early  education,  later  pursuing  a  course  in  the  Gem  City 
Business  College  at  Quincy,  Illinois.  On  the  completion  of  his  studies  in  that  in- 
stitution he  returned  to  his  home  in  Macon  county,  where  he  remained  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  In  1900  he  went  to  Butte,  Montana,  where 
he  was  employed  in  a  store  until  the  fall  of  1902,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  and  for 
two  months  was  a  resident  of  Idaho  Falls.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
located  on  a  homestead  near  Market  Lake  in  Jefferson  county,  where  he  carried 
on  farming  for  three  years.  In  1905  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business  at 
Market  Lake,  now  Roberts,  and  was  there  successfully  engaged  along  that  line 
until  1915.  In  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Rigby,  where  he  has  since  remained 
active  in  business  as  president  of  the  Idaho  Title  &  Loan  Company.  He  is  likewise 
a  stockholder  in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  and  the  Idaho  State  Live  Stock 
Company  and  is  the  owner  of  two  business  blocks  in  Roberts. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1904,  Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Jennie  B.  Burwell,  by  whom  he  has  three  children:  Harold  S.,  born  December  3, 
1904;  Yula  E.,  whose  birth  occurred  December  3,  1909;  and  Waldo  R.,  whose  natal 
day  was  June  21,  1917. 

Mr.  Thompson  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  in 
1917  was  elected  to  the  office  of  city  clerk,  to  whi6h  he  was  reelected  in  1919, 
making  a  most  creditable  and  commendable  record  in  that  connection.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while  his  religious  faith 
is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Success  has  attended  his  well  directed  efforts 
along  business  lines  and  he  has  long  been  numbered  among  the  prosperous,  repre- 
sentative and  esteemed  citizens  of  Rigby  and  Jefferson  county. 


JACOB  C.  ALLMON. 

Jacob  C.  Allmon  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Emmett,  where  he  is  filling  the  office  of  mayor  and  at  the  same  time  is  master  of 
Butte  Lodge  No.  37,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  business  circles,  too,  he  has  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  is  holding  a  responsible  position  with  the  Citizens 
Lumber  Company.  He  was  born  in  Benton  county,  Arkansas,  July  12,  1880,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  Thomas  Allmon,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Memphis  county,  Tennes- 


348  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

see,  October  1,  1832.  He  served  in  the  Confederate  army  with  a  Missouri  regiment, 
holding  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  during  the  Civil  war,  and  in  days  of  peace  he 
devoted  his  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  passed  away  in  Bardwell,  Texas, 
July  10,  1916,  after  having  been  three  times  married.  He  first  wedded  Anna 
Brown,  and  his  second  marriage  was  with  Annie  Basinger,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  Tennessee  and  who  died  when  her  son  Jacob  C.  was  but  three  years  of  age. 
Later  the  father  wedded  Susan  Collins,  by  whom  he  had  no  children,  and  she 
proved  a  kind  and  most  considerate  stepmother.  She,  too,  has  departed  this  life. 
Jacob  C.  Allmon  has  one  own  brother  and  an  own  sister;  Horace  K.,  a  resident  of 
Cascade,  Idaho;  and  Mrs.  Esther  Wylie,  who  makes  her  home  near  Pineville  in 
southwestern  Missouri. 

When  Jacob  C.  Allmon  was  but  eight  years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  south- 
western Missouri,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  McDonald  county,  his  edu- 
cation being  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Pea  Ridge  Normal  College 
at  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas.  He  attended  that  institution  for  two  terms  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching  in  Franklin  county, 
Arkansas,  where  he  continued  through  one  term,  while  later  he  taught  for  two 
terms  in  McDonald  county,  Missouri.  He  afterward  pursued  a  course  of  study  in 
the  Kansas  City  Business  College  in  1906  and  immediately  on  the  completion  thereof 
came  to  Idaho  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Emmett.  For  more  than  twelve 
years  he  was  buyer  for  the  hardware  and  grocery  department  of  a  large  general 
store  at  Emmett  but  resigned  that  position  on  the  1st  of  March,  1919,  and  for  a 
short  time  looked  after  his  private  interests,  consisting  of  a  ten  acre  prune 
orchard  about  four  miles  from  Emmett,  now  coming  into  bearing.  He  is  also  half- 
owner  of  the  Liberty  Theatre  at  Emmett,  which  is  the  leading  moving  picture  house 
of  the  city.  It  seems  that  his  three-year-old  orchard  will  soon  be  a  very  profitable 
property.  Recently  Mr.  Allmon  accepted  a  responsible  position  with  the  Citizens 
Lumber  Company  at  Emmett,  which  he  is  now  representing  as  bookkeeper  and 
manager. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1902,  Mr.  Allmon  was  married  in  southwestern  Missouri 
to  Miss  Lula  Stith  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Myrl,  who  was  born  October  17, 
1905.  Mr.  Allmon  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  on  the 
22d  of  April,  1919,  was  elected  to  the  office  of  mayor  of  Emmett,  in  which  position 
he  is  proving  most  capable,  giving  to  the  city  a  businesslike  and  progressive  admin- 
istration. He  is  the  master  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Emmett,  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  a  Shriner,  being  a  member  of  Elkorah  Temple. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  is  a  past  grand 
of  the  lodge  and  a  past  chief  patriarch  in  the  encampment.  He  is  likewise  con- 
nected with  the  Commercial  Club  and  any  project  which  is  of  value  to  the  city 
or  a  matter  of  vital  concern  to  its  welfare  is  sure  to  receive  his  endorsement  and 
earnest  support. 


W.  W.  KIMPLE. 

W.  W.  Kimple  is  a  self-made  man  who  has  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  cattle 
raising,  in  which  business  he  is  now  successfully  engaged  at  Caldwell.  He  was  born 
in  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  February  22,  1872,  and  there  attended  school.  His  resi- 
dence in  the  west  dates  from  1898,  at  which  time  he  took  up  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing near  Caldwell  and  also  conducted  a  livery  stable  at  Emmett  for  about  three  years. 
Since  then  he  has  concentrated  his  energies  upon  his  agricultural  and  stock  raising 
interests,  and  his  success  has  placed  him  among  the  men  of  affluence  in  his  com- 
munity. In  his  boyhood  there  were  many  trying  years  when  he  encountered  difficulties 
and  obstacles,  but  these  did  not  lessen  his  courage  or  his  determination,  and  by  per- 
sistent energy  and  industry  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward. 

On,  the  27th  of  July,  1916,  Mr.  Kimple  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara 
Maxey,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Maxey,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Caldwell  and  who  had 
served  in  the  Civil  war.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1887  and  in  various  ways  entered  prom- 
inently into  the  public  life  and  development  of  the  state.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam A.  Maxey,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  settled  in  Illinois  in  1818,  the  year  of  the 
admission  of  that  state  into  the  Union.  There  his  son,  Dr.  William  C.  Maxey,  was 
reared  and  in  1861  joined  the  First  Independent  Regiment  of  Illinois  Cavalry.  After 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  351 

several  months  his  command  was  mustered  out  of  service  and  he  reenlisted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  G  of  the  Eightieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  his  subsequent 
service  he  was  captured  by  the  Confederates  and  confined  in  the  prison  on  Belle  Isle 
for  several  months.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  received  an  honorable  discharge,  with 
the  rank  of  first  sergeant,  and  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Illinois,  where  he  gave 
his  attention  to  the  study  and  practice  of  medicine  until  1883,  when  he  removed  to 
Marcus,  Iowa.  There  he  remained  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  and  soon  won 
recognition  not  only  as  one  of  the  most  able  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Caldwell 
but  also  as  one  of  the  leading  figures  in  the  public  life  of  the  state.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  first  constitutional  convention  of  Idaho,  was  the  first  commandant  of  the 
Soldiers  Home  at  Boise  and  was  a  past  grand  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  in  this  state.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  A.  Lane  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Gilbert  Lane,  passed  away  in  Boise  in  December,  1907,  and  Dr. 
W.  C.  Maxey  died  at  the  National  Soldiers  Home  in  southern  California,  December 
27,  1912.  They  were  the  parents  of  Dr.  E.  E.  Maxey,  a  prominent  physician  of  Boise. 
Mr.  Kimple,  a  resident  of  the  state  for  twenty-one  years,  is  highly  respected 
by  all  who  know  him  because  of  his  capability  and  reliability  in  business,  and  his 
example  may  well  serve  to  encourage  and  inspire  others,  showing  what  can  be  ac- 
complished through  individual  effort. 


VERNON  THOMPSON   CRAIG. 

Vernon  Thompson  Craig,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Emmett,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  founders  in  1906,  was  born  May  15,  1873,  at  Craig,  Nebraska,  a  town  which 
was  named  in  honor  of  his  family.  He  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  children,  three 
sons  and  a  daughter,  whose  parents  were  Thompson  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Moore) 
Craig.  The  father  was  a  farmer  throughout  his  entire  life  save  that  at  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war  he  put  aside  all  business  and  personal  considerations  and  joined 
the  Union  army,  becoming  a  private  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Seventieth 
Ohio  Regiment.  He  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  August  31,  1838,  and 
was  a  son  of  Major  Johnson  Craig,  who  won  his  title  by  service  in  the  Ohio  State 
Militia.  Thompson  Craig  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  country  in  the  hour  of 
civil  strife  and  in  days  of  peace  was  equally  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  the  na- 
tion. He  was  married  at  Cadiz,  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  February  28,  1872,  to 
Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Moore,  whose  birth  occurred  in  that  county  on  the  12th  of 
July,  1846,  her  father  being  John  Moore.  Prior  to  his  marriage,  or  in  1866,  Thomp- 
son Craig  went  to  Burt  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  at  a  low  figure.  He  there  kept  bachelor's  hall  until  1872,  when  he  returned 
to  Ohio  and  married  the  lady  who  was  one  of  the  friends  of  his  boyhood  and  a 
schoolmate  of  his  early  days.  The  death  of  Thompson  Craig  occurred  in  Emmett, 
February  -13,  1916,  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
He  is  still  survived  by  his  widow,  who  now  resides  with  her  only  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mabel  Edgerton,  of  Berkeley,  California.  The  three  sons  of  the  family  are  Ver- 
non Thompson,  Johnson  and  Walter  D.  Craig.  The  last  two  are  ranchmen  resid- 
ing near  Emmett. 

The  first  named,  Vernon  T.  Craig  of  this  review,  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm  in  Burt  county,  Nebraska,  and  is  indebted  to  the  public  school  system  of 
that  state  for  the  early  educational  advantages  which  he  acquired.  He  also  at- 
tended the  University  of  Nebraska  at  Lincoln  and  the  Fremont  (Neb.)  Normal 
College.  He  was  graduated  from  both  the  high  school  and  the  Fremont  Normal 
College  and  he  taught  school  for  three  or  four  years  in  that  state.  In  1900  he 
arrived  in  Idaho  and  was  principal  of  the  Garfield  school  at  South  Boise  for  a 
year.  He  then  engaged  in  mining  at  Sumpter,  Oregon,  for  two  years  and  in  1903 
ho  returned  to  Idaho,  where  he  founded  the  Meridian  Exchange  Bank,  now  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Meridian.  Of  this  institution  he  became  cashier  and  man- 
ager but  sold  his  interests  in  the  business  in  1905  and  at  once  removed  to  Emmett, 
where  he  became  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of  Em- 
mett, winch  opened  its  doors  for  business  on  the  1st  of  January,  1906.  Through- 
out the  intervening  period  of  fourteen  years  he  has  been  its  cashier.  This  bank 
is  capitalized  for  sixty  thousand  dollars  and  is  a  member  of  the  Federal  Reserve 
System.  The  business  has  been  carried  on  in  the  Bank  of  Emmett  block  at  the 


352  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

corner  of  Main  and  Washington  streets,  which  is  one  of  the  best  business  blocks 
of  the  town,  and  the  success  of  the  institution  is  attributable  In  large  measure  to 
the  efforts,  the  enterprise  and  business  discernment  of  Vernon  T.  Craig.  He  is 
also  the  owner  of  ranch  and  orchard  interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Emmett  and  his 
business  affairs  are  always  wisely  and  carefully  conducted. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1903,  Mr.  Craig  was  married  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pipher,  who  was  born  at  West  Baden,  Indiana,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1875.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Craig  are  consistent  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  as  a  Knight  Templar 
and  Mystic  Shriner  and  his  wife  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
She  also  belongs  to  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  to  the  P.  E.  O.  Society.  Mr. 
Craig's  membership  relations  extend  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of 
which  he  is  a  past  grand,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans.  Politi- 
cally he  is  an  earnest  republican  and  is  now  chairman  of  the  republican  central 
committee  of  Gem  county,  but  while  he  is  keenly  interested  in  the  adoption  of 
republican  principles,  he  has  never  sought  nor  desired  office.  He  is  fond  of  read- 
ing, especially  of  history,  and  finds  recreation  in  motoring.  His  activities  have 
been  of  a  character  which  have  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  advance- 
ment and  development  of  his  section  of  the  state  and  the  consensus  of  public  opin- 
ion places  him  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Idaho. 


WARREN  L.  SHURTLEFF. 

Warren  L.  Shurtleff,  engaged  in  general  merchandising  at  Lewisville,  Jeffer- 
son county,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  state  of  Utah,  his  birth  having  occurred 
at  Ogden  in  October,  1880.  His  parents,  Charles  V.  and  Alzina  (Smith)  Shurtleff, 
were  also  natives  of  Utah,  and  the  father  there  engaged  in  railroading  for  five 
years.  In  1884  he  removed  to  Jefferson  county,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of  Bingham 
county,  and  filed  on  land  three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  Lewisville.  This  he 
improved  and  developed  and  thereon  reared  his  family  of  twelve  children,  namely: 
Charles  J.,  George  J.,  Warren  L.,  Llewellyn,  Joseph  H.,  P.  Ray,  Eva  Shurtleff  Bur- 
ton, Leone  F.,  Delia  M.,  John  G.,  Olive  and  Jessie.  The  father  continued  to  further 
develop  and  improve  his  farm  until  1912,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life 
and  turned  his  property  over  to  his  heirs,  removing  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he 
purchased  a  nice  home  that  he  has  since  occupied.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
December,  1907. 

Warren  L.  Shurtleff  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Idaho  and  in  this  state  he  was  reared  and  educated.  When  his  textbooks  were  put 
aside  he  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  and .  purchased  land,  also  renting  a 
part  of  his  father's  place,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  for  three  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Ogden,  Utah,  where  he  was  employed  for  two  years  in  a  whole- 
sale house,  and  for  six  months  prior  to  that  time  he  acted  as  fireman  on  an  engine 
on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  After  about  two  and  a  half  years  spent  in  Utah 
he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming  for  a  year  upon  his  own  land.  He 
was  then  called  to  serve  on  a  mission,  spending  twenty-five  months  in  England  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  Following  his  re- 
turn to  his  native  land  he  again  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  three  years.  He  later  spent  two  years  as  manager  with  the  C.  A.  Smith 
Mercantile  Company  at  Lewisville  and  for  one  year  was  manager  for  the  Inter- 
mountain  Farmers  Equity  at  Idaho  Falls.  He  has  recently  installed  a  stock  of 
general  merchandise  in  a  business  block  which  he  owns  at  Lewisville  and  is  now 
devoting  his  attention  and  energies  to  commercial  pursuits.  He  is  still  the  owner 
of  two  farm  properties,  which  he  leases,  and  he  likewise  has  city  property  in  both 
Rigby  and  Lewisville. 

In  August,  1902,  Mr.  Shurtleff  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  Agren,  and  they 
have  become  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Ellen  L.,  Warren  A.,  Blanche  A.,  Vic- 
tor R.,  Ruth  J.,  Mark  A.  and  Daryl  A. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  remains  an  active  worker  in  the  church  and  is  second  counselor 
to  the  bishop  of  his  ward.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party 
and  he  has  filled  various  local  offices.  He  is  now  the  president  of  the  town  council 
of  Lewisville  and  served  on  the  high  school  board  for  six  years,  while  for  eight 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  353 

years  he  was  a  member  of  the  district  school  board,  acting  as  its  chairman.  He 
was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  county  commissioner  on  the  republican  ticket  in 
1915  but  was  defeated  by  ten  votes.  He  loyally  supports  every  cause  or  inter- 
est which  he  believes  for  the  benefit  of  the  community  and  his  efforts  are  of  a 
practical  and  resultant  character. 


CHARLES  A.   SMITH.  JB. 

Charles  A.  Smith,  Jr.,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Menan,  Jefferson  county,  was 
born  in  Utah  in  December,  1878.  His  father,  Charles  A.  Smith,  Sr.,  who  was  a 
native  of  the  Nutmeg  state,  accompanied  his  parents  westward  in  1849  when  he  was 
but  a  child  and  settled  in  Utah.  In  those  days  travel  across  the  plains  was  a  slow 
and  hazardous  undertaking,  for  the  only  means  of  locomotion  was  the  ox  team 
and  prairie  schooner  and  the  country  was  infested  with  marauding  bands  of  hos- 
tile Indian?.  It  was  under  such  conditions  that  Charles  A.  Smith,  Sr.,  came  to 
Utah  and  he  made  most  of  the  journey  beside  the  lumbering  wagon  on  foot.  He 
grew  to  manhood  in  the  new  country,  enduring  all  the  hardships  incident  to  the 
life  of  a  pioneer.  He  engaged  for  several  years  in  freighting  goods  but  later  took 
up  agriculture  and  after  engaging  in  this  occupation  in  a  small  way  for  a  few 
years,  bought  a  farm  near  Morgan,  Utah,  where  he  carried  on  stock  raising  and 
general  farming  on  a  larger  scale  for  seven  years.  On  the'  expiration  of  this  period 
in  1889  he  came  to  Idaho,  locating  in  that  section  of  Bingham  county  which  later 
became  a  part  of  Jefferson,  where  he  became  the  owner  of  a  sizeable  tract  of  land 
and  resumed  stock  raising  in  a  more  extensive  fashion  than  heretofore.  In  1890 
he  forsook  farming  for  merchandising  and  established  the  C.  A.  Smith  Mercantile 
Company  at  Menan,  carrying  on  a  successful  retail  business  until  his  retirement 
in  1906.  However,  he  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  same.  In  addition  to  the 
store  at  Menan  he  also  operated  a  retail  establishment  at  Lewisville,  Jefferson 
county,  and  had  an  interest  in  a  milling  business  at  Rigby  and  Menan.  While  he 
was  still  a  resident  of  Utah,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  J.  Shurtliff,  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  a  native  of  that  state.  Since  Mr.  Smith 
left  active  business  pursuits,  he  and  his  wife  have  returned  to  Utah  and  are  now 
residing  in  the  city  of  Ogden.  He  is  seventy-three  years  of  age  and  his  wife  is 
sixty-eight. 

Charles  A.  Smith,  Jr.,  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years  when  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  Jefferson  county,  Idaho,  but  after  he  had  finished  his  elementary  schooling 
he  returned  to  his  native  state  to  become  a  student  in  a  business  college  in  Ogden. 
On  the  completion  of  his  course  he  returned  home  and  entered  the  employ  of  his 
father  in  the  C.  A.  Smith  Mercantile  Company  at  Menan.  As  time  passed  and 
other  business  interests  demanded  more  and  more  of  his  father's  time,  the  son, 
who  had  acquired  stock  in  the  store,  was  finally  given  the  responsibility  of  man- 
aging the  concern  which  is  still  under  his  direction.  Later  he  bought  stock  in  the 
Rigby  Flour  Mills  Company  and  in  the  Menan  Milling  Company  and  he  has  been 
the  manager  of  the  latter  since  1910.  Mr.  Smith  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  First 
National  Bank  and  the  City  Pharmacy  Company  of  Rigby.  Furthermore  he  occu- 
pies the  official  position  of  vice  president  of  the  Jefferson  State  Bank  of  Menan  and 
is  a  director  of  the  Idaho-Montana  Asbestos  Company,  which  promises  to  be  the 
largest  industry  of  the  kind  in  the  state. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1898,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Ida  J.  Poole, 
a  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Harriet  (Bitton)  Poole,  the  former  originally  from 
Iowa  and  the  latter  from  England.  Both  were  early  pioneers  of  Idaho,  being 
among  the  first  to  settle  in  Menan,  where  they  have  contributed  substantially  to 
the  general  development  and  welfare  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country.  After 
the  death  of  the  father  in  1894,  the  mother  has  continued  to  reside  in  Menan. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Emmett  O.,  born 
September  22,  1899;  Altha  L.,  born  January  27,  1901,  and  H.  Lyle,  born  Septem- 
ber 18,  1902.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints. 

Mr.  Smith  is  affiliated  with  one  fraternal  order — the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  gives  his  political  endorsement  to  the  republican  party  and  has  been 
a  participant  in  all  of  the  activities  of  this  organization  in  his  section.  When  the 

Vol.  11—23 


354  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

county  of  Jefferson  was  established  in  1913  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
original  board  of  county  commissioners  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office 
he  was  reelected.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  First  village  board  of  Menan 
and  has  ever  been  alert  to  the  best  interests  of  the  town.  Mr.  Smith  enjoys  the 
high  regard  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact  through  commer- 
cial relations.  In  the  conduct  of  business  affairs  he  uses  good  judgment,  and  the 
enterprise  which  enables  him  to  overcome  all  difficulties  makes  it  possible  for  him 
to  direct  his  interests  so  that  success  in  substantial  measure  is  today  his. 


HON.  GUY  EMERSON  BOWERMAN. 

Hon.  Guy  Emerson  Bowerman,  who  is  first  commissioner  of  finance  for  the  state  of 
Idaho  brings  to  his  official  duties  the  broad  knowledge  gained  from  many  years  of 
experience  in  banking  and  financial  circles.  He  was  born  in  Coldwater,  Michigan, 
October  8,  1866,  a  son  of  Thomas  Henry  Bowerman,  who  was  a  native  of  Detroit, 
Michigan,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  that  state.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded 
Elizabeth  M.  Daken,  a  native  of  Vermont  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  New 
England  families.  For  more  than  a  half  century  they  occupied  the  same  house  in  Cold- 
water,  Michigan.  The  father  has  now  passed  away,  but  the  mother  survives  and  resides 
in  San  Diego,  California. 

Reared  in  his  native  state  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and  acquiring  his  education 
in  its  public  schools,  Guy  Emerson  Bowerman  then  left  home  to  go  to  South  Dakota, 
settling  at.  Dell  Rapids  in  1884.  He  at  once  secured  employment  in  a  bank  there  and 
after  three  years,  or  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  advanced  to  the  position  of 
cashier.  He  continued  in  active  connection  with  banking  interests  in  that  state  until 
1899,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  and  established  his  home  at  St.  Anthony.  The  banking 
business  of  Idaho  was  then  in  its  infancy  and  the  initiative  and  enterprise  of  the 
young  banker  were  at  once  manifest.  Recognizing  the  opportunities  of  a  young  but 
rapidly  developing  state,  and  having  the  most  profound  confidence  in  its  future,  he  care- 
fully directed  his  efforts  along  financial  lines  and  has  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
prominent  bankers  and  financiers  of  the  state.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  first  bank 
established  in  his  district  between  Idaho  Falls  and  Montana,  the  institution  being 
originally  called  the  Idaho  State  Bank  and  later  converted  into  the  First  National 
Bank  of  St.  Anthony,  of  which  he  remained  president  until  1912,  when  he  sold  his 
interests.  He  has  been  very  active  as  the  founder  and  promoter  of  banks  for  many 
years.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Driggs,  also  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Ashton  and  the  Fremont  County  Bank  of  Sugar  City.  Each  of 
these  institutions  received  his  personal  attention  and  became  valuable  factors  in  the 
development  of  the  communities  in  which  they  are  located.  After  the  experimental  stage 
was  passed  and  the  banks  were  placed  upon  a  substantial  basis  Mr.  Bowerman  withdrew 
from  the  first  two.  He  is  still,  however,  connected  with  eight  different  banks  in  the 
state.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Idaho  State  Bankers  Association,  of  which 
he  has  been  honored  with  the  presidency,  and  he  has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  council  of  the  American  Bankers  Association. 

On  the  18th  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Bowerman  was  married  in  Mitchell,  Ontario, 
when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  to  Miss  Susanna  Priscilla  Wilson,  a  native  of  Ontario.  To 
them  has  been  born  a  son,  Guy  Emerson,  whose  birth  occurred  August  29,  1896.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  St.  Anthony  and  had  just  completed  his  fresh- 
man year  at  Yale  in  June,  1917,  when  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  enlisted  in  the 
Yale  Ambulance  Unit  for  service  in  the  great  war.  He  sailed  for  France  on  the  7th 
of  August,  1917,  and  when  his  unit  reached  that  country  it  was  at  once  assigned  to 
duty  with  the  French  army  and  so  continued  to  the  end  of  the  war.  Guy  E.  Bowerman, 
Jr.,  was  decorated  with  the  Croix  du  Guerre  for  conspicuous  bravery  and  devotion  to 
duty,  having  volunteered  to  go  to  the  rescue  of  the  wounded  during  a  full  bombardment. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  thirty  thousand  Americans  to  reach  France  and  spent  twenty 
months  in  that  land.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1919,  reaching  his  native 
shores  on  Easter  morning,  and  he  will  re-enter  Yale,  continuing  his  course  in  the 
university. 

Mr.  Bowerman  is  well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  belonging  to  the  lodge,  the  com- 
mandery,  the  consistory  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  an  Elk.  a  Knight  of  Pythias 
and  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  past  chancellor  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  a  past  noble 


HON.  GUY  B.  BOWERMAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  357 

grand  in  the  Odd  Fellows  and  past  master  in  the  Masons.  In  politics  he  Is  a  republican 
and  for  one  term,  during  the  twelfth  general  assembly,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Idaho  house  of  representatives,  which  honored  him  with  the  chairmanship  of  the  com- 
mittee on  appropriations  and  a  member  of  the  committee  on  banks  and  banking.  He  has 
served  as  mayor  of  St.  Anthony  and  his  administration  was  marked  by  the  utmost 
efficiency  and  economy.  His  interest  in  the  affairs  of  community  and  commonwealth 
has  been  of  a  vital  and  valuable  character  and  he  has  always  been  a  willing  volunteer 
in  any  cause  that  has  had  for  its  object  the  welfare  of  state  or  nation.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Idaho  Liberty  Loan  Committee  and  as  county  chairman  for  the 
Liberty  Loan  drives  in  Fremont  county  that  have  made  such  a  remarkable  record.  His 
deep  interest  in  every  moment  calculated  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
field  or  support  the  cause  of  America  and  the  allied  forces  has  made  him  a  leader  In 
all  war  work.  Another  fact  in  his  career  is  that  his  moral  support  of  any  project  has 
been  also  further  endorsed  by  his  financial  aid.  A  most  public-spirited  citizen,  he  has 
constantly  put  forth  effective  effort  for  the  general  good  and  the  high  place  which 
he  had  won  in  financial  circles  led  to  his  appointment  as  commissioner  of  finance  in 
the  cabinet  of  Governor  Davis.  The  appointment  came  to  him  on  the  31st  of  March, 
1919,  and  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  6th  of  May  following.  This  was 
entirely  contrary  to  his  wish.  He  had  no  ambition  for  public  life  and  it  was  only  under 
great  pressure  that  he  was  induced  to  accept  the  office,  which  he  has  done  at  the  sacri- 
fice of  his  personal  interests.  Such  a  man,  however,  is  invaluable  in  the  cabinet  and 
the  choice  has  been  most  strongly  endorsed  by  public  opinion,  for  Idaho's  citizens 
recognize  in  Guy  Emerson  Bowerman  a  man  whose  initiative,  enterprise  and  progres- 
siveness  have  been,  and  will  continue  to  be  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  state. 


RICHARD    S.    WILKIE. 

On  the  roster  of  Teton  county's  public  officials  appears  the  name  of  Richard 
S.  Wilkie,  who  is  now  prosecuting  attorney  and  who  makes  his  home  at  Driggs, 
the  county  seat.  Almost  the  width  of  the  continent  separates  him  from  his  birth- 
place, for  he  is  a  native  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  was  born  November  22, 
1875,  his  parents  being  Frederick  C.  and  Sarah  (Adams)  Wilkie,  who  are  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  A.  H.  Wilkie  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Richard  S.  Wilkie  was  reared  in  Washington  county,  Idaho,  for  his  parents 
brought  their  family  to  the  west  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age.  There  he 
pursued  his  education,  having  to  go  a  distance  of  three  miles  to  school  on  snow- 
shoes  during  the  winter.  After  he  attained  the  age  of  sixteen  he  attended  night 
schools  and  also  pursued  his  education  through  correspondence  schools.  Subse- 
quently he  took  up  his  abode  in  Boise,  where  he  learned  the  printer's  trade,  and 
while  thus  engaged  he  attended  business  college  at  night,  embracing  every  oppor- 
tunity that  would  enable  him  to  advance  his  education  and  thus  promote  his  effi- 
ciency in  the  business  world.  He  worked  at  the  printer's  trade  for  about  seven 
years  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  mining,  leasing  and  operating  mining  prop- 
erty. He  also  traveled  as  a  mining  expert  for  two  years,  reporting  on  claims  for 
different  companies.  Much  of  his  attention  through  seven  years  was  devoted  to 
mining  and  when  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  through 
correspondence  courses  and  also  took  a  complete  mechanical  course  in  the  Amer- 
ican School  of  Correspondence.  Having  qualified  for  law  practice,  he  wag  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  on  the  7th  of  September,  1915.  From  U911  until  1915  he  had 
practiced  law  without  being  licensed,  and  he  also  conducted  a  real  estate  office  in 
Adams  county.  In  1915  he  entered  into  partnership  with  a  brother  at  Ash  ton  and 
they  have  since  continued  together  in  the  practice  of  law.  On  the  9th  of  November, 
1915,  however,  Richard  S.  Wilkie  removed  to  Driggs,  where  he  opened  an  office  and 
has  since  been  closely  identified  with  the  bar  of  Teton  county  under  the  firm  style  of 
Wilkie  &  Wilkie.  In  the  fall  of  1916  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Teton 
county  and  was  reelected  to  the  office  in  the  fall  of  1918.  He  possesses  a  splendid 
law  library  and  prepares  his  cases  with  the  utmost  thoroughness,  being  always  well 
equipped  for  the  presentation  of  his  cause  when  he  enters  the  court.  From  1915 
until  1919  he  also  served  as  city  attorney. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1917,  Mr.  Wilkie  was  married  to  Lillian  Loyson  and 
to  them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Jannet,  who  was  born  July  23,  1918.  By  her 


358  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

former  marriage  Mrs.  Wilkie  has  three  children:  Dean,  who  was  born  in  October, 
1911;  Melba,  born  in  April,  1913;  and  Lenford,  born  in  March,  1915.  Mrs.  Wilkie 
is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wilkie  is  a  republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  certainly  deserves  much 
credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished.  Starting  out  in  the  business  world  at  an 
early  age,  he  has  made  steady  advancement  through  his  unremitting  industry  and 
the  wise  use  he  has  made  of  his  time  and  opportunities.  Step  by  step  he  has  ad- 
vanced and  there  is  much  in  his  life  record  that  should  serve  as  a  source  of  encour- 
agement and  inspiration  to  others. 


ARTHUR  O.   SUTTON. 

Arthur  O.  Sutton,  member  of  the  bar  and  probate  judge  of  Gem  county,  re- 
siding at  Emmett,  was  born  in  Arkansas,  July  23,  1891,  and  is  the  only  child  of 
Charles  W.  and  Alice  (Webb)  Sutton,  who  now  reside  on  a  ranch  about  seven 
miles  southwest  of  Boise.  The  family  left  Arkansas  before  Arthur  O.  Sutton  was 
a  year  old  and  removed  to  Kansas  and  later  to  Oklahoma.  The  father  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  the  Cherokee  strip  when  it  was  opened  for  settlement.  In 
1899  the  family  came  to  Idaho,  settling  on  a  ranch  near  Salubria,  in  Washington 
county. 

Arthur  O.  Sutton  passed  his  youth  mainly  in  Washington  county  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Cambridge  schools.  He  next  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Idaho  in  1909  and  continued  his  studies  until  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department  of  that  institution  with  the  class  of  1914.  Since 
1915  he  has  continuously  practiced  law  in  Emmett.  He  is  both  a  self-educated 
and  self-made  man,  for  he  made  his  own  way  through  the  university  by  doing 
various  kinds  of  work  both  during  the  terms  and  in  vacation  periods.  At  the 
latter  time  he  acted  as  cook  in  lumber  and  railroad  camps  and  thus  he  earned  the 
money  that  enabled  him  to  pursue  his  university  course.  He  thus  displayed  the 
elemental  strength  of  his  character — a  strength  that  has  carried  him  far  toward 
success  and  prominence  in  the  legal  profession.  In  June,  1916,  he  was  appointed 
probate  judge  of  Gem  county  to  fill  a  vacancy  and  has  twice  been  elected  to  the 
office,  first  in  the  fall  of  1916  and  again  in  the  fall  of  1918,  having  no  opposition 
at  the  last  election,  receiving  the  vote  of  both  parties  though  he  is  a  republican. 

On  the  llth  of  September,  1916,  in  Moscow,  Idaho,  Mr.  Sutton  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Helen  Cozier,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Robert  V.  Cozier,  former- 
ly speaker  of  the  Idaho  house  of  representatives  and  at  one  time  United  States 
district  attorney  for  Idaho.  He  ranked  as  a  prominenf  lawyer  in  his  day,  resid- 
ing first  at  Payette  and  later  at  Blackfoot  and  at  Moscow.  To  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Sutton  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Helen  Ann,  whose  birth  occurred  August  12, 
1917. 

Judge  Sutton  is  a  Master  Mason  and  is  now  senior  warden  of  Butte  Lodge, 
No.  37,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Phi  Alpha  Delta,  a  law  fra- 
ternity. He  has  made  steady  professional  progress  and  has  grown  as  well  in  the 
regard  of  his  fellowmen,  as  his  sterling  traits  and  qualities  have  been  manifest  in 
his  professional  and  official  career. 


H.  ORTON  WILEY. 

Earnest  of  purpose  and  endowed  by  nature  with  keen  intellectuality,  which  he 
has  used  in  effective  work  in  the  upbuilding  of  one  of  the  strong  educational  insti- 
tutions of  Idaho,  H.  Orton  Wiley  is  today  well  known  as  president  of  the  North- 
west Nazarene  College  of  Nampa.  He  was  born  at  Marquette,  Nebraska,  Novem- 
ber, 15,  1877,  and  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
California.  His  public  school  education  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  Pacific  and  in  the  Pacific  Theological  Seminary  at  Berkeley,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1910,  on  the  completion  of  a  four  years'  course  in  theology. 
He  then  took  charge  of  the  Nazarene  College  at  Pasadena,  California,  where  he 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  '  359 

remained  for  six  years,  and  in  1917  he  came  to  Nampa  to  assume  charge  of  the 
Northwest  Nazarene  College,  of  which  he  was  elected  president  in  1916.  This 
college  was  founded  in  1914  but  was  being  conducted  only  as  a  parish  school  when 
he  took  charge.  His  work  as  president  is  of  an  administrative  character.  The 
college  draws  its  patronage  and  support  from  Washington,  Oregon,  Wyoming, 
Montana,  North  and  South  Dakota  and  western  Canada. 

It  is  the  object  of  the  college  to  have  completed  within  the  next  two  years 
the  ten  buildings  for  which  plans  have  already  been  made.  They  are  to  be  of 
the  old  mission  style  of  architecture,  with  the  administration  building  in  the 
center  of  the  campus,  which  will  be  adorned  with  fine  walks  and  flowers.  There 
is  now  a  Students  Club  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  members,  which  club 
has  its  own  cook.  Meals  are  furnished,  despite  the  high  cost  of  living,  at  ten 
cents  each.  The  college  membership  is  between  three  hundred  and  three  hundred 
and  twenty-five  students.  The  cost  of  the  ten  buildings  is  estimated  at  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  thousand  dollars.  Five  buildings  are  already  completed. 

The  board  of  directors  includes  Eugene  Emerson,  of  Nampa,  president;  J.  W. 
Hunt,  of  Nampa,  vice  president;  H.  W.  McHose,  of  Nampa,  secretary;  and  Sher- 
man Ludlow,  of  Nampa,  treasurer,  while  other  members  of  the  board  are  F.  Dooley, 
of  North  Yakima,  Washington;  J.  T.  Little,  of  Newberg,  Oregon;  T.  E.  Beebe,  of 
Walla  Walla,  Washington;  Dr.  L.  E.  Hibbard,  of  Burns,  Oregon,  and  Dr.  Wiley 
of  this  review. 

Dr.  T.  E.  Mangum,  an  eminent  physician  and  surgeon  of  Galveston,  Texas, 
who  has  had  much  experience  in  work  of  this  character,  will  have  full  charge  of 
the  sanitarium  work  for  outgoing  missionaries,  who  will  be  instructed  in  practical 
nursing.  This  is  a  novel  feature  in  college  work  but  there  is  a  great  demand  for 
this  additional  service  from  missionaries.  It  may  be  said  without  fear  of  con- 
tradiction that  Dr.  Mangum  is  the  father  of  this  innovation  in  training  schools, 
as  the  Northwest  Xazarene  College  has  undertaken  the  initial  work  of  this  char- 
acter. Dr.  Mangum's  wife,  Mrs.  Emily  B.  Mangum,  is  one  of  the  instructors  in 
this  work  and  is  manifesting  great  interest  therein.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  John 
Seally  Hospital  of  Galveston,  Texas. 

It  was  in  1902  that  Dr.  Wiley  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  May  House,  of  Berke- 
ley, California,  and  they  have  four  children:  Pearl,  Lester  V.,  Henry  Ward  and 
Alice  Ruth,  all  attending  school. 

In  the  development  of  the  Northwest  Nazarene  College  Dr.  Wiley  is  doing 
most  effective  work.  The  aim  of  the  college  is  thus  expressed:  to  seek  to  awaken 
the  student  to  a  knowledge  of  his  own  powers;  to  discover  to  him  new  realms 
of  truth  and  new  fields  of  usefulness;  to  afford  such  discipline  as  shall  put  him 
in  possession  of  himself;  and  to  make  all  truth  minister  to  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  the  service  of  mankind.  The  college  aims  also  to  provide  educational  advan- 
tages worthy  of  the  young  people  of  the  church  and  in  keeping  with  its  high  ideals 
of  manhood  and  womanhood.  There  is  a  faculty  of  eighteen  regular  members  and 
two  additional  instructors,  the  members  of  the  faculty  representing  twenty-five 
of  the  leading  universities,  colleges,  conservatories  and  technical  schools  of  the 
country. 


ROLLIN   S.    GREGORY,   M.    D. 

Dr.  Rollin  S.  Gregory,  a  prominent  homeopathic  physician  of  Boise,  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  city  since  1899,  removed  in  that  year  to  Idaho  from  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  in  which  city  he  had  graduated  in  the  month  of  April  from  the 
Denver  Homeopathic  Medical  College.  Much  of  his  life  has  been  spent  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  although  he  was  born  in  Niagara  county,  New  York,  near  Lock- 
port,  June  7,  1864,  his  parents  being  Harry  O.  and  Sarah  J.  (Alberty)  Gregory. 
The  father,  who  early  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  later  engaged  in 
business  as  a  hardware  merchant,  died  when  his  son  Rollin  was  but  seven  years 
of  age  and  the  mother  passed  away  when  he  was  a  lad  of  but  ten  years.  He  was 
thus  left  an  orphan  and  went  to  live  with  an  older  brother  in  Cerro  Gordo  county, 
Iowa,  remaining  with  his  brother's  family  throughout  the  period  of  his  youth. 
His  boyhood  experiences  were  those  of  the  farm,  for  his  brother,  Elmer  O.  Greg- 


360  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ory,  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  in  Iowa  for  a  number  of  years  but  is  now 
a  resident  of  Long  Beach,  California. 

Dr.  Gregory  of  this  review  in  the  pursuit  of  his  education  attended  the  high 
school  at  Mason  City,  Iowa,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1886,  one  of  his 
teachers  there  being  the  now  renowned  Mrs.  Carrie  Chapman  Catt,  president  of 
the  National  Woman's  Suffrage  Association  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  women 
of  America.  After  leaving  high  school  Dr.  Gregory  took  up  the  profession  of  teach- 
ing, which  he  followed  for  several  terms  in  Iowa  but  regarded  this  merely  as  an 
initial  step  to  other  professional  labor.  It  was  his  desire  to  become  a  member  of 
the  medical  profession  and  he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  a  medical  college 
at  Rochester,  New  York,  in  the  years  1889  and  1890.  He  afterward  devoted  sev- 
eral years  to  the  practice  of  electro-therapeutics,  first  at  Asheville,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  later  at  Chicago,  at  Hot  Springs,  North  Carolina,  and  Trinidad,  Colorado. 
In  1897  he  entered  the  Denver  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1899.  Removing  to  Boise,  he  then  opened  an  office 
in  this  city  and  continued  in  active  practice  here  until  1913,  when  he  removed 
to  Washington,  settling  near  Newport.  There  he  remained  for  five  years  and 
while  he  did  not  altogether  withdraw  from  professional  service  he  was  not  very 
active  in  practice.  In  1918,  however,  he  returned  to  Boise,  where  he  once  more 
opened  an  office  and  is  now  actively  following  his  profession.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy  and  is  keenly  interested  in  everything 
that  tends  to  bring  to  man  the  key  to  the  complex  mystery  which  we  call  life. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Gregory  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  has  served  altogether  for  seven  years  on  the  Idaho  state  medical  exam- 
ining board  and  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  eminent  representatives  of 
homeopathy  in  this  state.  He  is  thoroughly  versed  on  all  departments  of  medical 
science  and  in  1900  purs\ied  a  post  graduate  course  in  orificial  surgery  in  Chicago. 
He  has  read  broadly,  thinks  deeply,  and  his  research  and  investigation  have  given 
him  much  power  in  his  profession. 


PETER  EDWARD  CAVANEY. 

Peter  Edward  Cavaney,  practicing  at  the  Boise  bar  since  1907,  was  born  in  Atlanta, 
Elmore  county,  Idaho,  October  23,  1882.  His  parents,  Michael  and  Margaret  (McGee) 
Cavaney,  were  natives  of  Canada  and  the  state  of  New  York  respectively  and  were  of 
Irish  and  Scotch  descent.  The  father  came  to  Idaho  in  1876  and  devoted  his  attention 
to  mining  in  connection  with  the  development  of  the  Rocky  Bar  mining  camp  at  At- 
lanta, Idaho,  and  the  Black  Jack  mines  at  Silver  City,  Owyhee  county.  While  there  he 
became  associated  with  Colonel  W.  H.  Dewey,  whom  he  afterward  represented  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Dewey  properties  in  Owyhee  county.  In  1890  he  was  injured  in  a  mine 
explosion  at  Silver  City  and  there  passed  away  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years. 
His  widow  survives  and  is  yet  a  resident  of  Silver  City.  They  were  parents  of 
nine  children:  Edmund  C.,  a  rancher  and  stock  grower  of  Owyhee  county;  Edgar, 
who  died  in  early  life;  Michael  C.,  a  stockman  of  Kemmerer,  Wyoming;  Peter  E.; 
James  A.,  connected  with  mining  interests  in  Nevada;  Margaret,  who  served  for  three 
terms  as  county  treasurer  of  Owyhee  county;  John,  who  died  in  Silver  City  at  the  age 
of  eight  years;  Frank  A.,  a  live  stock  raiser  of  Owyhee  county;  and  William,  who  is 
now  deceased. 

Peter  E.  Cavaney  early  attended  the  public  schools  of  Silver  City,  Idaho,  and 
•when  seventeen  years  of  age  became  a  student  in  the  Valparaiso  University  of  Indiana, 
where  he  won  successively  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  Bachelor  of  Science  and 
Bachelor  of  Law.  He  has  always  been  of  a  studious  nature  and  his  reading  has 
been  broad  along  both  scientific  and  literary  lines.  Also  a  lover  of  the  art  of  music, 
he  developed  his  talents  in  that  direction  under  the  teaching  of  Professor  Louis  G. 
Gottschalk,  of  Chicago,  and  Professor  Harold  L.  Butler,  now  of  Syracuse,  New  York, 
completing  his  musical  course  by  graduation.  It  was  through  teaching  mathematics, 
vocal  music  and  other  branches  that  he  earned  the  money  necessary  to  continue 
his  own  education. 

After  completing  his  law  course  Mr.  Cavaney  practiced  in  South  Chicago  for  about 
six  months  and  then  returned  to  Idaho,  opening  an  office  in  Boise,  where  he  has  since 
remained  in  active  practice,  having  been  admitted  to  the  Idaho  bar  May  6,  1907.  On  the 


PETER  E.  CAVANEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  363 

15th  of  April,  1911,  he  was  appointed  city  attorney  of  Boise  and  on  the  25th  of  October, 
1912,  received  the  appointment  of  assistant  United  States  attorney  for  the  district  of 
Idaho.  He  has  won  a  creditable  place  in  professional  circles  and  at  the  same  time  has 
•cooperated  in  the  establishment  and  management  of  several  successful  business  enter- 
prises. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  1909,  Peter  E.  Cavaney  was  married  to  Miss  Maude 
N  Martin,  a  native  of  Salubria,  Idaho,  and  a  daughter  of  the  late  R.  H.  Martin,  Sr., 
who  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1906  was  a  resident  of  Boise.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cavaney 
have  three  sons,  Edward  M.,  born  in  Boise,  October  9,  1912;  Byron  M.,  born  in  Boise. 
May  24,  1915;  and  William  M.,  born  April  11,  1918. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Cavaney  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  republican.  In  this 
he  shows  the  independence  of  his  character,  as  he  was  reared  in  the  democratic  faith. 
While  he  has  no  ambition  for  office,  he  has  done  considerable  campaign  work  and 
party  organization.  The  major  part  of  his  attention,  however,  is  concentrated  upon 
his  law  practice,  which  has  constantly  developed  in  volume  and  importance. 


HEBER  QUINCY  HALE. 

Heber  Quincy  Hale,  of  Boise,  comes  of  ancestry  distinctively  American  in  its 
lineal  and  collateral  branches  for  many  generations,  and  he  is  not  only  fortunate 
in  that  he  has  back  of  him  an  ancestry  honorable  and  distinguished  but  also  in 
the  fact  that  his  lines  of  life  have  been  cast  in  harmony  therewith.  In  person, 
in  talents  and  in  character  he  is  a  worthy  scion  of  a  race  that  furnished  to  the 
country  the  Revolutionary  war  patriot,  Nathan  Hale,  and  the  author  and  philan- 
thropist, Edward  Everett  Hale.  To  the  same  family  belonged  Sir  Isaac  Hale,  lord 
chief  justice  of  England.  His  grandparents  in  the  paternal  line  were  Jonathan 
H.  and  Olive  (Boynton)  Hale  and  his  parents  were  Solomon  Henry  and  Anna 
(Clark)  Hale.  The  father  was  born  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  April  30,  1839,  and  went 
with  his  parents  to  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  then  the  headquarters  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  in  which  Jonathan  H.  Hale  was  a  bishop.  During  the 
serious  troubles  which  occurred  in  Illinois  in  1846,  in  which  many  members  of 
the  faith  suffered  martyrdom,  Bishop  Hale,  his  wife  and  two  daughters  lost  their 
lives  and  three  sons  and  a  daughter  were  thus  left  orphans.  With  the  band  of 
Utah  emigrants  of  1848,  Solomon  H.  Hale  made  his  way  to  the  west  and  in  1856 
headed  an  exploring  party  into  Bear  River  valley,  going  into  Bear  Lake  valley  the 
following  year,  while  in  1861  he  was  engaged  in  breaking  horses  for  the  Pony 
Express  Company.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  famous  volunteer  expedition  sent 
out  by  President  Lincoln  to  set  up  telegraph  stations  and  lines  which  had  been 
demolished  by  Indians  and  their  operators  killed.  In  recognition  of  this  service, 
which  history  records  as  one  of  the  most  hazardous  expeditions  in  the  annals  of 
local  Indian  warfare,  Solomon  H.  Hale  was  placed  upon  the  pension  rolls  and  has 
been  appointed  senior  vice  commander  of  the  John  Quincy  Knowlton  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  which  was  organized  in  1911.  In  1865  he  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Bear  Lake 
country  and  in  1872  removed  to  Soda  Springs,  where  he  resided  until  1875,  when 
he  became  a  resident  of  Thatcher,  Idaho.  He  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  live 
stock  business  at  Thatcher,  while  at  Soda  Springs  he  followed  merchandising.  In 
1890  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Preston,  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  and  in  the 
public  life  of  that  locality  has  'figured  prominently,  serving^for  one  term  as  mayor 
of  his  city,  while  at  Thatcher  he  also  served  a  term  as  county  commissioner.  He 
has  long  been  a  prominent  churchman,  serving  as  high  councilor  in  Bear  Lake 
county,  as  bishop  of  Thatcher  and  for  twenty-three  years  in  the  presidency  of  the 
Oneida  stake.  In  1917  he  was  ordained  a  patriarch  by  President  Joseph  F.  Smith. 
For  more  than  sixteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  the 
Oneida  Stake  Academy  and  personally  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
academy  building.  In  1907  he  put  aside  all  business  cares  and  public  activities 
in  order  to  live  a  more  quiet  life  in  Preston  and  Boise,  in  which  latter  city  he  now 
resides,  devoting  considerable  time  to  his  patriarchal  office. 

Heber  Quincy  Hale  was  born  at  Thatcher,  Idaho.  Marrh  5.  1880,  and  was  a 
lad  of  ten  years  when  his  parents  left  the  stock  ranch  at  Thatcher  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Preston  upon  a  large  farm,  to  the  work  of  which  he  devoted  the 


364  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

summer  months,  while  the  winter  seasons  were  passed  at  the  family's  city  home 
and  in  attendance  at  the  Oneida  Stake  Academy  at  Preston,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1898.  He  entered  the  Brigham  Yoking  College  at  Logan,  Utah,  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1901,  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  In  the  spring  of  1901  he  went  on  a  mission  to  Germany,  where  he 
spent  three  years,  and  the  efficiency  of  his  work  was  honored  with  appointment  to 
the  presidency  of  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  conferences  in  the  mis- 
sion. He  also  gained  that  wide  general  knowledge,  hroad  experience  and  liberal 
culture  which  travel  brings,  and  upon  his  return  to  Idaho  was  qualified  for  the 
important  duties  that  came  to  him.  In  1905  he  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  state 
senate  and  with  the  close  of  the  session  received  appointment  to  the  position  of 
Assistant  Commissioner  of  Immigration,  Labor  and  Statistics,  acting  in  that  capac- 
ity for  four  years.  His  next  official  appointment,  which  came  immediately,  made 
him  Assistant  Register  of  the  State  Land  Department.  He  was  soon,  however, 
promoted  to  the  head  of  the  department  and  he  served  as  Register  until  August, 
1916,  when  he  resigned  to  take  the  management  of  a  large  irrigation  project  at 
Carey,  Idaho,  Avhere  he  is  putting  in  a  huge  concrete  dam  and  an  up-to-date  irri- 
gation system  at  a  cost  of  about  six  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  has  done  most 
important  work  in  making  known  to  the  world  Idaho's  splendid  resources  and 
opportunities.  He  has  written  a  series  of  articles  upon  the  state  that  have  been 
widely  published  throughout  the  country.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  the 
Boise  correspondent  of  the  Deseret  News,  and  in  this  connection  has  set  forth  the 
opportunities  and  conditions  of  the  state  in  addition  to  his  writings  upon  political 
and  general  news  features. 

At  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  17th  of  January,  1906,  Mr.  Hale  was  married  to 
Miss  Bessie  Eleanor  Gudmundson,  who  was  born  at  Springville,  Utah,  May  13, 
1883,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Inga  Gudmundson  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  a  sister  of 
Professor  M.  S.  Gudmundson,  an  eminent  violinist,  who  is  professor  of  music  in  the 
Brigham  Young  University.  Mrs.  Hale  also  possesses  notable  musical  skill  as  a 
vocalist  and  pianist.  She  was  educated  in  the  Brigham  Young  University  and  by  her 
marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  two  sons:  Stanton  Gudman,  who  was  born  July 
1,  1910;  and  Preston  Quincy,  who  was  born  June  9,  1914.  Both  are  natives  of  Boise. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  Mr.  Hale  served  as  president  of  the  Boise  branch 'from  1905  until 
November  3,  1913,  when  he  was  appointed  president  of  the  newly  created  Boise  stake, 
which  covers  twelve  counties,  extending  from  Minidoka  on  the  east  to  the  Oregon 
line  on  the  west.  He  became  the  youngest  stake  president  of  the  church  and  pre- 
sides over  the  largest  stake.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the 
republican  party  and  his  position  upon  every  public  question  is  that  of  a  broad- 
minded,  patriotic  citizen.  During  the  great  World  war  President  Hale  served  on 
eight  different  councils,  commissions  and  bureaus,  particularly  distinguishing  him- 
self and  giving  most  valuable  service  as  chairman  of  the  Speakers  Bureau  of  Boise 
and  of  Ada  county,  member  of  the  County  Council  of  Defense,  a  four-minute  man 
and  member  of  the  state  food  commission.  He  is  an  interesting  and  forceful  public 
speaker  and  his  services  are  much  sought  after.  A  highly  developed  intellect,  an 
earnest  nature,  a  recognition  of  the  values  and  of  the  responsibilities  of  life  have 
made  President  Heber  Q.  Hale  an  important  factor  in  political  and  church  circles 
in  Idaho. 


GEORGE    H.    CALDWELL,    M.    D. 

Dr.  George  H.  Caldwell,  of  Twin  Falls,  who  in  his  practice  is  specializing  in 
the  treatment  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  displaying  marked  capability  in  that 
field  of  professional  service,  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  September  29,  1874,  his 
parents  being  Andrew  and  Jane  (Davis)  Caldwell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Ayrshire,  Scotland.  The  father  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  his  parents  when  ten  years 
of  age,  going  to  Ontario,  Canada,  where  the  family  became  connected  with  farming 
interests.  In  1881  Andrew  Caldwell  with  his  family  crossed  the  border  into  the 
United  States  and  became  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  North  Dakota,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  and  improve  throughout  his  re- 
maining days,  his  death  occurring  in  January,  1918,  when  he  had  reached  the  ad- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  365 

vanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  wife  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty  years 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Enderlin,  North  Dakota. 

Dr.  Caldwell  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Canada  to  the  age  of  seven  years  and 
then  went  to  North  Dakota  with  his  parents,  being  reared  in  that  state.  He  mas- 
tered the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  afterward  received 
the  benefit  of  a  norm;!!  school  course  at  Moorhead,  Minnesota.  He  resolved  to  make 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  his  life  work  and  in  preparation  therefor 
matriculated  in  the  State  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  completed 
his  course  by  graduation  with  the  class  of  1903.  He  afterward  practiced  medicine  in 
Bucyrus,  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  for  four  years.  For  a  year  he 
was  connected  with  St.  Alexis  Hospital  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  acted  as  assistant 
surgeon  to  the  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company  before  going  to  Bucyrus  and 
gained  the  broad  practical  experience  and  knowledge  that  hospital  service  brings. 
He  then  became  an  instructor  in  the  medical  school  of  the  State  University  of  North 
Dakota  at  Grand  Forks,  with  which  he  was  thus  connected  for  five  years.  Subse- 
quently he  pursued  special  courses  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and 
in  Chicago  University. 

In  August,  1913,  Dr.  Caldwell  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Twin  Falls,  where  he 
now  enjoys  a  large  practice.  He  won  both  literary  and  scientific  degrees  through 
his  studies  in  Chicago  and  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  and  he  has  remained  through- 
out his  professional  career  a  close  and  discriminating  student  of  the  science  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  In  later  years  he  has  specialized  in  the  treatment  of  dis- 
eases of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  and  has  developed  his  powers  to  a  high 
point  of  efficiency  in  this  connection. 

In  1905  Dr.  Caldwell  was  married  to  Miss  Mae  Elizabeth  Morrison,  a  daughter 
of  Archie  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Ballamy)  Morrison  and  a  native  of  Michigan.  They 
have  two  children,  Wallace  and  Elizabeth. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Caldwell  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  In  politics  he  maintains  an  independent  course,  voting  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  judgment  without  regard  to  party  ties.  He  has  never  been  ambi- 
tious to  hold  office  but  has  concentrated  his  efforts  and  energies  upon  his  pro- 
fessional duties,  which  have  constantly  grown  in  volume  and  importance.  His  pro- 
fessional colleagues  and  contemporaries  recognize  his  skill  and  ability  along  the 
line  of  his  specialty  and  he  is  today  accounted  one  of  the  prominent  oculists  and 
aurists  of  the  northwest. 


RAY  G.  NEWCOMER. 

Ray  G.  Newcomer  is  a  well  known  jeweler  and  optometrist  of  Emmett,  where 
he  has  successfully  carried  on  business  along  both  lines  for  the  past  eight  years.  He 
was  born  at  Panora,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  on  the  24th  of  January,  1886,  being  the 
only  son  of  Jonas  and  Damie  (Snyder)  Newcomer.  The  father,  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  a  carpenter  by  trade,  passed  away  in  Boise,  Idaho,  about  1910  and  his  remains 
were  interred  in  the  Morris  Hill  cemetery.  The  mother,  still  surviving,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Nampa,  Idaho.  Ray  G.  Newcomer  had  three  sisters,  namely:  Myrtle,  who 
became  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Lynthurst  and  passed  away  in  Denver,  Colorado;  Mrs. 
Maude  Terpstra,  a  resident  of  Coif  ax,  Iowa;  and  Mrs.  Lizzie  Super,  who  lives  at 
Nampa,  Idaho. 

Ray  G.  Newcomer,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Colfax,  Iowa,  and  eventually  to  Nampa,  Idaho,  arriving  in 
this  state  in  1901.  He  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  at  that  time  and  has  since  resided 
within  Idaho's  borders.  His  early  education,  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of 
Iowa,  was  supplemented  by  a  course  of  study  in  the  Nampa  high  school  after  his 
removal  to  the  west.  When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  began  learning  the 
Jeweler's  trade  under  the  direction  of  W.  H.  Mankey,  continuing  in  the  latter's 
Jewelry  store  at  Nampa  for  a  year  and  a  half.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
made  his  way  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  there  worked  in  the  Holmes-Irving  Jewelry 
establishment  for  a  year.  He  next  spent  a  year  in  the  study  of  watchmaking  and 
optometry  at  the  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  there  completing 
a  course  in  optometry  by  graduation.  After  returning  to  Idaho  he  spent  eighteen 
months  in  the  Jewelry  store  of  Ed  F.  Fowler,  while  subsequently  he  removed  to 


366  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Nyssa,  Oregon,  where  for  two  and  a  half  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  jewelry- 
business  on  his  own  account.  In  September,  1912,  he  came  to  Emmett,  Idaho,  and 
established  himself  in  business  as  a  jeweler  and  optometrist,  having  here  conducted 
a  first-class  establishment  of  this  character  continuously  since.  Since  coming  to 
this  state  he  has  done  considerable  post-graduate  work  in  optometry  at  Los  Angeles, 
California,  and  he  was  licensed  to  practice  the  profession  in  Idaho  in  1908.  His 
store  and  office  are  located  in  the  same  building  at  No.  107  Main  street,  in  Emmett, 
but  are  separated.  He  is  one  of  but  two  optometrists  in  Gem  county  and  is  the 
only  one  who  maintains  a  room  specially  equipped  and  fitted  for  the  practice  of 
this  profession  independent  of  other  interests. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  1912,  Mr.  Newcomer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Vera  Houghton.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church,  while  frater- 
nally lie  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  a  past 
grand.  Along  the  line  of  his  profession  he  has  membership  in  the  Idaho  State- 
Association  of  Optometrists.  Though  still  a  young  man,  he  has  already  demon- 
strated his  ability  in  the  line  of  endeavor  which  he  has  chosen  as  a  life  work  and 
his  many  friends  feel  no  hesitancy  in  predicting  for  him  a  successful  future. 


LEWIS    A.    LEE. 

Lewis  A.  Lee,  who  since  January,  1916,  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Idaho  Falls,  was  born  at  Tooele,  Utah,  July  14,  1880,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  W.  and 
Martha  L.  (Bowen)  Lee.  The  father  is  a  native  of  Tooele,  born  March  29,  1853,  and 
the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Wales,  February  2,  1856.  The  father  is  a  carpenter 
by  trade  and  also  a  bee  keeper.  He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Utah  for  a  number  of  years 
and  afterward  removed  to  the  Salt  river  valley  of  Wyoming,  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead and  continued  the  cultivation  of  the  place  for  six  years.  He  then  removed  to 
lona,  Bonneville  county,  Idaho,  where  he  again  followed  carpentering  and  engaged 
in  business  as  an  apiarist.  Along  the  latter  line  he  developed  a  business  of  large 
proportions  and  he  was  one  of  those  who  organized  the  honey  production  interests  of 
this  part  of  the  state,  becoming  the  first  president  of  the  association.  He  also  taught 
school  in  Wyoming  but  is  now  concentrating  the  greater  part  of  his  attention  upon  bee 
culture  at  his  home  in  lona.  His  wife  was  brought  to  the  new  world  by  her  parents, 
the  family  being  eight  weeks  on  the  water  in  coming  from  Wales  to  the  United  States. 
They  traveled  from  New  York  to  St.  Louis  in  box  cars  and  Mrs.  Martha  L.  Lee  when 
eight  years  of  age  walked  with  her  parents  from  Omaha  to  Salt  Lake  City  with  a  com- 
pany of  Mormon  emigrants  from  England.  In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  were 
ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living,  while  three  died  in  infancy  and  one  other, 
Thomas  B.,  the  eldest,  died  at  Camp  Kearney,  California.  He  was  a  first  lieutenant 
of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eight  Infantry,  having  served  as  such  for  four 
years,  during  eighteen  months  of  which  time  he  was  in  active  service  on  the  Mexican 
border.  The  others  of  the  family  are:  Lewis  A.,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Mary  L. 
Hanson,  of  lona;  Arthur  W.,  also  residing  at  lona;  Mrs.  Ottella  Guptill,  whose  home 
is  at  Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho;  Franklin  B.,  living  at  Coeur  d'Alene;  and  Wilfred  D.,  who 
was  with  the  United  States  army  in  France  in  the  great  World  war.  The  parents 
reside  at  lona,  where  they  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 

Lewis  A.  Lee  was  reared  in  Utah,  Wyoming  and  Idaho  as  his  parents  removed  from 
one  state  to  the  other.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  various 
localities  in  which  he  resided  and  took  a  six  weeks'  normal  course  at  the  State 
University  of  Idaho,  after  which  he  obtained  a  teacher's  certificate  and  taught  school 
for  two  years.  He  was  then  elected  principal  of  the  schools  at  Ammon  but  did  not 
accept  the  position,  having  been  chosen  for  the  office  "of  probate  judge.  While  teach- 
ing school  he  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  law  and  in  1916  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  continued  to  serve  as  probate  judge  from  January,  1915,  until  January, 
1919,  when  he  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  law,  to  which  he  has  since  given 
his  attention,  being  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  able  attorneys  of  Idaho  Falls.  He 
has  a  finely  equipped  office  containing  a  large  law  library,  with  the  contents  of  which 
he  is  thoroughly  acquainting  himself.  Already  he  has  won  a  creditable  position  at  the 
bar  and  a  very  gratifying  clientage. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1907,  Mr.  Lee  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Mulliner,  a 
daughter  of  Senator  Joseph  F.  and  Amelia  Mulliner,  who  were  natives  of  Lehi  and 


LEWIS  A.  LEE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  369 

of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  respectively.  The  father  was  a  prominent  citizen  and  pioneer 
of  Idaho  Falls  and  of  Bonneville  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  this  state  in  1S84.  He 
followed  farming,  stock  raising  and  merchandising  and  held  various  public  offices, 
his  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  worth  and  ability,  elected  him  to  the  house 
of  representatives  and  at  the  succeeding  election  chose  him  a  member  of  the  state 
senate.  He  finally  became  ill,  the  condition  of  his  health  ending  his  public  career, 
and  for  eighteen  years  he  was  in  an  invalid  condition.  He  served  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  as  bishop  of  lona  ward  and  was  second  counselor  to 
the  presidency  of  the  stake.  He  passed  away  December  24,  1917,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years,  while  his  widow  survives  and  yet  lives  at  Idaho  Falls.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee 
have  had  two  children:  Lewis  M.,  who  was  born  August  12,  1910,  and  died  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year;  and  Ralph  B.,  born  June  16.  1915.  Their  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  Mr.  Lee  served  thirty-eight 
months  on  mission  work  in  the  western  states  mission  with  headquarters  at  Denver, 
Colorado.  His  territory  included  Colorado,  Nebraska  and  South  Dakota  and  during 
the  last  fourteen  months  he  presided  over  the  Nebraska  Conference.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Lee  is  connected  with  the  Elks  Lodge,  No.  1087,  while  his  political  allegiance  has 
always  been  given  to  the  republican  party.  He  has  made  good  use  of  his  time,  his 
talents  and  his  opportunities  and  is  fast  gaining  a  most  creditable  position  at  the 
Idaho  bar. 


ZACHARIAH    BALLANTYNE,    JK. 

Zachariah  Ballantyne,  Jr.,  cashier  of  the  Anderson  Brothers  Bank  of  Rigby. 
is  a  prominent  member  of  his  community,  wielding  in  it  marked  influence  as  a 
result  of  varied  activities.  He  is  a  native  of  Utah,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Ogden,  Weber  county,  on  the  14th  of  August,  1884,  and  the  son  of  Zachariah  and 
Martha  J.  (Ferrin)  Ballantyne,  also  natives  of  that  state.  The  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  operated  a  ranch  in  Weber  county  until  1899,  when  he  decided  to 
remove  to  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  a  portion  of  which  is  now  Jefferson  county. 
Here  he  bought  state  land  and  developed  it  to  a  high  point  of  cultivation,  operating 
the  farm  for  several  years.  He  then  sold  the  property  and  purchased  dry  land, 
which  he  has  cultivated  since  that  time. 

The  early  education  of  Zachariah  Ballantyne,  Jr.,  was  received  at  West  Weber,. 
I'uih,  and  Menan,  Jefferson  county,  Idaho.  At  the  latter  place  he  completed  his 
grade  school  training,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  Ricks  Acad- 
emy at  Rexburg  and  later  attended  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  Utah,  for  a 
s.milar  period.  His  further  education  took  place  in  the  great  school  of  the  world 
when  he  went  to  work  in  a  general  merchandise  store  at  Menan  and  kept  books 
while  thus  employed  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  He  served  for  one  term  as 
auditor,  recorder  and  clerk  of  the  district  court  of  Jefferson  county  before  working 
for  a  short  time  as  special  adjuster  for  the  Consolidated  Wagon  &  Machine  Com- 
pany. 

It  was  on  April  1,  1917,  that  he  became  identified  with  the  Anderson  Brothers 
Bank  at  Rigby  and  from  this  time  until  April  1,  1919,  when  he  was  made  cashier, 
he  served  there  in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper.  Mr.  Ballantyne  is  now  a  director 
and  stockholder  as  well,  while  the  other  officers  of  the  institution  are:  James  E. 
Steele,  of  Idaho  Falls,  president;  and  C.  C.  Campbell,  vice  president.  The  bank 
has  a  capital  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  with  a  surplus  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  and  six  hundjed  thousand  dollars  in  deposits.  Mr.  Ballantyne  is  also 
a  stockholder  in  the  Granite  Land  &  Live  Stock  Company,  which  owns  and  operates 
three  hundred  acres  of  ranch  land  twenty-five  miles  southeast  of  Rigby. 

On  the  9th  of  September,  1908,  Mr.  Ballantyne  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ethel  R.  Poole  and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children,  namely:  Don  Z.,  on 
May  22,  1909;  Winslow  P.,  January  17,  1912;  Vera,  March  26,  1914;  and  Alvah, 
February  19,  1916. 

Testimonial  to  Mr.  Ballantyne's  standing  in  the  community  and  to  his  profound 
business  acumen  has  been  afforded  by  the  Rigby  Commercial  Club,  which  recently 
elected  him  as  their  representative  leader  and  over  which  he  presides  conscien- 
tiously. In  politics  he  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party,  exercising  his 
influence  in  an  unofficial  manner.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  is 

Vol.  II— 24 


370  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

also  enrolled  upon  the  membership  list  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In 
matters  of  religious  import  he  has  always  taken  an  active  part  and  for  two  years 
worked  ardently  as  a  missionary  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
in  the  northern  states.  He  is  widely  known  throughout  this  section  of  the  country, 
and  his  circle  of  friends  numbers  some  of  the  state's  most  eminent  citizens. 


THOMAS  J.  KEELEN. 

Thomas  J.  Keelen  has  resided  at  Boise  for  eighteen  years  as  state  distribu- 
tor for  the  products  of  the  Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Company  of  South  Bend,  Indiana. 
He  came  to  this  city  in  1901  from  Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he  was  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1877,  being  the  only  son  of  Judge  Howard  Keelen,  who  was  born  in  Dub- 
lin, Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  Howard  and  Kate 
(Riley)  Keelen,  when  but  six  years  of  age.  The  family  home  was  established  at 
Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he  was  reared  and  spent  his  entire  life.  He  served  as 
a  colonel  in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war.  He  prepared  for  the 
practice  of  law  and  throughout  his  entire  professional  career  was  identified  with 
the  Mobile  bar.  For  several  years  he  served  as  judge  of  the  district  court  and 
made  a  notable  record  upon  the  bench  for  efficiency  and  impartiality.  He  reached 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Mary  Murphy,  was  born  in  Mobile  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  that  city  and  passed 
away  two  years  ago.  In  the  family  Thomas  J.  Keelen  was  an  only  son  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  married.  Two  are  now  living  in  Hongkong,  China, 
while  the  other  is  a  resident  of  Honolulu.  The  family  are  thus  most  widely  sepa- 
rated. 

Thomas  J.  Keelen  was  reared  in  Mobile,  pursuing  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city  and  in  the  University  of  Alabama.  In  his  early  manhood  he  managed 
his  father's  plantation  interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Mobile,  on  the  Tombigbee  river, 
and  while  still  a  resident  of  his  native  state  he  became  interested  in  various  kinds 
of  farm  machinery  and  cotton  gins.  In  1901  he  came  to  Boise  to  represent  the 
Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Company  of  South  Bend  and  continued  to  act  as  distributor 
for  that  concern  until  January  1,  1919,  not  only  in  Idaho  but  also  in  Oregon, 
Nevada  and  Utah.  He  resigned  January  1,  1919,  to  embark  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  For  a  time  he  was  distributor  for  the  state  of  Idaho  and  eastern 
Oregon  for  a  standard  line  of  tractors  and  threshers  and  had  the  largest  stock  of 
tractors  of  any  dealer  in  the  state  of  Idaho.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  best 
lines  of  filling  stations  in  Idaho  or  the  northwest,  controlling  filling  stations  in 
the  principal  towns  in  the  state.  He  has  ranch  interests  in  Washington  county 
and  his  business  affairs  have  been  most  carefully,  successfully  and  profitably  con- 
ducted. 

In  Burley,  Idaho,  on  the  9th  of  December,  1917,  Mr.  Keelen  was  married  to 
Miss  Eleanor  Brockman,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  but  was  reared  in  Weiser, 
Idaho.  They  have  one  child,  Jean,  who  was  born  October  24,  1918. 

Mr.  Keelen  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  also  has  membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  his 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church.  His  political  allegiance  is  given 
to  the  democratic  party  and  in  1894  he  served  for  a  term  as  a  member  of  the 
Alabama  legislature.  He  is  fond  of  fishing  and  motoring,  of  football  and  baseball, 
and  during  his  university  days  was  a  member  of  its  football  team. 


REV.  FRANCIS  EDWARD  FINLEY. 

Rev.  Francis  Edward  Finley  has  for  the  past  four  years  been  the  minister  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Emmett.  He  was  born  upon  a  ranch  in  Riley 
county,  Kansas,  June  16,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Susan  (Finley)  Finley,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ulster,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  while  the  latter  was  born  in 
Ontario,  Canada.  In  young  manhood  the  father  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Canada, 
settling  first  in  Ontario,  where  he  was  married.  In  1870  the  parents  removed  to 
Riley  county,  Kansas,  where  they  reared  their  family,  numbering  nine  children, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  371 

of  whom  Francis  E.  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth".  Six  of  the  number,  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  are  yet  living.  These  are:  Rev.  Richard  S.  Finley,  a 
i (tired  Methodist  minister,  now  at  Long  Beach,  California;  William,  living  at 
Rolla,  Missouri;  Mrs.  Anna  Webber,  of  Oklahoma;  Thomas  H.,  of  Oklahoma;  Rev. 
Francis  E.  Finley,  of  this  review;  and  Mrs.  Minnie  C.  Bradshaw,  of  Cedarville, 
Oklahoma.  Those  who  have  passed  away  are  Margaret,  Susan  and  John  P.  The 
first  two  died  in  childhood,  while  the  last  named  reach  adult  age.  The  father 
passed  away  when  his  son,  Francis  E.,  was  a  lad  of  but  five  years,  and  the  mother 
survived  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty. 

Re1'.  Finley,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  reared  upon  the  honii 
farm  in  Riley  county,  Kansas.  His  mother  was  then  a  widow  and  he  assisted  her 
largely  in  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  entered  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  of  Manhattan,  where  he 
studied  for  a  year.  He  afterward  spent  four  years  at  the  Baker  University  of 
Baldwin,  Kansas,  and  was  there  graduated  in  1900.  While  attending  there  he 
studied  theology  to  some  extent  in  connection  with  other  branches  and  began 
preaching  locally  while  still  a  college  student.  On  account  of  failing  health  he 
afterward  spent  several  years  in  Oklahoma,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  while 
recuperating.  In  1905  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  Oklahoma,  being  ordained  in 
the  city  of  Alva,  Oklahoma,  in  1908.  Since  1905  he  has  given  his  attention  steadily 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  accepting  a  pastorate  in  Kaw,  Oklahoma,  while  for 
three  years  he  was  also  located  at  Hydro,  Oklahoma,  and  for  three  years  did 
pastoral  work  in  New  Mexico.  He  has  been  in  Idaho  for  ten  years,  spending  four 
years  of  that  time  at  Filer  and  two  years  at  Burley.  Since  1916  he  has  been  at 
Emmett.  He  built  churches  at  both  Filer  and  Burley  and  he  has  raised  a  big  debt 
on  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Emmett,  which  by  reason  of  the  efforts 
of  Rev.  Finley  is  now  free  from  all  indebtedness.  He  has  labored  untiringly  in 
the  interests  of  the  cause  wherever  he  has  served  as  pastor  and  his  efforts  have 
been  attended  with  splendid  results  in  the  organization  of  the  church  work  and 
in  the  influence  which  he  has  had  over  the  spiritual  development  of  his  parishioners. 

Rev.  Finley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nannie  Whitworth  and  they  are 
parents  of  two  children:  Frances  Fay,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Emmett  high 
school  with  the  class  of  1918  and  is  now  attending  the  Willamette  University  of 
Oregon;  and  Forest  Everett,  eleven  years  of  age,  now  an  eighth  grade  pupil  in  the 
Emmett  schools. 

Rev.  Finley  is  a  Master  Mason  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  His  activities  have  been  a  potent  element  for  intel- 
lectual and  moral  progress.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  sympathy  and  understanding 
whose  high  purpose  is  combined  with  tact  and  to  whom  many  look  as  a  guide  and 
counselor. 


NOFEAR  DAVIS. 

Nofear  Davis,  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company, 
is  thus  active  in  control  of  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  interests  of  Bing- 
ham  county.  He  was  born  in  Montpelier,  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  March  13, 
1866,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  C.  (Lesueur)  Davis,  the  former  a  native  of 
England,  while  the  latter  was  born  on  the  isle  of  Jersey.  The  father  came  to 
America  in  early  life  and  made  his  way  to  Utah,  where  he.  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing and  farming  until  about  1862,%rhen  he  established  his  home  at  Montpelier, 
Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  where  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  until  1879, 
when  he  went  to  Arizona,  spending  a  year  at  Mesa.  He  then  took  up  his  abode 
at  St.  Johns,  Arizona,  where  he  purchased  land,  and  in  connection  with  the  devel- 
opment of  the  place  he  operated  a  stage  and  mail  route.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  in  that  state  until  1904,  when  he  returned  to  Idaho  and  located  at 
Basalt,  Bingham  county,  where  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  days.  He  departed 
this  life  in  1913  but  the  mother  is  still  living  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Black- 
foot. 

Nofear  Davis  spent  his  early  youth  in  Monfpelier,  Idaho,  to  the  age  of  twelve 
yenrs,  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Arizona.  He  continued  under  the 
parental  roof  until  twenty-five  years  of  age  when  he  began  clerking  in  a  store  at 


372  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

St.  Johns,  Arizona,  and  was  thus  employed  until  1904.  He  then  engaged  in  gen- 
eral merchandising  on  his  own  account  at  Basalt  and  remained  at  that  place  for 
two  years.  He  next  came  to  Blackfoot  and  was  made  manager  of  the  branch  of 
the  Shelley  Mercantile  Company  at  this  place.  In  1911,  in  company  with  others, 
he  organized  the  Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company  and  purchased  the  stock  of  the 
Shelley  Mercantile  Company.  He  has  since  been  the  treasurer  and  manager  of  the 
Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company,  which  now  carries  a  very  extensive  stock  and  en- 
joys a  large  patronage.  The  company  has  ever  held  to  the  higb«st  commercial 
ethics  and  has  maintained  the  most  advanced  standards  in  relation  to  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  house,  to  the  line  of  goods  carried  and  to  the  treatment  accorded 
patrons.  The  business  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  larger  size,  and  its 
success  and  advancement  are  attributable  in  no  small  measure  to  the  efforts  of 
the  manager.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Black- 
foot  City  Bank,  which  he  aided  in  organizing.  He  owns  farm  land  which  he  now 
rents,  and  altogether  his  business  interests  are*  of  a  most  extensive  and  important 
character. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1891,  Mr.  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Signa 
A.  Jacobson  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  sur- 
vive, namely:  John  L.,  and  Orson  P.,  both  of  whom  assist  their  father  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  store;  Anna  J.;  Lloyd  A.;  Reed  William;  Lola  A.;  Clifford  L. ;  and 
Vilate  E.  Those  deceased  are  Emma  and  Donald  Nofear. 

Mr.  Davis  has  always  remained  a  consistent  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  is  now  second  counselor  to  the  president  of  the 
Blackfoot  stake,  James  Duckworth.  He  has  also  held  other  offices  in  the  church. 
In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  republican  and  acted  -as  precinct  chairman  and  county 
chairman  of  the  republican  committee.  He  served  for  two  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  and  is  now  president  of  the  school  board,  the  cause  of  education 
finding  in  him  a  stalwart  champion  who  is  most  loyal  to  the  cause  of  public  educa- 
tion and  who  in  all  matters  of  citizenship  stands  firmly  for  advancement  and  im- 
provement. 


CLYDE  A.  GLOUGIE. 

Clyde  A.  Glougie  is  actively  connected  with  real  estate  operations  and  manufactur- 
ing interests  in  the  northwest,  making  his  home  at  Nampa.  The  nature  and  extent  of 
his  activities  show  him  to  be  a  forceful  and  resourceful  man  whose  keen  sagacity  enables 
him  to  readily  recognize  opportunities,  while  his  initiative  is  carrying  him  steadily  to 
a  position  of  leadership  in  both  lines  of  business  to  which  he  is  giving  his  attention. 
Mr.  Glougie  is  a  native  son  of  Iowa.  He  was  born  at  Corning,  that  state,  February  27, 
1876,  and  supplemented  his  common  school  education,  obtained  at  Cedar  Falls,  by  two 
years'  study  in  the  state  normal.  In  1891  he  obtained  a  teacher's  certificate  and  for 
two  years  thereafter  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Nodaway,  Iowa,  subsequent 
to  which  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  live  stock  business,  in  which  he  engaged  at 
Corning  for  sixteen  years. 

In  1918  Mr.  Glougie  arrived  in  Nampa  and  purchased  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  sugar  beet  lands  where  the  Carnation  condensery  is  now  located.  His  brother,  C. 
H.  Glougie,  was  interested  with  him  in  this  purchase.  He  soon  afterward  became  con- 
nected with  the  Coin  Controlled  Locker  Company,  Limited,  of  which  he  is  the  president, 
with  W.  C.  Dewey  as  vice  president  and  C.  H.  Glougie  as  treasurer.  The  lock  was 
patented  by  S.  L.  Flower  of  Nampa  and  its  us^will  eliminate  straight  key  locks.  By 
a  very  simple  arrangement  the  lock  is  so  constructed  that  the  combination  can  be 
changed  by  the  user  at  will,  making  it  impossible  for  a  lock  picker  to  opes^it.  It  can 
be  used  for  any  purpose  where  locks  are  necessary,  from  an  automobile  to  safety 
deposit  boxes.  When  the  lock  is  used  for  hotel  purposes,  the  guest  upon  leaving  his 
room  can  set  the  combination  so  that  no  one,  neither  proprietor  nor  chambermaid,  can 
enter  the  room.  The  heads  of  the  railroad  companies  who  are  acquainted  with  the  lock 
are  ready  to  install  it  in  their  depot  lockers  for  the  benefit  of  the  traveling  public.  The 
baggage  locker  has  an  automatic  device  which  tells  exactly  the  number  of  times  the 
locker  has  been  opened,  and  the  number  of  coins  which  have  been  dropped  into  the 
locker  are  registered  in  plain  sight,  making  it  impossible  to  beat  the  machine.  Glougie 
Brothers  established  a  factory  under  the  name  of  the  Milwaukee  Machine  &  Model 


QLYDE  A.  GLOUGIE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  375 

Works.  Incorporated,  at  Milwaukee,  Oregon,  with  Clyde  A.  Glougie  as  president  of 
the  company  and  C.  H.  Glougie,  secretary  and  treasurer.  They  expect  to  have  the 
lock  on  the  market  when  this  goes  to  issue.  This  invention  Is  expected  to  revolution- 
ize the  lock  industry  of  the  world.  Mr.  Glougie  has  the  confidence  of  all  who  are 
associated  with  him  and  the  record  of  his  past  business  performances  is  a  proof  that 
the  word  failure  has  been  omitted  from  his  vocabulary. 

Glougie  Brothers  are  men  of  broad  business  experience  and  are  constantly  in 
touch  with  all  the  big  things  that  are  being  done  in  the  outside  business  world.  Clyde 
A.  Glougie  has  traveled  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  United  States  and 
through  his  knowledge  of  business  conditions  in  other  states  he  has  been  able  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunities  in  the  way  of  investments  that  have  more  than  Justified 
his  judgment  in  their  financial  returns.  He  anticipated  the  great  cotton  production 
in  Arizona  and  bought  land  there  while  others  were  thinking  about  it.  The  ad- 
vanced value  of  his  holdings  there  constitutes  a  substantial  fortune.  He  has  been  a 
great  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  Nampa  and  was  in  no  small  degree  instrumental  in 
making  Nampa  the  location  of  the  Carnation  Milk  Products  Company  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, for  their  condensery  plant,  which  was  erected  at  an  expenditure  of  nearly  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  value  of  this  plant  to  Nampa  and  the  state 
can  scarcely  be  overestimated.  As  mentioned  above,  the  plant  is  located  on  land  pur- 
chased by  C.  A.  Glougie  and  his  brother.  These  two  established  a  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Nampa  which  has  grown  to  large  proportions.  The  brothers  each  own  a 
stock  ranch  and  are  thereon  engaged  in  raising  both  sheep  and  cattle. 

In  1901  Clyde  A.  Glougie  was  married  to  Miss  Dora  Miller,  of  Corning,  Iowa. 
They  have  three  children:  Doris  O.,  who  is  attending  high  school;  Helen  E.  and 
Gladys,  who  have  been  attending  St.  Margaret's.  Mr.  Glougie  is  yet  a  comparatively 
young  man,  but  notable  business  enterprise  and  keen  sagacity  have  carried  him  Into 
most  important  relations  and  the  character  of  his  labors  has  made  his  contribution 
to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Nampa  a  most  important  one.  There  have  been 
no  esoteric  phases  in  his  career,  nothing  sinister  and  nothing  to  conceal.  His  success 
is  the  direct  outcome  of  labor  and  keen  intelligence,  with  a  recognition  of  the  fact 
that,  as  a  modern  philosopher  has  expressed  it,  "Success  does  not  depend  upon  a  map 
but  upon  a  time-table." 


WALTER  J.   EASTON. 

One  of  the  attractive  commercial  establishments  of  Emmett  is  the  jewelry  and 
music  house  of  Walter  J.  Easton,  who  has  developed  a  gratifying  trade  along  both 
lines  and  now  has  a  well  appointed  store,  carrying  a  large  and  carefully  selected  line 
of  goods.  Mr.  Easton  was  born  at  St.  Charles,  Minnesota,  September  28,  1858. 
and  is  a  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary  (Covey)  Easton,  who  were  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts and  New  York  respectively.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Easton  of  this  review  was  reared  near  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  the  town 
of  Orion,  Henry  county,  where  his  father  conducted  a  confectionery  store  after 
having  retired  from  shoemaking  following  the  introduction  of  machinery  for  the 
manufacture  of  shoes.  After  putting  aside  his  textbooks  Walter  J.  Easton  learned 
the  jeweler's  trade  at  Geneseo,  Henry  county,  Illinois,  beginning  work  when  a 
youth  of  seventeen.  He  spent  three  years  as  an  apprentice  and  then  established  a 
jewelry  business  of  his  own  in  his  home  town  of  Orion.  Throughout  the  inter- 
vening years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  jewelry  trade,  carrying  on  business 
on  hte  own  account  since  1877  save  for  a  few  brief  intervals.  After  leaving  Orion 
he  spent  two  years  as  a  jeweler  at  Milbank,  South  Dakota,  two  and  a  half  years 
at  Sedgwick,  Kansas,  three  years  at  Republican  City,  Nebraska,  and  for  about  nine 
months  was  engaged  in  other  pursuits  in  the  Black  Hills.  Later  he  established  a 
jewelry  store  at  Superior,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  in  business  for  fourteen 
years  or  from  1891  until  1905.  In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Emmett,  where  he 
has  now  made  his  home  for  a  decade  and  a  half.  The  Easton  jewelry  store  is  the 
oldest  establishment  of  the  kind  in  Emmett  and  he  carries  an  attractive  line  of 
goods.  He  is,  moreover,  a  registered  optometrist  and  his  store  also  includes  a  large 
line  of  musical  instruments,  including  pianos,  piano  players  and  the  Victor  and  Edi- 
son talking  machines. 


3J6  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mr.  Easton  has  been  married  twice.  At  Orion,  Illinois,  in  1881,  he  wedded 
Addie  Morrow,  who  passed  away  in  1885,  leaving  two  sons,  Earl  and  James,  both 
now  grown  to  manhood  and  residing  in  Nebraska.  On  the  13th  of  June,  1889,  Mr. 
Easton  wedded  Miss  Elvira  Crookham,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  June  13, 
1868,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  (DeVore)  Crookham,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio  respectively. 

Mrs.  Easton  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  while  Mr.  Easton  belongs  to 
the  Universalist  church.  Both  give  their  political  allegiance  to  the  republican 
party.  Fraternally  Mr.  Easton  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  both  lodge  and 
encampment,  and  his  wife  is  connected  with  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  She  is  a 
past  noble  grand  in  that  order  and  she  also  has  membership  in  the  Woman's  Re- 
lief Corps.  She  is  likewise  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution,  for  among  her  ancestors  were  those  who  fought  for  the  independence 
of  the  nation.  Mr.  Easton  is  fond  of  outdoor  sports  such  as  hunting  and  fishing, 
to  which  he  turns  for  recreation.  He  and  his  wife  own  a  beautiful  apple  orchard 
a  mile  from  Emmett,  which  is  now  thirteen  years  old,  being  planted  in  the  spring 
of  1907.  They  raise  Delicious  and  King  David  apples  and  produce  some  of  the 
finest  fruit  of  this  section.  Since  coming  to  Idaho  they  have  made  substantial  prog- 
ress in  a  financial  way  and  they  have  found  most  pleasant  associations  here,  their 
sterling  worth  of  character  gaining  for  them  many  friends. 


JOSEPH  P.  DION. 

Joseph  P.  Dion,  of  Emmett,  who  for  a  long  period  was  a  mill  builder  by  occu- 
pation, is  now  the  owner  of  a  large  furniture  store  in  Emmett  and  is  making  sub- 
stantial progress  in  his  mercantile  venture.  Already  he  has  won  a  substantial 
measure  of  success  since  starting  in  this  field.  He  is  yet  a  comparatively  young 
man,  being  only  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and  he  has  devoted  twenty-two  years 
of  his  life  to  the  business  of  building  sawmills,  during  which  period  he  erected 
thirty-one  sawmills,  five  of  these  being  among  the  largest  plants  of  the  kind  in 
Idaho. 

Mr.  Dion  is  a  native  of  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada.  He  was  born  April 
4,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  Pierre  and  Celina  (Chotte)  Dion,  both  of  whom  were 
French  Canadians.  On  crossing  the  border  they  located  in  Minneapolis,  Minne- 
sota, their  son,  Joseph  P.,  being  then  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  During  his  youth 
he  was  employed  at  construction  work  in  the  woods  and  in  sawmills  and  he  may 
be  said  to  have  grown  up  in  sawmills,  for  from  an  early  age  he  spent  much  time 
around  plants  of  this  character,  more  and  more  largely  acquiring  a  knowledge  of 
the  business.  For  eighteen  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  W.  A.  Wilkinson,  a 
prominent  sawmill  builder  of  Minneapolis,  who  passed  away  in  1914,  at  which 
time  Mr.  Dion  became  his  successor  in  the  building  of  sawmills.  His  experience 
had  been  broad  and  varied  and  he  had  gained  intimate  and  accurate  knowledge  of 
every  phase  of  the  business  through  practical  training.  He  has  been  awarded  the 
contracts  for  some  of  the  largest  sawmills  erected  in  the  northwest  and  the  larg- 
est in  Idaho.  He  built  in  Idaho  the  Barber  mill,  also  the  Emmett  mill  and  the 
Potlatch  mill,  which  are  the  three  largest  plants  of  the  kind  in  the  state.  He  had 
become  recognized  as  the  foremost  representative  of  this  line  of  work  in  Idaho 
and  when  on  the  1st  of  January,  1917,  he  retired  from  business  operations  of  that 
kind  he  purchased  his  present  fine  furniture  store  in  Emmett — a  store  that  in 
every  way  is  equal  to  similar  establishments  in  the  larger  cities.  Emmett  may 
well  be  proud  to  have  a  store  of  this  character  in  her  midst.  He  carries  a  large 
and  carefully  selected  line  of  goods  and  his  business  methods  are  such  as  com- 
mend him  to  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  public. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1911,  Mr.  Dion  was  married  in  Minneapolis,  Minne- 
sota, to  Miss  Mary  Magdalene  Riedel,  who  had  been  a  close  friend  of  his  sister, 
Ida  Dion,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Earl  Stewart.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dion  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church.  She  is  an  accomplished  singer — a  member  of  the  church 
choir. 

Mr.  Dion  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  also  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  His  political  allegiance 
is  given  to  the  republican  party,  but  he  has  never  sought  or  .desired  office,  prefer- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  377 

ring  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs:  He  has 
ever  displayed  determination  and  energy  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  rapid  as  well  as  accurate  mill  builders  of  the  United  States.  Something  of 
the  volume  of  the  business  which  he  controlled  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he 
employed  at  times  from  one  hundred  to  six  hundred  men  in  the  erection  of  the 
large  sawmills  for  which  he  received  the  contracts.  He  had  the  ability  to  systema- 
tize the  work  and  in  all  things  has  been  methodical  as  well  as  enterprising,  so  that 
he  has  been  able  to  produce  a  maximum  result  with  a  minimum  expenditure  of 
time,  labor  and  material.  This  is  the  secret  of  all  business  success — a  fact  which 
Mr.  Dion  early  learned.  He  had  no  college  training.  His  lessons  were  learned  in 
the  school  of  experience  and  were  of  a  most  practical  character.  He  early  learned 
what  energy  and  determination  are  worth  in  the  active  affairs  of  life  and  upon 
these  qualities  he  has  builded  his  success,  pushing  steadily  forward  to  the  desired 
goal. 


JAMES  DUCKWORTH. 

James  Duckworth,  vice  president  of  the  Blackfoot  City  Bank  and  also  presi- 
dent of  the  Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company,  is  a  most  progressive  business  man  who 
readily  recognizes  and  utilizes  the  opportunities  offered  in  the  growing  northwest 
Nor  has  his  attention  been  confined  wholly  to  business  affairs.  He  has  ever  rec- 
ognized his  duties  and  obligations  in  citizenship  and  in  connection  with  the  moral 
development  of  the  community  and  he  is  the  president  of  the  Blackfoot  stake  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

He  was  born  in  Preston,  Lancashire,  England,  November  10,  1865,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Alice  (Chippendale)  Duckworth,  who  were  also  natives  of  Eng- 
land. The  father  is  a  miller  by  trade  and  was  employed  in  the  cotton  mills  of  his 
native  country  for  many  years.  Later  he  went  to  Australia  and  afterward  to  New 
Zealand,  where  he  has  been  employed  in  connection  with  the  lumber  business  for  a 
considerable  period.  He  has  now  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He  and 
his  wife  separated  and  the  mother  of  James  Duckworth  came  to  America  with  her 
children  in  1880.  She  made  her  way  westward  to  Taylorsville,  Utah,  and-  the  fol- 
lowing year  she  became  the  wife  of  William  Beardshall  and  removed  to  Fairfield. 
Later  she  became  a  resident  of  Prove  and  from  that  city  went  to  Salt  Lake,  where 
she  resided  throughout  her  remaining  days,  her  death  there  occurring  October 
16,  1913. 

Barnes  Duckworth  spent  his  early  youth  in  England  and  afterward  accompanied 
his  mother  to  Utah.  His  early  education,  acquired  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land,  was  supplemented  by  study  in  the  State  University  at  Salt  Lake  and  some 
years  later  he  attended  the  Latter-day  Saints  College.  When  his  textbooks  were 
put  aside  he  engaged  in  sheep  raising  in  connection  with  his  brother-in-law,  Peter 
G.  Johnston,  and  they  were  thus  active  representatives  of  the  sheep  industry  in 
Utah  and  Idaho  for  twenty-two  years.  Mr.  Duckworth  made  his  home  in  Salt  Lake 
City  until  August,  1907,  when  he  came  to  Blackfoot,  where  he  continued  in  the 
sheep  business  until  1914,  when  he  sold  out.  In  the  meantime  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  Blackfoot  Mercantile  Company  as  one  of  its  organizers  and  promoters 
and  from  the  beginning  has  served  as  its  president.  This  company  has  developed 
one  of  the  large  commercial  enterprises  of  the  city  and  the  business  is  one  of  sub- 
stantial and  gratifying  proportions.  Mr.  Duckworth  was  alsjo  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Blackfoot  City  Bank,  which  was  established  in  July,  1916,  and  from  the 
beginning  he  has  been  its  vice  president,  the  other  officers  being  John  C.  Millick, 
president,  and  George  A.  Anderson,  cashier.  The  bank  is  capitalized  for  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  and  has  a  surplus  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  deposits  amounting  to  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  From  the  beginning  it  has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  existence, 
its  business  steadily  growing  as  the  result  of  the  sound  judgment  and  enterprise  dis- 
played by  its  officers.  Mr.  Duckworth  has  also  engaged  in  farming  continuously  since 
coming  to  Idaho  and  still  owns  farm  property  adjoining  the  city.  While  in  the  sheep 
business  he  made  a  specialty  of  handling  high  grade  Rambouillets  and  did  not  a  little  to 
improve  the  grade  of  sheep  raised  in  this  section  of  the  state.  In  every  field  of  activity  in 
which  he  has  labored  he  has  proved  forceful  and  resourceful,  and  his  energies  have 
brought  him  prominently  to  the  front  as  a  leading  business  man. 


378  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1892,  Mr.  Duckworth  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hanson  and  they  have  adopted  and  reared  four  children,  namely: 
Roxie,  Muriel,  James  and  Rex.  Mr.  Duckworth  has  long  been  a  valued  and  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  In  April,  1894, 
he  went  to  England  on  a  mission  for  the  church  and  there  remained  until  June, 
1896.  He  afterward  went  to  Mercur,  Utah,  in  August,  1899,  as  a  missionary,  con- 
tinuing there  until  July,  1900.  In  July,  1901,  he  and  his  wife  went  to  Australia, 
where  he  was  called  to  preside  over  the  Australian  mission,  returning  in  July,  1906. 
At  the  time  of  coming  to  Blackfoot  he  was  called  here  by  the  church  to  preside  over 
this  stake.  Politically  he  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  state  and 
county  conventions,  his  opinions  carrying  considerable  weight  in  the  party  coun- 
cils. In  1910  he  built  a  fine  modern  brick  home  in  Blackfoot  on  land  that  was  all 
sagebrush  when  it  came  into  his  possession  and  is  now  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Duckworth  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  resi- 
dents of  this  part  of  Idaho.  Laudable  ambition  has  prompted  him  at  every  step 
in  his  career  and  untiring  energy  has  been  one  of  his  dominant  qualities.  He  has 
the  faculty  of  discriminating  readily  between  the  essential  and  the  non-essential 
in  all  business  affairs,  and  quickly  discarding  the  latter,  he  utilizes  the  former  to 
its  full  advantage  and  step  by  step  he  has  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  now 
occupies  a  most  enviable  position  in  commercial,  financial  and  religious  circles. 


HON.   ROBERT   NORMAN   BELL. 

Hon.  Robert  Norman  Bell,  of  Boise,  inspector  of  mines  for  the  state  of  Idaho,  was 
born  in  the  north  of  England,  February  16,  1864.  His  father,  James  Bell,  was  a  me- 
chanic and  both  he  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bell,  have  now  passed  away,  neither 
ever  having  come  to  the  United  States.  Robert  N.  was  an  only  son  but  has  two  sisters 
who  are  now  residents  of  Boston.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  England  in  his 
boyhood  days  and  came  to  the  United  States  alone  when  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  to 
make  his  fortune.  He  first  spent  a  year  and  a  half  on  a  tobacco  farm  in  Rock  county. 
Wisconsin,  and  then  resumed  his  westward  journey,  traveling  to  Montana.  He  spent 
two  years  in  that  territory  engaged  in  railroad  tunnel  and  coal  mining  work.  He  was 
but  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  arrived  there  and  in  1884,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty  years,  he  came  to  Idaho. 

Mr.  Bell  first  took  up  his  abode  in  Lemhi  county,  where  he  spent  twelve  years 
engaged  in  gold  mining,  prospecting  and  general  development  wofk.  During  this  period 
he  completed  a  course  in  geology  and  mineralogy  through  the  International  Cor- 
respondence School  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  For  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been 
a  constant  contributor  to  the  eastern  mining  journals  and  press  on  topics  relating 
to  mining  interests  and  conditions  of  the  west.  In  1902  he  was  elected  mining  inspector 
of  Idaho  on  the  state  republican  ticket,  at  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of  Custer 
county,  where  he  had  engaged  in  mining.  With  the  exception  of  two  years,  1909  and 
1910,  he  has  since  held  the  office  of  state  mine  inspector  and  has  been  elected  to  the 
position  eight  times,  on  each  occasion  receiving  a  larger  majority  than  at  the  previous 
election,  and  since  1902  he  has  never  been  defeated  for  the  office.  In  1908  he  refused 
to  again  become  a  candidate  in  order  that  he  might  turn  his  attention  to  fruit  farm- 
ing, but  two  years  at  that  satisfied  his  ambition  along  that  line.  In  1910,  therefore, 
he  again  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  state  mine  inspector,  was  reelected  and 
has  since  been  chosen  for  the  office  by  popular  suffrage  at  each  biennial  period.  His 
majorities  have  been  the  largest  ever  accorded  any  candidate  for  a  state  office  in  Idaho 
and  at  the  last  election,  when  all  democratic  candidates  but  three  were  elected,  his 
majority  was  over  eight  thousand.  He  is  the  author  of  a  volume  entitled  "Mining 
Industry  of  Idaho"  and  has  issued  the  annual  reports  from  1903  until  1918  save  in  the 
years  1909  and  1910,  when  he  was  out  of  office. 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1903,  Mr.  Bell  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  F.  Stevens, 
a  daughter  of  Judge  F.  S.  Stevens,  of  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  they  have  become  the 
parents  of  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Fred  and  Bessie,  aged  respectively  twelve  and  fourteen 
years.  Mr.  Bell  has  an  attractive  suburban  home  on  the  Boise  Bench,  four  miles  from 
the  city,  his  place  comprising  ten  acres  of  valuable  land.  It  is  a  fine  estate  on  which 


HON.  ROBERT  N.  BELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  381 

he  has  made  many  modern  improvements,  including  the  erection  of  a  beautiful  dwelling. 
Mr.  Bell  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  fraternally  is  a  Mason.  In 
these  associations  are  found  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct  and  shape  his  course 
in  relation  to  his  fellowmen.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club, 
while  along  scientific  lines  he  has  membership  with  the  Idaho  Mining  Association, 
the  Mine  Inspectors'  Institute  of  the  United  States,  the  tltah  Society  of  Engineers,  the 
Idaho  Society  of  Engineers  and  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  in  which 
membership  indicates  high  professional  standing  and  marked  personal  ability  as  a 
representative  of  the  great  mining  industry. 


BENJAMIN  W.   DRIGGS. 

Benjamin  W.  Driggs,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  the  town  of  Driggs, 
Teton  county,  was  born  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  January  31,  1858,  his  parents 
being  Benjamin  W.  and  Olivia  (Pratt)  Driggs,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  of 
England  respectively,  the  mother's  birth  having  occurred  in  England  while  her 
parents  were  on  a  visit  in  that  country.  The  maternal  grandfather,  living  at  Nauvpo, 
Illinois,  made  wagons  for  the  pioneer  Mormons  tp  use  in  crossing  the  plains  to 
Utah.  Benjamin  W.  Driggs,  Sr.,  made  the  long  trip  with  ox  team  and  wagon  to 
this  state  in  company  with  his  parents  in  1851,  the  family  home  being  established 
at  Pleasant  Grove.  After  reaching  man's  estate  Benjamin  W.  Driggs,  Sr.,  took 
up  the  business  of  merchandising  and  resided  at  Pleasant  Grove  throughout  his 
remaining  days.  He  was,  however,  in  Ogden  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  1,  1913,  when  he  had  reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-six 
years,  his  birth  having  occurred  June  12,  1827.  The  mother,  who  was  born  June 
1,  1841,  died  in  1906.  In  their  family  were  twelve  children.  Mrs.  Driggs  was  a 
daughter  of  Parley  P.  Pratt,  one  of  the  first  apostles  of  the  church  and  a  most 
prominent  representative  of  the  Mormon  people,  being  connected  through  much 
of  his  life  with  the  direction  of  missionary  labors. 

Benjamin  W.  Driggs  was  reared  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  and  after  attending 
school  there  continued  his  education  in  the.  University  of  Utah  at  Salt  Lake  City 
and  in  the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Provo.  He  then  went  to  Michigan  and  entered 
the  state  university  at  Ann  Arbor  for  the  study  of  law,  being  there  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1886.  He  afterward  opened  an  office  and  engaged  in  law  practice  at 
Prove  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where 
he  continued  in  the  active  work  of  his  profession  for  fifteen  years,  being  there  asso- 
ciated with  LeGrand  Ydting.  In  1888  he  arrived  in  Teton  county,  then  a  part  of 
Bingham,  county,  to  look  over  the  country  but  did  not  locate  permanently  until 
1891.  Here  he  homesteaded  and  for  some  time  continued  in  the  practice  of  law. 
Following  the  death  of  his  wife,  however,  he  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he 
again  engaged  in  law  practice  until  1907,  when  he  once  more  established  his  home 
at  Driggs  and  resumed  his  law  practice.  He  is  a  distinguished  and  able  member 
of  the  Idaho  bar  who  prepares  his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  care  and 
presents  his  cause  in  a  most  clear  and  cogent  manner.  He  has  been  connected  with 
much  of  the  important  litigation  tried  in  the  courts  of  this  district  in  recent  years 
and  the  court  records  bear  evidence  of  his  ability  in  the  many  favorable  verdicts 
which  he  has  won.  He  has  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  two  years  and  was 
the  first  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  Teton  valley.  He  also  served  as  the  first  vil- 
lage attorney  and  occupied  the  position  for  several  years.  v  In  addition  to  his  law 
practice  he  has  farming  interests  and  cultivates  three  hundred  acres  of  land  about 
four  miles  from  Driggs,  where  he  likewise  engages  in  dairying.  He  also  owns  city 
property,  but  the  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention  is  given  to  his  law  practice, 
which  is  now  extensive  and  of  an  important  character.  At  the  present  writing  he 
is  serving  as  attorney  for  the  Teton  National  Bank. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1880,  Mr.  Driggs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mis> 
Olive  Harrington,  a  daughter  of  Bishop  Leonard  E.  Harrington,  of  American  Fork, 
Utah.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Lois  Lenora,  who 
\vas  born  October  29,  1881,  and  is  the  wife  of  George  E.  Steele,  of  Salt  Lake  City; 
Jean  H.,  who  was  born  November  1,  1892,  and  is  a  civil  engineer  of  Salt  Lake  City; 
Reve,  who  was  born  August  20,  1883,  and  passed  away  April  26,  1890;  Elliott  Ben 


382  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

jamin,  whose  birth  occurred  March  20,  1889,  and  who  died  on  the  3d  of  April,  1890. 
The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  5th  of  February,  1893,  and 
on  the  25th  of  June,  1894,  Mr.  Driggs  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Elizabeth  Langton.  To  them  have  been  born  twelve  children,  namely:  Gordon 
L.,  whose  birth  occurred  January  15,  1896;  Byron  D.,  born  October  20,  1897;  Leon- 
ard E.,  whose  natal  day  was  December  12,  1898;  Milton  V.,  who  was  born  May  15, 
1900,  and  died  the  following  day;  Melvin  P.,  born  July  5,  1901;  Ella  M.,  born  Octo- 
ber 24,  1902;  Zoram  U.,  born  December  14,  1904;  Irving  M.,  born  August  25,  1906; 
Olivia  E.,  who  was  born  May  3,  1909,  and  died  July  15,  1910;  Ruth  B.,  born  Novem- 
ber 15,  1911;  Ronald  W.,  born  August  17,  1913;  and  Fred  G.,  who 'was  born  on  the 
7th  of  August,  1915. 

Mr.  Drjggs  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and 
is  one  of  the  Quorum  of  Seventy.  He  has  held  various  other  offices  in  the  church 
and  he  has  also  been  an  active  factor  in  political  circles  as  a  supporter  of  the  demo- 
cratic party.  On  one  occasion  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  state  legislature  but  was 
defeated.  The  offices  which  he  has  filled  have  been  largely  in  the  line  of  his  pro- 
fession, in  which  he  has  made  a  most  excellent  record. 


W.   HARRISON   HOMER. 

A  young  business  man  of  Jefferson  county  who  has  risen  from  a  messenger  boy 
to  a  position  of  importance  and  responsibility  in  the  banking  circles  of  his  section 
is  W.  Harrison  Homer,  who  became  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ririe 
and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  Russell  K. 
and  Eliza  (Williamson)  Homer,  the  former  of  whom  was  originally  from  the  Em- 
pire state  and  the  latter  from  Utah.  The  grandfather  migrated  to  Utah  in  1859 
and  was  a  rancher  near  Salt  Lake  City  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he  removed 
to  the  northern  part  of  the  state  and  there  carried  on  agricultural  operations  until 
he  located  in  Clarkston,  Utah,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  February,  1893.  His  son,  Russell  K.  Homer,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work  and  who  is  the  father  of  W.  Harrison  Homer,  was  born  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  July  6,  1859.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Clarkston,  Utah,  and  when 
he  reached  his  majority  began  farming  independently  in  that  neighborhood.  Later, 
in  1891,  he  came  to  Idaho,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he  has  followed  the  life 
of  an  agriculturist  in  the  counties  of  Jefferson  and  Bonneville.  In  the  spring  of 
1919  he  gave  up  farming  on  a  large  scale  and  is  now  living  in  semi-retirement  one 
mile  east  of  Idaho  Falls  in  Bonneville  county.  In  June,  1881,  he  was  married  to 
Eleanor  M.  Atkinson  and  to  them  have  been  born  nine  children,  of  whom  the  sixth 
in  order  of  birth  is  W.  Harrison,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

W.  Harrison  Homer  was  born  in  Rigby,  Jefferson  county,  Idaho,  November  5, 
1891,  and  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  On  the 
completion  of  his  course  he  entered  the  employ  of  Walker  Brothers  Bank  of  Salt 
Lake  City  as  a  messenger  boy.  Here  it  was  soon  discovered  that  he  had  marked 
ability  and  a  strong  aptitude  for  the  banking  business,  and  in  the  course  of  time 
he  became  manager  of  the  clearing  house  of  that  financial  institution.  On  March 
30,  1915,  he  left  the  employ  of  this  bank  to  accept  the  position  of  paying  and  re- 
ceiving teller  in  Thatcher  Brothers  Bank  at  Logan,  Utah,  where  he  remained  until 
September  30,  1916.  On  that  date  he  resigned  to  assist  in  the  organization  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Ririe,  Idaho,  of  which  he  was  made  cashier,  and  he  is  still 
serving  in  this  capacity.  Besides  Mr.  Homer  the  other  officers  of  the  bank  at  this 
time  are  R.  J.  Comstock,  Sr.,  president,  and  R.  E.  Harris,  vice-president.  Since  its 
organization  the  bank,  which  has  a  capital  stock  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  has 
enjoyed  a  growth  which  has  far  exceeded  the  expectations  of  its  organizers,  a  fact 
readily  discernible  in  its  most  recent  statement.  Its  surplus  and  undivided  profits 
total  five  thousand,  five  hundred  sixty-two  dollars  and  sixty-one  cents  and  its  de- 
posits, one  hundred  forty  thousand,  two  hundred  thirty-five  dollars  and  seventy- 
five  cents.  It  was  only  one  year  and  seven  months  after  the  bank  had  opened  its 
doors  for  business  that  the  first  dividend  was  paid  and  the  most  recent  dividend 
paid  to  the  owners  totaled  eight  per  cent  of  the  capital  stock.  The  business,  which 
was  begun  under  such  favorable  portents,  is  now  carried  on  in  a  fine  new  bank 
building  which  was  erected  in  1916.  Besides  his  banking  interests  in  Ririe  Mr. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  383 

Homer  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Idaho  Falls  National  Bank  at  Idaho  Falls  and  in  the 
Jefferson  National  Bank  at  Rigby.  He  also  devotes  much  time  to  other  important 
enterprises,  being  a  stockholder  in  the  Jefferson  Milling  Company  of  Rirle  and 
in  a  new  bonded  warehouse  company  which  is  now  being  organized  in  Idaho  Falls. 
Furthermore  Mr.  Homer  and  three  of  his  brothers  are  carrying  on  extensive  agri- 
cultural operations  in  Bonneville  county.  At  present  they  are  dry  farming  a  two- 
thousand-acre  tract  and  are  feeding  twelve  hundred  sheep  and  forty-five  head  of 
milch  cows.  It  is  their  intention  to  enter  the  livestock  business  on  a  more  intensive 
scale  by  specializing  in  the  breeding  of  pureblood  sheep  and  cattle.  In  November, 
1919,  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Home  Real  Estate  Company,  being  associated 
In  this  venture  with  John  M.  Homer  and  Joseph  D.  Armstrong. 

On  June  22,  1913,  Mr.  Homer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Edna  Rose  Finn,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children:  William  F.,  who  was  born  November  3,  1914; 
and  Spencer  R.,  born  on  June  22,  1916.  Mr.  Homer's  religious  persuasion  is  indi- 
cated in  his  membership  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and 
he  takes  an  especially  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  that  denomination.  In  times  past 
he  has  served  as  superintendent  of  several  Sunday  schools  and  at  present  is  first 
assistant  to  the  superintendent  of  the  Rigby  stake  Sunday  school.  He  has  also 
furthered  the  interests  of  his  church  in  missionary  work.  In  politics  Mr.  Homer, 
who  is  a  republican,  takes  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  success  of  his  party  and 
in  supporting  all  matters  of  civic  virtue  and  civic  pride,  but  he  has  not  up  to  the 
present  seen  fit  to  accept  public  office.  Mr.  Homer  is  comparatively  young  in  years 
but  the  sound  sagacity  with  which  he  administers  business  affairs  far  exceeds  that 
of  many  men  who  are  his  senior.  This  characteristic  is  quite  obvious  in  the  very 
efficient  manner  in  which  he  performs  the  duties  of  cashier  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Ririe.  In  this  capacity  he  extends  to  the  public  the  facilities  of  the  bank 
with  all  the  courtesy  consistent  with  the  sound  business  principles  which  form  the 
basis  of  the  financial  institution  he  represents. 


C.  LEE  FRENCH. 

C.  Lee  French,  filling  the  office  of  county  recorder  and  auditor  in  Power  county 
and  making  his  home  at  American  Falls,  was  born  at  Montpelier,  Idaho,  April  29, 
1887,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  L.  and  Anna  (Galloway)  French,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  York  city,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City.  The  father  is  an 
attorney  who  went  to  Utah  about  1879  from  his  native  city.  After  residing  for 
a  time  at  Salt  Lake  City  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Montpelier,  Idaho,  where  he  prac- 
ticed law  for  ten  years.  He  then  removed  to  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  was  probate 
judge  of  Fremont  county  for  a  considerable  period.  He  later  made  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  lived  for  ten  years,  and  since  the  death  of  his  wife  on  the  16th 
of  September,  1917,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Montpelier,  Idaho,  where  he  is  now 
living  retired  from  business. 

C.  Lee  French  was  largely  reared  and  educated  at  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  was 
but  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  started  out  upon  his  business  career,  making  his 
initial  step  as  an  employe  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rexburg,  with  which  he 
continued  for  eight  years — a  fact  indicative  of  his  faithfulness  and  capability,  quali- 
tios  that  won  him  promotion  from  time  to  time.  He  afterward  became  connected 
with  the  state  pure  food  board,  of  which  he  was  chief  clerk  for  four  years,  and  on 
leaving  that  department  he  removed  to  American  Falls  on  Ihe  1st  of  May,  1915, 
and  became  assistant  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank.  He  continued  with  that 
institution  until  January  1,  1917,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Evans  State  Bank 
-of  American  Falls  as  assistant  cashier  and  still  holds  the  position.  On  the  8th 
of  November,  1918,  he  was  elected  county  auditor  and  recorder  of  Power  county 
for  a  four  years'  term  and  is  now  discharging  the  duties  of  the  position  with  marked 
capability,  promptness  and  thoroughness.  In  May,  1919,  he  was  elected  city  clerk 
of  American  Falls  and  is  thus  filling  both  positions  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a 
stockholder  and  assistant  cashier  of  the  Evans  State  Bank  of  American  Falls  and 
he  has  farming  interests,  having  proved  up  on  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  Blaine  county.  He  has  also  secured  three  hundred  and  twenty1  acres  of 
grazing  land  in  Power  county. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1909,  Mr.  French  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Vida 


384  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Hyde,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  George  E.  and  Rose  L.  (Farr)  Hyde.  Her  father  is  now 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Utah  State  Mental  Hospital  at  Provo.  He  was  born 
in  England  and  emigrated  to  Utah  in  1884.  He  practiced  medicine  in  that  state 
for  a  time  and  then  became  a  resident  of  Rexburg,  Idaho,  where  he  followed  his 
profession  for  a  considerable  period.  For  two  years  he  served  as  superintendent  of 
the  Blackfoot  Asylum  and  afterward  removed  to  Provo,  Utah.  The  mother  is  also 
still  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  French  have  been  born  four  children:  Harold  Hyde; 
Ross  W.,  who  passed  away  in  March,  1915;  Ruth  Melba  and  Roland  Lee. 

The  religious  faith  of  Mr.  French  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  Hi^  political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  its  leaders  in  local  ranks.  In  matters  of  citizenship  he  stands  for 
all  that  is  progressive  and  of  value  to  the  community  and  his  worth  is  widely 
acknowledged. 


HON.   ALBERT  BARTLETT   MOSS. 

Hon.  Albert  Bartlett  Moss,  founder  of  the  town  of  Payette,  was  in  many  other 
ways  closely  associated  with  the  history  of  Idaho,  particularly  in  shaping  its  political 
development  and  in  promoting  those  interests  which  had  to  do  with  the  upbuilding  of 
the  commonwealth  and  the  upholding  of  high  civic  ideals.  He  was  born  in  Belvidere, 
Illinois,  November  29,  1849,  and  there  acquired  his  early  education,  but  throughout 
his  life  he  was  a  close  student  of  men  and  events  and  learned  many  valuable  lessons 
in  the  school  of  experience.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the 
Drum  Corps  and  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  sustained  wounds  which  compelled  his  father 
to  take  him  home  as  soon  as  he  could  locate  him.  His  eldest  brother,  James  Moss, 
was  a  captain  in  Company  B.  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteers  and  lost  his  life 
in  the  memorable  engagement  at  the  Red  river  crossing  in  Louisiana,  where  -his  valor 
won  him  distinction. 

Albert  Bartlett  Moss  was  thirty-two  years  of  age  when  in  1881  he  arrived  in  the 
Payette  valley  of  Idaho,  where  he  took  a  contract  with  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Rail- 
road for  getting  out  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  railroad  ties.  In  order  to  ac- 
complish this  he  had  to  build  roads  and  bridges  to  Long  Valley,  where  the  timber  was 
located.  He  employed  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven  men  and  the  following  year 
floated  the  ties  down  the  river.  The  same  year  he"  and  a  brother  established  a  store 
at  Payette  as  a  supply  camp  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  material,  and  by  the 
end  of  that  year  they  were  employing  over  one  hundred  men.  Deciding  that  there 
were  excellent  opportunities  for  the  young  man  who  would  join  his  fortunes  to  those 
of  Payette,  Mr.  Moss  remained  here  and  for  years  owned  and  conducted  important 
business  interests  which  constituted  a  jnost  potent  element  in  the  development  of  the 
city.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  Moss  mercantile  establishment,  one  of  the  most 
modern  department  stores  of  the  west.  With  the  settlement  of  the  district  his  busi- 
ness rapidly  developed  until  it  had  reached  mammoth  proportions,  and  Mr.  Moss  not 
only  gave  his  time  and  attention  to  the  upbuilding  of  an  immense  mercantile  trade 
but  also  became  actively  interested  in  banking.  He  likewise  fostered  horticulture  and 
in  many  ways  promoted  the  welfare  of  Payette,  the  county  and  the  state.  In  a 
business  way  he  recognized  opportunities  that  others  passed  heedlessly  by  and  his 
enterprise  and  progressiveness  brought  him  to  the  front  as  a  leader  in  the  substantial 
development  of  this  section  of  the  country.  His  efforts,  too,  brought  to  him  the 
just  rewards  of  labor  and  he  became  one  of  the  men  of  affluence  in  his  section  of  the 
state. 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  Moss  was  a  leader  in  shaping  public  thought  and  action  and 
became  a  potent  force  in  political  circles.  He  attended  many  of  the  state  conventions  of 
the  republican  party  and  in  1898  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  governor  but  without 
his  solicitation.  He  had  no  chance  to  win  against  the  popuiist-democratic-silver  repub- 
lican combination  yet  he  made  a  remarkable  campaign  and  was  defeated  by  less  than 
thirty-two  hundred  votes  in  a  state  that  had  given  an  enormous  .majority  for  a  ticket 
of  that  kind  two  years  before.  The  campaign  promoted  by  Mr.  Moss  and  his  asso- 
ciates on  the  ticket  paved  the  way  for  republican  success  two  years  later.  In  the 
midst  of  his  political  and  commercial  activity  Mr.  Moss  found  time  to  serve  the  people 
of  Payette  in  various  honorable  but  unremunerative  positions  and  he  was  for  a 
considerable  period  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Blackfoot  Insane  Asylum. 


ALBERT  B.  MOSS 


V..I.    II      J-. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  387 

He  gave  liberally  of  his  time,  his  effort  and  his  means  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  state 
and  the  advancement  of  public  welfare.  At  the  same  time  he  closely  studied  business 
conditions  and  that  he  had  a  comprehensive  and  masterful  view  of  the  situation  was 
indicated  in  an  excellent  paper  on  the  benefits  of  organization  which  he  read  before 
the  Idaho  Hardware  and  Implement  Dealers'  Association  at  its  annual  convention.  He 
had  the  keenest  interest  in  the  welfare  and  development  of  Payette  and  did  everything 
in  his  power  to  promote  a  beautiful  city,  planting  many  of  the  shade  trees  that  add 
so  much  now  to  its  attractiveness  and  loveliness. 

It  was  on  the  10th  of  March,  1881,  that  Mr.  Moss  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Celia  A.  Mellor,  who  was  born  at  Wethersfield,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  Mellor 
and  Elizabeth  (Scott)  Mellor,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of 
Scotland.  Both  are  now  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moss  were  born  the  following 
children.  Wentworth  H.,  thirty-six  years  of  age,  was  graduated  from  the  West  Point 
Military  Academy  in  1905,  served  in  the  Philippines  and  on  the  Mexican  border 
and  after  the  entrance  of  America  into  the  World  war  was  identified  with  various 
training  camps.  Later  he  was  assigned  to  duty  at  Washington,  D.  ('..  where  he  was 
connected  with  the  port  storage  and  embarkation  service  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel.  Albert  Bartlett,  thirty-four  years  of  age,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Payette  and  is  at  present  associated  with  his  brother  Frederick  in  the  Moss  Mercantile* 
Company,  thus  being  an  active  factor  in  the  business  life  of  his  city.  In  1907  he  mar- 
ried Grace  E.  Zellar,  of  Kansas,  whose  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
have  now  a  family  of  three  children,  Helen  E.,  Albert  B.  and  Celia  A.,  all  attending 
school  in  Payette.  Charles  H.,  the  next  of  the  family,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 
Frederick  M.,  thirty  years  of  age,  is  a  graduate  electrical  engineer  of  the  Washington 
State  College  at  Pullman  and  for  four  years  was  with  the  Idaho  Power  &  Light  Com- 
pany at  Boise  but  at  present  is  engaged  in  merchandising  with  his  brother,  Albert  B. 
He  was  married  in  June,  1917,  to  Loretta  Brennan,  of  Graceville,  Minnesota,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Dorothy  J.  William  A.,  twenty-five  years  of  age,  while  attending  the 
agricultural  college  at  Pullman,  Washington,  enlisted  in  the  regular  army  and  is  a 
first  lieutenant,  having  trained  for  the  Intelligence  Corps.  He  was  an  officer  of  the 
Twelfth  Infantry  and  had  fifty  men  under  him  ready  for  service  when  the  armistice 
was  signed.  He  was  married  March  31,  1918,  to  Doris  Hudson,  a  native  of  Fresno, 
California,  and  a  niece  of  Professor  Holland,  of  Pullman  College  at  Pullman,  Wash- 
ington, and  a  daughter  of  William  Hudson.  They  have  a  daughter  Sylvia,  born  May 
7,  1919.  Heber  R.,  sixteen  years  of  age,  is  now  attending  a  private  school  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  possessing  great  musical  talent  which  he  is  cultivating.  Ger- 
trude E.  and  Gilbert  W.  both  died  in  infancy.  All  of  the  sons  save  Heber  are  graduates 
of  the  Payette  high  school  and  Albert  B.,  Jr.,  was  trained  by  his  father  in  all  the 
different  lines  of  business  in  which  he  was  engaged  and  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  returned  to  Payette  from  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  mer- 
cantile line,  and  is  now  associated  with  his  brother  Frederick  in  the  business.  He 
is  also  interested  in  the  automobile  business.  The  family  is  one  of  which  the  mother  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud.  The  death  of  the  husband  and  father  occurred  March  14, 
1914.  He  left  a  record  of  successful  business  achievement,  of  great  good  accomplished 
in  connection  with  the  public  life  of  his  adopted  city  and  state,  while  to  his  family 
he  was  largely  the  ideal  husband  and  father,  finding  his  greatest  happiness  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  members  of  his  own  household. 


THOMAS  E.  MOORE. 

Thomas  E.  Moore,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Filer  and  commissioner 
of  the  first  district  of  Twin  Falls  county,  was  born  near  Hudson,  Lenawee  county, 
Michigan,  February  14,  1863,  his  parents  being  Daniel  and  Julia  (Williams)  Moore, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Massachusetts.  The 
father  left  the  Keystone  state  when  a  boy  in  company  with  his  parents,  who  settled 
at  Akron,  Summit  county,  Ohio,  and  there  the  grandfather  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming  until  his  death,  his  wife  also  passing  away  at  Akron.  Daniel  Moore  spent 
his  boyhood  days  in  Ohio  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  after- 
ward operated  his  father's  farm  for  a  time  and  subsequently  removed  to  Michigan, 
where  he  purchased  farm  land.  In  that  state  he  married  and  for  many  years  car- 
ried on  agricultural  pursuits  but  is  now  living  retired  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years, 


388  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

making  his  home  among  his  children.  His  wife  died  in  southern  Michigan  when  fifty- 
six  years  of  age.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Moore  has  always  been  a  stalwart  repub- 
lican from  the  organization  of  the  party. 

Thomas  E.  Moore  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  southern  Michigan,  there  pursued  his 
education  and  afterward  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  screen  doors  and  sash,  fol- 
lowing the  business  until  1904,  when  he  removed  to  the  northwest,  settling  in  the 
vicinity  of  Filer,  Idaho,  where  he  took  up  ranch  land  under  the  Carey  act,  securing 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  has  since  developed  and  improved.  He  later 
sold  the  property  and  bought  a  ranch  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  Filer,  compris- 
ing eighty  acres.  In  1918  he  built  a  fine  home  on  Yakima  street  in  Filer  and  resides 
in  the  city  but  still  gives  personal  supervision  to  his  ranching  interests,  which  return 
to  him  a  gratifying  annual  income.  In  1909  he,  with  others,  organized  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Filer,  of  which  he  became  vice  president,  with  F.  E.  Allen  as  presi- 
dent, and  upon  the  death  of  the  latter  Mr.  Moore  was  chosen  to  the  presidency.  In 
1912  the  bank  officials  erected  a  fine  brick  building,  known  as  the  First  National  Bank 
building,  which  is  indeed  a  credit  to  the  town  and  would  be  an  ornament  to  a  city 
of  still  greater  size. 

In  1884  Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  W.  Patterson,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Margaret  (Colwell)  Patterson  and  a  native  of  Ireland.  She  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  parents  when  nine  years  of  age,  the  family  crossing  the  Atlantic 
to  Canada  and  thence  making  their  way  to  southern  Michigan,  where  her  parents 
spent  their  remaining  days,  the  father  there  carrying  on  general  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Moore  gives  his  political  endorsement  to  the  republican  party,  which  he  has 
supported  since  age  conferred  upon  him  th%  right  of  franchise.  He  is  an  exemplary 
follower  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  Throughout  his  business  career  he  has  been  actuated  by  a  most  progressive 
spirit  and  has  justly  won  the  proud  American  title  of  a  self-made  man.  Since  start- 
ing out  in  life  he  has  worked  persistently  and  energetically  and  through  his  industry 
and  judicious  investments  he  has  reached  a  place  among  the  well  known  bankers  and 
substantial  citizens  of  Twin  Falls  county. 


HON.    JOSEPH   WILLIAM    TYLER. 

Among  those  men  to  whom  have  been  entrusted  the  responsibilities  of  framing 
the  laws  and  directing  the  legislation  of  the  state  is  the  Hon.  Joseph  William  Tyler, 
farmer  and  live  stock  dealer  of  Emmett,  who  is  now  a  member  of  the  upper  house 
of  the  Idaho  general  assembly.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  state  since  1906 
and  through  the  intervening  period  of  fourteen  years  has  constantly  demonstrated 
his  worth  and  ability  in  citizenship  as  well  as  his  progressiveness  and  enterprise  in 
business.  He  removed  to  Idaho  from  Dixon,  Wyoming,  and  is  a  western  man  by 
birth,  training  and  preference.  He  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Buffalo  county,  Ne- 
braska, January  21,  1874,  and  is  the  eldest  of  the  five  sons  of  John  and  Bridget 
(Rogers)  Tyler,  who  were  natives  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  of  the  province  of  New 
Brunswick,  Canada,  respectively.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  lumber  merchant 
and  later  he  devoted  his  life  to  general  merchandising,  spending  his  last  days  in 
Emmett,  Idaho,  where  he  passed  away  about  four  years  ago,  when  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  seventy-two.  He  and  his  wife  came  to  Idaho  two  years  after  the  arrival 
of  their  son,  J.  W.  Tyler,  in  this  state,  and  the  mother  is  still  living  upon  a  ranch 
near  Emmett  and  is  yet  active,  although  now  seventy-five  years  of  age.  In  their 
family  were  six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  latter,  the  eldest  of  the 
family,  is  now  Mrs.  Josephine  Loibl,  of  Mitchell,  Nebraska.  The  five  sons  are  Joseph 
W.,  Charles,  Fred,  George  and  Edward.  Charles  and  Edward  reside  near  Emmett, 
while  Fred  and  George  yet  follow  farming  in  Nebraska,  and  all  have  become  pros- 
perous agriculturists. 

Joseph-  W.  Tyler  of  this  review  was  reared  in  Buffalo  county,  Nebraska,  in  the 
usual  manner  of  the  farm-bred  boy.  He  first  attended  the  rural  schools  and  after- 
ward continued  his  education  in  a  high  school  and  then  in  a  normal  school.  In 
early  manhood  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  seven 
years  in  his  native  state,  and  after  his  removal  to  Idaho  he  was  principal  of  a  ward 
school  at  Emmett  for  ten  years.  He  then  retired  permanently  from  the  profession 
of  teaching  in  1918,  for  in  the  meantime  he  had  become  engaged  in  farming  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  389 

vicinity  of  Emmett  and  wished  to  devote  his  undivided  time  and  attention  to  his 
agricultural  interests.  He  has  owned  property  in  and  near  Emmett  and  has  been 
a  taxpayer  of  this  locality  since  coming  to  the  state.  For  several  years,  in  con- 
nection with  his  farming  operations,  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  pure 
bred  Poland  China  hogs  and  is  well  known  in  this  connection,  having  produced 
some  -of  the  finest  hogs  raised  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1905,  at  Cottage  Grove,  Wisconsin,  Mr.  Tyler  was 
married  to  Miss  Grace  E.  Steel,  a  native  of  that  state,  who  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  normal  schools  of  Wisconsin  and  taught  in  the  schools  of  Emmett  as 
assistant  to  her  husband.  Mrs.  Tyler  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tyler  were  most  active  in  support  of  war  work.  Mr. 
Tyler  was  one  of  the  four-minute  speakers  and  labored  effectively  in  promotion  .of 
the  Red  Cross  and  other  war  drives. 

Politically  Mr.  Tyler  has  always  been  a  democrat.  He  served  for  two  terms 
in  the  Idaho  house  of  representatives  before  being  elected  to  the  senate.  He  was 
first  chosen  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  general  assembly  in  1914  as  representative 
from  Canyon  county  before  Gem  county  was  created.  He  assisted  in  bringing  about 
the  division  resulting  in  the  establishment  of  Gem  county  during  the  session  of 
1915  and  in  1916  he  was  elected  Gem  county's  first  representative  in  the  house.  So 
creditable  a  record  did  he  make  as  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  assembly 
that  in  the  fall  of  1918  he  was  elected  state  senator,  becoming  the  second  senator 
from  Gem  county.  He  did  much  important  committee  work  as  a  member  of  the 
education  and  other  committees  and  has*  been  connected  with  much  constructive 
legislation  during  the  period  of  his  membership  in  the  house  and  senate.  He  is  a 
nineteenth  degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  for  more  than  seven  years  has  been 
secretary  of  Butte  Lodge,  No.  37,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Loyalty  is  one  of  the  strong  characteristics  of  Mr. 
Tyler  and  is  manifest  not  only  in  his  fraternal  connections  but  in  every  other  rela- 
tion of  life.  Men  have  come  to  know  that  his  word  can  be  depended  upon  and  that 
his  position  upon  any  vital  question  is  never  an  equivocal  one. 


MRS.   SUSIE   R.    LAWSON. 

Mrs.  Susie  R.  (Poole)  Lawson,  who  has  served  as  postmistress  in  the  town 
of  Menan,  Jefferson  county,  for  the  last  four  and  one-half  years,  was  born  near  the 
city  of  Ogden.  Utah,  July  4,  1862.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  R.  Poole,  who  left 
Indiana,  his  native  state,  in  1848  and  drove  overland  acrdss  the  plains  to  locate  in 
the  then  newly  opened  Utah  country,  where  he  bought  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Ogden. 
Sometime  after  his  arrival  he  married  Janett  Bleasdale  who  had  come  to  America 
from  her  faraway  home  in  England  with  her  parents  and  settled  in  the  same 
neighborhood.  With  the  valuable  assistance  of  his  wife  Mr.  Poole  was  able  to 
bring  his  land  under  cultivation,  although  his  pioneer  equipment  was  quite  limited, 
and  in  due  time  he  became  one  of  the  successful  and  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
neighborhood.  Finally  in  1880  he  left  Utah  and  removed  to  Idaho,  becoming  the 
first  settler  in  the  vicinity  of.  Menan,  which  then  lay  in  Oneida  county.  Here  he 
took  a  homestead  and  to  him  belonged  the  distinction  of  turning  the  first  furrow 
in  the  part  which  later  became  Jefferson  county.  He  remained  here  the  rest  of 
his  life,  contributing  substantially  to  the  development  of  the  community.  His  death 
occurred  in  September,  1894,  and  his  wife,  who  still  survives,  now  resides  in  Menan 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years. 

Mrs.  Lawson  grew  to  maturity  in  the  state  of  her  birth,  where  she  received 
her  education.  In  1880  when  she  was  a  young  woman  of  eighteen  years,  she  ac- 
companied her  parents  to  their  now  home  in  Jefferson  county,  Idaho.  Soon  after 
the  arrival  of  the  Poole  family  the  settlement  grew  rapidly  and  the  increasing 
number  of  children  made  schooling  facilities  mandatory  and  Mrs.  Lawson,  who 
had  received  an  education  above  the  average  while  living  near  Ogden,  Utah,  was 
chosen  teacher  of  the  first  school  to  be  established  in  her  part  of  the  county.  After 
her  marriage  in  1885  she  stopped  teaching  after  engaging  in  that  pursuit  for  four 
years  to  devote  her  entire  time  to  her  domestic  duties.  In  recent  years,  having 
fulfilled  her  duty  as  mother  to  her  children  who  had  grown  to  manhood  and  » 


390  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

womanhood,  Mrs.  Lawson  accepted  the  appointment  as  postmistress  in  Menan  in 
May,  1914,  and  has  continued  to  fill  that  position. 

It  was  in  March,  1885,  that  Susie  R.  Poole  was  united  in  marriage  to  B.  G. 
Lawson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Jefferson  county,  who  was  bora  in  Ogden, 
Utah,  in  January,  1859.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Ruth  (Greenway)  Lawson,  the 
former  being  originally  from  the  Isle  of  Man  and  the  latter  of  Welsh  parentage. 
The  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849  and  located  soon  afterward  near 
Ogden,  Utah,  where  he  bought  land  and  farmed  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  an 
important  factor  in  developing  agriculture  in  the  section  where  he  settled  and 
served  for  many  years  as  secretary  to  the  Weber  T3anal  Company.  The  end  of  his 
very  active  life  occurred  in  January,  1896,  and  his  wife  survived  thirteen  years, 
dying  in  the  month  of  March,  1909.  B.  G.  Lawson  remained  on  the  home  place  near 
Ogden,  rendering  his  father  valuable  assistance  in  the  development  of  the  latter's 
agricultural  interests  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  took  up 
farming  independently  and  decided  upon  southeastern  Idah'o  as  a  fitting  field  for 
his  future  operations.  In  1879  he  removed  to  that  section  and  homesteaded  a  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acre  tract  near  Menan,  Jefferson  county,  becoming  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  community.  Ably  assisted  by  his  wife,  he  successfully 
farmed  his  homestead  for  a  number  of  years  but  since  his  removal  to  Menan  he 
has  rented  it. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Joseph,  who  lives 
in  Oregon;  Frank,  a  resident  of  Menan,  Jefferson  county;  Ada,  the  wife  of  George  Cherry, 
also  of  Menan;  Ava,  the  widow  of  Milton  Stover,  who  died  in  November,  1918;  Milburn  M., 
at  home;  Thurza,  a  saleslady  for  the  C.  A.  Smith  Mercantile  Company  of  Menan;  and 
Thyra,  aged  seventeen,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents.  In  October,  1917, — the  year 
which  witnessed  the  entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the  World  war,  Milburn 
M.  Lawson  entered  the  service  of  his  country  and  after  his  period  of  training  went 
overseas  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Three  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  United  States 
Infantry,  Ninety-first  Division.  He  participated  in  the  Argonne-Meuse  drive  in 
October,  1918,  and  during  this  terrific  battle  was  shot  through  both  legs.  The 
wound  in  one  leg  proved  to  be  serious  and  made  him  an  invalid  for  ten  months. 
Immediately  after  leaving  the  hospital  in  July,  1919,  he  was  discharged  from  the 
army  and  returned  home. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  give  their  support  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  which  the  latter  has  served  for  many  years  in  different  official 
capacities,  but  when  she  became  postmistress  the  multiplicity  of  her  duties  com- 
pelled her  to  resign  her  religious  offices.  Mr.  Lawson  has  always  been  a  stanch 
democrat  and  since  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Menan  he  has  been  repeatedly  called 
upon  to  serve  in  public  capacity:  first  as  constable,  then  as  a,  member  of  the  village 
board  for  two  years  and  of  the  local  board  of  education  for  two  terms.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lawson  are  scions  of  families  which  have  been  important  factors  in  the 
development  of  the  sections  where  they  originally  settled,  and  this  characteristic 
of  their  fathers  has  lost  none  of  its  potence  in  being  transmitted  to  them,  a  fact 
readily  discernible  in  their  acquiescence  to  all  plans  for  the  common  weal  and 
their  hearty  cooperation  in  all  movements  which  aim  to  improve  their  community 
and  commonwealth. 


HON.  JOHN  L.  McKOWN. 

Public  suffrage  has  endorsed  the  ability  and  high-minded  citizenship  of  Hon.  John 
L.  McKown  in  electing  him  to  the  office  of  state  senator  from  Power  county,  where  he 
has  resided  since  1898,  making  his  home  at  American  Falls.  He  came  to  Idaho  from 
Wellington,  Kansas,  but  is  a  native  of  Spencer,  West  Virginia,  where  he  was  born 
November  11,  1864,  being  the  only  son  of  John  L.  and  Matilda  (Harrold)  McKown. 
The  father,  who  was  a  merchant,  miller  and  farmer,  died  before  the  birth  of  his  son 
John.  The  mother,  a  native  of  Virginia,  afterward  married  again  and  is  now  residing 
in  Kansas.  In  the  paternal  line  John  L.  McKown  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old 
American  families,  founded  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  by  Andrew  McKown,  who  came 
from  Ireland  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  The  McKown 
family  has  been  represented  in  every  American  war  from  the  struggle  for  independence 
down  to  the  late  great  European  conflict. 


HON.  JOHX  L.  McKOWN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  393 

John  L.  McKown  was  reared  in  Spencer,  West  Virginia,  and  obtained  a  public 
school  education  there,  pursuing  his  studies  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when  he  began 
learning  the  tinsmith's  trade.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  removed  to  the  middle 
settling  in  Wellington,  Kansas,  where  he  resided  from  18S7  until  1898,  during 
which  period  he  worked  at  the  tinsmith's  trade  and  also  in  connection  with  the  plumb- 
ing business.  In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Idaho  and  settled  at  American  Falls,  which 
place  then  had  a  population  of. but  fifty  people  and  only  two  or  three  stores.  He  estab- 
lished the  first  hardware  store  in  the  town  and  gave  his  attention  to  the  business  for 
many  years,  carrying  on  a  plumbing  establishment  in  connection  therewith.  When 
American  Falls  had  reached  a  size  large  enough  to  be  incorporated  he  was  made  chair- 
man of  the  first  village  board  of  trustees  and  capably  served  in  that  capacity  for  two 
terms.  He  also  served  on  the  local  school  board  there  and  assisted  in  building  the 
first  schoolhouse  of  the  town.  Later,  when  the  town  schools  became  independent  of  the 
county  schools  and  a  high  school  was  erected,  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  building 
committee  having  the  work  in  charge.  Through  many  years  he  also  continued  actively 
in  the  hardware  and  plumbing  business  and  since  his  retirement  from  that  field  of 
labor  he  has  given  his  attention  to  a  large  ranch  which  he  owns  in  Power  county,  com- 
prising six  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  has  likewise  directed  much  attention  to  dry 
farming  methods  and  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  possibilities  along  that  line. 
American  Falls  is  today  one  of  the  largest  shipping  points  for  wheat  in  the  country, 
ranking  second  in  the  United  States  in  the  amount  of  wheat  shipped,  and  all  of  the 
grain  is  raised  by  the  dry  farming  methods.  Mr.  McKown  was  one  of  the  earliest  advo- 
cates of  dry  farming  and  was  one  of  those  largely  responsible  for  the  success  attained 
in  that  way.  He  closely  studied  opportunities  and  possibilities  and  aided  in  dissem- 
inating knowledge  which  has  been  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  man  who  farms  his 
land  without  irrigation.  In  late  years  Mr.  McKown  has  also  acted  as  distributing 
agent  for  agricultural  machinery  of  all  kinds  through  Power  county  and  vicinity, 
handling  tractors  as  well  as  other  farm  machinery.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  spirit, 
accomplishing  what  he  undertakes.  If  difficulties  and  obstacles  are  in  the  way  they 
seem  to  act  as  an  impetus  for  renewed  effort  on  his  part.  He  realizes  that  all  such 
can  be  overcome  and  that  there  can  always  be  made  an  adjustment  of  conditions  to 
the  terms  of  success. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1887,  Mr.  McKown  was  married  at  Spencer,  West  Virginia, 
to  Miss  Jemima  Belcher,  who  was  born  at  that  place,  and  they  have  become  parents  of 
three  children,  Lon  E.,  Grace  and  Helen,  the  last  named  being  but  thirteen  years  of 
age.  The  two  eldest  are  married.  Lon  being  a  resident  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  while  Grace 
is  the  wife  of  John  W.  Allen  and  makes  her  home  at  American  Falls.  There  are  also 
two  grandchildren,  Maxine  and  Dorothy  McKown,  daughters  of  Lon  E.  McKown.' 

Mr.  McKown  is  fond  of  hunting,  fishing  and  swimming,  which  constitute  the  chief 
sources  of  his  recreation.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church  and  fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the  Masons.  In  the  latter 
organization  he  has  advanced  through  the  York  Rite  to  the  Knight  Templar  degree 
and  is  also  a  Mystic  Shriner.  His  political  allegiance  has  ever  been  given  to  the 
republican  party  and  on  the  5th  of  November.  1918,  Power  county  elected  him  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate,  where  he  is  now  serving.  In  this  connection,  as  well  as  in  the 
other  relations  of  life,  he  follows  constructive  methods,  seeking  to  upbuild  rather  than 
to  destroy,  and  his  aid  and  influence  are  always  on  the  side  of  progress  and  im- 
provement. 


WILLIAM  V.   REGAN. 

William  V.  Regan  is  the  eldest  of  the  three  sons  of  Timothy  and  Rose  Regan 
an-1  the  only  living  chfid.  Wisely  embracing  the  opportunities  that  have  come  to 
him.  he  is  today  occupying  a  central  place  on  the  stage  of  business  activity  in  Boise, 
where  he,  concentrates  his  time  and  attention  upon  the  direction  of  important  inter- 
ests. He  was  born  in  Silver  City,  Idaho,  June  30,  1883.  His  father,  who  went 
through  all  of  the  hardships,  privations  and  experiences  of  pioneer  development 
in  this  state  and  who  is  mentioned  at  length  elsewhere  in  this  work,  was  anxious 
that  his  sons  should  have  excellent  educational  opportunities  and  William  V.  Regan 
entered  the  Santa  Clara  College  of  California,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1903.  He  returned  to  Boise  to  take  up  business  duties  in  connection 


394  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

with  enterprises  that  had  been  developed  by  his  father  and  is  now  the  secretary  of 
the  Overland  Company,  Limited,  and  a  director  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank 
and  of  the  Boise  Artesian  Hot  &  Cold  Water  Company.  He  devotes  his  time  largely 
to  the  management  of  his  father's  extensive  business  interests,  being  the  active  and 
valuable  assistant  of  Timothy  Regan  and  more  and  more  largely  relieving  his  father 
of  onerous  business  cares  and  responsibilities. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1911,  William  V.  Regan  was  married  in  San  Francisco, 
California,  to  Miss  Mollie  V.  Merle,  a  native  of  San  Francisco  and  a  sister  of  his 
college  chum.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Regan  have  been  born  five  children:  William  V., 
Jr.,  Mollie  Merle,  Kathleen  Flavin,  Timothy  Dalton  and  Margaret  Blackinger.  The 
home  of  the  family  is  one  of  the  attractive  residences  of  the  city.  It  stands  at  No. 
1009  Warm  Springs  avenue  in  Boise  and  was  erected  in  1911.  It  is  built  in  the  Cali- 
fornia mission  style  of  architecture,  is  of  concrete  construction  with  red  tile  roof 
and  its  equipment  and  furnishings  are  of  the  most  modern  and  attractive  type. 

Fraternally  William  V.  Regan  is  an  Elk  and  a  Knight  of  Columbus  and  he  is 
well  known  in  the  capital  city  as  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  of  the 
Boise  Country  Club.  His  social  qualities  have  made  for  popularity  wherever  he  is 
known  and  he  has  come  to  recognition  as  one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  his 
city. 


EMILE  GRANDJEAN. 

Emile  Grandjean,  whose  capable  and  efficient  service  as  supervisor  of  the  Boise 
national  forest  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  been  retained  in  the  office  con- 
tinuously since  1906,  while  for  a  year  previous  he  had  been  a  forest  ranger,  makes  his 
home  in  Boise  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  high  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact.  He  is  of  Danish  birth,  having  been  born  in  the  city  of  Copen- 
hagen, Denmark,  October  31,  1867,  his  parents  being  Daniel  Lublau  and  Nathalia 
Grandjean.  The  father  was  the  owner  of  large  landed  interests  in  Denmark,  where 
he  was  granted  the  title  of  king's  counselor  and  where  he  long  ranked  as  a  most 
influential  and  prominent  citizen.  The  Grandjeans  were  one  of  the  old  Protestant 
families  of  Denmark,  to  which  country  a  removal  was  made  from  France  in  1625. 

Excellent  educational  opportunities  were  accorded  Emile  Grandjean,  who  was 
instructed  by  private  tutors  until  he  entered  the  high  school  of  Copenhagen.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  taken  up  the  study  of  forestry  under  the  direction  of  his 
uncle,  who  was  in  that  department  of  the  government'  service,  and  thus  Mr.  Grand- 
jean gained  the  initial  experience  which  qualified  him  for  the  active  duties  that 
now  devolve  upon  him  as  supervisor  of  the  Boise  national  forest.  Attracted  by 
the  opportunities  of  the  new  world,  he  bade  adieu  to  friends  and  native  land  in 
1883  and  sailed  for  the  United  States.  For  a  few  months  he  remained  at  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  and  then  made  his  way  to  the  Wood  River  mining  district  of  Idaho, 
attracted  by  the  mining  excitement  which  was  then  at  its  height.  He  not  only 
engaged  in  mining  operations  in  that  section  but  also  gave  considerable  time  to 
hunting  and  trapping  on  the  Salmon,  Wood  and  Lost  rivers.  Again  the  call  of 
the  frontier  took  him  into  a  largely  undeveloped  district,  for  in  1896  he  went  to 
Alaska  and  other  Northwest  territories,  devoting  three  years  to  the  work  of  ex- 
ploring, hunting  and  prospecting,  and  for  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  fur  trad- 
ing business  in  connection  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  principally  along  the 
MacKenzie  river  and  its  tributaries.  He  was  not  successful  in  his  search  for  gold 
in  that  country,  however,  and  with  practically  nothing  to  show  for  his  labors 
he  returned  to  the  United  States.  Once  more  Idaho  was  made  his  destination  and 
again  he  becamd  connected  with  mining  operations  on  the  headwaters  of, the  Sal- 
mon river,  where  he  labored  with  success  until  1905,  when  the  Sawtooth  national 
forest  was  created. 

Mr.  Grandjean  then  sought  employment  in  the  forestry  service  and  became  a 
ranger.  The  capability  and  intelligence  which  he  displayed  in  that  connection  led 
to  his  appointment  in  1906  to  take  charge  of  the  Sawtooth  and  Payette  national 
forests,  which  then  embraced  what  is  now  included  within  the  Sawtooth,  Boise, 
Payette  and  Idaho  national  forests  and  portions  of  the  Challis  and  Lemhi  forests, 
the  area  aggregating  nearly  five  million  six  hundred  thousand  acres.  In  1908  the 
Sawtooth  and  Payette  forests  were  divided  as  indicated  above  and  Mr.  Grandjean 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  395 

was  appointed  supervisor  of  the  Boise  national  forest,  with  headquarters  in  Boise, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  continuously  occupying  this  position  with  credit  to 
himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  forestry  department  of  the  govern' 
ment.  He  has  most  carefully  protected  the  interests  of  the  public  in  this  connec- 
tion and  has  manifested  a  fairness  toward  those  opposing  the  policy  of  national 
forestry,  winning  their  confidence  and  goodwill  and  eventually  gaining  their  sup- 
port to  the  government  policy.  Originally  the  sheep  growers  of  the  state  were 
bitt'T  opponents  of  the  system  of  national  forests,  feeling  that  it  cut  off  their  graz- 
ing lands,  but  the  enlightening  and  educative  policy  which  Mr.  Grandjean  assumed 
In  course  of  time  led  them  to  see  that  the  plans  being  followed  not  only  carefully 
conserved  the  forest  areas  but  were  so  arranged-  as  to  provide  for  the  sheep  raisers 
permanent  grazing  facilities,  and  those  who  were  formerly  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
course  are  now  among  its  stanchest  supporters.  A  contemporary  writer  has  said 
of  him:  "He  has  a  broad  and  accurate  knowledge  of  scientific  and  practical  for- 
estry and  Idaho  may  esteem  herself  fortunate  that  his  efforts  have  been  enlisted 
in  the  safeguarding  of  part  of  the  fine  forests  of  the  state,  for  the  protection  and 
perpetuation  of  these  great  resources  have  a  great  significance  touching  upon  the 
general  welfare  of  this  progressive  commonwealth." 

Mr.  Grandjean  was  married  in  1914  to  Mary  Olive  Bushfield,  of  Boise,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children,  Donald  and  Ruth.  Mr.  Grandjean  greatly 
enjoys  hunting  and  has  many  fine  specimens  of  big  game,  which  he  has  mounted. 
His  hunting  expeditions  have  carried  him  into  the  Arctic  regions,  into  Nevada  and 
in  all  intervening  districts.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  Sportsmen's  Club  and 
was  formerly  president  of  the  See  Idaho  First  Association.  In  a  word  he  has  done 
everything  in  his  power  to  develop  the  interests  of  the  state  and  make  its  oppor- 
tunities and  possibilities  known  to  the  public.  In  politics  he  maintains  an  inde- 
pendent course,  while  his  religious  belief  is  that  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
his  life  being  at  all  times  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles. 


MISS   SADIE  P.   HULET. 

Miss  Sadie  P.  Hulet,  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Teton  county,  was 
born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  August  25,  1886.  She  is  a  daughter  of  S.  S.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Dalley)  Hulet,  who  are  also  natives  of  Utah,  where  the  father  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  until  1897.  He  then  removed  to  Wyoming  and  engaged 
in  the  sheep  business  just  across  the  line  from  Idaho.  He  purchased  land,  improved 
it  and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1910,  when  he  bought  land  one  mile  north 
of  Driggs,  in  Teton  county.  This  he  also  developed  and  is  still  operating  that 
farm,  giving  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  sheep  and  cattle.  The  mother  is  likewise 
living  and  they  are  among  the  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Teton 
county.  They  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Sadie  P.  is  the  eldest. 
Moses  A.  enlisted  for  service  with  the  United  States  army  on  the  7th  of  November, 
1917,  and  was  soon  sent  to  France,  where  he  was  killed  in  action  near  Argonne  on 
the  9th  of  October,  1918,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years.  David  W.  also  enlisted  in 
the  army  on  the  7th  of  November,  1917,  and  was  in  the  aviation  service  until  May  14, 
1919,  spending  most  of  the  time  in  France.  He  is  now  on  a  mission  for  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  California.  Lette  is  the  wife  of  D.  P.  Soren- 
«en,  a  farmer  of  Teton  county.  Lillian,  a  maiden  of  thirteen  years,  is  attending 
school  at  Driggs. 

Sadie  P.  Hulet  was  reared  and  educated  in  Utah.  She  ^attended  the  schools 
of  Cedar  City,  also  the  State  Normal  School  there  and  then  entered  the  University 
of  Utah,  from  which  she  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1906.  She  afterward 
took  up  the  ^profession  of  teaching,  which  she  followed  for  two  years  in  Utah  and 
for  a  similar  period  in  Arizona,  while  for  six  years  she  was  a  successful  teacher 
of  Idaho.  In  November,  1918,  she  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Teton  county  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  on  the  13th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1919.  She  is  proving  a  most  capable  official  in  this  connection  She  holds  to 
high  educational  standards  and  does  everything  in  her  power  to  gain  new  ideas 
lat  will  prove  of  practical  value  in  preparing  the  young  for  life's  responsible  du- 
Aside  from  her  profession  she  has  business  interests,  being  the  owner  of 


896  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

eighty   acres   of   improved   land   adjoining   her   father's   place   and   from   which   she 
derives  a  good  rental. 

Miss  Hulet  gives  her  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party.  Like  the 
others  of  the  family,  she  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  and  is  stake  president  of  the  Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Associa- 
tion. Her  father  filled  a  two  years'  mission  in  England.  The  family  has  been  a 
potent  force  in  the  intellectual,  material  and  moral  progress  of  the  community. 


E.    G.    JOHNSON. 

E.  G.  Johnson,  now  well  known  as  a  horticulturist  of  Canyon  county  and  one 
who  is  contributing  in  marked  degree  to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  has  from  the  beginning  recognized  the  possibilities  of  the  district 
in  which  he  lives  and  has  so  directed  his  efforts  that  the  valuable  results  of  his 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  public  have  precluded  the  possibility  of  any  jealousy  by  reason 
of  his  individual  success.  He  is  now  the  president  of  the  Union  Loan  Company,  the 
vice  president  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Ditch  Company,  Ltd.,  and  the  president  of 
the  Apple  Valley  Fruit  Growers  Association.  His  study  of  conditions  has  made  him 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  possibilities  of  Idaho,  and  his  utilization  of  opportunities 
has  caused  the  transformation  of  arid  land  into  productive  fields  and  orchards. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  Norway,  January  29,  1873,  and  while  living  in  Iowa  he 
was  proprietor  of  a  chain  of  drug  stores  there,  but  the  lure  of  the  west  was  upon  him 
and  thirteen  years  ago  he  arrived  in  Idaho,  where  he  has  since  been  interested  in  fruit 
raising.  In  1916  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Apple  Valley  Orchard  Asso- 
ciation, which  was  formed  to  handle  the  crcps  of  its  individual  members.  Two  years 
ago  the  Apple  Valley  Fruit  Growers  Association  was  formed  to  handle  all  of  the  fruit 
raised  between  Nyssa,  Oregon,  and  Parma,  Idaho.  During  the  first  year  of  its  organi- 
zation the  association  handled  one  hundred  and  fifty  carloads  and  in  1919  handled 
about  two  hundred  carloads.  They  are  making  preparations  to  develop  their  business 
until  they  will  annually  handle  about  a  thousand  carloads  of  fruit.  The  officers  of  the 
Apple  Valley  Fruit  Growers  Association  are:  E.  G.  Johnson,  president;  Robert  Minton, 
vice  president;  and  J.  C.  Watson,  secretary-treasurer.  The  business  is  capitalized  for 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  has  enjoyed  steady  development  since  its  organization. 

Upon  coming  to  Parma  thirteen  years  ago  Mr.  Johnson  organized  the  Idaho  Invest- 
ment Company  with  a  capital  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Of  this  company  he 
is  the  president,  with  J.  L.  Kennedy,  Vice  president,  and  J.  W.  Porterfield,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  This  company  is  developing  and  planting  exclusively  Jonathan,  Roman 
Beauty  and  Winesap  orchards  on  twenty-four  hundred  acres  of  the  famous  Canyon 
county  big  red  apple  land  and  is  subdividing  and  selling  these  orchards  in  small  tracts. 
They  took  over  this  land  when  it  was  an  undeveloped  sagebrush  district  and  have  spent 
a  million  dollars  in  improvement  and  development  work.  They  employ  from  fifteen  to 
forty  people  on  the  farms  and  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  in  the 
packing  house.  The  tract  is  situated  between  Parma,  Idaho,  and  Nyssa,  Oregon,  and 
only  a  few  years  ago  it  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  sagebrush  and  gave  no 
indication  that  it  would  ever  be  a  valuable  and  productive  region.  As  one  goes  over 
the  district  today  he  sees  a  succession  of  apple  and  prune  orchards,  with  clover  and 
alfalfa  fields  and  stock  farms.  The  beautiful  homes,  the  fine  barns  and  substantial 
outbuildings  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock,  the  up-to-date  packing  houses  with  the 
necessary  equipment  for  the  comfort  and  housing  of  employes  during  shipping  and 
picking  seasons  are  the  indisputable  evidences  of  the  worth  of  the  soil  and  the  thrift 
and  prosperity  of  the  owners.  This  wonderful  transformation  has  been  brought  about 
by  Mr.  Johnson  and  his  associates,  who  have  largely  interested  eastern  capital  in  the 
undertaking.  To  Mr.  Johnson  must  be  given  the  credit  for  the  foresight  which  imbued 
him  with  confidence  to  inspire  others  of  equal  business  ability  and  financial  strength 
to  invest  over  a  million  dollars  in  the  reclamation  of  the  region  and  the  development 
of  a  great  enterprise  of  this  kind.  It  has  been  a  gigantic  task  to  clear,  level  and  convey 
water  over  these  undulating  acres,  where  are  found  prosperous  homes  and  happy  fami- 
lies. These  farms  lie  on  sunny  slopes,  from  which  one  obtains  an  enchanting  view  for 
miles  to  the  south,  east  and  west,  while  the  snow-clad  mountains  rise  in  the  distance 
on  every  hand  in  their  eternal  beauty,  a  never-ending  reminder  of  the  great  water 
supply  which  they  furnish  and  which  makes  the  land  prodigal  in  its  harvests. 


E.  G.  JOHNSON 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  399 

Mr  Johnson  owns  about  three  hundred  acres  of  apple  and  prune  orchards  and  also 
eight  hundred  acres  of  farming  land  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Parma,  all  of  which 
is  under  cultivation.  Upon  his  farm  he  likewise  keeps  six  hundred  head  of  cattle  and 
seven  hundred  head  of  hogs,  and  every  branch  of  his  business  is  bringing  good  returns 
because  he  closely  studies  every  possibility  and  labors  along  the  most  practical  lines. 

Still  another  phase  of  Mr.  Johnson's  business  activity  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that 
he  is  the  vice  president  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Ditch 
Company,  Ltd.,  the  other  officers  being  M.  J.  Devers,  president;  W.  B.  Mitchell,  secre- 
tary; and  H.  R.  McLaughlin,  treasurer.  Mr.  Johnson  is  likewise  the  president  of  the 
Union  Loan  Company,  which  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  making  farm  loans,  and 
his  associates  in  this  are  J.  C.  Blackwell,  vice  president  and  treasurer,  and  J.  E.  Ker- 
rick,  secretary.  The  business  is  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  John- 
son is  a  director  and  stockholder  of  the  Parma  State  Bank. 

Mr.  Johnson  married  Miss  Onna  D.  Albertson,  of  In  wood.  Iowa,  and  they  have 
three  sons:  Sterling  Evan,  Robert  Albert  and  Charles  Edward,  aged  respectively  ten, 
seven  and  four  years.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  most  progressive,  farsighted  business  man. 
He  has  studied  the  nature  of  the  soil  of  Idaho  and  its  possibilities  for  development,  the 
chances  for  irrigation  and  in  fact  every  question  which  has  to  do  with  the  lines  of 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged.  He  looks  beyond  the  exigencies  of  the  moment  to 
the  opportunities  of  the  future  and  works  not  only  for  present  gain  but  for  later  prog- 
ress as  well.  His  orchards  present  a  most  beautiful  and  attractive  appearance,  and 
in  the  conduct  of  his  interests  he  has  shown  a  fixed  and  unalterable  purpose  under  all 
circumstances.  He  early  learned  that  it  is  the  dynamics  of  the  human  will  that  can 
overcome  any  difficulty  and  has  never  allowed  himself  to  become  discouraged  nor 
disheartened.  Aiming  at  a  high  and  splendid  mark,  he  has  reached  his  objective. 


JUDGE  ROBERT  O.  JONES. 

Judge  Robert  O.  Jones,  presiding  over  the  probate  court  of  Power  county 
and  making  his  home  at  American  Falls,  was  born  in  Oneida  county,  New  York, 
in  July,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Jacobs)  Jones,  the  former 
a  native  of  Wales,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  England.  In  early  life  the  father 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  and  after  crossing  the  Atlantic  established  his  home 
in  New  York  city,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  He  after- 
ward went  to  Boston,  where  he  worked  in  one  of  the  first  shoe  factories  of  the 
city.  Later  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  after  a  time  continued  on  his 
westward  way  to  Chicago,  where  he  resided  for  a  year.  He  next  went  to  Iowa 
and  purchased  land  in  Elkader.  This  he  cultivated  and  improved  for  some  time 
and  then  removed  to  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin,'  where  he  again  purchased  land, 
carrying  on  general  farming  until  1865.  In  that  year  he  became  a  resident  of 
Macon  county,  Missouri,  bought  land  there  and  resided  thereon  throughout  his 
remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  February,  1892.  For  a  brief  period  he 
survived  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  July,  1890. 

Judge  Jones  was  reared  and  educated  in  Wisconsin  and  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  attained  his  majority.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  harness- 
maker's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  Missouri  until  1894.  He  then  came  to  Idaho, 
settling  at  Malad,  Oneida  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  remain- 
ing at  that  place  for  three  years.  In  1897  he  became  a  resident  of  American  Falls, 
where  he  opened  a  drug  store.  He  is  a  registered  pharmacist  and  conducted  his 
store  until  1904,  when  he  sold  the  business  and  filed  on  a  homestead  a  half  mile 
from  the  town.  He  then  undertook  the  arduous  task  of  developing  new  land  and 
has  since  continued  the  cultivation  of  the  place,  which  is  now  a  well  Improved  farm 
property.  He  does  not  do  the  actual  work  of  the  farm  at  present,  employing  others 
to  till  the  fields,  but  he  gives  personal  supervision  to  the  farm  work.  He  is  now 
conducting  a  real  estate  and  insurance  business  at  American  Falls,  having  estab- 
lished an  agency  on  withdrawing  from  the  drug  trade. 

In  December,  1879,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Judge  Jones  and  Miss 
Sophia  John,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Minnie,  the 
firstborn,  passed  away  in  July,  1917.  Edith,  the  second  of  the  family,  is  the  wife 
of  J.  A.  Tucker,  a  resident  of  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon.  Ernest  is  editor  of  the 
Rockland  Times  at  Rockland,  Idaho.  Lester  R.  is  a  pharmacist  by  profession  but 


400  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

is  now  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Comfort,  having  enlisted  in  April,  1917,  and  reenlisted  in 
September,  1919.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  August,  1902,  after  a 
brief  illness.  The  removal  to  Idaho  had  been  made  on  account  of  her  health,  but 
at  length  death  claimed  her  and  many  friends  whom  she  had  made  in  this  state,  as 
well  as  her  immediate  family,  sincerely  mourned  her  loss. 

Judge  Jones  is  a  stalwart  republican  in  his  political  belief  and  has  filled  va- 
rious public  offices.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  from  1898  until  1919  with 
the  exception  of  a  brief  period  of  nine  months.  From  1900  until  1902  he  was 
county  commissioner  and  in  the  fall  of  1918  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Power 
county.  He  has  also  served  on  the  school  board  for  sixteen  years  and  is  keenly 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  schools  and  the  advancement  of  their  standards. 
He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  to  the  Christian  church 
and  in  these  associations  are  found  the  rules  which  control  him  in  all  of  his  relations 
with  his  fellowmen. 


DR.  FREDERICK  S.  KOHLER. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Frederick  S.  Kohler  deserves  an  honored  place  on  the  pages 
of  Idaho's  history.  At  the  dedication  of  the  monument  erected  to  his  memory,  his 
old  friend,  Fred  G.  Mock,  who  was  largely  instrumental  in  raising  the  fund  for  this 
monument,  delivered  the  following  tribute,  which  could  only  have  come  from  the 
heart  of  one  whose  grief  was  most  sympathetic  and  real. 

"The  history  of  the  accomplishments  of  those  who  have  won  distinction  is  a 
great  teacher  and  holds  out  to  young  people  struggling  against  adverse  circumstances 
a  hope  of  final  success.  This,  then,  is  why  we  are  honoring  the  memory  of  our  old 
friend.  We  cannot  help  him,  but  by  reciting  some  of  the  story  of  his  life  work,  we 
can  teach  a  lesson  to  humanity.  On  January  1,  1908,  this  community  lost  a  good 
man.  I  have  lived  among  you  here  for  almost  twenty-seven  years  and  have  witnessed 
the  passing  of  many  good  men  and  good  women  who  lived  here  a  portion  of  that 
time.  Some  of  them  were  loved  and  admired  as  one  loves  and  admires  a  brother 
or  sister,  but  I  do  not  recall  anyone  who  has  left  us  that  was  loved  and  admired 
more  than  Dr.  Frederick  S.  Kohler.  It  seemed  to  me  in  those  last  days  of  his  that 
surely  our  good  old  friend  would  be  spared  to  us,  that  bis  life  would  be  prolonged 
to  the  people  of  this  community.  But  that  was  not  to  be.  Those  of  us  whose 
melancholy  duty  it  was  to  follow  his  remains  to  this,  his  place  of  burial,  will  never 
forget  the  sad  faces  we  saw  upon  the  people  whose  affection  for  him  brought  them 
to  his  grave.  The  old,  the  young,  the  rich,  the  poor,  all  were  here  to  mourn  over 
the  remains  of  their  departed  friend.  His  kindly  greetings,  his  devotion  to  his 
neighbors,  his  courage  to  do  what  he  believed  to  be  right,  endeared  him  to  all.  We 
have  missed  him,  the  whole  community  has  missed  him  and  I  fear  Nampa  people 
will  never  know  his  like  again.  We  have  merchants  who  understand  that  business 
much  better  than  he  did,  we  have  physicians  better  schooled  in  medicine  and  surgery, 
but  none  among  them  who  is  held  in  higher  esteem  than  he  was.  I  can  pay  him  no 
higher  tribute  than  to  say:  he  wore  out  his  life  in  the  service  of  the  people  of  this 
community. 

"Here  then  lie  the  remains  of  a  man  from  whom  boys  can  draw  inspirations  of 
truth,  honor,  courage,  fidelity  and  patriotism  and  learn  the  duty  one  owes  to  his 
country.  His  patriotism  was  not  a  phrase,  it  was  genuine.  It  was  the  true  American 
kind,  for  patriotism  is  half  lost  to  view  when  we  simply  call  it  'Love  of  Country.' 
He  gave  to  all  his  warmest  love  and  his  most  earnest  prayers.  He  endeared  himself 
to  everyone,  so  stood  in  the  doorway  of  many  hearts.  He  plead  the  cause  of  the 
widow  and  orphan  and  remembered  those  who  were  poor  and  destitute.  He  won 
back  men  and  women  who  were  slaves  to  the  drink  and  drug  habits  and  saw  noble 
aspirations  of  awakened  manhood  and  womanhood  arise  in  the  breasts  of  those  he 
had  reformed.  He  gave  the  city  of  Nampa  part  of  these  cemetery  grounds,  asking 
nothing  in  return.  He  watched  in  many  a  sick  room  where  there  was  no  friend  to 
soothe  the  fevered  brow  or  mark  the  swift  beating  of  the  pulse.  He  met  the  poor 
and  oppressed  on  the  highway  of  life,  saw  them  struggling  up  the  hill,  praying  for 
the  journey  to  end,  but  always  gave  them  what  assistance  he  could.  He  put  aside 
ambitions,  lived  not  alone  for  self  but  for  the  good  he  might  do  others.  He  halted 
in  the  places  where  men  were  busy  with  the  affairs  of  life  and  gave  words  of  en- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  401 

couragement  to  those  who  were  laboring  under  the  heavy  load  of  adversity.  He 
bowed  down  in  the  home  that  was  disconsolate  and  sorrowing  for  the  member  that 
had  just  'gone  to  the  long  home.'  He  loved  that  Flag  that  we  all  honor  and  on 
public  days  often  gave  the  children  each  one  to  carry  when  marching.  He  would 
often  lock  his  store,  hire  a  livery  team,  drive  out  to  see  the  sick,  pay  all  the  ex- 
penses of  such  trips,  furnish  the  medicine,  and  many  such  trips  were  made  each 
year  without  the  hope  of  monetary  return.  The  weather  was  never  too  stormy,  the 
roads  never  too  bad  for  him  to  go.  It  did  not  matter  where  the  call  came  from,  he 
always  went  and  gave  what  assistance  he  could.  Was  the  call  from  a  family  in 
town  here,  he  would  say:  'Some  of  my  neighbors  are  sick,  I  will  go  and  see  them/ 
Was  the  call  from  the  other  side  of  the  river,  he  would  say:  'I  must  drive  over  and 
help  them,'  and  was  the  call  from  beyond  the  mountain,  he  would  say:  'My  people 
live  over  there,  they  need  my  help.' 

'•  'My  neighbors,  my  friends,  my  people.'  Grand  old  man!  In  works  of  charity 
I  would  be  glad  to  end  my  labors  where  his  began. 

"Some  years  before  he  passed  he  went  down,  as  he  expressed  it  'to  the  old 
Southland*  to  attend  a  convention.  He  had  me  print  him  a  long  silk  badge,  which 
he  wore  pinned  on  the  lapel  of  his  coat  that  all  might  know  where  he  was  going. 
When  he  started  he  told  me  that  he  would  be  gone  a  month.  He  returned  in  about 
two  weeks  and  when  I  asked  him  why  he  did  not  stay  longer  and  take  a  little  vaca- 
tion after  the  work  of  the  convention  was  over,  he  replied:  'Oh,  the  people  here 
needed  me,  so  I  thought  I  had  better  come  home.'  Ready  always  to  give  up  his 
own  pleasures  for  the  benefit  of  others,  » 

"He  could  not  say  no,  so  extended  credit  to  all  who  asked  it,  for  medicine  as 
well  as  merchandise,  and  of  course  suffered  financial  reverses.  So  then  we  say  he 
was  poor  when  he  left  us,  considering  what  he  should  have  been  worth  if  viewed 
from  a  monetary  standpoint,  but  he  was  not  poor,  he  was  rich — rich  in  the  love  of 
his  people. 

"He  was  a  religious  man  and  while  he  seldom  went  to  church,  his  Bible  was  his 
constant  companion.  Often  when  asked  a  question  or  a  reason  for  things,  he  would 
make  no  other  reply  than  to  quote  a  verse  of  Scripture.  I  have  heard  it  said  that 
when  those  who,  'possessing  a  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality,'  were  just  passing 
through  'the  shadows  of  the  valley,'  they  would  appear  to  be  under  the  influence  of 
a  higher  power  than  that  of  men,  that  they  would  speak  of  scenes  or  wonderful,  and 
in  the  most  beautiful  language,  and  while  they  thus  talked  the  air  would  seem  to 
be  filled  with  the  grand  harmony  of  song,  'Sung  by  the  Angels  when  a  redeemed  soul 
enters  the  gate  of  that  beautiful  City.'  Whether  our  old  friend  caught  glimpses  of 
the  great  beyond  or  heard  the  'Angels  sing  that  beautiful  song'  before  he  finally 
closed  his  eyes  in  the  long  sleep,  we  do  not  know,  but  we  do  know  that  all  is  well 
with  him  now,  for  he  had  'Faith  in  God,  hope  of  immortality,  and  charity  for  all 
mankind.'  'Faith  is  the  violet  of  the.  soul;  its  fragrance  soothes  the  human  breast.' 
'Hope  is  a  bright  flower  that  blooms  along  our  pathway,  from  youth  to  age,  from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave.'  'Charity  is  the  sweetest,  divinest  plant  of  all,  is  crowned 
with  love's  bright  diadem,  but  alas!  We  only  see  it  here  and  there." 

"  'There  are  gains  for  all  our  losses  and  a  loss  for  every  gain; 
There  are  crowns  for  all  our  crosses  and  a  joy  for  every  pain. 
By  and  by  there'll  be  no  crosses,  by  and  by  there'll  be  no  pain; 
And  for  all  our  bitter  losses  there  will  be  eternal  gain.'  " 


ALVIN   S.    GREEN. 

Alvin  S.  Green,  cashier  of  the  Jefferson  State  Bank  of  Menan,  Jefferson  county, 
was  born  in  the  town  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  business  on  May  1.  1892,  a  son 
of  Robert  A.  and  Harriett  E.  (Shippen)  Green,  the  former  being  a  native  of  Utah 
and  the  latter  of  Idaho.  In  the  late  '70s  Robert  A.  Green  left  his  native  state 
with  his  parents  and  accompanied  them  northward  into  Idaho,  where  his  father 
homesteaded  land  in  that  part  of  Jefferson  county  which  then  was  included  in  Oneida 
county.  Sometime  later  he  decided  to  begin  farming  on  his  own  account  and  filed 
a  claim  on  a  tract  of  land  near  that  of  his  father  and  after  some  years  spent  in 
improving  it  he  sold  it  and  bought  another  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Menan.  Here 

Vol.  II— J 6 


402  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  and  his  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  review,  are  now  living,  respected 
and  influential  members  of  the  community. 

Alvin  S.  Green  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm  near  Menan,  receiv- 
ing his  elementary  education  in  the  local  schools.  Desirous  of  supplementing  this 
by  more  advanced  training,  he  entered  Ricks  Academy  at  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  there 
pursued  his  studies  until  graduation.  On  the  completion  of  his  academic  course, 
he  decided  that  banking  should  be  his  vocation  and  to  acquire  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  the  same  entered  the  employ  of  the  Rigby  State  Bank,  now  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Rigby,  as  a  bookkeeper.  Because  of  his  strict  attention  to  busi- 
ness, his  promtion  was  not  delayed  and  he  was  made  head  bookkeeper,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  tendered  his  resignation 
to  his  employers  in  order  to  participate  in  the  organization  of  the  Jefferson  State 
Bank  of  Menan,  a  financial  institution  which  now  has  a  capital  stock  of  twenty- 
Hve  thousand  dollars.  At  the  time  of  organization  Mr.  Green  was  made  cashier, 
the  duties  of  which  office  he  still  performs.  The  other  officers  of  the  bank  at 
present  are  Hon.  John  W.  Hart,  president,  and  Charles  A.  Smith,  Jr.,  vice  presi- 
dent. Since  the  bank  opened  its  doors  for  business  in  November  1918,  it  has  en- 
joyed a  substantial  growth  which  has  been  in  large  part  due  to  the  courteous  serv- 
ice rendered  its  patrons  by  the  cashier,  the  bank's  most  recent  financial  statement 
showing  deposits  to  be  sixty  thousand  dollars.  The  business  is  carried  on  in  a 
new  bank  building  which  was  completed  in  time  for  the  opening  in  November, 
1918.  The  growing  clientele  of  the  bank,  along  with  its  sound,  conservative  prin- 
ciples, augurs  well  for  its  future. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  Jefferson  State  Bank.  Mr.  Green  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rigbyl  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Hart- 
Ellsworth  Auto  Company  of  Rigby,  a  firm  which  deals  not  only  in  motor  vehicles 
and  their  accessories  but  also  in  gasoline  driven  farm  machinery.  Furthermore 
he  Las  farming  interests  in  Jefferson  county  and  owns  a  section  of  land  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Fremont. 

On  March  22,  1916,  Mr.  Green  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  E.  Hart 
of  Rigby  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  namely:  Marian,  born  November  17,  1916;  and  Ethelyn, 
who  was  born  February  12,  1918.  Both  the  father  and  mother  adhere  to  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  Mr.  Green  is  at  present 
a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the  Rigby  stake  Sunday  school.  He  is  a  republi- 
can in  politics  and  he  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  the  policies  and  problems 
of  his  party.  His  skill  in  the  administration  of  financial  affairs  he  has  twice  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  public;  first  for  two  years  as  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Rigby 
and  secondly  as  a  member  of  the  village  board  of  Menan,  in  which  capacity  he  is 
now  serving.  Although  comparatively  young  in  years,  the  good  judgment  and  sound 
principles  with  which  Mr.  Green  does  business  would  do  credit  to  a  man  many  years 
his  senior.  The  foregoing  attributes  added  to  the  energy  of  his  youth  insures  for 
him  a  success  in  the  future  which  will  transcend  by  far  that  which  he  has  achieved 
already. 


WILLIAM  ALBERT  COUGHANOUR. 

It  would  be  to  give  an  inadequate  and  one-sided  picture  of  William  Albert  Cough- 
anour  to  mention  him  merely  as  a  banker  and  stockman,  active  and  successful 
though  he  has  been  in  these  lines.  While  his  business  interests  have  been  and  are 
extensive  and  at  all  times  have  been  most  carefully  and  wisely  conducted,  he  has  at 
the  same  time  found  opportunity  to  assist  in  promoting  public  interests  and  has  done 
valuable  service  for  his  city  and  state  as  mayor  and  as  senator. 

Mr.  Coughanour  was  born  at  Belle  Vernon,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
12,  1850,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  place,  after  which 
he  followed  the  profession  of  teaching  for  two  terms.  In  March,  1870,  he  made  his 
way  westward  to  Quartzburg,  Idaho,  where  with  his  uncle,  David  E.  Coughanour,  he 
purchased  the  Goldhill  mine,  Mr.  Coughanour,  however,  not  securing  his  interest 
until  after  he  had  earned  sufficient  money  to  make  the  investment.  The  company  was 
organized  under  the  name  of  the  Goldhill  Gold  &  Silver  Mining  Company  and  during 
Mr.  Coughanour's  association  with  it  they  took  out  three  million  dollars  in  gold  He 


WILLIAM  A.  COUGHANOUR 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  405 

disposed  of  his  interest  in  1886,  but  the  mine  has  continued  to  be  a  big  producer  and 
only  recently  bodies  of  ore  which  are  very  rich  have  been  opened  up. 

In  1886  Mr.  Coughanour  went  to  Boise  and  a  year  later  came  to  Payette,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  twelve  years,  his  mill  having  a  capacity 
of  twenty-five  thousand  feet  in  ten  hours.  The  timber  for  this  mill  was  secured  in 
the  Garden  valley,  one  hundred  miles  distant,  and  was  driven  down  the  river  to  Pay- 
ette. The  market  for  lumber  at  that  time  was  limited  and  the  greater  portion  of  his 
output  was  sold  in  eastern  Idaho.  It  was  in  payment  of  a  debt  that  Mr.  Coughanour 
was  forced  to  take  this  mill  and  thereby  entered  upon  the  business  of  lumber  manu- 
facturing. A  man  of  keen  sagacity  and  foresight,  profiting  by  his  milling  operations, 
he  made  investment  in  real  estate  and  in  this  way  has  accumulated  considerable 
property,  including  farm  lands,  of  which  fourteen  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  are 
located  on  the  North  Powder  river,  Oregon.  Twelve  hundred  acres  of  his  land  are 
under  cultivation  and  he  has  stocked  his  ranch  with  cattle.  His  son  is  now  manager 
of  the  ranch,  upon  which  Mr.  Coughanour  raised  the  largest  range  steer  in  the  world. 
The  animal,  hay  and  grass  fed,  weighed  thirty-two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  Mr. 
Coughanour  also  owns  ranches  comprising  twelve  hundred  acres  or  more  in  the  vicinity 
of  Payette  and  thereon  is  engaged  in  raising  horses,  mules  and  cattle,  having  about  one 
hundred  head  of  each.  He  likewise  raises  Shetland  ponies  and  his  extensive  operations 
in  this  direction  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  prominent  stockmen  of  the  state. 

There  is  no  other  man  perhaps  to  whom  Payette  owes  her  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment along  modern  lines  to  a  greater  degree  than  to  Mr.  Coughanour.  He  is  the 
possessor  of  two  of  the  largest  brick  business  blocks  in  the  town  and  is  also  interested 
in  the  First  National  Bank  building.  He  has  likewise  built  and  owned  a  great  many 
residences  here  which  add  to  the  beauty  and  attractiveness  of  the  city.  In  banking  cir- 
cles, too,  he  is  a  prominent  figure  and  is  now  the  vice  president  and  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Payette,  is  president  of  the  Lower 
Payette  Ditch  company  and  otherwise  has  business  connections  with  the  city  which 
have  proven  of  great  value  and  benefit  thereto. 

For  a  long  period  Mr.  Coughanour  has  maintained  his  residence  in  Payette.  He 
was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Galena  Bunting,  of  Belle  Vernon,.  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
have  two  children.  Emma  L.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  W.  R.  Hamilton,  the  present  mayor  of 
\V>iser,  in  which  office  he  is  serving  for  the  second  term.  He  is  also  a  past  grand 
master  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  of  Idaho  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  democratic 
circles,  having  served  as  chairman  of  the  democratic  state  central  committee.  The  son 
of  the  family  is  William  M.  Coughanour,  who  has  charge  of  his  father's  ranch. 

Mr.  Coughanour  is  also  a  well  known  figure  in  fraternal  circles.  In  1904  he  served 
as  grand  master  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Idaho  and  since  that  time  has 
been  grand  treasurer.  He  is  the  seventy-sixth  member  of  Lodge  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of 
Boise,  which  now  has  a  membership  of  thirteen  hundred.  Mr.  Coughanour  is  well  known 
to  many  of  the  most  prominent  and  distinguished  men  of  the  state.  He  is  an  old  and 
fast  friend  of  Ex-Governor  Hawley  and  it  was  Mr.  Coughanour  who  nominated  James 
H.  Hawley  for  the  office  of  governor  on  two  different  occasions,  although  he  was  elected 
but  once.  He  has  in  his  possession  a  letter  from  Governor  Hawley  expressing  his 
friendship  and  stating  that  he  very  much  regretted  his  inability  to  appoint  Mr.  Cough- 
anour to  the  United  States  senate  owing  to  the  latter's  lack  of  some  of  the  essential 
requirements  for  that  office  yet  assuring  him  that  from  a  point  of  friendship  and  in- 
tegrity he  was  really  his  choice.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  governor's  staff,  the 
chief  executive  giving  the  grounds  for  his  appointment  in  the  fact  that  "he  was  invin- 
cible in  peace  and  invisible  in  war."  There  is  no  feature  of  public  progress  and  im- 
provement in  the  state  that  has  not  received  the  endorsement  of  Mr.  Coughanour  and 
to  the  extent  of  his  ability  he  has  cooperated  therewith.  He  presented  the  city  of 
Payette  with  an  electric  lighted  drinking  fountain  for  animals,  of  which  a  life  size 
oxidized  copper  elk  is  the  ornamental  and  central  figure.  This  gift  was  made  at  a  cost 
of  one  thousand  dollars  and  is  the  visible  evidence  of  his  love  for  animals.  It  is 
located  on  Fourth  street  near  the  depot.  His  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  high 
personal  worth  and  ability,  elected  him  seven  times  to  the  office  of  mayor  within  a 
period  of  eleven  years  and  to  the  city  he  gave  a  most  businesslike  and  progressive 
administration  that  brought  about  various  needed  reforms  and  substantial  improve- 
ments. In  1896  he  was  elected  to  the  fourth  senate  of  Idaho  and  while  thus  serving 
promoted  the  state  horticultural  inspection  bill,  while  for  six  years  he  served  as  pres- 
ident of  the  state  horticultural  inspection  board  by  appointment  of  Governor  Steunen- 


406  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

berg.  While  conducting  his  mining  operations  Mr.  Coughanour  filled  the  office  of  com- 
missioner of  Boise  county  for  two  years.  No  public  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever 
been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree.  His  loyalty  is  one  of  his  most  marked  character- 
istics and  he  has  ever  fully  recognized  and  met  the  obligations  and  responsibilities  of 
citizenship,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has  fully  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  being  a  one 
hundred  per  cent  American. 


PAUL  PENNEY  FRENCH,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Paul  Penney  French,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in 
Boise,  was  born  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  July  17,  1874,  being  the  omy  son  of  Seth 
B.  and  Emma  (Penney)  French,  who  are  still  residents  of  Rudd,  Iowa.  Reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  state,  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Osage,  Iowa, 
in  1892  and  in  preparation  for  a  professional  career  was  a  student  in  Rush  Medical 
College  of  Chicago  from  1894  until  1897,  when  the  M.  D.  degree  was  conferred  upon 
him.  He  then  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  Rudd,  Iowa, 
for  nineteen  years,  or  until  1918.  In  March  of  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Idaho, 
settling  in  Boise,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  through  the  intervening 
period  of  two  years  he  has  steadily  progressed  in  his  chosen  calling,  being  now  accorded 
a  large  and  distinctively  representative  practice. 

On  the  18th  of  July,  1919,  Dr.  French  was  married  to  Mrs.  Iva  M.  Kerlin,  n6e 
Trembly.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  he  belongs  to  the  Commercial  Club. 
His  attention  and  interest,  however  have  largely  been  concentrated  upon  his  professional 
duties  and  for  twenty-three  years  he  has  now  been  in  active  practice,  reading  and 
experience  throughout  this  period  constantly  augmenting  his  skill  and  promoting  his 
knowledge.  He  is  very  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  professional  duties,  is 
most  careful  in  diagnosis  and  is  seldom  if  ever  at  fault  in  foretelling  the  outcome 
of  disease. 


GEORGE    F.    ZIMMERMAN. 

George  F.  Zimmerman  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Emmett  for  the  past  fifteen  years  and  has  been  accorded  a  most  extensive  and 
gratifying  clientage.  His  birth  occurred  in  Effingham  county,  Illinois,  on  the  8th 
of  August,  1873,  his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Anna  (Hickman)  Zimmerman.  The 
father,  a  native  of  Germany,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  young  manhood  be- 
cause he  opposed  militarism.  He  had  learned  the  trade  of  cabinetmaking  and  after 
arriving  in  the  new  world  established  one  of  the  first  furniture  factories  at  Dayton, 
Ohio.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  joined  the  Union  army,  serving  with  the 
boys  in  blue  until  captured  by  Forrest's  Confederate  cavalry.  He  was  a  prisoner 
for  eighteen  months  and  spent  the  last  six  months  of  that  period  at  Andersonville. 
Following  the  cessation  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south  he  took  up 
the  occupation  of  farming  in  Effingham  county,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  there  passing  away  in  February,  1917,  when  in  his  ninety-eighth 
year.  George  F.  Zimmerman  has  in  his  possession  several  letters  which  were  written 
by  his  father  after  he  had  reached  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  all  of  which  mani- 
fest a  steady  nerve  and  hand  as  well  as  excellent  chirography.  The  mother  of  Mr. 
Zimmerman  of  this  review  died  in  October,  1916,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

George  F.  Zimmerman  was  reared  on  an  Illinois  farm  and  obtained  his  early 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  that  state.  In  1892,  when  a  young  man 
of  nineteen,  he  made  his  way  westward  and  entered  the  School  of  Law  of  the 
University  of  Colorado  at  Boulder,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  next 
spent  three  years  in  the  Colorado  State  Teachers  College  at  Greeley,  being  graduated 
from  that  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Pedagogy  in  1898.  During 
his  college  days  he  earned  the  money  with  which  to  pay  his  tuition,  scorning  no 
employment  that  would  yield  him  an  honest  dollar.  After  his  graduation  he  became 
principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Antonito,  Colorado,  and  ably  served  in  that  capacity 
for  four  years  or  until  1903,  when  he  came  to  Emmett,  Idaho.  He  had  been  married 
in  Colorado  and  with  his  wife  journeyed  overland  to  this  state  in  a  wagon  drawn 
by  a  pair  of  bronchos.  Mr.  Zimmerman  held  the  position  of  superintendent  of  public 


HISTORY  (  >F   IDAHO  407 

schools  at  Emmett  for  two  years.  In  trhe  meantime  he  had  studied  law  both  in 
Colorado  and  after  coming  to  Idaho,  and  on  the  4th  of  May,  1904,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  this  state.  Since  1905  he  has  practiced  continuously  at  Emmett,  being 
accorded  an  enviable  and  growing  clientage  as  he  has  demonstrated  his  ability  in 
successfully  handling  many  important  cases. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1900,  at  Antonito,  Colorado,  Mr.  Zimmerman  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Riley,  who  was  born  near  lola,  Kansas,  and  became  a 
successful  school  teacher.  She  also  held  a  postoffice  position  prior  to  her  marriage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmerman  are  now  the  parents  of  three  children,  Elizabeth,  Kathryn 
and  Waldo,  who  are  fourteen,  eleven  and  eight  years  of  age  respectively. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a  republican  in  his  political  views  but  has  never  sought  or 
i  t-d  office  as  a  reward  for  party  fealty.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Master  Mason,  while 
his  recreation  comes  to  him  through  bird  and  duck  hunting  and  trout  fishing.  His 
wit'i-  has  held  the  chairs  in  the  Eastern  Star  and  is  also  a  consistent  and  devoted 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  During  the  period  of  their  residence  in  Emmett 
they  have  won  many  warm  friends  who  esteem  them  highly  for  their  excellent  traits 
of  character. 


HON.  NORMAN  M.  RUICK. 

When  the  Hon.  Norman  M.  Ruick  was  called  to  his  final  rest  on  the  24th  of 
March,  m5,  Boise  lost  one  of  her  distinguished  citizens.  He  had  figured  prominently 
as  an  able  member  of  the  bar  and  as  United  States  district  attorney  and  was  long  a 
recognized  leader  in  political  circles  in  the  state  and  served  for  one  term  as  a  member 
of  the  state  senate.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  was  ever  recognized  as  a  man 
loyal  to  his  convictions  and  fearless  in  defense  of  any  cause  which  he  espoused. 

Mr.  Ruiok  was  born  in  Granby,  Connecticut,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1854,  and 
was  descended  from  both  Puritan  and  Irish  ancestry.  His  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  on  coming  to  America  established  his  home  in  Hartford 
county,  Connecticut,  where  he  resided  for  many  years.  When  the  colonies  attempted 
to  win  independence  and  no  longer  acknowledged  the  sovereignty  of  Great  Britain  he 
joined  the  colonial  army  and  gave  valiant  aid  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  The  grandfather 
and  the  father  of  Normam  M.  Ruick  both  bore  the  name  of  William  Ruick  and  were 
natives  of  Granby,  Connecticut,  the  birth  of  the  latter  occurring  on  the  10th  of  July, 
1828.  He  became  a  carriage  maker  by  trade  and  followed  that  pursuit  for  many  years. 
He  married  Miss  Temperance  C.  Hutchinson,  a  native  of  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  and 
a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  Puritan  families  of  New  England.  For  generations 
the  Ruick  family  were  connected  with  the  Methodist  church,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Ruick  holding  membership  therein.  The  latter  passed  away  in  1884  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years,  while  the  death  of  Mr.  Ruick  occurred  in  1886,  when  he  was  in  his 
sixty-sixth  year. 

Norman  Melville  Ruick  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  a  daughter  and  upon 
the  home  farm  of  his  father  he  remained  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  with  the  usual 
experiences  of  the  farm-bred  boy.  The  opportunities  of  the  city,  however,  attracted  him 
and  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  at  the  machinist's  trade  and  was  connected 
with  the  Schenectady  Locomotive  Works  at  Troy,  New  York.  He  did  not  find  that  work 
congenial  although  he  completed  his  apprenticeship  thereto.  His  leisure  hours,  however, 
were  devoted  to  reading  law.  for  from  an  early  age  he  seemed  inclined  toward  the 
bar.  and  thus  through  private  reading  he  mastered  the  fundamental  principles  of  the 
science  of  jurisprudence.  He  afterward  pursued  a  thorough  course  of  study  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  supreme  court  of  Indiana  at  Indianapolis  in  1877. 

Mr.  Ruick  then  opened  a  law  office  in  Indianapolis,  where  he  engaged  in  practice 
for  three  years  and  then  went  to  Tuscon,  Arizona,  but  changing  his  plans  of  becoming 
a  resident  of  that  city,  he  started  for  the  northwest  and  by  way  »f  San  Francisco 
proceeded  to  the  Wood  river  country  of  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for  a  number  of 
years,  practicing  his  profession  at  Bellevue  and  Hailey.  He  also  served  as  assistant 
district  attorney  for  Alturas  county  for  two  years  and  became  a  prominent  leader 
in  the  rnnks  of  the  populist  party  in  this  state.  Three  times  he  was  the  party 
nominee  for  the  position  of  district  attorney  and  filled  that  office  In  1885  and  1886. 
In  1892  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  senate  and  did  active  duty  on  the 
judiciary  committee  while  a  member  of  the  upper  house.  He  was  also  the  author 


408  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  what  became  known  as  the  Ruick  law,  making  all  obligations  to  be  paid  in  money 
payable  in  any  lawful  money,  gold,  silver  or  greenbacks,  notwithstanding  anything  in  the 
contract  to  the  contrary.  In  1894  Mr.  Ruick  was  elected  chairman  of  the  populist  state 
central  committee  and  conducted  the  campaign  with  marked  ability  during  that  memora- 
ble year.  He  possessed  splendid  powers  of  organization  and  it  was  said  of  him:  "He 
marshals  his  forces  with  the  skill  and  precision  of  a  general  on  the  field  of  battle 
and  at  the  same  time  does  it  with  such  tact  that  the  most  harmonious  working  is 
secured  within  the  ranks  of  the  party.  It  was  he  who  conceived  the  plan  and  was 
largely  successful  in  carrying  to  a  successful  issue  the  combination  between  the  populists 
and  democrats  in  1896,  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  democratic-populist  state 
ticket,  giving  a  majority  in  the  legislature  and  thus  sending  a  populist  to  the  United 
States  senate."  Upon  becoming  chairman  of  the  state  central  committee  Mr.  Ruick 
removed  to  Boise  and  continued  actively  in  the  practice  of  law  in  the  capital  city 
until  his  death,  enjoying  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  most  able  criminal  lawyers 
in  the  state,  his  service  as  prosecuting  attorney  causing  him  to  give  special  attention 
to  that  department  of  jurisprudence.  His  ability  in  that  direction  caused  him  in  many 
instances  to  be  employed  by  various  counties  as  assistant  prosecutor  and  almost 
invariably  he  succeeded  in  winning  the  suits.  His  contemporaries  and  colleagues  dis- 
played the  keenest  admiration  of  his  ability  as  a  member  of  the  bar  and  he  became 
known  throughout  the  entire  northwest  by  reason  of  his  skill  in  the  work  of  the  courts. 

On  the  17th  of  August,  1888,  Mr.  Ruick  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Manda  D. 
Rieff,  who  passed  away  about  1904,  leaving  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  Norman  O., 
Eleanor,  Melville  H.,  and  Everett,  the  youngest  now  eighteen  years  of  age.  The  eldest 
son  is  a  progressive  young  business  man  of  San  Francisco,  California,  and  the  daughter 
is  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Spaulding,  of  San  Francisco,  California.  Melville  H.  is  also  at 
San  Francisco,  where  at  the  time  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice  he  was  in  the  aviation 
service  of  the  United  States  army,  having  been  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant. 
At  the  time  of  America's  entrance  into  the  World  war  he  was  a  student  in  the 
University  of  California. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  1906,  Mr.  Ruick  was  married  to  Miss  Lucinda  Haskins, 
of  Genesee,  Latah  county,  Idaho,  who  survives  him  together  with  their  three  young 
daughters:  Irma  Estelle,  who  was  born  March  4,  1908;  Larena  Josephine,  born  May 
20,  1910;  and  Alice  Coleman,  April  2,  1913.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Lucinda  Ruick,  was 
born  June  27,  1884,  and  is  the  only  child  of  Thomas  Rinaldo  and  Josephine  (Watten- 
strom)  Haskins,  who  are  residents  of  Boise.  When  Mrs.  Ruick  was  but  four  years  of  age 
her  parents  removed  to  Dayton,  Washington,  and  later  to  Genesee.  Her  mother  was 
born  in  Sweden.  Mrs.  Ruick  was  educated  chiefly  at  Genesee,  Idaho.  She  is  a  lady 
of  liberal  culture,  who  presides  with  gracious  hospitality  over  an  attractive  home  at 
No.  Ill  East  Idaho  street,  Boise.  With  her  reside  Miss  Anita  R.  Bibbins,  a  well 
known  teacher  of  voice  and  piano,  who  is  a  devoted  friend  of  the  family,  with  whom 
she  has  lived  for  many  years  in  the  capacity  of  companion,  friend  and  musical 
instructor  to  the  Ruick  children. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Ruick  was  connected  with  the  Christian  Science  church  and 
he  belonged  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. He  was  a  past  master  of  the  local  lodge  and  representative  to  the  supreme  lodge. 
He  possessed  a  genial  nature  and  gentlemanly  bearing  and  was  one  of  the  most  highly 
esteemed  citizens  of  Boise,  while  his  worth  as  a  poltical  leader  and  a  molder  of  public 
thought  and  opinion  was  recognized  throughout  Idaho.  No  one  ever  questioned  the 
honesty  of  his  opinions,  and  he  labored  untiringly  for  the  adoption  of  every  principle 
which  he  believed  to  be  right  in  connection  with  the  material,  intellectual,  social, 
political  and  moral  progress  of  the  state. 


JAMES  S.  BUSSELL. 

Banking  institutions  have  often  been  regarded  as  the  heart  of  the  commercial 
body,  indicating  the  healthfulness  of  trade,  and  the  bank  which  takes  cognizance  of 
conditions  in  any  community  and  directs  its  activities  so  as  to  constitute  a  force  in  the 
upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  district  is  indeed  an  institution  of  worth.  Such  a  policy 
is  being  followed  by  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  &  Trust  Company  of  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  of 
which  James  S.  Bussell  is  the  vice  president.  Bending  his  attention  to  constructive 
effort  and  administrative  direction  in  this  connection,  he  is  doing  all  in  his  power  not 


JAMES  S.  BUSSELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  411 

only  to  further  the  growth  of  the  bank  but  to  promote  the  development  of  the  entire 
region. 

Mr.  Bussell  is  a  native  of  Texas,  having  been  born  at  Seymour,  that  state,  on  the 
27th  of  July,  1883,  his  parents  being  Joseph  and  Minerva  (Lee)  Bussell.  The  father 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  where  his  father  conducted  a  large  plantation  before  the  Civil 
war,  and  where  he  spent  his  boyhood  days.  He  afterward  went  to  Texas,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  live  stock  business  and  also  in  banking,  becoming  the  leading  organizer 
of  three  banks,  one  at  Goree  and  two  at  Seymour — the  Farmers'  National  Bank  and  the 
First  Guaranty  State  Bank.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bomarton  State 
Bank  of  Texas.  He  is  now  living  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  has  reached  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  The  mother,  however,  passed  away  in  that  state  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  yeans.  Mr.  Bussell  has  led  a  most  active,  busy  and  useful  life  and  in  connection 
with  his  banking  and  live  stock  interests  he  also  operated  a  flour  mill  at  Seymour, 
Texas,  where  he  had  a  compress  and  an  ice  plant.  His  activities  have  been  of  an  im- 
portant and  extensive  character  and  through  the  careful  direction  of  his  labors  he  has 
won  notable^ success.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  democratic 
party  and  that  his  life  has  been  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles  is  indicated  in 
his  membership  in  the  Baptist  church  and  in  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

The  boyhood  days  of  James  S.  Bussell  were  passed  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  and 
after  attending  the  schools  of  Seymour  he  continued  his  education  in  a  business  college 
at  Dallas,  Texas,  and  subsequently  secured  the  appointment  of  court  reporter  of  the 
fiftieth  judicial  district  court,  in  which  capacity  he  acceptably  served  for  six  years. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  banking  business,  becoming  cashier  of  tho  First 
National  Bank  of  Goree,  Texas.  He  later  sold  the  bank  and  afterward  organized  the 
Bank  of  Rogerson,  of  Rogerson,  Idaho,  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars, 
which  owing  to  the  substantial  and  rapid  growth  of  the  business  was  later  increased  to 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Bussell  took  the  position  of  cashier  and  on  the  3rd 
of  January,  1916,  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  bank  and  still  fills  that  position. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1919,  however,  he  removed  to  Twin  Falls  to  accept  his  present 
position  as  vice  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  &  Trust  Company.  His  long  expe- 
rience in  banking  well  qualified  him  for  the  onerous  duties  which  he  assumed  in  this 
connection.  He  is  familiar  with  every  phase  of  banking  and  has  ever  recognized  the 
fact  that  the  bank  is  most  worthy  of  public  support  that  most  carefully  safeguards  the 
interests  of  depositors.  He  has  therefore  always  followed  a  policy  that  never  leaves 
the  course  of  the  bank  open  to  question  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  done  everything 
in  his  power  to  extend  credit  and  assistance  to  depositor's  that  the  substantial  develop- 
ment of  the  community  at  large  shall  be  promoted.  Mr.  Bussell  is  likewise  interested 
in  ^heep  raising  and  is  the  owner  of  lands  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

In  1915  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Bussell  and  Miss  Maud  E.  Chamberlin. 
a  native  of  Capron,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Leroy  Chamberlain.  They  have  one 
child,  Ruth  Virginia.  Mr.  Bussell  is  a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  Masonic  organization 
and  he  also  holds  membership  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Prompted 
by  a  spirit  of  progress  that  has  caused  him  to  utilize  all  the  advantages  that  have  come 
to  him  in  a  business  way,  he  has  steadily  advanced  and  is  today  one  of  the  prominent 
figures  in  the  business  and  financial  circles  of  Twin  Falls  county. 


FRANK  WILLIS  ALMOND,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Frank  Willis  Almond,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  was  born  at  Aspen, 
Colorado,  July  17,  1885,  a  son  of  Francis  William  and  Julift  (Jaeger)  Almond,  who 
are  now  residents  of  Boise,  where  the  father  is  engaged  in  civil  engineering.  The  son 
reared  largely  in  Denver,  Colorado,  to  which  place  his  parents  removed  when  he 
was  a  little  child  of  but  two  years.  In  1901  the  family  home  was  established  in 
Idaho  and  ho  continued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  until  graduated  from  the 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1906.  For  two  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  civil 
engineering  work  in  the  United  States  reclamation  service.  In  1908-9  he  did  pre-medical 
work  in  the  University  of  Idaho  and  from  1909  until  1914  was  a  student  In  the  medical 
department  of  McGill  University  at  Montreal,  Canada,  There  he  was  graduated  in 
1914  with  the  M.  D.  degree,  and  also  the  degree  of  Master  of  Surgery  was  conferred  upon 
him.  He  spent  a  year  and  a  half  as  interne  in  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital  of  Montreal, 
thus  gaining  broad  knowledge  and  valuable  experience  which  can  never  be  as  quickly 


412  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

secured  in  any  other  way  as  in  hospital  practice.  He  also  spent  six  months  as  interne 
in  the  Montreal  General  Hospital  and  in  1916  he  joined  the  Canadian  Army  Medical 
Corps  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  Canadian  Army  Hospital  Service, 
with  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  being  finally  discharged  in  February,  1919. 

In  July  of  the  same  year  Dr.  Almond  entered  upon  the  general  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery  at  Boise,  Idaho,  as  the  associate  of  Drs.  Falk  and  Collister,  well  known 
and  prominent  physicians,  with  offices  in  the  Overland  building.  Dr.  Almond  is  a 
member  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  also  belongs  to  the  Alpha  Omega  Alpha, 
an  honorary  medical  society.  His  lodge  connections  are  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated 
by  his  membership  in  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church. 


R.  H.  BELL. 

R.  H.  Bell,  manager  of  the  Caldwell  Milling  Company  at  Meridian,  was  born  in 
Wilson  county,  Kansas,  December  15,  1890,  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Mary  E.  (Long) 
Bell.  The  father  is  a  native  of  Indiana  and  was  married  in  Wilson  county,  Kansas, 
in  1872  to  Mary  E.  Long,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  She  died  March  15,  1917,  but  the 
father  is  still  living  and  is  yet  identified  with  the  farming  interests  of  southeastern 
Kansas. 

R.  H.  Bell  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  near  his  home,  completing  his 
studies  when  nineteen  years  of  age  in  the  high  school  at  Neodesha,  Kansas,  a  town 
of  Indian  name  signifying  "two  rivers."  He  then  came  to  Idaho  in  1910  on  account 
of  his  health,  making  his  way  to  Weiser,  and  for  three  years  after  his  removal  to  thr§ 
state  did  not  engage  in  any  occupation.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Caldwell 
Milling  Company  of  Weiser,  there  remaining  until  August,  1914,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Meridian.  It  was  due  to  his  efforts  that  the  milling  company  was  per- 
suaded to  build  the  fine  elevator  at  Meridian  with  a  capacity  of  forty-five  thousand 
bushels  of  grain  and  erected  at  a  cost  of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  It  was  com- 
pleted on  the  1st  of  November,  1918.  Before  the  erection  of  this  elevator  the  com- 
pany carried  on  business  in  a  wooden  building  which  was  used  as  a  warehouse  and 
had  a  capacity  of  about  fifteen  cars,  the  grain  all  having  to  be  handled  in  sacks.  Mr. 
Bell  now  has  an  assistant  throughout  the  year,  but  in  the  old  structure  he  did  the 
work  alone.  In  the  year  1918  the  milling  company  paid  to  the  farmers  of  this  vicinity 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  clover  seed  and  wheat.  Their  business  is  increasing 
at  the  rate  of  about  fifty  per  cent  annually  and  the  Meridian  plant,  which  is  a  branch 
of  the  Colorado  Milling  &  Elevator  Company,  is  proving  a  profitable  enterprise. 

On  the  3d  day  of  May,  1913,  Mr.  Bell  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  Maxwell,  of 
Weiser,  Idaho,  and  they  have  one  child,  Phyllis,  who  was  born  July  29,  1916.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bell  have  gained  many  friends  during  the  period  of  their  residence  in  Meridian 
and  he  has  made  for  himself  a  creditable  position  as  an  enterprising  and  resourceful 
business  man. 


RT.  REV.  FRANK  HALE  TOURET. 

Rt.  Rev.  Frank  Hale  Touret,  Episcopal  bishop  of  Idaho,  residing  in  Boise,  was 
recently  appointed  to  this  position  as  the  successor  of  Bishop  J.  B.  Funsten.  Liberal 
educational  advantages  and  broad  experience  in  the  work  of  the  church  splendidly 
qualified  him  for  the  honors  and  duties  which  he  has  assumed  in  Boise.  He  is  a  son 
of  Benjamin  A.  and  Lucy  Hatch  (Marks)  Touret,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away. 
The  father,  who  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  was  born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  in 
1851  and  departed  this  life  in  1909,  while  the  mother,  who  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  March  2,  1853,  died  in  1895.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Captain  Thomas 
H.  Marks,  who  followed  the  sea  and  thus  won  his  title.  On  the  paternal  side  the 
family  comes  of  French  ancestry. 

The  birth  of  Rt.  Rev.  Frank  Hale  Touret  occurred  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  March 
25,  1875.  He  was  graduated  from  Harvard  University  as  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1897  with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  receiving  in  1901  the  degree  of  A.M.  He  later  spent 
two  years  in  business  pursuits  in  Boston,  while  a  year  thereafter  was  devoted  to 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  413 

travel.  He  passed  the  summer  of  1913  in  England,  traveling  and  visiting  various 
noted  cathedrals  and  other  points  of  interest.  In  the  meantime  he  had  prepared  for 
the  ministry  in  the  Episcopal  Theological  School  at  Cambridge,  where  he  jcompleted 
his  course  in  1903  with  degree  of  B.D.  He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Lawrence 
In  the  year  of  his  graduation  and  served  his  diaconate  at  St.  John's  church  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  being  advanced  to  the  priesthood  in  1904.  He  then  became 
curate  of  Christ  Episcopal  church  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he  labored  until  1906 
and  next  became  rector  of  St.  Luke's  church  at  Fort  Collins,  Colorado.  In  1910  he 
became  rector  of  Grace  church  at  Colorado  Springs,  thus  continuing  until  October,  1916, 
when  he  was  elected  bishop  of  western  Colorado  by  the  general  convention  of  the 
Kpiscopal  church,  which  met  at  St.  Louis.  He  filled  that  ecclesiastical  office  until 
October,  1919,  when  he  was  elected  bishop  of  Idaho  to  succeed  the  late  Bishop  J.  B. 
Funsten,  his  election  occurring  at  the  convention  of  the  church  in  session  at  Detroit, 
Michigan.  It  was  at  that  convention  that  the  missionary  district  of  western  Colorado 
was  returned  to  the  diocese  of  Colorado,  making  the  boundaries  of  the  state  and  church 
identical.  Bishop  Touret  has  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  diocesan  board  of  missions 
and  has  held  other  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  church.  His  consecration  took  place  in 
his  parish  church  at  Colorado  Springs  in  1917  and  wherever  he  has  labored  his  efforts 
have  been  of  a  most  resultant  character,  owing  to  his  unfaltering  zeal. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  1906,  in  Denver,  Colorado,  Bishop  Touret  was  married  to 
Miss  Irene  Chittenden  Farquhar,  a  native  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  who  was  reared, 
however,  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  was  educated  in  Clark  University  of  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  and  in  the  Teachers'  College  of  New  York  city.  She  had  been  a  teacher 
for  some  years  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  a  member  of  the  faculty 
of  the  Detroit  Home  and  Day  School.  She  is  a  granddaughter  of  General  Alpheus 
Williams  who  was  a  brigadier-general  of  the  Union  army,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  Francis  U.  and  Mary  Howard  (Williams)  Farquhar.  Her  father,  who  was 
a  graduate  of  West  Point  and  a  noted  army  engineer,  has  passed  away.  The  Bishop 
and  his  wife  resided  at  Colorado  Springs  from  1907  until  1917  and  during  the  years 
1907  and  1908  he  was  treasurer  of  Colorado  College,  located  at  Colorado  Springs.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Harvard  Club  of  New  York  city,  and  of  the  Cheyenne  Mountain 
Country  Club,  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado.  He  keeps  in  close  touch  with  all  the  vital 
issues  and  problems  that  are  before  the  country  as  well  as  with  the  work  of  the 
church  and  cooperates  in  all  the  agencies  for  social  betterment. 


WILLIAM   BRYON. 

For  almost  fifty-six  years  William  Bryon  was  continuously  a  resident  of  Idaho 
save  that  for  a  brief  period  he  resided  in  Alaska.  After  a  few  months  absence,  how- 
ever, he  returned  and  thus  from  pioneer  times  until  his  death  on  the  26th  of  July, 
1918,  he  was  closely  associated  with  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state. 
Through  the  greater  part  of  the  period  he  made  his  home  in  Boise,  while  hi»  business 
interests  and  investments  connected  him  largely  with  the  mining  of  gold  in  the  state. 
He  came  to  Idaho  from  San  Francisco  in  the  spring  of  1862,  attracted  by  the  gold 
discoveries,  the  first  of  which  had  been  made  in  1860. 

Mr.  Bryon  was  born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  on  the  4th  of  November,  1833, 
and  after  spending  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  on  the  Atlantic  coast  made  his 
way  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Nicaragua  in  1853.  It  was  because  of  his 
desire  to  search  for  gold  in  the  mines  of  th->t  state  that  he  had  severed  home  ties  and 
journeyed  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  a  few  years.  He  afterward 
turned  his  attention  to  the  live  stock  business  in  California  and  in  that  connection 
won  very  notable  and  substantial  success.  He  was  one  of  the  first  representatives 
of  the  sheep  industry  in  that  state.  In  1868  he  built  a  meat  market  in  Boise,  after 
having  resided  in  this  city  for  five  years  and  in  the  state  for  six  years.  Not  only  did 
he  win  recognition  as  a  leading  business  man  of  the  city  but  was  also  called  upon  for 
active  public  service.  For  three  terms  he  filled  the  position  of  sheriff  of  Ada  county, 
to  which  he  was  first  elected  in  1870  upon  the  republican  ticket.  His  ability  in  office 
led  to  his  reelection,  and  the  interests  of  law  and  order  were  greatly  promoted  during 
his  administration  of  the  duties  of  that  position.  He  aleo  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Boise  city  council  for  eight  years,  exercising  his  official  prerogatives  in  support  of 


414  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

many  plans  and  measures  for  the  public  good,  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  he  was  chairman  of  the  street  committee. 

In  1871  Mr.  Bryon  was  married  to  Miss  Lillias  M.  Russell,  who  was  born  near 
Chicago,  Illinois,  April  19,  1851,  a  daughter  of  Myron  and  Caroline  (Dana)  Russell. 
Her  father  came  to  Idaho  from  Kansas  in  1865  and  four  years  later  was  joined  by 
his  family.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryon  was  celebrated  in  Boise  and  to 
them  were  born  five  sons,  William  R.,  Charles  R.,  Russell,  Ernest  and  Norman,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Ernest  passed  away  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  in  California  and 
is  buried  in  Boise.  William  R.  and  Russell  are  prosperous  business  men  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  while  Charles  is  in  Chile,  where  he  is  also  conducting  profitable  business 
interests. 

The  family  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryon  was  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Twelfth 
streets  in  Boise  for  thirty-two  years,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  Mr.  Bryon 
sold  the  property  there  and  built  an  attractive  residence  at  No.  1419  North  Eleventh, 
street,  which  he  occupied  for  fifteen  years,  or  until  the  time  of  his  demise.  One  of 
the  local  papers  spoke  of  him  as  one  "who  came  to  the  territory  in  the  early  days  and 
was  ever  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  development  of  the  state." 


CLARENCE   M.   OBERHOLTZER. 

Clarence  M.  Oberholtzer,  of  Burley,  president  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  is  a  man 
to  whom  difficulties  and  obstacles  have  seemed  but  to  serve  as  an  impetus  for  renewed 
effort  in  his  business  career.  Steadily  and  persistently  he  has  worked  his  way  upward 
until  his  example  should  constitute  an  inspiring  force  in  the  lives  of  those  who  know 
aught  of  his  record.  He  was  born  at  Lewis,  Iowa,  December  20,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  H.  and  Lavina  (Reist)  Oberholtzer.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  at  the  place 
of  his  nativity  and  in  early  life  became  a  clerk  in  the  Council  Bluffs  (la.)  National 
Bank,  accepting  a  position  at  a  salary  of  twenty  dollars  per  month.  He  later  became 
associated  with  the  firm  of  Burnham,  Tulleys  &  Company  of  Council  Bluffs  and  after- 
ward was  made  credit  man  for  the  Pioneer  Implement  Company  in  the  same  city.  In 
the  spring  of  1909  he  came  to  Burley,  Idaho,  and  organized  the  Bank  of  Commerce, 
which  was  capitalized  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  The  business  was  first  estab- 
lished in  the  old  Hotel  Burley  and  was  there  conducted  until  January,  1913,  when  the 
hotel  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  bank  reopened  in  the  postoffice  building  and 
on  the  1st  of  September,  1913,  removed  to  its  present  business  block.  On  the  1st  of 
March,  1916,  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  fifty  thousand  dollars,  a  fact  indicative 
of  the  steady  and  substantial  growth  of  the  business.  The  Bank  of  Commerce  of  Burley 
is  today  regarded  as  one  of  the  safe  and  solid  financial  institutions  of  Cassia  county 
and  this  section  of  the  state,  a  well  deserved  reputation  to  which  Mr.  Oberholtzer  has 
contributed  in  large  measure.  Governor  Hawley  was  the  first  vice  president  of  the 
bank  and  attended  the  first  meeting  of  the  stockholders.  J.  P.  Davis,  of  Council  Bluffs, 
was  the  second  vice  president,  with  D.  L.  Wyland  also  as  vice  president  and  W.  C. 
Dickey,  Jr.,  as  cashier.  Mr.  Oberholtzer  is  also  the  secretary  of  the  Burley  Town  Site 
Company. 

In  1907  Mr.  Oberholtzer  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Dickey,  a  daughter  of  W.  C. 
and  Ellen  Dickey  and  a  native  of  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  Ellen  May  and  Dick. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Oberholtzer  has  always  been  a  republican,  giving  stalwart 
allegiance  to  the  party  and  its  principles.  During  the  war  period  he  was  very  active  in 
support  of  all  government  interests,  was  chairman  of  the  Liberty  Loan  drives  in  Burley 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Defense. 


HUGH  GEORGE  BODLE,  D.  V.  S. 

Dr.  Hugh  George  Bodle  is  filling  the  position  of  state  veterinarian  of  Idaho  with 
forty  years  of  experience  back  of  him  as  a  veterinary  surgeon.  He  was  born  at  Rising 
Sun,  Indiana,  on  the  7th  of  March,  1859,  his  parents  being  Joseph  S.  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Hall)  Bodle.  The  father,  also  a  native  of  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  became  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  however,  all  business  and  personal  consid- 
erations were  put  aside  and  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  serving  for 


CLARENCE  M.  OBERHOLTZER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  417 

three  years  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  Eighty  fifth  Illinois  Regiment,  in  which  he 
was  a  non-commissioned  officer.  He  participated  in  various  hotly  contested  engage- 
ments, went  with  Sherman  on  the  celebrated  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea  and  during 
the  course  of  his  military  experience  was  three  times  wounded.  In  1876  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  and  became  the  owner  of  a  good  farm 
there,  having  obtained  a  comfortable  competence  through  well  directed  industry  and 
•enterprise.  He  passed  away  in  Pawnee  county  in  1884,  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  fifty-two  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Ann  Hall,  was  born 
in  Kentucky  and  died  in  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

Dr.  Bodle  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  their  family  of  eight  children,  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  still  living,  and  he  is  the  only  one  of  the 
family  in  Idaho.  The  Bodies  have  always  been  noted  as  men  and  women  of  large 
physique  and  strength.  Dr.  Bodle  weighs  two  hundred  and  fifteen  pounds,  while  his 
father's  weight  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pound*.  He  has  a  brother,  John,  who 
is  six  feet  in  height  and  weighs  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  His  sister,  Mrs. 
William  Lewis,  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  carries  a  weight  of  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five pounds,  as  does  her  husband,  and  their  daughter,  Miss  Florence  Lewis,  aged 
twenty-two,  is  doubtless  the  largest  woman  of  her  years'  in  Nebraska,  her  weight  being 
about  double  that  of  her  father  or  mother. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  1859  that  Dr.  Bodle's  parents  removed  to  Mason  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  there  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm.  He  was  only  seven  months  old  when 
they  took  up  their  abode  at  that  place.  He  afterward  attended  the  country  schools 
of  the  locality  and  also  the  public  schools  of  Havana,  the  county  seat  of  Mason  county. 
While  yet  in  his  teens  he  took  up  the  study  of  veterinary  surgery  in  Smith's  Veterinary 
College  of  Havana,  Illinois,  and  has  now  practiced  the  profession  for  more  than  forty 
years.  He  began  in  Illinois  and  from  1876  until  1883  was  located  in  Pawnee  county, 
Nebraska.  From  the  latter  date  until  1904,  or  for  a  period  of  twenty-one  years,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  veterinary  surgery  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1904  he  entered  into  a  contract  with  a  large  cattle  man  of  Bruneau,  Owyhee  county,  Idaho, 
to  come  to  this  state  and  perform  a  delicate  surgical  operation  on  a  thousand  head  of 
cattle  on'  the  ranges  of  Owyhee  county.  This  brought  him  to  the  state  and,  hearing  of 
the  beauties  and  charms  of  Boise,  he  visited  the  city  before  returning  to  Kirksville.  He 
was  so  pleased  with  the  city,  its  prospects,  its  conditions  and  its  opportunities,  that  he 
determined  to  make  it  his  future  home  and  after  closing  out  his  business  at  Kirksville, 
Missouri,  he  returned  to  Boise  with  his  family  in  August,  1904.  Here  he  established  an 
office  and  practiced  his  profession  with  marked  success  until  1915,  when  he  was  appointed 
state  veterinarian  by  the  live  stock  sanitary  board  of  Idaho.  He  is  also  the  first  vice 
president  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture  and  he  has  prospered  in  Boise  in  spite  of  some 
severe  losses  occasioned  through  fires  and  floods.  He  has  always  kept  in  touch  with  the 
onward  trend  of  professional  thought  and  experience  and  employs  the  most  scientific 
methods  in  practice.  He  belongs  to  the  United  States  Live  Stock  Sanitary  Association 
and  he  has  been  a  close^student  of  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  maintenance  of  healthful 
conditions  among  live  stock  and  the  restoration  to  health  of  those  that  have  become 
diseased. 

In  Nebraska,  in  1881,  Dr.  Bcdle  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  C.  Dobson  and  they  have 
four  living  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Dr.  Avis  and  Dr.  Joseph  Horace 
Bodle,  who  are  practicing  osteopathy  in  Boise;  Vida  Gertrude,  the  wife  of  Lewis  M. 
Hewitt,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  and  Goben  Algeron,  who  is  eighteen  years  of  age. 

Dr.  Bodle  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar  and  member  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  and  he  is  also  identifled^with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  ajjd  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  church, 
while  in  political  belief  he  is  a  democrat. 


EMANUEL  E.  COLPIN. 

Emanuel  E.  Colpin,  vice  president  of  the  Oakley  State  Bank  and  a  well  known 
figure  in  the  business  and  financial  circles  of  Cassia  county  and  southern  Idaho,  was 
born  at  Berlin.  Wisconsin,  April  18,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Caroline  (Stubbe) 
Colpin.  He  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  place  to  the  age  of  twenty  years  and 
pursued  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools,  while  later  he  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin.  He  afterward  went  to  Ashland,  Wisconsin,  and  still  later 

Vol.  n— 27 


418  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

journeyed  westward  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  From  that  point  he  went  to  Vernal, 
Utah,  in  1905,  but  in  1907  disposed  of  his  business  interests  there  and  removed  to  the 
Twin  Falls  district.  In  1911  he  became  a  resident  of  Oakley  and  purchased  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Worthington  Drug  Company,  occupying  the  original  site  until  June,  1912, 
when  he  erected  a  new  building  which  he  equipped  with  splendid  fixtures,  having  the 
finest  store  in  this  part  of  Idaho.  He  successfully  conducted  his  drug  business  until 
1915,  when  he  sold  out.  On  the  llth  of  February,  1919,  he  accepted  his  present  posi- 
tion as  vice  president  of  the  Oakley  State  Bank  and  is  now  bending  his  energies  to 
constructive  effort  and  executive  control  of  a  safe,  sound  and  progressive  banking  in- 
stitution. He  is  accounted  a  wide-awake,  alert  and  energetic  business  man  whose 
plans  are  well  formulated  and  promptly  executed  and  who  at  all  times  readily  recognizes 
the  opportunities  of  any  business  situation. 

In  1903  Mr.  Colpin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Bennett,  a  native  of  Utah 
and  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Haslam)  Bennett.  They  have  two  children, 
Edmund  E.  and  Idell. 

In  1916  Mr.  Colpin  was  elected  for  a  three  years'  term  to  the  position  of  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Idaho  State  Board  of  Pharmacy.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Colpin  has  always  been  a  republican  and  fraternally  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  having 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  while  in  his  life  he  exem- 
plifies the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  order  and  its  teachings  concerning  the  brotherhood 
of  mankind.  Liberally  educated,  stimulated  by  a  laudable  ambition  and  prompted  by 
a  progressive  spirit,  he  has  not  only  made  for  himself  a  creditable  place  in  business 
circles  but  also  ranks  very  high  as  a  representative  citizen — one  who-  recognizes  and 
meets  his  obligations  and  does  everything  in  his  power  to  aid  in  the  upbuilding  and 
promotion  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 


WILLIAM   A.  KINCAID. 

William  A.  Kincaid,  tax  assessor  of  Ada  county  and  a  resident  of  Boise,  was  born 
in  Harrison  county,  Missouri,  April  2,  1862.  His  father,  Andrew  L.  Kincaid,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  Coming  to  the  new  world,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Virginia  to  Miss  Virginia  C.  Fleshman  and  at  the  time  of  the  gold  excitement 
in  California  they  started  on  an  overland  trip  to  that  state  but  stopped  en  route  in 
Missouri  and  concluded  to  remain,  spending  the  balance  of  their  lives  there.  The  father 
conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  and  also  engaged  in  farming.  To  him  and  his  wife  were 
born  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  William  A.  was  the  sixth  in 
order  of  birth.  All  of  the  children  are  yet  living  except  James  R'.,  who  passed  away  at 
eleven  years  of  age.  The  rest  are  residents  of  Idaho  with  the  exception  of  Lewis  F. 
Kincaid,  now  of  Sundance,  Crook  county,  Wyoming.  Those  who  make  their  home  in 
Idaho  are:  John  H.,  living  at  Troy;  Joseph  M.,  of  Star,  Ada  county;  Robert  F.,  of 
Grandview;  Mrs.  Phoebe  J.  Powers  and  Mrs.  Mary  Buholz,  both  of  Boise;  and  Wil- 
liam A. 

Like  the  others  of  the  family,  William  A.  Kincaid  was  reared  in  Missouri,  and 
while  his  father  was  engaged  in  blacksmithing,  William  A.  Kincaid  and  the  other  sons 
of  the  family  conducted  the  farm.  However,  he  worked  in  the  shop  sufficiently  also 
to  learn  the  trade  and  at  eighteen  years  of  age  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  made  his 
way  to  Sherman  county,  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  a  homestead  on  attaining  his  ma- 
jority. He  also  secured  a  preemption  and  a  timber  claim,  ultilizing  all  the  rights  ac 
corded  by  the  government  to  pioneer  settlers.  He  resided  in  Sherman  county  for  ten 
years  and  during  that  time  served  for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  Kansas  legisla- 
ture and  for  one  term  as  sheriff  of  his  county.  In  1890  he  disposed  of  all  of  his  Kansas* 
interests  and  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  During  the  first 
three  years  of  his  residence  in  this  city  he  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop,  after  which 
he  devoted  seven  years  to  work  in  the  employ  of  the  Boise  Rapid  Transit  Company,  fill 
ing  various  responsible  positions,  such  as  motorman,  conductor,  superintendent  and  en- 
gineer. He  resigned  to  become  deputy  county  assessor  in  the  fall  of  1904  and  has  since 
continued  in  the  county  assessor's  ofiice,  either  as  deputy  or  as  the  principal.  He  re 
mained  as  deputy  for  six  years,  from  1904  until  1910,  being  out  of  office  in  1911  an« 
1912,  and  since  the  second  Monday  in  January,  1913,  has  been  county  assessor,  having 
been  first  elected  in  1912,  again  in  1914  and  once  more  in  1916.  His  popularity  as  a 
man  and  his  efficiency  as  an  official  are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  in  1912  his  majority 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  419 

was  four  hundred  and  eighty,  in  1914,  eleven  hundred  and  eighty  and  In  1916,  eighteen 
hundred  and  ninety-four.  He  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  office  in  1918  and  was 
reelected  by  a  majority  of  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-seven  over  his 
opponent.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  republican  and  has  never  been  defeated  for 
a  public  office  for  which  he  has  been  a  candidate,  either  in  Kansas  or  in  Idaho.  At  one 
time,  while  in  Sherman  county,  Kansas,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  was 
also  township  assessor,  road  overseer  and  county  commissioner,  holding  these  three 
positions  for  four  years,  at  which  time  he  was  still  in  the  twenties.  He  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  only  county  assessor  of  Ada  county  to  succeed  himself  in  office. 
He  is  very  systematic,  thorough  and  prompt  in  discharging  all  the  duties  of  his  posi- 
tion and  the  worth  of  his  public  service  is  highly  attested  by  the  vote  that  has  been 
given  him. 

Mr.  Kincaid  has  been  married  three  times.  His  first  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Clara  Hoar,  died  in  Kansas  four  years  after  their  marriage.  He  later  wedded 
Isadora  Hall,  who  passed  away  in  Boise  fourteen  years  after  their  marriage,  leaving  two 
daughters:  Alva,  now  the  wife  of  Addison  Bolden,  of  Boise;  and  Hazel,  who  is  at  home. 
Mr.  Kincaid's  present  wife  was  Martha  Stanton,  a  native  of  Ada  county,  Idaho.  They 
were  married  December  21,  1905,  and  have  one  daughter,  Ellen,  whose  birth  occurred 
on  the  24th  of  October,  1906. 

Mr.  Kincaid  is  identified  with  several  fraternal  and  social  organizations.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  to 
all  branches  of  Odd  Fellowship  and  in  the  last  named  has  held  various  high  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  He  belongs  to  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Boise.  He 
was  also  identified  with  the  Commercial  Club  and  later  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  cooperates  heartily  in  all  of  its  well  defined  plans  for  the  benefit  of  the  city,  the 
extension  of  its  trade  relations  and  the  upholding  of  its  civic  interests.  It  is  well 
known  that  no  trust  reposed  in  Mr.  Kincaid  has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the  slightest 
degree  and  his  loyalty  and  fidelity  in  office  have  made  him  a  valued  citizen  of  his 
adopted  state.  It  is  a  merited  tribute  which  was  paid  him  by  one  of  the  local  papers, 
as  follows:  "In  the  four  years  which  William  A.  Kincaid  has  served  as  county  asses- 
sor of  Ada  county  he  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  for  fairness,  good  busi- 
ness judgment  and  sound  views.  He  is  now  entering  upon  his  fourth  term  as  assessor, 
having  been  elected  by  the  people  by  a  substantial  majority  at  the  last  election.  Be- 
fore entering  upon  his  official  life,  Mr.  Kincaid  was  not  widely  known,  but  since  coming 
into  office,  he  has  suggested  many  reforms  in  the  assessing  and  taxing  of  property  which 
the  legislature  has  embodied  into  laws.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  State  Asses- 
sol's  Association  and  through  wise  counsel  and  advice  in  that  body  has  gained  a  reputa- 
tion which  extends  beyond  the  bounds  of  Ada  county.  It  was  Mr.  Kincaid  who  first 
began  the  assessment  of  land  according  to  its  value  for  crop  production.  As  an  illustra- 
tion: If  a  farmer  had  ten  acres  of  well  improved  land  and  ten  acres  of  pasture,  the 
entire  lot  was  not  assessed  at  the  same  value  of  the  higher  priced  land,  but  classified 
accordingly.  It  has  been  through  such  reforms,  courteous  treatment  and  business  abili- 
ty that  Mr.  Kincaid  is  today  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  county,  whose  record  won 
for  him  a  fourth  term  which  he  justly  deserved,  and  in  which  it  is  predicted  he  will 
enact  further  reforms  which  will  mean  much  to  the  taxpayers,  not  only  of  the  county 
which  he  serves  but  the  entire  state." 


BENJAMIN    W.    OPPENHEIM. 

Benjamin  W.  Oppenheim,  a  practicing  attorney  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  March  23,  1883,  the  only  child  of  Mark  and  Amelia  (Bolger)  Oppenheim.  The 
father  has  passed  away  but  the  mother  resides  in  Boise.  The  son  was  reared  and  edu 
cated  in  Wallace,  Idaho,  the  family  having  removed  from  Colorado  to  this  state  when 
he  was  a  little  lad.  He  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Wallace  with  the 
class  of  1898  and  afterward  entered  the  Idaho  State  University,  from  which  he  received 
the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  as  a  member  of  the  graduating  class  of  1904.  He  deter 
mined  to  make  the  practice  of  law  his  life  work  and  to  this  end  he  began  studying  in 
the  office  and  under  the  direction  of  William  M.  Morgan,  a  well  known  attorney  of 

<>w,  who  is  now  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Idaho  supreme  court.  Subsequently  he 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  James  H.  Beatty,  of  Boise,  then  United  States  district  judge 
for  Idaho.  In  1906  Mr.  Oppenheim  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon  the  prac- 


420  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

tice  of  law  in  March  of  the  following  year  in  the  office  of  N.  M.  Ruick,  then  United 
States  attorney,  with  whom  he  was  associated  for  five  years.  He  opened  an  office  of 
his  own  in  1912  and  later  formed  a  partnership  with  S.  L.  Hodgin,  of  Boise,  under  the 
firm  style  of  Oppenheim  &  Hodgin.  This  association  was  maintained  for  over  two  years. 
After  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  in  1917  Mr.  Oppenheim  practiced  alone  until 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  M.  Lampert  in  the  latter  part  of  1918,  with  whom 
he  is  still  associated,  with  offices  in  the  Idaho  building.  He  early  recognized  the  fact 
that  energy  and  industry  are  just  as  essential  in  the  attainment  of  success  before  the 
bar  as  in  industrial  or  commercial  circles,  and  he  has  ever  prepared  his  cases  with 
great  thoroughness  and  care.  He  is  resourceful,  seldom  at  a  loss  as  to  the  best  way  to 
meet  the  attack  of  the  opposing  counsel,  and  at  all  times  he  is  careful  to  conform  his 
practice  to  a  high  standard  of  professional  ethics.  On  the  1st  of  April,  1917,  he  was 
appointed  code  commissioner  by  the  supreme  court  and  reported  a  codification  of  the 
statute  law  of  the  state  in  three  volumes  to  the  legislature  of  1919,  which  adopted  the 
same. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1908,  Mr.  Oppenheim  was  married  to  Miss  Susie  Belva 
Thomas,  of  Boise,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Edna  Marian  and  Ruth  Ellen.  Mr. 
Oppenheim  is  a  member  of  the  University  Club  and  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  and  his  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the 
republican  party.  Along  strictly  professional  lines  his  connection  is  with  the  Ada 
County,  the  Idaho  State  and  the  American  Bar  Associations. 


EDWIN  H.  PEASLEY. 

Edwin  H.  Peasley,  founder,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Peasley  Transfer 
&  Storage  Company  of  Boise,  was  born  in  this  city  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Main 
streets,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Overland  National  Bank,  his  natal  day  being  July  28, 
1867.  He  is  therefore  among  the  oldest  of  the  native  sons  of  the  capital  and  there  is 
no  phase  of  the  city's  development  and  progress  with  which  he  is  not  thoroughly 
familiar.  As  an  "honored  pioneer  and  a  representative  and  successful  business  man 
therefore  he  well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume.  He  is  the  only  living  child  of  the 
late  S.  L.  Peasley,  who  was  an  expert  adzman  and  ship  carpenter.  The  father  was  born 
in  the  state  of  Maine  and  while  living  on  the  Atlantic  coast  learned  the  shipbuilding 
trade.  About  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  and  during  the  gold  excitement  in  the  north- 
west he  came  to  Idaho.  He  was  married  here  in  1866  to  Miss  Mary  Basil,  who  had 
removed  to  Boise  from  Iowa  with  her  parents  some  time  before.  Mr.  Peasley,  who  had 
learned  shipbuilding  in  Maine  and  was  an  expert  hewer  and  adzman,  hewed  out  with 
his  own  hands  the  logs  out  of  which  the  Peasley  home  was  built  at  the  corner  of 
Tenth  and  Main  streets — the  dwelling  in  which  his  son  Edwin  was  born.  The  father 
afterward  removed  to  San  Francisco  in  order  to  follow  his  trade  of  shipbuilding  there 
and  in  that  city  passed  away  when  his  son  Edwin  was  still  very  young.  There  was  one 
daughter  in  the  family,  Florence  N.,  but  her  death  occurred  when  she  was  eight  years 
of  age. 

Four  years  of  the  boyhood  of  Edwin  H.  Peasley  were  passed  in  San  Francisco  and 
for  six  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Prairie  City,  Oregon.  The  remainder  of  his  minority 
was  spent  in  Idaho  and  for  several  years  he  lived  in  Caldwell,  this  state,  in  his  late 
youth.  He  afterward  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Cassia  county  and  obtained  a  good 
education  and  also  valuable  business  experience  by  clerking  in  stores  at  Prairie  City, 
Oregon,  and  at  Caldwell  and  Conant,  Idaho.  The  summer  of  1886  saw  him  employed 
as  a  cowboy  in  Owyhee  county  and  through  that  year  he  rode  the  range.  In  fact,  he 
was  practically  raised  in  the  saddle,  riding  from  his  earliest  recollection.  During  the 
summer  of  1888  and  through  the  period  of  the  Silver  mountain  gold  excitement  he 
prospected  near  that  region  and  in  the  Sea  Foam  district.  During  the  winter  of  1888-9 
he  was  employed  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  at  Shoshone  but  in  the  spring  of  1889  re- 
turned to  his  native  city  and  in  1890  engaged  in  the  transfer  business,  which  has  since 
claimed  his  time,  attention  and  energy.  He  ultimately  became  the  founder,  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Peasley  Transfer  &  Storage  Company  and  in  this  connec- 
tion has  built  up  a  business  of  large  proportions.  It  was  on  the  2d  of  May,  1910,  that 
the  company  was  organized  and  incorporated  and  Mr.  Peasley  has  since  retained  his 
present  official  connection  therewith  and  is  the  owner  of  two-thirds  of  the  stock  of  the 
company.  No  firm  name  in  Boise  is  more  familiar  to  its  citizens  by  reason  of  the  long 


EDWIN  H.  PEASLEY 


HISTORY  OF   IDAHO  4l>:< 

period  in  which  the  business  has  existed  and  also  by  reason  of  the  enterprising  and 
straightforward  business  methods,  which  have  won  to  the  concern  a  most  extensive 
patronage.  The  main  office  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Grove  streets,  and  the 
company  has  four  large  warehouses  in  the  city  used  for  storage  purposes.  They  con- 
duct a  general  transfer  business  in  Boise  and  vicinity,  doing  contract  hauling,  packing, 
storing,  shipping  and  forwarding.  The  business  today  has  become  the  largest  of  the 
kind  in  the  state  and  is  the  visible  expression  of  the  energy  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Peasley. 
The  Peasley  Transfer  A  Storage  Company  has  membership  in  the  American  Chain  of 
Warehouses,  Inc.,  and  the  Illinois  Warehousemen's  Association.  Business  in  Boise  is , 
carried  on  at  No.  415  South  Eighth  street,  in  a  three-story  brick  building  owned  by 
Mr.  Peasley  and  also  built  by  him.  The  company  acts  as  distributing  and  forwarding 
agents  for  over  one  hundred  mercantile  and  manufacturing  concerns  throughout  the 
United  States,  including  Proctor  &  Gamble,  the  Sears  Roebuck  Company,  Montgomery 
Ward  *  Company  and  the  W.  K.  Kellogg  Co.,  together  with  other  extensive  and  impor- 
tant corporations.  Large  quantities  of  the  goods  of  these  firms  and  scores  of  others 
are  stored  in  the  Peasley  warehouses  in  Boise,  ready  to  be  forwarded  to  the  retail  deal- 
ers all  over  southern  Idaho  and  portions  of  Oregon  and  Utah.  The  company  operates  a 
large  number  of  motor  trucks,  together  with  horse  and  mule  teams  on  the  streets  of 
Boise,  and  the  continued  growth  of  the  business  has  placed  it  in  the  front  rank  of 
enterprises  of  this  character  in  the  state. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1891,  Mr.  Peasley  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Henrietta 
Butler,  a  native  of  the  Boise  valley,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters, 
Sophia  E.  and  Henrietta  M.,  who  are  graduates  of  the  Boise  high  school  and  are  at 
home.  The  younger  daughter  is  continuing  her  education  in  the  University  of  Idaho 
at  Moscow. 

Mr.  Peasley  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  was  formerly 
treasurer.  For  several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  fair  board  and  served  as 
its  secretary  for  one  year.  His  activities  are  broad  and  varied,  touching  the  general 
interests  of  society  and  having  to  do  with  many  concerns  which  have  been  tangible 
assets  in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  an  Elk 
and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  now  past  noble  grand  of  the  latter.  He  is  likewise  a  member 
of  the  Ada  County  Defense  League.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  for  two  years 
held  the  office  of  city  treasurer  of  Boise,  being  the  only  man  elected  on  the  ticket  on 
which  he  ran,  which  was  known  as  the  citizens'  ticket.  His  election  was  certainly  an 
indication  of  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence  and  trust  reposed  in  him.  He 
has  never  been  a  politician,  however,  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking  but  has  always  pre- 
ferred to  devote  his  thought  and  attention  to  business  affairs,  and  he  was  formerly  a 
director  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce.  His  wife  is  a  past  grand  of  the  Rebekahs  and  is 
prominent  in  the  Maccabees  and  Women  of  Woodcraft.  They  are  well  known,  enjoying 
the  warm  regard  of  all  with  whom  they  have  been  associated,  and  the  adaptability  and 
resourcefulness  of  Mr.  Peasley  are  indicated  in  his  business  successes. 


ERNEST  NOBLE. 

Ernest  Noble,  president  of  the  Noble  Motor  Car  Company  of  Boise,  was  born  in 
Owyhee  county,  Idaho,  May  10,  1888,  and  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  state,  re 
maining  a  resident  of  Boise  since  1904.  He  is  a  son  of  Robert  Noble,  prominent 
ranchman,  real  estate  dealer  and  banker,  who  passed  away  in  1914  and  who  is  men- 
tioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  the  public  school  system  of  Idaho,  Ernest  Noble 
is  indebted  for  the  early  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  He  afterward  at- 
tended the  State  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1909.  His 
educational  training  also  included  a  year's  study  at  the  Mount  Tamalpais  Military  Acad- 
emy of  San  Rafael,  California.  Throughout  his  business  career  he  has  resided  in  Boise, 
identified  with  important  interests  of  the  city.  For  three  years  he  was  connected  with 
the  Boise  Valley  Railway  Company  and  since  1912  his  attention  has  largely  been  given 
to  banking,  farming  and  stock  raising  until  he  became  connected  with  the  motor  car 
company.  In  1915  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Overland  National  Bank,  of 
which  he  became  the  first  president,  so  continuing  until  January  1,  1918,  when  he  re- 
tired from  that  position  and  is  now  concentrating  the  greater  part  of  his  attention  and 
energy  upon  the  rapidly  developing  business  of  the  Noble  Motor  Car  Company.  He  is 


424  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

likewise  the  secretary  of  the  Noble  Estate,  Incorporated,  which  manages  the  large 
estate  left  by  his  father,  and  he  is  a  director  of  the  Boise  Live  Stock  Loan  Company. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1909,  Ernest  Noble  was  married  to  Miss  Rita  Elizabeth  Har- 
rington, a  native  of  Moscow,  Idaho,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters, 
Margaret  Eleanor  and  Elizabeth  Loretta. 

Mr.  Noble  is  a  member,  of  the  Elks  Club  and  of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Boise. 
He  is  yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  having  but  recently  completed  the  third  decade 
on  life's  journey,  but  in  his  career  he  has  displayed  the  enterprise  and  progressive 
spirit  which  placed  his  father  among  the  most  successful  business  men  of  the  state. 


FRANK  P.  THOMPSON. 

Frank  P.  Thompson,  who  is  the  junior  partner  in  the  Warren  &  Thompson  Furni- 
ture Company  of  Burley,  was  born  in  Pioche,  Nevada,  July  17,  1881,  a  son  of  Alexander 
S.  and  Minnie  (Kirchner)  Thompson.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  his  native 
state  and  his  early  educational  opportunities 'were  those  afforded  by  the  public  schools 
system.  He  afterward  attended  the  Reno  University  in  Nevada  and  subsequently  re- 
turned to  his  native  city,  where  he  engaged  in  general  merchandising.  There  he  re- 
mained a  factor  in  the  business  circles  of  the  city  until  1916,  when  he  removed  to 
Burley,  Idaho,  and  purchased  the  interest  of  Thomas  Anderson  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness of  which  he  is  now  one  of  the  partners,  the  business  being  carried  on  under  the 
name  of  the  Warren  &  Thompson  Furniture  Company.  They  have  a  large  line  of  at- 
tractive furniture  and  everything  to  satisfy  their  patrons  in  matters  of  trade.  Their 
prices  are  reasonable,  their  business  methods  thoroughly  reliable  and  their  enterprise 
has  been  a  salient  feature  in  their  success. 

In  1906  Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lydia  Ladd,  a  daughter 
of  George  W.  and  Emmeline  (Davis)  Ladd,  the  former  a  prominent  mining  man  of 
Nevada,  in  whose  honor  Ladd  mountain  was  so  named.  Mrs.  Thompson  is  a  native  of 
Nevada  and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Frederick  and  Warren. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Thompson  has  been  an  earnest  republican  since  reach- 
ing adult  age,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  no  attraction  for  him. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  the  Elks.  There  have  been  no  un- 
usual or  esoteric  phases  in  his  life  history.  He  has  worked  persistently  and  energeti- 
cally as  the  years  have  passed,  building  his  success  upon  the  foundation  of  a  liberal 
education  and  of  keen  insight  and  sagacity  in  business  affairs.  He  has  steadily  and 
persistently  advanced  through  means  of  these  qualities  and  is  today  one  of  the  substan- 
tial merchants  of  his  adopted  city. 


ELMER    ELLSWORTH    SIMS. 

No  history  of  the  business  development  of  Meridian  would  be  complete  were  there 
failure  to  make  prominent  reference  to  Elmer  Ellsworth  Sims,  who  is  the  manager  and 
chief  owner  of  the  Vickers-Sims  Hardware  Company,  a  large  incorporated  retail  hard- 
ware and  implement  concern,  doing  an  extensive  and  profitable  business.  Mr.  Sims  is 
the  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  company,  with  James  W.  Harrell,  of  Adams 
county,  Idaho,  as  the  president  and  M.&I.  Louderbough  as  the  vice  president. 

In  all  that  he  undertakes  Mr.  Sims  is  most  capable  and  resourceful  and  he  is  yet 
a  comparatively  young  man.  He  was  born  in  Gilman,  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  October 
1,  1875,  a  son  of  Nathan  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Reed)  Sims,  who  were  natives  of  Illinois  and 
Ohio  respectively.  The  father  died  in  Nebraska,  March  17,  1888,  when  only  thirty- 
nine  years  of  age,  and  the  mother,  who  has  since  remained  a  widow,  is  now  living  in 
Pasadena,  California.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children  who  survive,  three  sons 
and  a  daughter,  of  whom  Elmer  E.  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are:  Mrs.  Lillie  M. 
Knowles,  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado;  William  S.  Sims,  living  in  Pasadena,  Cali- 
fornia; and  Dr.  Charles  W.  Sims,  a  veterinary  surgeon  located  at  Rupert,  Idaho. 

When  but  five  years  of  age  Elmer  E.  Sims  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Jefferson 
county,  Nebraska,  and  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  his  father  died.  He  was  reared 
upon  a  Nebraska  farm  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  state. 
Having  arrived  at  years  of  maturity,  he  was  there  married  on  the  22d  of  December, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  425 

1898,  to  Miss  Jennie  L.  Vickers,  a  sister  of  his  former  partner.  She  passed  away  in 
Nebraska,  November  16,  1903,  leaving  a  daughter,  Floy  L.,  who  is  now  a  young  lady  of 
eighteen  years  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Meridian  high  school.  At  the  present  time  she 
is  a  domestic  science  student  in  the  Oregon  Agricultural  College.  On  the  30th  of  June, 
1910,  Mr.  Sims  was  married  a  second  time,  in  Meridian,  Idaho,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Miss  Grace  L.  Daly,  of  Meridian,  who  was  born  in  Boise,  May  3,  1884.  They  have 
become  parents  of  two  children:  Ivan  E.,  born  June  23,  1911;  and  Kathryn,  born  April 
21,  1914. 

It  was  six  years  after  coming  to  Idaho  that  Mr.  Sims  was  married  a  second  time. 
He  had  arrived  in  this  state  in  1904,  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Ernest  J. 
Vickers.  They  removed  to  Idaho  from  the  vicinity  of  Fairbury,  Nebraska,  and  though 
both  had  followed  farming  in  that  state  they  now  turned  their  attention  to  commer- 
cial pursuits.  From  the  beginning  the  new  enterprise  prospered  and  has  been  con- 
tinuously carried  on  under  the  name  of  the  Vickers-Sims  Hardware  Company.  They 
have  become  extensive  retail  dealers  in  hardware  and  implements,  drawing  their 
patrons  from  a  wide  territory.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Vickers  in  1908  his  third  in- 
terest in  the  business  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Sims  and  his  present  partner,  J.  W.  Harrell, 
who  in  the  meantime  had  acquired  a  third  interest  in  the  concern.  It  was  upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Vickers  that  the  business  was  incorporated  with  Mr.  Harrell  as  the  presi- 
dent and  Mr.  Sims  as  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager.  This  is  the  oldest 
mercantile  business  in  Meridian  under  continuous  and  uninterrupted  ownership.  In 
1917  the  company  erected  its  present  main  building,  forty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  and  one  story  in  height.  It  is  a  solid  concrete  building  practically  fireproof,  hav- 
ing a  concrete  floor.  The  company  owns  the  building,  the  ground  upon  which  it  stands, 
and  carries  a  large  line  of  shelf  and  heavy  hardware  and  agricultural  implements. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Sims  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
he  is  fond  of  outdoor  sports,  turning  to  hunting  and  fishing  as  his  chief  sources  of 
recreation.  In  politics  be  has  always  been  a  democrat,  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  William  Jennings  Bryan  in  1896.  He  served  for  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Meridian  and  was  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Moses  Alexander  during  his  two 
terms  of  service,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  became  a  most  active  and  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  governmental  policy  during  the  war  and  served  as  chairman  of  all  the 
five  Liberty  loan  drives  for  the  Meridian  division,  embracing  ten  sectors,  and  in  recog- 
nition of  the  splendid  work  which  he  did  in  that  connection  he  was  awarded  a  govern- 
ment medal.  He  thoroughly  organized  the  district  for  the  Liberty  loan  campaign, 
called  about  him  a  splendid  corps  of  assistant  workers  and  accomplished  his  purposes 
in  this  connection.  He  has  always  stood  for  progress  and  improvement  in  public  affairs, 
and  in  all  matters  of  citzenship  his  course  has  been  the  expression  of  the  utmost  loyalty 
and  patriotism. 


FRED  J.  WALMSLEY. 

The  life  record  of  Fred  J.  Walmsley,  of  Parma,  is  another  illustration  of  the  oppor- 
tunities that  lie  before  the  young  man  of  ambition  and  enterprise  in  America,  Born 
in  Cheshire,  England,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1874,  he  there  acquired  his  education  and 
afterward  was  employed  in  connection  with  the  silk  industry  in  his  native  country 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world 
and  made  his  way  to  Colorado.  There  he  engaged  in  general  farming  until  1910,  at 
which  time  he  removed  to  Idaho,  making  his  way  to  Parma,  where  he  became  the 
manager  of  the  Parma  Mill  ft  Elevator  Company,  a  corporation  of  Denver,  Colorado. 
He  supervised  the  building  of  the  plant  for  the  company  at  Parma,  the  elevator 
and  warehouse  having  a  total  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  bushels 
of  grain.  They  also  have  a  fine  seed  house,  the  building,  which  is  forty  by  one 
hundred  feet,  being  used  for  warehouse  purposes  and  also  for  cleaning  the  seed.  The 
Parma  Mill  &  Elevator  Company  likewise  distribute  flour  from  its  mill  at  Caldwell 
to  the  extent  of  about  twenty  carloads  per  year.  They  handle  and  sell  all  kinds  of 
,'iain  and  seed  and  employ  six  people.  Their  buildings  cover  about  an  acre  of  ground. 
From  the  inception  of  the  business  at  Parma,  Mr.  Walmsley  has  remained  in  charge 
as  manager,  and  the  success  of  the  enterprise  is  attributable  in  large  measure  to 
his  energy,  diligence  and  business  ability. 

Mr.    Walmsley   married   Miss   Jennie    E.    Price,   a   native   of   Ironton,    Wisconsin, 


426  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  they  have  become  parents  of  five  children:  Grace  D.,  at  home;  L.  Myrtle,  who  is 
with  her  father  in  the  office;  Harold  R.,  sixteen  years  of  age;  now  a  senior  in  the  high 
school  at  Parma;  and  Wilfred  W.  and  Mary  E.,  who  are  attending  school. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wamsley  is  an  earnest  republican  and  an  active  party 
worker.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  republican  county  central  committee  and  for 
six  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Parma,  while  for  four  years  he 
has  been  the  efficient  mayor,  giving  to  the  city  a  businesslike  and  progressive  adminis- 
tration, characterized  by  many  reforms  and  improvements.  He  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Parma  and  has  been  active  in  the 
various  branches  of  its  work.  He  also  served  as  county  chairman  for  the  Armenian 
Relief  Fund  and  took  an  active  part  in  all  war  work,  doing  everything  in  his  power  to 
uphold  the  interests  of  the  government  and  promote  the  welfare  of  our  armies  in  camp 
and  in  the  field.  He  has  indeed  proven  himself  one  hundred  per  cent  American  and 
is  a  citizen  of  whom  Parma  has  every  reason  to  be  proud. 


THOMAS  MCMILLAN 

Thomas  MeMillan,  well  known  in  the  business  circles  of  Boise  as  the  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Idanha  Hotel  Company  and  also  as  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company,  controlling  one  of  the  important  industrial 
enterprises  of  the  city,  is  of  Scotch  birth,  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Agnes  (McFadzen) 
McMillan,  who  in  the  year  1882  came  with  their  family  to  the  new  world.  Thomas 
McMillan  was  at  that  time  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Scotland,  February  25,  1865.  In  1881  an  elder  son,  John  McMillan,  now  prominent  in 
Boise,  had  crossed  the  Atlantic.  The  parents  with  their  other  children  landed  in  New 
York  in  1882  and  after  a  few  years  spent  in  that  state  came  to  Idaho  in  1886.  They 
established  their  home  in  Elmore  county  and  subsequently  removed  to  Boise,  where  both 
the  father  and  mother  passed  away,  the  former  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  while 
the  latter  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  While  in  the  land  of  hills  and  heather 
the  father  had  engaged  in  sheep  raising.  He  was  a  representative  of  the  well  known 
McMillan  clan  of  that  country. 

Spending  his  early  youth  in  Scotland,  Thomas  McMillan  of  this  review  secured 
a  position  as  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  Scotland,  Glasgow,  but  when  his  parents  came 
to  the  new  world  in  1882  he  gave  up  his  position  and  accompanied  them  across  the 
Atlantic.  He  did  not  tarry  long  in  the  east  but  made  his  way  westward  to  Wyoming, 
where  he  became  a  sheep  herder.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Idaho  and  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  was  one  of  the  leading  sheep  men  of  Boise,  becoming  president  of  the 
McMillan  Sheep  Company,  in  which  position  he  remained  for  many  years.  He  was  the 
founder  of  that  company,  which  prospered  as  time  passed  on,  and  he  finally  retired 
altogether  from  active  connection  with  the  sheep  industry  in  1917.  Indolence  and 
idleness,  however,  are  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature  and  he  could  not  be  content  without 
some  business  interest.  AJ;  the  present  time,  therefore,  he  is  giving  his  attention  to  his 
duties  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Idanha  Hotel  Company  of  Boise  and  as  secretary, 
treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company.  The  latter  is  a  big  concern 
of  its  kind — one  of  the  largest  industrial  enterprises  of  the  capital,  with  A.  J.  Swain 
as  the  president  and  Gus  Carlson  as  vice  president.  In  1899  Mr.  McMillan  was  one  of  the 
builders  of  the  Idanha  Hotel  and  has  continued  as  one  of  the  owners,  while  for  several 
years  past  he  has  been  active  in  the  direction  and  control  of  the  interests  of  the 
company.  He  is  likewise  a  director  of  the  Boise  City  National  Bank.  His  judgment 
is  sound,  his  discrimination  keen  and  that  his  efforts  have  been  wisely  directed  is  in- 
dicated in  the  substantial  measure  of  prosperity  which  he  has  attained. 

Mr.  McMillan  was  married  March  16,  1897,  to  Miss  Roxie  Corder,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Elmore  county,  Idaho,  a  daughter  of  Obediah  Corder,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
that  district.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Roxie  and  Irene,  both 
graduates  of  the  Boise  high  school  and  now  students  in  the  University  of  California  at 
Berkeley. 

Mr.  McMillan  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing  for  recreation.  In  politics  he  is  a 
republican  where  national  questions  and  issues  are  involved  but  at  local  elections  sup- 
ports the  candidates  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified  for  office  without  considering 
party  ties.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  While  there  have 
been  no  spectacular  phases  in  his  life,  neither  have  there  been  any  esoteric  chapters, 


THOMAS  MCMILLAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  429 

his  career  being  that  of  an  energetic  business  man  whose  determination  and  per- 
severance have  enabled  him  to  overcome  all  difficulties  and  obstacles  In  his  path  and 
work  his  way  steadily  upward  to  success. 


BENJAMIN  P.   MAGEL. 

Benjamin  F.  Magel  Is  a  well  known  representative  of  the  automobile  business  in 
Idaho,  being  manager  of  Magel  Brothers'  Garage  in  Twin  Falls,  in  connection  with 
.which  they  handle  the  Cadillac  and  the  Haynes  cars,  their  business  being  situated  at 
No.  22  Second  avenue,  North.  Mr.  Magel  was  born  In  Sidney,  Iowa,  on  the  10th  of  De- 
cember, 1884,  his  parents  being  Conrad  and  Mary  (Newlon)  Magel.  He  spent  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  town  and  began  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  there.  Later  he  had  the  opportunity  of  attending  the  Chicago  University,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1907. 

Seeking  a  favorable  field  of  business,  Mr.  Magel  came  to  the  northwest  in  1908 
and  settled  at  Twin  Falls.  In  the  following  year  he  entered  the  automobile  business 
and  has  since  engaged  in  the  sale  of  the  Cadillac  and  Haynes  cars.  As  the  years  have 
passed  he  has  put  many  of  these  cars  upon  the  market  and  his  business  has  developed 
to  substantial  proportions.  In  connection  with  the  sales  department  he  maintains  a 
garage  and  this  is  also  liberally  patronized. 

In  1915  Mr.  Magel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  I.  Williams,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Andy  and  Bessie  E.  (Warrington)  Williams,  who  were  natives  of  Hailey,  Idaho. 
The  two  children  of  this  marriage  are  Margaret  Eileen  and  Elizabeth  Mary.  Mr.  Magel 
is  a  republican  in  his  political  views  and  fraternally  is  an  Elk  and  a  Mason.  He  has 
steadily  advanced  in  Masonry  and  has  now  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite.  He  is  widely  and  prominently  known  in  the  order  as  one  of  its  faith- 
ful followers,  and  in  business  circles  of  Twin  Falls  he  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  by 
reason  of  his  progressiveness,  his  enterprise  and  his  thorough  reliability. 


JAMES   EMMITT  PFOST. 

On  the  roster  of  county  officials  in  Ada  county  appears  the  name  of  James  Emmitt 
Pfost  of  Boise,  who  is  filling  the  office  of  sheriff.  At  a  former  period  he  was  con- 
nected with  commercial  pursuits  in  Meridian  and  with  agricultural  interests  and  is  still 
the  owner  of  a  valuable  ranch  property.  He  was  born  in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1872,  a  son  of  Isaac  W.  and  Margaret  (Koontz)  Pfost,  who  came  to  Idaho  in  1878 
since  which  time  the  family  has  lived  in  or  near  Boise.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
1885,  but  the  father  sill  owns  and  occupies  a  ranch  near  Meridian,  in  Ada  county,  and 
although  seventy-two  years  of  age  he  has  not  a  gray  hair.  His  family  numbered  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  James  Emmitt  is  the  third  in  order 
of  birth.  Three  sons  and  two  daughters  are  yet  living,  these  being:  John  A.  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Burns,  who  reside  in  Meridian;  Mrs.  Effle  Burns,  of  Boise;  Lee,  who  occupies  a 
farm  near  Caldwell;  and  James  Emmitt,  of  this  review. 

Emmitt  Pfost  was  reared  upon  his  father's  ranch  and  attended  the  country  schools, 
while  later  he  continued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Boise.  He  gave  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1905  and  for  four  years  thereaftej  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hay,  grain,  coal  and  lumber  business  in  Meridian.  From  1909  "until  1913 
he  owned  and  conducted  a  farm  near  Meridian  and  in  the  latter  year  he  removed  to 
Boise  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  children.  He  has  always  been  fond  of  good 
live  stock  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  two  hundred  and  forty  acre  ranch  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Idaho,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  is  stocked  with  thoroughbred 
sheep  and  hogs  and  high  grade  cattle  and  horses.  He  keeps  a  hired  man  upon  the  place 
to  do  the  actual  work,  but  Mr.  Pfost  owns  all  the  stock  and  equipment  Forty  acres  of 
the  farm  is  planted  to  alfalfa. 

The  year  after  his  removal  to  Boise,  Mr.  Pfost  was  elected  to  the  office  of  sheriff 
of  Ada  county  on  the  democratic  ticket  and  in  1916  was  reelected  by  the  largest  ma- 
jority given  any  candidate  on  the  democratic  ticket  that  year.  His  majority  in 
1914  was  eighty-seven  and  in  1916  he  received  a  majority  of  over  sixteen  hundred — a 
fact  indicative  of  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence  which  he  had  won  through 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  prompt,  faithful  and  efficient  discharge  of  his  duties.  In  November,  1918,  he  was 
reelected  to  serve  a  third  consecutive  term,  being  the  only  democratic  candidate 
elected  in  Ada  county  at  that  time. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1897,  Mr.  Pfost  was  married  to  Miss  Bessie  M.  Anderson 
and  they  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  Laneita  Irene,  eighteen  years  of  age; 
Cecil  Anderson,  aged  sixteen;  and  James  Ernest,  three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Pfost  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church  and  he  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  In  these  associations  are  found  the  rules  which  govern  his  con- 
duct and  direct  him  in  all  of  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen.  He  is  an  upright 
citizen  and  one  who  regards  a  public  office  as  a  public  trust,  and  it  is  well  known  that 
no  trust  reposed  in  Emmitt  Pfost  has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree. 


ARTHUR   W.    HALL. 

Arthur  W.  Hall,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Pocatello,  was 
born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  July  12,  1888.  He  is  a  son  of  Albert  and  Betsy  (Inkly) 
Hall.  The  father  was  born  in  Nottingham,  England,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred 
in  the  southern  part  of  England.  They  came  to  America  in  1884  and  both  are  still  liv- 
ing. One  of  theic  sons,  Walter  Hall,  was  a  gunner  of  the  United  States  navy,  having 
enlisted  in  the  engineering  department  for  service  in  the  World  war. 

Reared  in  his  native  city,  Arthur  W.  Hall  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of 
the  capital  and  later  pursued  a  business  course.  He  was  called  upon  to  fill  a  mission  for 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  for  two  years  remained  in  active 
church  work  in  Great  Britain.  When  released  from  his  mission  he  came  to  Pocatello, 
Idaho,  in  1910  and  was  made  assistant  manager  of  the  Capital  Electric  Company,  a 
position  which  he  occupied  for  two  years.  He  then  removed  to  Twin  Falls  to  become 
manager  of  the  store  of  the  company  there  and  in  August,  1914,  he  returned  to  Pocatello, 
where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business.  His  employment  with  the 
Capital  Electric  Company  necessitated  his  traveling  throughout  Idaho  and  Montana 
and  he  thus  established  an  extensive  business  acquaintance  which  has  been  of  material 
benefit  to  him  since  starting  in  business  on  his  own  account.  He  has  a  well  appointed 
undertaking  establishment  and  employs  the  most  scientific  methods  in  his  work. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1916,  Mr.  Hall  was  married  to  Miss  Gladys  Rogers,  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Evelyn.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Hall  is  a  democrat  and  is  recognized  as  an  active  worker  in  support  of  the  party. 
He  has  resided  in  Pocatello  during  the  greater  part  of  the  last  decade  and  has  won 
many  friends  in  the  city  and  surrouding  country,  his  genial  manner  and  sterling  worth 
making  for  personal  popularity  wherever  he  is  .known. 


NEWTON  EUGENE   BRASIE. 

Newton  Eugene  Brasie,  devoting  his  attention  to  law  practice  in  Boise,  was  born 
in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  October  6,  1876,  and  is  the  only  living  child  of  William 
Worth  and  Susie  Rebecca  (Weeks)  Brasie,  who  are  now  in  Los  Angeles,  California, 
but  make  their  permanent  home  in  Denver,  Colorado.  The  father,  who  is  of  French 
descent,  was  born  at  Key  West,  Florida,  where  his  father,  Row  Brasie,  was  then 
located  as  a  United  States  army  officer.  William  Worth  Brasie  has  been  a  successful 
business  man,  devoting  his  attention  to  mining  activities  and  also  to  successful  specu- 
lation in  Denver  real  estate,  so  that  he  has  now  attained  an  independent  financial 
position. 

Born  in  Minneapolis,  Eugene  Brasie  was  reared  in  Denver  after  reaching  the 
age  of  eight  years.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  next  became  a 
student  in  the  University  of  Colorado,  but  completed  his  collegiate  training  in  the 
University  of  Virginia,  where  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1902. 
Returning  to  Denver  for  the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  he  remained  a  mem- 
ber of  the  bar  there  for  six  months  and  then  removed  to  Wray,  Colorado,  where 
he  continued  in  practice  from  1903  until  1907.  During  three  years  of  that  period  he 
served  as  county  attorney  of  Yuma  county,  Colorado,  and  in  1907  he  came  to  Boise, 
Idaho,  where  he  has  since  remained  in  the  active  practice  of  law.  His  identification 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  431 

with  the  Boise  bar  covers  sixteen  consecutive  years,  during  which  period  he  has  made 
steady  progress  until  he  now  ranks  with  the  ablest  representatives  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession in  the  city.  He  has  membership  in  the  Ada  County  and  in  the  Idaho  State 
Bar  Associations. 

It  was  on  the  16th  of  August,  1904,  that  Mr.  Brasie  was  married  to  Miss  Jane 
Lewis  Perkins,  of  Whitehall,  Virginia,  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  families 
of  that  state.  Her  father  was  an  officer  of  the  Confederate  army.  Mr.  Brasie  belongs 
to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Country  Club,  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  Masons.  He  is  a  past  exalted  ruler  of  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310, 
B.  P.  O.  E.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  democratic  party. 
He  was  much  interested  in  war  activities  and  was  a  member  of  the  County  Council 
of  Defense  and  of  the  Idaho  Defense  League.  His  support  of  government  measures 
found  tangible  proof  in  his  activities,  which  were  far-reaching  and  beneficial. 


JOHN   L.   NIDAY. 

John  L.  Niday,  attorney  at  law  of  Boise  and  a  most  active  supporter  of  all  war 
measures,  his  interest  therein  being  manifest  in  his  work  as  member  of  the  County 
Council  of  Defense,  was  born  upon  a  farm  near  Gallipolis  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio, 
August  14,  1863,  his  parents  being  Hugh  C.  and  Eleanor  (Porter)  Niday,  both  of  whom 
have  departed  this  life.  The  father  was  born  in  Giles  county,  Virginia,  and  in  his 
youthful  days  removed  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  Peter  C.  and  Delilah  Niday.  He 
spent  his  remaining  days  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  devoting  his  life  to  merchandising 
and  to  farming.  While  he  did  not  regularly  enlist  for  service  in  the  Union  army, 
he  assisted  in  driving  John  Morgan's  raiders  out  of  the  state.  His  wife  passed  away 
February  15,  1901,  when  sixty-six  years  of  age.  Their  family  numbered  five  sons  and 
five  daughters,  of  whom  John  L.  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  and  with  one  excep- 
tion all  are  yet  living.  These  are:  Alphonzene,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  S.  W.  Williams, 
of  Gallia  county,  Ohio;  Hortense  Eugenie,  the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Lusher,  also  of 
Gallia  county:  Jefferson  P.,  who  was  accidentally  killed  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
two  years;  Frank  B.,  living  in  Mercerville,  Ohio;  John  L.;  Eleanor  Romaine,  of  Ber- 
rien  Springs,  Michigan,  now  the  widow  of  Dr.  E.  M.  Heflin,  formerly  a  practicing  physi- 
cian of  Colmar,  Iowa;  James  E.,  who  is  an  attorney  of  Houston,  Texas;  Vesta  L..  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Reuben  Denny,  of  Bidwell,  Ohio;  Hubert  Clayton,  living  at  Mercer- 
ville, Ohio;  and  Viola  E.,  the  wife  of  Thomas  S.  Rogers,  of  Houston,  Texas. 

John  L.  Niday  was  reared  upon  the  farm  on  which  his  birth  occurred  and  his 
youthful  experiences  were  those  of  the  farm-bred  boy.  In  the  acquirement  of  his  edu- 
cation he  won  the  two  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Science  and  Bachelor  of  Arts  from  the 
Lebanon  (Ohio)  Normal  School,  receiving  the  former  in  1889  and  the  latter  in  1892. 
He  began  teaching  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  and  followed 
that  profession,  alternated  by  periods  of  study,  until  1892.  It  was  through  teaching 
that  he  was  enabled  to  pay  his  way  while  a  student  in  the  normal  school  and  after 
having  thoroughly  qualified  for  the  bar  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
in  1892.  Immediately  afterward  he  made  his  way  to,  the  northwest,  seeking  the  oppor- 
tunities offered  in  this  great  and  growing  section  of  the  country.  Locating  in  Boise, 
he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  in  which  he  has  since  continued,  and  he  is 
accounted  one  of  the  learned  and  able  members  of  the  Boise  bar.  He  has  a  fine  law 
library,  with  the  contents  of  which  he  is  thoroughly  familiar,  and  his  well  appointed 
law  offices  are  situated  on  the  third  floor  of  the  Overland  building.  He  has  devoted 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  interests  and  duties  of  his  profession 
and  the  court  records  bear  testimony  to  the  many  favorable  verdicts  which  he  has 
won  for  his  clients.  He  also  has  extensive  farming  interests  in  the  Boise  valley, 
embracing  altogether  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  At  one  time  he  owned  eight  nun 
dred  acres  in  the  district  but  recently  sold  about  one-half  of  this. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1902,  Mr.  Niday  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Green, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters,  Eleanor 
Kathleen  and  Margaret  Mary,  aged  fifteen  and  twelve  years  respectively  and  now  stu- 
dents in  the  Boise  high  school. 

Mr.  Niday  is  a  republican  in  politics  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  political 
office.  At  the  present  time,  however,  he  is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  County  Coun- 
cil of  Defense  and  his  active  labors  in  support  of  all  war  measures  have  been  far- 


432  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

reaching  and  beneficial  in  their  results.  He  has  membership  with  the  Ada  County 
and  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Associations,  belongs  also  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and 
has  several  fraternal  connections,  being  an  Odd  Fellow,  Elk  and  Modern  Woodman. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Unitarian,  and  in  all  connections  his  life  has  measured 
up  to  high  standards. 


D.  L.  RHODES. 

The  bar  and  legal  profession  of  Nampa  and  vicinity  has  an  able  representative 
in  D.  L.  Rhodes,  who  although  yet  a  young  man  has  already  become  connected  with 
much  important  litigation  in  the  state,  so  that  he  is  recognized  by  many  as  one  of  the 
coming  young  attorneys  of  the  commonwealth.  He  is  a  son  of  Silas  and  Eva  (Cheatem) 
Rhodes,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  The  father  success- 
fully followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  the  parents  are  now  living  in  South  Dakota. 
There  is  one  other  son  in  the  family,  J.  R.  Rhodes,  who  is  a  traveling  salesman. 

D.  L.  Rhodes  was  born  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa,  May  8,  1880,  and  there 
attended  the  public  schools,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1901  after  which  he 
pursued  a  law  course  at  the  State  University  at  Iowa  City,  receiving  his  diploma  in 
1907.  In  June  of  that  year  he  came  to  Idaho  and  at  first  located  at  Emmett,  where  he 
was  associated  with  J.  P.  Reed  until  1910,  in  which  year  he  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Boise  county.  He  therefore  moved  to  the  county  seat,  Idaho  City,  where 
he  remained  until  1918,  having  been  reelected  in  1912,  1914  and  1916.  His  reelections 
stand  as  incontrovertible  proof  of  his  ability  as  well  as  his  trustworthiness  and  pop- 
ularity. In  1918  he  was  not  a  candidate  for  the  office  and  in  1919  moved  to  Nampa, 
opening  private  offices  in  the  Lloyd  building. 

.One  of  the  noted  trials  which  he  prosecuted  while  prosecuting  attorney  of  Boise 
county  was  the  celebrated  Shade-Fields,  murder  case,  tried  at  Caldwell,  which  elicited 
great  interest  throughout  the  state.  In  that  connection  his  name  became  known .  to 
the  general  public  throughout  the  commonwealth  as  well  as  to  all  of  the  profession. 
He  numbers  among  his  many  friends  some  of  the  most  influential  and  prominent  men 
of  the  state,  among  them  ex-governor  Hawley,  to  whose  help  and  kindly  influence  he 
attributes  much  of  his  early  success.  Mr.  Rhodes  has  always  taken  a  very  active 
interest  in  politics  and  public  life  and  is  an  influential  and  ardent  worker  for  the 
causes  in  which  he  believes.  He  is  giving  the  same  force,  energy  and  resourcefulness 
to  private  practice,  in  which  he  is  now  well  established,  and  of  his  immediate  success 
there  is  no  doubt.  Mr.  Rhodes  has  always  remained  a  deep  student  of  legal  lore  and  is 
today  the  proud  possessor  of  one  of  the  best  law  libraries  in  Nampa.  There  is  great 
credit  due  him  for  what  he  has  already  achieved,  as  he  has  made  good  use  of  his  innate 
talents,  and  his  future  career  is  well  worth  watching. 

In  1901  occurred  the  marriage  of  D.  L.  Rhodes  and  Miss  Bernice  Laravea,  a  native 
of  Nebraska,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  son,  Jack,  who  is  now  five  years  of  age. 
The  family  are  extremely  popular  with  the  younger  social  set  of  their  city  and  district 
and  have  many  friends  in  all  walks  of  life.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  now  vice  president  of 
the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  Association. 


DANIEL  A.  DUNNING. 

Daniel  A.  Dunning,  a  member  of  the  Boise  bar,  was  born  in  Atchison  county, 
Kansas,  September  25,  1874,  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Katherine  (Quinn)  Dunning, 
who  are  now  residents  of  Adams  county,  Idaho.  The  father  is  of  English  descent, 
while  the  mother  comes  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  The  founder  of  the  Dunning  family 
in  America  came  to  the  new  world  while  this  country  was  still  numbered  among  the 
colonial  possessions  of  Great  Britain  and  received  a  grant  of  land  from  the  British 
crown,  whereby  he  became  owner  of  the  present  site  of  Guilford  Courthouse,  North 
Carolina. 

When  Daniel  A.  Dunning  was  seven  years  of  age,  or  in  1881,  his  parents  removed 
with  their  family  to  Colorado  and  he  was  reared  in  Grand  Junction,  that  state.  His 
early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and  on  attaining  his  majority  he 
left  Grand  Junction  and  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  learned  telegraphy.  He 


D.  L.  RHODES 


vol.  n— is 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  435 

was  employed  as  a  telegraph  operator  by  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railroad  for  three 
years  and  from  the  5th  of  May,  1898,  until  August,  1899,  he  was  in  the  military  serv- 
ice of  the  United  States  as  a  member  of  Battery  B,  Utah  Light  Artillery,  spending  one 
year  of  that  period  in  the  Philippines.  The  official  records  give  him  credit  for  par- 
ticipation in  thirty-eight  different  engagements,  including  the  capture  of  Manila  on 
the  13th  of  August,  1898.  He  was  with  General  Lawton  on  his  expedition  and  was 
cited  for  meritorious  service.  He  was  honorably  discharged  and  mustered  out  at 
San  Francisco  on  the  16th  of  August,  1899.  He  resumed  his  work  as  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator at  Provo,  Utah,  and  was  also  cashier  and  ticket  agent  for  the  railroad  company 
there.  He  afterward  passed  the  civil  service  examination  and  spent  eight  years  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  in  civil  service  work,  five  years  in  the  census  department  and 
three  years  in  the  general  land  office. 

While  residing  in  the  national  capital  Mr.  Dunning  completed  a  law  course  in 
the  George  Washington  University,  from  which  he  won  his  professional  diploma  in 

1907.  While  still  with  the  land  department  of  the  United  States  government  in  June, 

1908,  he  was  sent  to  the  west  and  continued  in  government  service  until  June,  1909, 
with    headquarters   at   Salt    Lake   City.     He   then    resigned    and    removed    to    Boise   to 
enter  upon  the  private  practice  of  law,  in  which  he  has  since  been  continuously  and 
successfully    engaged,   winning   a   creditable   and   gratifying   clientage.     He   belongs   to 
both  the  Ada  County  and  Idaho  State  Bar  Associations. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1903,  Mr.  Dunning  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Hall 
Totten,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  they  have  three  children:  John  Albert,  born  May 
28,  1908;  and  twins,  Mary  Joseph  and  Sarah  Totten,  born  March  29,  1910. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Dunning  has  always  been  a  stalwart  republican  since 
age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  and  he  served  as  chairman  of  the 
republican  county  central  committee  from  1914  until  1916.  He  was  assistant  attorney 
general  of  Idaho  under  Attorney  General  J.  H.  Peterson.  He  is  an  Elk  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Boise  Golf  Club,  and  the  latter  indicates  his  chief  source  of  recreation. 


CLINTON  H.  HARTSON. 

Boise  has  always  had  a  strong  bar  and  among  its  active  practitioners  is  numbered 
Clinton  H.  Hartson,  who,  although  one  of  its  younger  representatives,  has  achieved  a 
creditable  place  in  professional  ranks.  He  was  born  in  Spokane,  Washington,  June 
1,  1886,  the  eldest  of  the  three  sons  of  the  Hon.  Millard  T.  Hartson,  now  a  member 
of  the  bar  of  Seattle.  The  father  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  Washington.  He  for- 
merly served  as  postmaster  of  Spokane  for  ten  years  and  for  several  years  was  judge 
of  the  superior  court  of  Spokane  county.  He  was  also  at  one  time  chairman  of  the 
state  central  committee  of  the  republican  party,  is  a  member  of  the  district  exemption 
board  and  is  identified  with  many  movements  which  have  to  do  with  the  welfare  of 
the  state  and  the  support  of  the  government  in  its  war  activities.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Margaret  Roberson  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  sons:  Clin- 
ton H.,  of  this  review;  Nelson  T.,  now  a  captain  in  an  ammunition  train  in  France: 
and  Joseph  T.,  who  is  the  secretary  and  superintendent  of  the  Boeing  Airplane  Com- 
pany of  Seattle.  He  is  an  expert  mechanic  whose  skill  is  now  utilized  in  the  build- 
ing of  airplanes. 

Clinton  H.  Hartson  was  reared  in  Spokane  and  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  of  that  city  with  the  class  of  1906,  when  a  youth  of  eighteen  years.  He  waa 
one  of  the  honor  students,  delivering  the  valedictory  address,  and  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  his  class.  In  1905  he  took  the  civil  service  examination  and  at  eighteen  years 
of  age  entered  the  postoffice  department  at  Washington,  D.  C.  While  there  he  studied 
law  in  the  George  Washington  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
LL.  B.  degree  in  1908.  He  at  once  left  the  national  capital  as  a  special  agent  of  the 
general  land  office  and  spent  eight  months  in  his  official  capacity  in  the  northwest- 
ern states.  In  March,  1909,  he  was  appointed  chief  of  field  service,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Boise,  and  so  continued  until  June,  1911,  when  he  resigned  to  take  up  the 
private  practice  of  law,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  is  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent among  the  younger  representatives  of  the  bar  of  this  state.  His  mind  is  keenly 
analytical,  logical  and  inductive  and  his  presentation  of  a  cause  always  indicates  a 
thorough  understanding  of  its  salient  features. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1910,  Mr.  Hartson  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Lud- 


436  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

wig,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  they  now  have  two  daughters:     Margaret,  who 
was  born  December  30,  1913;  and  Mary  Frances,  born  August  7,  1915. 

Mr.  Hartson  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing  for  recreation,  indulging  in  those  sports 
when  leisure  permits.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Elks  and  a  past  exalted  ruler 
of  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  while  twice  he  has  represented  the  local  organization  in  the 
grand  lodge.  In  his  political  views  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart  republican.  Along 
professional  lines  he  has  connection  with  the  local  and  state  bar  associations.  His 
interest  in  community  affairs  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Boise  Commer- 
cial Club  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  University  Club. 


GEORGE  T.  RITTER. 

George  T.  Ritter  is  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Ritter  Brothers,  proprietors  of  a  plan- 
ing mill  at  Burley.  He  was  born  in  Eden,  Utah,  August  16,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  T.  and  Oregon  C.  (Thomas)  Ritter.  The  father  was  born  at  Wythe,  Virginia,  and 
crossed  the  plains  in  1862,  making  the  trip  with  ox  teams.  He  met  his  brother  George 
at  Carson  City,  Nevada,  and  afterward  returned  to  Riverdale,  Utah,  where  he  resided 
for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he  homesteaded  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  subsequently  purchased  an  equal  amount  of  land.  He  built  a  slab  house 
upon  his  ranch  and  in  the  course  of  years  when  prosperity  had  to  some  extent  at- 
tended his  efforts  he  replaced  this  primitive  dwelling  by  a  more  commodious  and  com- 
fortable frame  house.  As  the  years  passed  he  continued  to  win  success  and  even- 
tually erected  a  large  and  beautiful  residence  upon  his  place,  which  he  is  still  occupy- 
ing at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  His  wife,  however,  passed  away  January  9, 
1919,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Ritter  has  long  been 
a  republican  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  community  in 
which  he  makes  his  home. 

The  boyhood  days  of  George  T.  Ritter  were  passed  at  Eden,  Utah,  and  he  early 
became  familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  crops, 
his  youthful  experiences  being  those  which  usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  farmbred 
boy.  Later,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  James  G.  Ritter,  he  operated  his  father's 
ranch  in  the  Ogden  valley  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1909,  also  conducting  a  car- 
penter shop  on  the  ranch.  In  1909  he  came  to  Burley,  where  he  established  a  plan- 
ing mill  business  on  a  small  scale.  In  1915  a  removal  was  made  to  the  present  loca- 
tion and  the  business  of  the  firm  of  Ritter  Brothers  is  still  growing.  It  is  purposed 
soon  to  build  a  larger  plant  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  their  patronage,  and 
theirs  has  become  one  of  the  important  productive  industries  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  They  likewise  deal  in  real  estate  and  that  branch  of  their  business  is  also 
proving  profitable. 

In  1910  George  T.  Ritter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Mollerup,  a  daughter 
of  Soren  and  Ida  (Pierson)  Mollerup  and  a  native  of  Huntsville,  Utah.  They  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Nina  Ritter,  who  is  the  light  and  life  of  the  household. 

Mr.  Ritter  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  republican  party,  having  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  its  principles  since  reach- 
ing adult  age.  He  is  connected  with  the  Knights  &  Ladies  of  Security  and  the  Idaho 
State  Life  Insurance  Company.  The  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  however, 
is  concentrated  upon  his  business  affairs.  He  has  always  led  an  active  life  and  early 
learned  the  value  of  industry  and  perseverance  as  factors  in  the  attainment  of  suc- 
cess. As  the  years  have  gone  on  he  has  prospered,  and  his  energy  and  persistency  of 
purpose  have  brought  him  to  an  enviable  position  in  industrial  circles,  as  the  plan- 
ing mill  of  the  Ritter  Brothers  of  Burley  is  now  one  of  the  important  business  enter- 
prises of  that  section  of  the  state. 


DAVID  J.  SUTTON,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  David  J.  Button,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  at  Pocatello  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  R.  H.  Sutton,  was  born  at  Paris,  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  in 
June,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Margaret  Ann  (Shepard)  Sutton.  The  father 
was  born  in  Leire,  Leicestershire,  England,  and  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  fourteen 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  437 

years.  He  had  been  converted  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and 
emigrated  to  the  new  world  to  take  up  church  work  in  this  country.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmi thing.  In  1870  he 
was  sent  to  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  by  the  church  to  aid  in  colonizing  that  section 
of  the  country  and  there  passed  away  in  1913,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  The  mother,  Margaret  Ann  (Shepard)  Sutton,  was  a  native  of  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne,  England,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  ten  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  three  of  the  sons  are  now  deceased. 
Those  still  living  are  John  A.,  Richard  S.,  Mark  H.,  Harry  Edward,  Ernest  C.,  David 
J.,  Margaret,  and  Dr.  R.  H.  Sutton.  Of  the  sons  still  living  five  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  under  the  direction  of  the  father.  Two  of  the  family,  however,  have  be- 
come members  of  the  dental  profession  and  R.  H.  Sutton,  the  partner  of  Dr.  David  J. 
Sutton  of  this  review,  is  associated  with  him  in  practice  at  Pocatello.  He  married  Mel- 
vina  Weaver,  of  Bennington,  Idaho,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  son,  Bland  W.,  now 
ten  years  of  age. 

David  J.  Sutton  pursued  his  education  in  the  Brigham  Young  Academy  at  Logan, 
Utah,  and  afterward  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  a  student  in  the  Chicago  Col- 
lege of  Dental  Surgery.  After  thorough  preparation  for  the  profession  he  located  at 
Montpelier,  Idaho,  where  he  opened  an  office  in  1904,  remaining  in  practice  there  for 
four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  filled  a  mission  to  England  for  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  remaining  abroad  for  two  years,  and  in 
the  meantime  he  pursued  a  special  course  in  dentistry.  Following  his  return  to  his 
native  land  he  once  more  opened  his  office  in  Montpelier,  where  he  again  practiced  for 
four  years  and  then  came  to  Pocatello  in  1914.  Here  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  brother,  R.  H.  Sutton,  and  they  have  since  been  associated  in  the  conduct  of  their 
professional  interests.  Both  are  thoroughly  informed  concerning  the  scientific  princi- 
ples underlying  their  work  and  possess,  too,  that  marked  mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity 
which  must  always  form  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  successful  dentist. 

In  1902  Dr.  David  J.  Sutton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Brown,  of  Paris, 
Idaho,  and  to  them  have  been  born  eight  children:  Florence,  David  Wright,  Damarls, 
James  B.,  Geraldine,  Marjorie,  Sherman  L.,  and  Barbara. 

Dr.  Sutton  has  always  taken  a  most  active  and  helpful  part  in  the  church  work 
and  is  now  bishop  of  the  Pocatello  third  ward  and  while  at  Montpelier  was  bishop  of 
the  first  ward.  In  politics  he  has  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  voting  according  to 
the  dictates  of  his  judgment,  and  he  at  all  times  manifests  a  lively  interest  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  of  his  city  and  state. 


THOMAS  L.  MARTIN. 

Thomas  L.  Martin,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Martin  &  Martin,  attorneys  of 
Boise,  with  offices  in  the  Idaho  building,  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Arkansas,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1878,  a  son  of  Thomas  B.  and  Mary  Jane  (Morris)  Martin.  When  he  was  an  In- 
fant in  his  mother's  arms  his  parents  removed  to  the  state  of  Oregon,  the  family  liv- 
ing in  Union  county  until  he  was  eight  years  of  age.  They  then  removed  to  Ada  county, 
Idaho,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Star,  and  it  was  there  that  Thomas  L.  Martin  largely 
spent  his  youthful  days,  his  experiences  being  those  that  usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
farm-bred  boy.  He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schoolsjof  Star  and  after- 
ward attended  the  Boise  high  school,  while  later  he  became  a  student  In  the  University 
of  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  the  meantime,  however,  before  enter- 
ing the  university,  he  taught  school  for  one  year  in  Ada  county.  He  worked  his  way 
through  the  university  by  tutoring  in  mathematics,  receiving  seventy-five  cents  per 
hour  for  his  services  in  that  direction,  and  thus  he  paid  his  expenses  through  the  three 
years  of  his  course  in  that  institution.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  took  up 
the  study  of  law  in  Boise  and  after  thorough  preliminary  reading  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1908.  In  January,  1907,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  his  uncle,  Frank 
Martin,  already  well  established  as  a  prominent  member  of  the  Boise  bar,  and  the 
firm  of  Martin  &  Martin  was  thus  organized  and  has  since  existed.  They  are  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Idaho,  their  ability  causing  their  retention  as 
counsel  for  the  defense  or  prosecution  in  many  of  the  most  important  cases  tried  in  the 
courts  of  the  state. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1903,  Thomas  L.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Ott 


438  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  Boise,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Althea  Eulene,  born  November  21,  1913.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin is  identified  with  several  fraternal  organizations.  He  has  been  prominent  in  Odd 
Fellowship  and  is  a  past  noble  grand  of  Ada  Lodge,  No.  3,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  likewise 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective;  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  belongs  also  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  has  served  as  its  president.  His 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  but  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant 
nor  a  candidate  for  political  office,  preferring  always  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  en- 
ergies upon  his  professional  interests,  and  by  reason  of  this  close  application  and  the 
development  of  his  latent  powers  he  has  won  a  creditable  position  at  the  Boise  bar. 
He  belongs  to  the  Ada  County,  Idaho  State  and  American  Bar  Associations. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  E.  YATES. 

Captain  John  E.  Yates,  who  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  as  a  prominent  business 
man  and  banker  of  Boise,  was  born  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  a  native  of  Bristol, 
Maine,  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  that  state  whose  members 
were  largely  seafaring  men.  His  great-grandfather,  George  Yates,  a  native  of  England, 
was  the  founder  of  the  family  in  the  new  world.  He  settled  at  Bristol,  where  several 
generations  of  the  family  have  lived.  George  Yates,  father  of  Captain  Yates  of  this 
review,  was  born  at  Bristol  and,  like  others  of  the  name,  followed  the  sea,  making 
his  last  voyage  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five.  From  this  voyage  he  never  returned. 
In  1841  he  had  married  Miss  Sophia  Blunt,  of  Bristol,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Blunt, 
who  settled  first  in  Massachusetts  and  later  in  Maine  and  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  James  Morton,  had  been  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Mrs.  George  Yates  survived  her  husband  for  more  than  a  half 
century  and  passed  away  in  Bristol  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  She  had 
but  two  children,  the  elder  being  Oscar  O.  Yates,  who  died  in  Bristol  in  May,  1908,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

The  younger  son,  Captain  John  E.  Yates,  was  born  on  the  4th  of  February,  1845, 
and  for  thirty-five  years  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  town,  attending  the  public 
schools  after  reaching  the  age  of  six.  Seafaring  life  proved  to  him  an  irresistible 
lure  notwithstanding  that  it  had  claimed  many  victims  from  his  own  family.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  followed  the  sea  and  won  rapid  promotion.  For  fifteen  years  of 
that  time  he  was  in  command  of  various  vessels,  largely  in  the  West  Indian  and  South 
American  trade.  In  1898  he  removed  to  Boise,  Idaho,  bringing  his  family  to  the  new 
home  which  he  had  prepared  in  the  northwest,  he  having  previously  invested  here 
as  early  as  1891.  He  became  an  important  factor  in  the  business  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  was  connected  with  a  number  of  the  leading  commercial 
and  financial  enterprises  of  Boise,  becoming  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Yates  & 
Corbus  Live  Stock  Company,  of  which  he  served  as  president  for  several  years. 
Through  out 'almost  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  he  was  connected  with 
the  live  stock  industry.  He  also  turned  his  attention  to  the  banking  business  and 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce  of  Boise,  of  which  for  four 
years  he  was  president.  He  made  extensive  and  judicious  investments  in  real  estate 
and  his  property  holdings  were  large.  He  was  the  builder  and  proprietor  of  the 
Hotel  Bristol,  which  he  named  in  honor  of  his  native  city,  and  in  1907  he  became 
the  owner  of  the  Yates  block,  one  of  the  fine  business  structures  of  the  city.  His 
real  estate  included  a  beautiful  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Boise 'and  adjoining  it  he  had 
a  fine  fruit  farm  of  sixty  acres  lying  just  outside  the  corporation  limits  of  the  cap- 
ital. He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  who  readily  discriminated  between  the  essential 
and  the  non-essential  in  all  business  affairs.  He  was  fortunate  in  that  he  possessed 
character  and  ability  that  inspired  confidence  in  others,  and  the  simple  weight  of  his 
character  and  ability  carried  him  into  important  relations. 

At  Bristol,  Maine,  in  1872,  Captain  Yates  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rox- 
anna  Cox,  a  native  of  that  place  and  a  daughter  of  George  Cox.  She  passed  away  in 
1887,  and  in  Sycamore,  Illinois,  Captain  Yates  afterward  wedded  Georgia  Townsend, 
a  daughter  of  Amos  Townsend,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  yet  living:  Dorothy,  who  was  a  student  in  the  University  of  California; 
John,  who  has  passed  away;  Margaret  and  Marjorie,  twins,  who  were  born  in  the  old 
Sherman  House  of  Chicago  and  were  educated  in  a  Massachusetts  college;  Oscar  T.; 
Frederick  T.;  William  T.;  and  Stephen  T. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  E.  YATES 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  441 

The  death  of  Captain  Yates  occurred  in  Boise,  March  4,  1914.  He  had  long  been 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  and  honored  residents  of  the  city.  He  was  for  two 
years  a  member  of  the  Boise  city  council  and  at  all  times  loyally  supported  his  polit- 
ical belief  by  earnest  work  in  behalf  of  his'  party.  He  was  a  helpful  member  of  the 
Commercial  Club  and  he  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  to  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Boise.  His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Unitarian 
church  and  his  life  was  ever  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles.  He  perhaps 
became  best  known  to  the  people  of  the  state  at  large  through  his  service  as  state 
senator,  in  which  position  he  represented  his  district  for  two  terms.  He  was  made 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  banks  and  banking  and  that  on  public  lands.  He  had 
previously  served  as  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives.  He  was  ever  fearless 
in  support  of  his  honest  convictions  and  with  the  organization  of  the  progressive 
party  he  joined  its  ranks,  and  after  two  terms'  service  as  a  member  of  the  state  senate 
was  made  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  the  office  of  state  treasurer.  He  stood  as  a 
splendid  type  of  American  manhood  and  chivalry,  holding  to  high  ideals  of  citizen- 
ship, to  faultless  principles  of  business  and  to  the  strictest  rules  of  manly  conduct  in 
every  relation.  He  was  indeed  one  whom  to  know  was  to  esteem  and  honor  and  his 
many  voyages  to  all  parts  of  the  world  had  stored  his  mind  with  many  reminiscences 
and  incidents  that  made  him  a  most  interesting  companion. 


GEORGE   H.   RUST. 

George  H.  Rust  was  a  practitioner  at  the  bar  of  Boise  and  justice  of  the  peace 
of  the  Boise  precinct  when  death  called  him  on  the  30th  of  January,  1920.  He  was 
born  in  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  July  11,  1881,  and  was  a  representative  of  on&  of 
the  oldest  American  families.  The  ancestral  line  is  traced  back  to  Henry  Rust,  who 
left  his  old  home  in  Norfolk  county,  England,  to  brave  the  dangers  of  an  ocean  voyage  at 
that  time  and  established  his  home  in. the  colony  of  Massachusetts  prior  to  1635.  He  set- 
tled at  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  and  the  line  of  descent  is  traced  from  Henry  Rust  down 
through  Israel,  Nathaniel,  Nathaniel,  Nathaniel,  Nathaniel,  Horace,  Henry  B.,  and  Frank- 
lin G.,  to  George  H.  Rust  of  this  review,  who  was  thus  a  representative  of  the  family  in 
the  tenth  generation  in  the  United  States.  There  were  four  Nathaniels  in  succession,  the 
third  of  whom  was  a  Revolutionary  war  soldier.  Nathaniel  Rust  (IV)  was  the  father 
of  Hannah  Rust,  who  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Oscar  Perkins,  by  whom  she  had 
three  sons,  William  Oscar,  Henry  Southwick  and  Julius  Edson,  who  became  famous 
musicians,  the  last  named  being  a  singer  of  wide  note.  William  Oscar  Perkins  in  his 
day  was  also  prominent  as  a  musical  composer  and  director,  living  in  Boston.  Julius 
Edson  Perkins,  though  but  thirty  years  of  age  at  the  time,  had  won  fame  in  musical 
circles  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Frank  G.  Rust,  father  of  George  H.  Rust,  Is  still 
living,  being  actively  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Glidden,  Iowa,  to  which 
place  he  removed  from  Wisconsin  during  the  infancy  of  his  son  George.  The  mother, 
Mrs.  Emma  (Brown)  Rust,  passed  away  during  the  early  boyhood  of  their  son  George, 
who  was  the  eldest  child. 

Reared  in  Glidden,  Iowa,  George  H.  Rust  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of 
that  place  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  afterward  spent  four  years  as  a  pupil 
in  Park  College  at  Parkville,  Missouri.  He  was  there  graduated  with  the  Bachelor  of 
Arts  degree  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1903.  Upon  his  return  to  his  Iowa  home  he 
took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  one  term  In  the  country 
schools  and  in  1904  came  to  Idaho.  He  then  taught  in  the  high  school  of  Idaho  Falls 
In  the  spring  of  that  year,  after  which  he  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  became  a  law 
student  in  the  office  of  Samuel  H.  Hays.  v  After  thorough  preliminary  reading  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1906,  and  from  that  date  practiced  his  profession  continu- 
ously to  the  time  of  his  demise.  He  belonged  to  both  the  Ada  County  and  Idaho  State 
Bar  Associations. 

Mr.  Rust  was  married  May  9,  1906,  to  Miss  Maude  Hubbard,  of  Boise,  and  they 
had  a  son,  Richard  H.,  whose  birth  occurred  August  1,  1907.  In  politics  Mr.  Rust 
was  a  republican,  giving  stalwart  support  to  the  principles  of  the  party,  but  he  never 
held  office  save  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace 
through  appointment  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  on  the  22d  day  of  May, 
1918.  He  belonged  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  was  master  of  finance 
of  the  local  lodge.  He  was  likewise  an  active  member  of  the  First  Congregational 


442  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

church  of  Boise,  in  which  he  served  as  treasurer.  His  activities  were  directed  along 
lines  which  touch  the  general  interests  and  welfare  of  society,  his  support  being  given 
to  all  plans  and  measures  that  he  deemed  of  essential  worth  and  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  made  his  home. 


JOHN  JOSEPH  McCUE. 

John  Joseph  McCue,  who  has  practiced  at  the  bar  of  Boise  for  a  decade,  was  born 
in  Buffalo,  New  York,  May  14,  1875,  the  elder  of  the  two  sons  of  Patrick  and  Sarah 
(Curran)  McCue,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  near  Thomaston,  Maine.  Both 
were  of  Irish  descent  and  both  have  now  passed  away.  The  brother,  Daniel  McCue, 
is  also  a  lawyer,  practicing  at  Buffalo,  New  York. 

John  J.  McCue  was  educated  in  the  parochial  schools  of  Buffalo  and  at  ten  years 
of  age  entered  the  law  office  of  Herbert  P.  Bissell  as  a  messenger.  Mr.  Bissell  shortly 
thereafter  affiliated  with  the  firm  of  which  Ex-President  Grover  Cleveland  was  the 
founder,  and  of  which  Ex-Postmaster  General  Wilson  S.  Bissell  was  also  a  member. 
Mr.  McCue  later  entered  the  employ  of  the  People's  Bank,  Buffalo,  starting  at  the  bottom 
and  working  to  the  position  of  teller.  Leaving  Buffalo,  he  took  a  position  In  New  York 
city  as  an  accountant,  which  work  carried  him  all  over  the  United  States,  doing  mostly 
bank  and  municipal  expert  work.  In  1903  he  was  graduated  from  the  legal  depart- 
ment of  Grant  University  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  being  the  class  valedictorian. 

He  then  practiced  law  at  Atlanta,  Georgia.  Subsequently  he  worked  in  Texas  and 
Oklahoma  and  then  went  to  California,  where  he  worked  as  an  accountant  and  banker 
for  nearly  four  years.  In  1909  he  arrived  in  Idaho,  where  he  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion to  professional  interests.  He  was  not  long  in  building  up  a  good  practice,  which 
his  ability  has  entitled  him  to  retain,  specializing  in  matters  pertaining  to  realty  and 
also  probate  law.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ada  County  and  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciations, in  addition  to  being  a  member  of  the  bar  of  Tennessee,  Georgia,  California 
and  Idaho. 

At  Los  Angeles,  November  8,  1908,  Mr.  McCue  was  married  to  Atella  Louise  Bedard 
of  Chicago,  who  is  of  French  descent.  They  have  had  three  daughters,  Sarah,  Justine 
and  Mary,  but  the  first  child,  Sarah,  died  in  infancy. 

In  politics,  Mr.  McCue  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  office. 
He  is  a  Roman  Catholic  and  a  past  grand  knight  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and 
also  a  past  state  officer  in  that  order.  He  also  is  a  past  head  officer  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  Head  Camp,  and  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  the  Boise  Commercial  Club. 
During  the  World  war  period,  Mr.  McCue  was  very  active  in  all  patriotic  measures, 
having  been  captain  of  his  local  sector  for  all  of  the  various  war  drives,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Idaho  District  Legal  Advisory  Board,  an  appointee  of  Governor  Alex- 
ander, the  work  of  the  board  being  to  give  free  advice  and  counsel  to  all  soldiers 
and  sailors. 


JOHN  F.  COLVIN. 

John  F.  Colvin,  for  fourteen  years  a  member  of  the  Boise  bar,  was  born  in  Albion, 
New  York,  September  21,  1864,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  John  C.  and  Susan  (Wallace) 
Colvin,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  parents  were  natives  of  New  York  and 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  state.  The  father  was  a  mechanic  and  always  carried 
on  business  along  mechanical  lines.  He  was  a  son  of  Sherman  Colvin,  who  was  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  old  American  families  that  was  founded  in  New  England. 
Sherman  Colvin  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years,  but  his  son,  John  C. 
Colvin,  only  reached  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  while  the  wife  of  the  latter  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two. 

John  F.  Colvin  was  reared  in  Albion,  New  York,  and  attended  its  public  schools. 
Later  he  became  a  student  in  the  Pulaski  Academy,  in  which  he  spent  two  years,  and 
subsequently  he  completed  a  course  in  the  Brookfield  Union  School  and  Academy  of 
Madison  county,  New  York.  He  thus  had  liberal  educational  opportunities  which  well 
qualified  him  for  duties  and  responsibilities  of  later  life.  As  a  young  man  he  took 
up  the  profession  of  teaching  and  was  principal  of  the  schools  at  Tuckerton,  New 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  443 

Jersey,  for  five  years,  and  at  Bloomingdale,  New  Jersey,  for  six  years.  He  proved  a 
capabfe  educator,  imparting  clearly  and  readily  to  others  the  knowledge  that  he  had 
acquired;  but  the  opportunities  of  the  west  proved  to  him  an  irresistible  lure  and  in 
1901  he  made  his  way  to  Butte,  Montana,  where  he  took  up  the  study  of  law.  He 
afterward  pursued  a  two  years'  law  course  in  the  Valparaiso  University  of  Indiana, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1904  with  the  LL.  B.  degree.  In  the  same 
year  he  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana  bar  and  immediately  afterward  he  came  to  Idaho, 
settling  at  Wallace  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  A  few  months  later,  or  in  1905,  he  removed 
to  Boise,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  has  since  engaged  in  practice.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ada  Cpunty  and  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Associations  and  he  is  a  representative 
attorney,  displaying  thoroughness  and  care  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases  and  strength 
and  cogency  in  the  presentation  of  his  cause. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1889,  Mr.  Colvin  was  married  to  Miss  Mattie  K.  Bab- 
cock,  of  Brookfield,  New  York,  and  they  have  one  son,  Oscar  J.,  who  holds  a  responsible 
position  in  the  war  department  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mrs.  Colvin  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  fraternally  Mr.  Colvin  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  political  support  is  given  to 
the  republican  party  but  he  has  never  been  a  candidate  or  aspirant  for  public  office. 
He  has  been  a  stanch  supporter,  however,  of  all  war  measures  and  his  public-spirited 
citizenship  stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his  career,  his  loyalty  to  all  the  best 
interests  of  community,  commonwealth  and  country  being  manifest  in  many  tangible 
ways 


WILLIAM  A.  FLOWER. 

William  A.  Flower,  conducting  a  splendidly  equipped  photographic  studio  at  Twin 
Falls,  was  born  in  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  April  24,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  W. 
and  Frances  E.  (Arnett)  Flower.  His  boyhood  days  were  spent  under  the  parental 
roof  at  the  place  of  his  birth  and  there  he  began  his  education,  which  later  he  con- 
tinued in  the  schools  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  dates  his  residence  in  Twin  Falls  from 
1908  and  here  he  established  his  photographic  gallery.  He  had  previously  become 
acquainted  with  the  art  while  in  the  middle  west  and  had  developed  ability  of  a  high 
order  before  coming  to  Idaho.  He  has  today  a  splendidly  equipped  establishment  and 
follows  the  latest  improved  photographic  processes  in  carrying  on  his  work.  He  pos- 
sesses artistic  skill,  recognizes  the  value  of  light  and  shade  and  is  most  happy  in 
catching  a  lifelike  likeness  of  his  subject.  His  work  has  won  favorable  comment  wher- 
ever it  has  been  displayed  and  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  his  continued  progress,  for  he 
possesses  a  spirit  that  is  never  content  with  mediocrity  but  is  constantly  reaching  out 
for  broader  and  better  things. 

Mr.  Flower  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Benevolent  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks  and  gives  his  political  support  to  the  republican  paity.  He  has 
never  been  ambitious  to  hold  political  office,  yet  in  matters  of  citizenship  stands  at 
all  times  for  progress  and  improvement  and  labors  earnestly  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  locality  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


IRA  F.  OVERMYER. 

Ira  F.  Overmyer,  a  Boise  lawyer,  whose  birthplace  was  an  Indiana  farm,  has 
passed  the  fiftieth  milestone  on  life's  journey,  for  he  was  born  near  Plymouth,  in 
Marshall  county,  Indiana,  January  13,  1868,  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  seven  children, 
four  sons  and  three  daughters,  whose  parents  were  the  Rev.  Hiram  E.  and  Margaret 
A.  (Kemmerling)  Overmyer.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  be- 
came a  resident  of  Marshall  county,  Indiana,  in  1866,  and  passed  away  in  1895.  His 
patriotic  and  courageous  spirit  was  manifest  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  by  his  enlist- 
ment as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Sixty'Second  New  York  Regiment,  with  which  he 
served  for  three  years  in  the  Union  army.  His  wife,  also  a  native  of  Sandusky  county, 
Ohio,  is  still  living  in  Lagrange  county,  Indiana.  They  were  married  in  Marshall 
county,  that  state,  in  1867. 

Ira  F.  Overmyer  largely  spent  his  youthful  days  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in 


444  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Marshall  county,  and  after  mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  district 
schools  there  continued  his  studies  in  the  Valparaiso  University  of  that  state.  'When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  taught  a  term  of  school,  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  en- 
tered the  Northwestern  College,  a  denominational  school  at  Naperville,  Illinois,  in 
which  he  remained  a  student  for  two  years.  He  then  made  his  way  westward  to  Hol- 
drege,  Nebraska,  where  for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance business.  Returning  to  Indiana,  he  spent  some  time  in  Richmond  and  at  Muncie, 
where  he  was  identified  with  manufacturing  enterprises.  The  same  spirit  of  patriotism 
that  prompted  his  father's  enlistment  in  the  Civil  war  was  manifest  in  the  son  in  1900, 
when  he  joined  the  United  States  Army  and  was  sent  to  Cuba,  where  he  spent  twen- 
ty-one months  during  the  period  of  American  occupation.  He  served  altogether  for 
three  years  in  the  army  with  the  rank  of  sergeant. 

Previously,  in  1892,  Mr.  Overmyer  had  completed  a  course  of  study  in  a  business 
college  at  Muncie,  Indiana,  mastering  courses  in  bookkeeping,  banking,  stenography 
and  typewriting.  In  1893  be  became  an  instructor  in  a  Portland,  Indiana,  business 
college  and  in  1894  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Wagner  & 
Bingham,  well  known  attorneys,  the  latter  being  James  Bingham,  afterward  attorney 
general  of  Indiana.  Mr.  Overmyer  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Muncie  in  1895  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Albany,  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  in  1897.  There 
he  continued  until  1900,  when  he  entered  the  army.  In  1903,  following  the  close  of  his 
military  service,  he  returned  to  Muncie,  where  he  occupiedThe  position  of  superintendent 
of  a  woodenware  manufacturing  plant  for  two  years.  From  1905  until  1909  he  was  an 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company  at  Martinsville, 
Indiana,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  seven  months  on  a 
ranch.  In  1910  he  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  for  three 
years  after  his  arrival  here  he  was  identified  with  the  National  Cash  Register  Company 
and  the  Toledo  Computing  Scale  Company.  During  the  fall  of  1912,  through  the  political 
campaign  he  served  the  progressive  party  of  Idaho  as  official  state  stenographer.  Since 
1913  he  has  practiced  law,  with  office  in  the  McCarty  building  in  Boise,  and  specializes  as 
a  collecting  attorney.  Aside  from  his  law  practice  he  is  the  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Western  Reporting  &  Credit  Company. 

At  Muncie,  Indiana,  in  1899,  Mr.  Overmyer  was  married  and  has  two  living  children, 
Dwight  M.  and  Marjorie  Prances,  aged  respectively  nineteen  and  fourteen  years.  The  son 
is  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  government  in  the  aviation  department.  In  1914  Mr. 
Overmyer  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Esther  A.  Farling  nee 
Warrick. 

In  politics  Mr.  Overmyer  has  always  been  a  stalwart  republican  but  never  an  office 
seeker.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  connection  manifests 
his  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation 
in  fishing  and  motoring,  but  professional  duties  claim  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and 
attention. 


JAMES  ALMOND  AMES. 

James  Almond  Ames,  founder  and  president  of  the  Ames  Wholesale  Grocery  &  Sup- 
ply Company,  conducting  an  extensive  business  as  wholesale  dealers  in  groceries  and 
as  importers,  jobbers  and  manufacturers  in  Boise,  came  to  this  city  from  Boulder, 
Colorado,  in  1906.  He  was  born  at  Richfield  Springs,  Otsego  county,  New  York,  August 
2,  1870,  the  eldest  son  in  a  family  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  whose 
parents  were  David  W.  and  Mary  V.  (Gano)  Ames,  the  former  of  English  and  the  latter 
of  French  descent.  The  father  is  still  living  in  the  Empire  state,  but  the  mother  died 
several  years  ago.  In  the  paternal  line  the  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  three 
brothers  who  came  from  England  soon  after  the  Mayflower  first  dropped  anchor  in 
Plymouth  harbor.  The  maternal  grandfather  was  James  H.  Gano,  a  well-to-do  live 
stock  man  of  Ganos  Corners,  near  Richfield,  New  York,  a  place  which  was  named  in 
his.  honor. 

James  A.  Ames,  spending  his  youthful  days  in  his  native  state,  was  reared  in 
Otsego  county  and  after  mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  public 
schools  there,  attended  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  In 
1892  he  removed  westward  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  during  which 
time  he  was  employed  in  the  wholesale  house  of  Marshall  Field.  He  afterward  spent 


JAMES  A.  AMES 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  447 

several  years  in  Colorado,  remaining  at  Denver  and  at  Boulder,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  trade,  conducting  a  retail  store  at  Denver,  and  a  member  of  a  firm  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  business  in  Boulder.  The  year  1906  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Boise 
and  in  1910  he  established  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of  which  he  has  since  been  the 
president.  The  store  is  located  at  Ninth  and  Myrtle  streets.  F.  M.  Watts  is  the  secre- 
tary of  the  company,  with  J.  Warren  Smith  as  the  treasurer.  This  is  a  close  corpora 
tion.  The  company  has  built  up  an  extensive  business,  their  ramifying  trade  interests 
covering  a  broad  territory,  and  they  manufacture  various  lines  of  goods  which  they 
handle  and  are  also  importers  and  jobbers. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1906,  Mr.  Ames*  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elsie  E.  Crump, 
and  they  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  Marguerite,  Catherine  and  James 
William.  The  last  two  are  twins,  born  March  31,  1909,  while  the  birth  of  Marguerite 
occurred  on  the  24th  of  March,  1907. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ames  maintains  an  independent  course,  considering  the  capability 
of  the  candidate  rather  than  his  party  ties.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club 
and  is  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  city,  the  development 
of  its  trade  interests  and  the  upholding  of  those  affairs  which  are  matters  of  civic 
virtue  and  of  civic  pride. 


JOSEPH  R.  NUMBERS,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Joseph  R.  Numbers,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Morrow  county,  Ohio,  May  30,  1864,  a  son  of  Esau  and  Anna  (Smith)  Numbers,  who 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  respectively.  The  father,  who  devoted  his  life 
to  the  occupation  of  farming,  was  born  November  7,  1816,  and  in  Ohio  wedded  Anna 
Smith,  whose  birth  occurred  in  1820.  She  passed  away  in  Iberia,  Ohio,  in  1877,  while 
Mr.  Numbers  survived  until  the  28th  of  January,  1902.  They  had  a  family  of  eight 
children  and  one  of  the  elder  sons  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  laid  down 
his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country.  The  family  comes  of  English  ancestry. 

Dr.  Numbers  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  his  native  county  to  the 
age  of  thirteen  years,  when  his  mother  died.  His  early  education  had  been  obtained 
in  the  country  schools  and  afterward  he  attended  the  Ohio  Central  College  at  Iberia, 
while  subsequently  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Decatur,  Indiana,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years.  He  then  went  to  Paola,  Kansas,  to  teach  school  but  became 
ill  there,  so  that  he  was  prevented  from  carrying  out  his  plans.  Through  his  illness 
he  was  attended  by  Dr.  Albert  Reichard  and  the  two  became  fast  friends.  The  Doctor 
persuaded  Mr.  Numbers  to  study  medicine  and  he  pursued  his  reading  in  the  Doctor's 
office  for  a  time,  while  later  he  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1885.  He  then  began  practice  in  Wyan- 
dotte,  Kansas,  in  the  summer  of  that  year  but  soon  removed  to  Carbondale,  Kansas,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1886  went  to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  having  received  appointment  as 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  American  Hospital  Aid  Association.  He  spent  two  years  in 
the  hospital  there  and  in  1888  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Weiser,  where  he  practiced 
until  1910.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Boise  and  has  since  been  numbered  among  the 
leading  physicians  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  and  American  Medical 
Associations  and  his  high  professional  standing  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  chosen  to  the  presidency  of  the  state  association.  He  has  done  post-graduate  work 
in  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  also  in  Baltimore  and  in  New  York  city,  and  by 
constant  reading,  research  and  investigation  is  keeping  in  close  touch  with  the  trend 
of  modern  professional  thought.  In  addition  to  a  large  private  practice  he  is  now 
serving  on  the  staff  of  St.  Alphonsus  Hospital  of  Boise. 

In  Carbondale,  Kansas,  on  the  7th  of  September,  1887,  Dr.  Numbers  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Swartz,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  now  have  three 
children:  Dr.  Donald  S.  Numbers,  thirty  years  of  age,  who  is  a  captain  and  instructor 
in  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps  of  the  United  States  Army,  having  previously  graduated 
from  the  Barnes  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Joseph  Reno,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  senior  class  of  Rush  Medical  College;  and  Josephine  Letitia,  twenty  years  of 
age,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school  and  is  now  a  student  in  the  Columbia 
College  of  Expression  in  Chicago.  Dr.  Numbers  has  thus  given  his  children  excellent 
educational  opportunities  and  they  are  making  good  along  the  lines  to  which  they  have 
directed  their  efforts. 


448  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  his  political  views  Dr.  Numbers  is  a  republican,  and  while  he  has  never  been 
a  politician  in  the  usually  accepted  sense  of  office  seeking,  he  has  served  as  mayor  of 
Weiser.  He  belongs  to  the  Commercial  Club  of  Boise  and  is  deeply  interested  in  its 
plans  and  purposes  for  the  upbuilding  and  benefit  of  the  city.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  he  is  a  past  master  of 
his  lodge.  In  his  life  he  has  ever  exemplified  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft,  which 
is  based  upon  a  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of  mankind  and  the  obligations  thereby 
imposed. 


JUNEAU  SHINN. 

Juneau  Shinn,  a  most  progressive  young  man  of  undeniable  talent  and  notably 
resourceful  in  all  that  he  undertakes,  is  now  the  editor  of  the  Filer  Record.  He  was 
born  at  Corning,  Iowa,  February  20,  1896,  and  is  a  son  of  William  P.  and  Eloise  (Morris) 
Shinn,  who  in  the  year  1905  removed  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Filer,  at  which  time  their  son 
Juneau  was  a  lad  of  nine  years.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  state  and  of  Idaho,  passing  through  consecutive  grades  to  his  graduation  from 
the  high  school.  In  1915  he  received  an  appointment  to  Annapolis  from  Addison  T. 
Smith  but  was  not  admitted  owing  to  a  minor  physical  disqualification.  He  then  en- 
tered the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  of  the  University  of  Southern  California,  where  he 
pursued  an  extended  course  in  journalism  which  he  completed  in  June,  1919.  During 
his  college  days  there  he  became  a  member  of  the  Delta  Beta  Tau  and  also  the  Sigma 
Sigma  and  was  news  editor  on  the  staff  of  the  college  daily,  known  as  the  "Trojan." 

Mr.  Shimrs  early  business  experience  came  to  him  along  commercial  lines,  for  he 
was  employed  in  mercantile  houses  for  eight  years.  In  September,  1919,  on  the  com- 
pletion of  his  course  in  journalism,  he  purchased  with  Henry  E.  Lammers,  a  paper 
known 'as  the  Filer  Record,  of  which  he  is  now  editor  and  part  owner.  This  is  an 
independent  weekly,  devoted  to  local  interests  and  welfare  and  the  dissemination  of 
general  news,  and  in  its  conduct  he  is  employing  the  most  progressive  methods  of 
journalism,  displaying  undeniable  talent  in  that  field.  Already  he  is  gaining  the  atten- 
tion of  fellow  journalists  and  he  is  making  the  Record  a  most  desirable  paper. 

In  April,  1918,  Mr.  Shinn  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Naval  Reserve  Force  and  was 
discharged  from  active  service  in  December,  1919,  having  in  the  meantime  been  at  the 
officers'  training  camp  at  San  Pedro,  California.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frat- 
ernity, loyal  to  the  teachings  and  purposes  of  the  craft,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the 
Filer  Chamber  of  Commerce,  cooperating  heartily  in  all  of  the  plans  and  purposes  of 
that  organization  for  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  He  is  serving  as  the  secre- 
tary, doing  effective  work  in  this  connection,  and  at  all  times  and  under  all  circum- 
stances he  is  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  advancement  that  is  productive  of  splendid  results 
ia  his  individual  business  career  and  in  his  connection  with  public  affairs  as  well. 


JOHN  CARL   HILL,   M.   D. 

Dr.  John  Carl  Hill,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Boise,  is  a 
native  of  Hannibal,  Missouri,  born  November  2,  1881.  His  father,  John  H.  Hill,  a 
merchant,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  January  9,  1851,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  Missouri.  Later,  however,  he  resided  in  Colorado  and  his  last  days  were  spent 
in  Boise,  where  he  died  February  5,  1917,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  His  wife,  who 
in  her  maidenhood  was  Cordelia  Thomas,  was  born  in  Missouri  and  died  in  1900.  The 
Hill  family  is  of  Irish  lineage,  the  grandfather  of  the  Doctor  being  Benjamin  Hill,  who 
came  from  County  Cork,  Ireland. 

Dr.  Hill  was  reared  in  Hannibal,  Missouri,  and  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado.  His 
collegiate  training  was  received  in  the  University  of  Colorado,  in  which  he  spent  seven 
years,  pursuing  classical  and  professional  courses.  He  won  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
in  1904  and  the  M.  D.  degree  in  1907.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  hospital  staff  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company  at  Pueblo  and  occupied  that 
position  until  1910.  In  October  of  the  latter  year  he  located  in  Boise,  where  he  has 
steadily  practiced  through  the  intervening  period  with  much  success,  doing  excellent 
work  both  in  medicine  and  surgery.  He  did  post  graduate  work  during  1913  in  the  New 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  449 

York  Polyclinic  and  the  New  York  Lying-in  Hospital.  While  he  continues  in  the  general 
practice  of  medicine,  he  specializes  to  a  considerable  extent  in  surgery  and  diagnosis. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  also  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical 
Society. 

In  1912,  Dr.  Hill  was  married  in  Morgantown,  West  Virginia,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Whitehill,  who  was  born  in  Whiting,  West  Virginia,  and  they  have  become  parents  to 
two  daughters,  Anna  Jane  and  Elizabeth. 

During  his  college  days  Dr.  Hill  became  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Physicians  and  Surgeons  Club  of  Boise,  of  which  he  is  an  ex-president, 
and  also  has  membership  in  the  Commercial  Club  and  in  the  Elks  Club.  His  religious 
faith  is  evidenced  in  his  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  activities 
are  thus  broad  and  varied,  touching  the  general  interests  of  society,  and  any  project 
of  publjc  worth  and  moment  is  sure  to  receive  his  endorsement  and  support. 


SQUIRE  G.  CROWLEY. 

Squire  G.  Crowley,  police  judge  of  Idaho  Falls,  who  died  January  9,  1920,  was  born 
in  Webster  county,  Kentucky,  February  20,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Henrietta 
(McClendon)  Crowley.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1814,  and  was  a 
son  of  Benjamin  Crowley,  Sr.,  a  representative  agriculturist  of  the  Old  Dominion.  Tl>e 
mother  was  also  born  in  Virginia,  her  natal  year  being  1816,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  McClendon,  both  representatives  of  old  families  long  and  prominently 
connected  with  events  of  importance  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Crowley  was  a  woman  of  re- 
markable mental  powers  and  also  of  notable  physical  endurance.  She  resided  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Webster  county,  Kentucky,  until  her  death,  which  occurred 
August  3,  1903.  She  had  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  seven  sons  and  seven  daugaters, 
of  whom  only  one  is  living,  Henrietta,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Crowley,  a  resident  of 
Webster  county,  Kentucky.  In  early  life  Benjamin  Crowley,  Jr.,  removed  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Webster  county,  Kentucky,  and  was  identified  with  its  agricultural  interests 
throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1873,  while,  as  previously  stated, 
his  wife  survived  him  for  thirty  years. 

Squire  G.  Crowley  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and  in  Utah.  He  remained  with  his 
father  upon  the  home  farm  until  the  latter's  death  in  1873.  In  1874  he  made  his  way 
to  Montana  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  went  to  Utah,  settling  at  Ogden,  where  he 
attended  high  school.  He  afterward  taught  school  there  for  twelve  years  during  the 
winter  months  and  in  the  summer  seasons  did  all  kinds  of  work.  In  1886  he  removed 
to  Bonneville  county,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of  Bingham  county,  and  located  on  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  eight  miles  northeast  of  Idaho  Falls.  He  im- 
proved this  in  a  splendid  way  and  continued  its  cultivation  and  further  development 
for  sixteen  years  or  until  1902,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Idaho  Falls  and  leased  his 
ranch,  from  which  he  derived  a  good  rental  for  sixteen  years  and  then  sold  the  property. 
He  was  called  to  various  public  offices.  In  1895  and  1896  he  served  the  county  as 
assessor  and  in  1902  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  occupying  that  position  for  ten 
years.  For  five  years  of  that  period  he  served  as  police  judge  and  was  the  incumbent 
in  that  position  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  the  same  year  in  which  he  was  chosen 
justice  of  the  peace  he  entered  into  partnership  with  H.  K.  Linger,  the  second  oldest 
lawyer  of  Idaho  Falls,  for  the  conduct  of  a  real  estate  business.  A  year  later  the 
partnership  was  dissolved  and  Squire  G.  Crowley  became  the  senior  partner  in  the  real 
estate  firm  of  Crowley  &  Sons,  in  which  he  continued  for  some  time  and  then  withdrew 
from  the  business.  In  November,  1912,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  probate  judge 
of  Bonneville  county  and  served  for  one  term.  On  the  16th  of  May,  1919,  he  was 
appointed  police  judge  and  on  the  12th  of  June  of  the  same  year  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace  to  succeed  the  late  William  E.  Wheeler,  occupying  both  positions.  He  was 
the  owner  of  a  dry  farm  comprising  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Bonneville  county 
and  he  also  had  considerable  city  property,  Including  three  residences  and  some  vacant 
lots. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  1875,  Mr.  Crowley  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  A.  Hutch- 
ens,  a  native  of  Utah  and  a  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Mary  E.  (Stone)  Hutchens. 
The  father,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  removed  with  his  family  to  Utah  in  1850  and  there 
resided  foT  thirty-five  years  or  until  his  death  in  1885,  devoting  his  attention  to  farming 
and  becoming  prominently  identified  with  the  public  affairs  of  the  community  and  of 

Vol.  II—  2 9 


450  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  church.  He  was  a  member  of  the  city  council,  was  a  bishop  of  the  Mormon  church 
and  a  most  highly  esteemed  citizen.  His  wife  died  in  Ogden  in  1912.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crowley  were  born  twelve  children.  William  B.,  the  eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  a 
half  years.  Clarence  E.  is  an  attorney  of  Idaho  Falls.  Mary  H.  became  the  wife  of  L.  R. 
Tolley  and  died  March  16,  1919,  leaving  five  little  daughters.  Jesse  J.  is  county  assessor 
of  Bonneville  county  and  resides  at  Idaho  Falls.  Ethel  A.  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Newman, 
a  rancher  of  Bonneville  county.  Charles  R.  is  engaged  in  the  collection  business  at 
Idaho  Falls.  Nellie  C.  died  at  the  age  of  nine  months.  Ansel  S.  is  an  accountant  of 
Idaho  Falls.  Eugene  D.  is  a  merchant  of  Caldwell,  Idaho.  Blanche  E.  is  the  wife  of 
Chester  Peer,  also  of  Idaho  Falls.  Olive  A.  is  the  wife  of  Dewey  Hutchinson,  who  was 
with  the  air  service  in  France  for  nine  months  and  who  is  a  resident  of  Firth,  Idaho. 
Squire  Leslie,  who  completes  the  family,  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Crowley  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and 
on  one  occasion  filled  a  six  months'  mission  to  Kentucky.  His  political  allegiance  was 
usually  given  to  the  republican  party,  but  he  voted  for  President  Wilson.  He  started 
out  in  life  with  absolutely  nothing.  He  reared  a  big  family  and  whenever  one  of  his 
children  married  he  made  to  that  one  a  gift  of  five  hundred  dollars  or  an  equal  amount 
in  property.  He  certainly  deserved  much  credit  for  what  he  accomplished  and  the  suc- 
cess which  crowned  his  efforts.  Moreover,  his  activities  at  all  times  covered  not  only 
business  affairs  but  public'  service  and  devotion  to  the  general  welfare  and  he  was 
numbered  among  the  valued  and  representative  residents  of  Bonneville  county. 


OLIVER   H.   AVEY,    M.    D. 

For  seventeen  years  Dr.  Oliver  H.  Avey  has  successfully  practiced  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Payette,  but  while  recognized  as  an  able  and  eminent  representative  of 
the  profession,  he  has  at  the  same  time  been  an  active  factor  in  connection  with  events 
which  have  largely  shaped  the  development  and  the  history  of  the  city  and  surround- 
ing district.  His  worth  as  a  man  and  citizen  is  widely  acknowledged  and  there  are 
few  men  who  enjoy  a  higher  degree  of  confidence  and  respect  in  Payette  than  does 
Dr.  Avey. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  he  was  born  in  Logan,  December  31,  1857,  a  son  of  George  L. 
and  Mary  (Fox)  Avey.  The  father,  a  native  of  Maryland,  was  born  March  12,  1830,  and 
about  1850  became  a  resident  of  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  saddle 
and  harness  maker.  With  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  joined  Company  H  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  as  first  lieutenant  as- 
sisted in  the  recruiting  of  the  company.  He  served  from  1862  until  the  close  of  the 
war  and  his  military  career  was  one  of  honor  and  distinction  throughout,  marked  by 
participation  in  various  hotly  contested  battles  and  strenuous  campaigns.  During  the 
period  of  his  residence  in  Ohio,  George  L.  Avey  filled  various  positions  of  public  honor 
and  trust  and  enjoyed  an  unassailable  reputation  for  integrity  and  worth  of  charac- 
ter. The  evening  of  his  days  was  passed  in  Payette,  where  his  death  occurred  April 
19,  1912.  Some  time  before  he  had  retired  from  active  business  life  and  was  making 
his  home  with  his  son,  Dr.  Avey.  In  the  meantime,  following  his  service  in  the 
Civil  war,  he  had  become  a  resident  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  his 
removal  to  Idaho.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Germany  and  was  brought  to  America 
by  her  parents  when  a  little  maiden  of  seven  years,  the  family  settling  in  Ohio,  where 
she  was  reared  and  educated  and  there  became  acquainted  with  the  man  to  whom 
she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage.  She  now  makes  her  home  in  Redlands,  California, 
living  with  her  son,  John  L.  Avey,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  Dr.  Avey  continued  his  edu- 
cation in  Penn  College  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1881.  He  was  soon  afterward  appointed  assistant  post- 
master and  four  years  later  he  entered  upon  the  profession  of  teaching  and  for  a 
number  of  years  was  principal  of  one  of  the  schools  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  In  1891 
Dr.  Avey  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  where  for  nine  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
Washington  school  and  became  a  prominent  factor  in  the-  organization  of  the  free 
public  school  system,  for  the  schools  of  the  city  up  to  that  time  had  been  under  Mor- 
mon regime.  When  he  gave  up  his  position  in  Salt  Lake  City  it  was  to  enter  upon 
the  study  of  medicine,  for  he  had  long  cherished  a  desire  to  become  a  representative 


DR.  OLIVER  H.  AVEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  453 

of  the  profession.  He  entered  Rush  Medical  College  and  before  receiving  his  medical 
diploma  attended  medical  lectures  during  vacation  periods  and  did  dissecting  on  his 
own  account  in  the  cellar  of  an  undertaking  parlor.  He  was  so  well  versed  in  the 
science  of  medicine  before  entering  Rush  Medical  College  that  he  completed  the 
course  in  less  than  three  years  and  his  ability  was  immediately  recognized  by  the 
faculty  of  that  institution.  He  was  graduated  in  1901  with  the  M.  D.  degree  and 
opened  an  office  at  Cedar  City,  Utah,  where  he  remained  for  a  year  and  then  came 
to  Idaho.  It  was  his  intention  to  locate  at  Boise  and  his  arrangements  had  been  com- 
pleted toward  that  end  when  Dr.  Hosmer  of  Payette  asked  him  to  take  over  some 
patients  of  his  in  Payette,  as  Dr.  Hosmer  was  desirous  of  leaving  for  a  time.  As 
he  never  returned,  Dr.  Avey  was  accorded  all  his  practice  and  has  continuously  re- 
mained in  Payette.  In  1904  he  pursued  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Chicago  Post 
Graduate  College  and  in  many  other  ways  he  has  labored  to  keep  abreast  of  the 
advance  that  is  being  continually  made  in  connection  with  medical  and  surgical  prac- 
tice. He  reads  widely  and  broadly  along  professional  lines  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Idaho  State  and  American  Medical  Associations  and  also  of  the  Northwestern  Rush 
Medical  College  Alumni  Association.  His  practice  has  been  important  and  extensive 
and  yet  he  has  found  time  to  participate  in  other  interests  and  activities  of  value  to 
the  community.  In  1906  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Payette  National 
Bank  and  has  continuously  remained  its  president.  He  became  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Payette  Valley  Land  and  Orchard  Company,  which  has  converted  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  sagebrush  land  into  one  of  the  finest  apple  orchards  in  the 
United  States,  and  his  work  in  this  connection  has  done  much  to  further  the  horti- 
cultural development  of  the  section  of  the  state  in  which  he  resides.  Dr.  Avey  is  the 
president  of  the  Payette  Valley  Land  and  Orchard  Company  and  is  the  owner  of  some 
attractive  property  in  and  about  the  city  of  Payette. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1886,  Dr.  Avey  was  married  to  Miss  Lorie  Pomeroy,  a  daughter 
of  Stephen  and  Elizabeth  Pomeroy,  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa.  They  have  reared  an  adopted 
daughter,  Irene,  upon  whom  they  have  lavished  all  the  affection  and  care  that  would 
have  been  given  to  children  of  their  own.  She  was  married  in  April,  1919.  to  Clarence 
Coats,  and  they  are  now  residing  on  a  ranch  in  Big  Willow,  thirteen  miles  from 
Payette. 

Dr.  Avey  is  well  known  in  Masonic  circles.  He  belongs  to  Washoe  Lodge,  No.  28. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Payette  Chapter,  No.  8,  R.  A.  M.;  Weiser  Commandery,  K.  T.;  and 
Elkorah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Boise.  For  nine  years  he  has  served  as  pres- 
ident of  the  school  board  of  Payette  and  the  cause  of  education  Jias  ever  found  in  him 
a  stalwart  champion.  He  is  a.  member  of  the  Payette  Commercial  Club  and  is  in 
hearty  sympathy  with  that  organization  in  its  efforts  to  promote  the  progress  and 
upbuilding  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country  and  uphold  its  civic  standards  and 
ideas.  His  life  has  been  one  of  great  usefulness  to  the  community  in  which  he  has 
cast  his  lot  and  for  seventeen  years  his  labors  have  constituted  a  valuable  contribu- 
tion to  its  professional  and  business  activity. 


EDGAR  M.  WRIGHT. 

Edgar  M.  Wright,  attorney  at  law  of  Burley,  was  born  at  Bennington,  Bear  Lake 
county,  Idaho,  July  21,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  Amos  R.  and  Catherine  (Evans)  Wright. 
The  father  was  born  in  Illinois  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Wales.  When  a 
young  man  Amos  R.  Wright  came  to  the  west,  driving  across  the  country,  to  Salt  Lake 
City.  In  that  locality  he  followed  farming  for  a  time  and  afterward  removed  to  Big 
Cottonwood.  Still  later  he  resided  at  Brigham,  Utah.  He  was  an  Indian  interpreter 
and  in  the  early  days  he  drove  a  stage  and  carried  the  United  States  mail  to  California. 
There  was  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  or  experience  in  Utah  and  the  west  with  which  he 
did  not  become  familiar.  He  aided  in  colonizing  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  removing  to 
that  district  in  1863  or  1864.  There  he  took  up  government  land,  built  a  log  house  and 
began  the  development  of  a  ranch,  upon  which  he  continued  to  reside  throughout  his 
remaining  days.  He  passed  away  in  February,  1915,  while  the  mother  survived  until 
M;.rch,  1917.  He  was  a  republican  in  politics  and  became  an  influential  factor  in  the 
ranks  of  his  party  in  this  state.  His  fellow  townsmen,  appreciating  his  worth  and 
ability,  elected  him  to  represent  bis  district  in  the  state  legislature  and  he  gave  thought- 
ful and  earnest  consideration  to  all  the  vital  questions  which  came  up  for  settlement 


454  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  participated  in  a  number  of  encounters  with  the  Indians  in  pioneer  times  and  he  went 
with  a  group  of  Mormons  from  Brigham,  Utah,  to  Lemhi,  Idaho,  to  establish  a  colony 
there  and  acted  as  Indian  interpreter.  It  was  through  his  persuasion  that  the  Indian 
chief  Arimo  was  prevented  from  massacring  the  colonists,  but  the  hostility  of  the 
savages  rendered  it  unsafe  for  them  to  remain  and  the  colony  returned  to  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Edgar  M.  Wright  spent  his  boyhood  in  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho,  and  pursued  his 
early  education  there.  Determining  to  become  a  member  of  the  bar,  he  went  east  in 
order  to  prepare  for  his  professional  career,  matriculating  in  the  University  of  Michigan 
at  Ann  Arbor.  He  there  completed  his  law  course  by  graduation  with  the  class  of  1914, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Utah  and  for  a  brief  period  engaged  in  practice  at  Logan 
but  in  October  of  the  same  year  removed  to  Burley,  Idaho,  and  on  the  13th  of  November 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  this  state.  He  at  once  entered  upon  the  work  of  his  profes- 
sion and  in  the  intervening  period  has  built,  up  a  practice  of  extensive  and  gratifying 
proportions,  having  been  connected  with  a  number  of  the  most  important  cases  tried  in 
the  courts  of  the  district. 

In  1904  Mr.  Wright  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Luella  Neilson,  a  native  of 
Logan,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Hans  J.  and  Amelia  Neilson.  Their  children  are  Ruth 
and  Catherine.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  while  in  his  political  views  Mr.  Wright  is  a  republican. 


WILBERT  H.  TYER. 

Wilbert  H.  Tyer,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  bar  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has 
been  state  deputy  organizer  and  lecturer  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  was  born 
upon  a  farm  near  Adel,  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  February  7,  1871,  and  is  the  only  son 
of  John  M.  Tyer,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  in  turn  was  a  son  of  John  and  Harriet 
(Musgrove)  Tyer,  who  were  natives  of  England,  where  they  were  reared  and  married. 
The  ancestry  of  the  Tyer  family  is  traced  back  to  George  Tyer,  who  was  lord  mayor 
of  London  in  1616.  John  and  Harriet  (Musgrove)  Tyer  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1840  and  their  son,  John  M.  Tyer,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  the  following  year.  He 
devoted  his  early  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  later  carried  on  merchandising 
in  Perry,  Iowa,  where  he  also  took  "a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs.  He  removed 
from  Adel  to  Perry  in  1881  and  was  serving  as  mayor  of  the  latter  city  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1903,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  espoused,  the  cause  of  his  country  and  aided  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union  on  southern  battlefields.  He  had  married  Addie  J.  Hoyt, 
who  was  born  in  Maine  in  1844,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Jane  (Emmons)  Hoyt. 
Mrs.  Tyer  still  survives  her  husband  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Boise.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Nellie  T.  Carpenter  and  Pearl, 
both  living  in  Boise. 

The  only  son  of  the  family  is  Wilbert  H.  Tyer  of  this  review,  who  spent  his  youth- 
ful days  in  Perry,  Iowa,  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  that  place  with 
the  class  of  1886,  being  then  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  afterwards  worked-  in  his 
father's  store  for  two  years  and  subsequently  spent  five  years  as  a  student  in  Grinnell 
College  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in 
1894.  He  then  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  in  all  for  seven 
terms  and  for  two  years  of  that  period  was  principal  of  the  public  school  at  Deep 
River,  Iowa.  «He  afterward  became  a  student  of  law  in  the  Iowa  State  University  and 
on  the  completion  of  his  course  in  1898  won  the  LL.  B.  degree.  Locating  for  practice 
at  Cedar  Rapids,  he  there  followed  his  profession  for  five  years  and  in  1905  came  to 
Boise,  where  he  has  since  been  a  representative  of  the  local  bar.  He  has  membership 
in  the  Ada  County  and  Idaho  State  Bar  Associations  and  he  has  enjoyed  a  good 
clientage. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1907,  Mr.  Tyer  was  married  in  Ogden,  Utah,  to  Miss 
Norma  I.  Pearce,  of  that  place,  who  was  born,  however,  in  Nebraska.  She  is  a  graduate 
in  music  of  the  conservatory  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  and  has  successfully  taught  music. 
By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children:  John  P.  who  was  born 
October  27,  1909;  and  Helen  Fay,  born  September  29,  1916. 

Mr.  Tyer  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  fishing,  to  which  he  turns  when  leisure  and 
opportunity  permit.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  republican 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  455 

party  and  in  November,  1918,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  legislature.  He  is 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a  prominent  representative  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  which  he  has  represented  for  the  past  ten  years  as 
state  deputy  organizer  and  lecturer.  He  has  actively  supported  all  of  the  war  measures 
and  was  captain  of  Precinct  No.  7  in  all  of  the  Liberty  Loan  campaigns.  After  the 
outbreak  of  the  great  European  war  he  did  a  considerable  amount  of  lecture  work,  as 
a  Lyceum  Bureau  speaker,  on  the  causes  and  effects  of  the  war. 


HON.  ALFRED  ANDERSON. 

Hon.  Alfred  Anderson,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  connected  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  Boise  as  an  auctioneer  and  with  its  public  affairs  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
was  born  in  Fleming  county,  Kentucky,  January  15,  1847.  His  father,  Cornelius  S. 
Anderson,  was  a  veterinary  surgeon  and  farmer  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Anderson, 
wlio  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  participating  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Cornelius 
S.  Anderson  wedded  Martha  J.  Carpenter  and  both  were  born  in  Kentucky  and  spent 
their  last  days  in  Kansas. 

Alfred  Anderson  was  reared  in  Atchison  county,  Kansas,  after  reaching  the  age 
of  seven  years,  his  father  removing  from  Kentucky  to  the  Sunflower  state  in  1854.  He 
remained  upon  a  Kansas  farm  to  the  age  of  eleven  years,  when  his  father  died,  after 
which  he  was  employed  on  the  plains  of  Kansas  and  Colorado  for  several  years  during 
his  youth.  The  complete  story  of  the  incidents  and  adventures  which  formed  this 
period  of  his  career  would  fill  a  volume.  During  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  war  al- 
though still  a  boy  in  his  teens,  he  served  in  the  Union  army.  In  early  manhood  he 
took  up  the  business  of  auctioneering  in  Kansas  and  while  in  that  state  he  also  served 
as  deputy  United  States  marshal  and  as  deputy  sheriff  and  sheriff  of  Osborne  county, 
Kansas,  as  well  as  city  marshal  of  Osborne.  In  1895  he  came  to  Idaho  and  has  since 
made  his  home  in  Boise,  where  he  has  continued  business  as  an  auctioneer.  In  1916 
he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity, 
his  decisions  "winning  him  golden  opinions  from  all  sorts  of  people"  by  reason  of 
the  fairness  and  impartiality  of  his  judgment. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  married  twice.  In  1868  he  wedded  Elizabeth  O'Roke,  who 
passed  away  in  1909,  and  on  the  6th  of  August,  1912,  he  was  married  by  Governor 
James  H.  Hawley  to  Mrs.  Mary  Robinson,  an  acquaintance  of  his  boyhood  days  in 
Kansas.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Tranmer.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were 
six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  a  past  depart- 
ment commander  for  Idaho  and  also  a  past  assistant  general  of  the  organization  in 
this  state.  His  wife  has  membership  in  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  also  in  the  Re- 
bekahs  and  the  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Mason  who  exemplifies  in  his  life 
the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft. 


MISS  BESSIE  LAYNG. 

The  notable  examples  of  business  enterprise  and  progressive  commercialism  are 
not  confined  alone  to  men,  for  Pocatello  claims  as  a  leading  factor  in  its  business 
circles  Miss  Bessie  Layng,  who  is  conducting  a  most  profitable  business  as  a  dealer 
in  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  meats.  She  has  long  beeji  connected  with  this  busi- 
ness, having  originally  entered  the  store  as  an  employe,  but  eventually  she  became 
•iwner.  Idaho  is  proud  to  number  her  among  the  native  daughters  of  the  state,  her 
birth  having  occurred  at  Montpelier.  Her  father,  Peter  J.  Layng,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land. September  12,  1865,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1881,  first  settling  in  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  then  made  his  way  to  Idaho,  where  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  and  In  1909  he  was  killed  in 
a  derailment.  Peter  J.  Layng  wedded  Mary  Kelly  in  New  York  city  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  three  sons:  Benjamin  L.,  G.  L.  and  Eugene  B.— and  four  daughters: 
Bessie,  Cecelia  M.,  and  Eleanor  M.  and  Eileen  M.,  the  last  two  being  twins.  Mrs.  Layng 
also  has  a  sister,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Brady,  who  is  residing  in  Pocatello.  Michael  Kelly 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  Bessie  Layng,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  New 


456  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

York  in  1866.  He  is  now  living  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  where  he  has  retired 
from  active  business  life,  having  for  many  years  been  a  railroad  man.  He  is  seventy- 
two  years  of  age,  as  is  his  wife,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Elizabeth  Hyland  and 
who  is  also  a  native  of  Ireland. 

At  the  usual  age  Bessie  Layng  became  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools  of  Montpelier, 
Idaho,  where  she  pursued  her  studies  until  1909,  passing  through  consecutive  grades 
to  the  high  school.  She  then  came  to  Pocatello  and  for  six  months  was  employed  in 
a  confectionery  store,  after  which  she  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with  Joe 
Russ,  who  conducted  a  meat  market.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  Mr.  Russ  sold 
his  business  to  the  Bannock  Cooperative  Company,  handling  groceries  and  meats, 
and  with  the  latter  Miss  Layng  remained  until  the  business  was  discontinued.  A  com- 
pany of  railroad  men  revived  the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Bannock  Grocery 
Company  and  she  remained  in  the  employ  of  that  firm  for  a  year,  when  they  in  turn 
sold  the  business  to  N.  O.  Hall,  with  whom  Miss  Layng  remained  for  a  year  and  a 
half.  In  1915  she  purchased  the  business,  becoming  sole  proprietor,  and  with  her  in 
its  conduct  are  now  associated  her  three  brothers — Benjamin  L.,  G.  L.  and  Eugene  B. 
Benjamin  L.  Layng  became  a  member  of  the  tank  division  of  the  United  States  army, 
Eugene  B.  was  in  the  marine  service  and  G.  L.  remained  as  the  active  assistant  of  his 
sister  during  the  period  of  the  world  war.  Her  business  consists  of  the  retailing  of 
meats  and  fancy  and  staple  groceries,  and  she  employs  five  people  and  utilizes  three 
delivery  wagons.  She  has  developed  the  business  to  most  extensive  and  gratifying 
proportions,  possesses  splendid  executive  ability  and  in  her  administrative  direction 
of  the  affairs  of  the  store  has  given  evidence  of  those  superior  qualities  which  make  for 
success. 


HARLEY  J.  HOOKER. 

Harley  J.  Hooker,  founder  and  manager  of  the  Jordan  Valley  Farms  Company  of 
Boise  and  thus  figuring  in  connection  with  the  reclamation  and  development  of  large 
landed  areas  in  southern  Idaho,  was  born  at  Carthage,  Illinois",  July  13,  1870,  and  is 
the  only  living  child  of  William  C.  and  Catherine  (McQuary)  Hooker.  The  father,  now 
deceased,  was  a  relative  of  General  Joseph  Hooker,  one  of  the  distinguished  commanders 
of  the  Civil  war.  In  the  paternal  line  Harley  J.  Hooker  is  descended  from  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Hooker,  one  of  the  founders  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  James  G.  McQuary,  an  officer  of  the  Civil  war.  William  C.  Hooker  was 
born  in  Auburn,  New  York,  and  took  up  the  practice  of  law  as  a  life  work.  He  re- 
moved to  Rockton,  Illinois,  with  his  parents  when  only  ten  years  of  age  and  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  education  completed  a  course  with  the  first  class  that  was  graduated 
from  Beloit  College  of  Wisconsin.  After  having  qualified  for  law  practice  he  chiefly 
followed  his  profession  in  Carthage,  Illinois,  where  he  resided  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1915.  For  a  considerable  period  he  had  survived  his  wife,  who 
passed  away  in  1900.  In  their  family  were  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  but  Harley 
J.  is  the  only  one  now  living.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1903,  Mr.  Hooker  was  married  to 
Miss  Etta  L.  Galloway,  also  a  native  of  Illinois.  His  brother,  Chellis  E.  Hooker,  was  a 
graduate  of  the  law  department  of  Northwestern  University  in  Chicago  and  success- 
fully practiced  his  profession  and  also .  served  as  county  judge,  being  upon  the  bench 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1901,  when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age. 

Harley  J.  Hooker  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  Carthage  College  of 
Carthage,  Illinois.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
and  development  work.  For  six  years  he  traveled  extensively  in  Central  America, 
West  India  Islands,  South  America  and  Europe,  selling  American  made  products  and 
establishing  agencies  for  the  sale  of  American  goods.  He  resided  a  number  of  years  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  engaged  in  southern  land,  agriculture  and  development  work.  He 
came  to  Idaho  in  the  fall  of  19T.2,  thoroughly  recommended  by  the  officials  of 
the  Southwestern  Railroad  as  a  successful  colonizer  of  new  districts.  In  Idaho  he 
sold  thirty  thousand  acres  of  the  Twin  Falls  tract  in  1912  and  1913,  and  in 
1915  and  1916  he  colonized  the  famous  Clover  tract,  a  tract  of  four  thousand  acres, 
located  above  the  High  Line  Twin  Falls  canal,  and  lying  south  of  Filer  and  Buhl.  This 
tract  was  developed  by  the  High  Line  Seed  Farms  Company  of  which  Mr.  Hooker  was 
a  member.  The  tract  was  all  sage  brush  in  the  fall  of  1914.  This  four  thousand  acres 
was  developed  by  the  company.  They  removed  the  brush,  plowed  the  land,  leveled  it. 


HARLEY  J.  HOOKER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  459 

seeded  it  all  to  clover.  They  built  the  roads,  ditches,  headgates,  laterals,  telephone 
lines,  power  line,  sixty-five  miles  of  woven  wire  fencing,  guaranteed  the  settlers  a  first 
class  stand  of  clover,  assisted  in  building  schools,  parsonage,  and  now  the  church  has 
the  largest  membership  of  any  church  of  the  same  denomination  in  Idaho.  The  record 
yield  of  white  clover  was  made  on  this  tract.  On  sixteen  and  twenty-three  one  hun- 
dredth acres,  sixteen  bushels  of  white  clover  seed  per  acre  was  threshed,  selling  for 
five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars.  The  land  was  sold  for  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  dollars  per  acre  to  over  sixty-nine  settlers  from  Nebraska,  nearly  all  of 
whom  are  now  living  on  the  land.  They  have  built  substantial  homes  and  improve- 
ments, until  now  (1919)  it  is  one  of  the  very  best  improved  districts  in  southern 
Idaho. 

When  Mr.  Hooker  finished  the  sale  of  this  tract  the  settlers  forwarded  him  a  let- 
ter, a  copy  of  which  is  here  shown.  It  was  signed  by  all  the  settlers  of  the  tract 

"Clover,  Idaho,  Nov.  19,  1916. 

"In  appreciation  of  the  opportunity  afforded  us  for  investment  at  Clover,  Idaho, 
and  of  the  complete  fulfillment  of  all  the  representations  made  by  you  in  your  business 
relations  with  us,  we  hand  you  this  letter.  Our  dealings  have  been  in  all  respects 
satisfactory  and  we  bespeak  for  you  abundant  success  in  your  future  enterprises." 

Letters  of  endorsement  were  also  received  by  officials  of  the  Frisco  Railroad,  M.,  K. 
&  T.  R.  R.  on  R.  &  N.  O.  S.  L.,  and  one  from  the  Union  Pacific  system  is  shown  here: 

"Hooker  is  livest  wire  and  ablest  colonizer  of  those  with  whom  we  cooperate.  Am 
convinced  Jordan  valley  through  his  efforts  will  be  filled  with  successful  farmers  who 
will  be  a  great  asset  to  the  state." 

Mr.  Hooker  came  to  Boise  on  the  1st  of  January,  1917,  and  has  since  given  his 
attention  to  the  Jordan  Valley  Farms  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  president  and  man- 
ager. This  company  has  offices  on  the  fifth  flpor  of  the  Idaho  building.  Perhaps  no 
better  indication  of  the  work  to  which  Mr.  Hooker  is  devoting  his  time  can  be  given 
than  by  quoting  from  the  Idaho  Farmer  of  June  13,  1918.  In  an  article  written  for 
that  publication  A.  E.  Gipson  said:  "The  Jordan  Valley  community  has  long  been 
known  as  an  important  live  stock  center,  and  more  especially  with  reference  to  its 
location  in  the  'Heart  of  the  Range,'  that  is  to  say,  in  the  great  grazing  section  of  Mal- 
heur  county.  The  extent  and  richness  of  these  lands  Have  long  been  known,  but  until 
within  the  past  few  years,  no  one  seems  to  have  seriously  considered  the  matter  of 
increasing  their  productivity,  excepting  in  a  limited  way,  by  the  construction  of  an  irri- 
gation system.  And  so,  as  already  intimated,  Jordan  Valley  has  remained  a  range  live 
stock  proposition,  and  in  its  earlier  history  had  the  reputation  of  being  decidedly  'wild 
and  wooly.'  This,  of  course,  was  'the  era  of  the  gay  and  festive  cowboy,  sometimes 
known  as  the  buckaroo,  about  whose  escapades  and  ready-made  thrills  some  of  the  old 
settlers  of  the  Jordan  Valley  country  still  retain  vivid  recollections. 

"But  these  days  have  long  since  passed,  and  the  locality  has  been  associated  of 
late  with  the  thought  of  thrift  and  contentment,  suggested  by  the  substantial  character 
and  the  accumulation  of  worldly  possessions  on  the  part  of  stockmen  and  farmers. 
Many  of  them  have  grown  wealthy  and  some  have  retired  from  active  work,  or  have 
gone  to  other  places,  either  to  engage  in  business  or  to  take  life  easier  than  they  for- 
merly did.  Others  have  made  a  change  for  the  purpose  of  giving  their  children  the 
benefit  of  advanced  educational  facilities.  And  so  quite  a  transformation,  if  not  in  fact 
a  reality,  is  in  prospect.  This  will  be  greatly  accelerated,  no  doubt,  by  the  develop- 
ment of  the  irrigation  project  referred  to. 

"This  project  will  cover  thousands  of  acres  of  productive  lands,  and  embracing,  as 
it  does,  a  storage  system  of  large  capacity  and  conceded  merit,  should  attract  a  desirable 
class  of  settlers. 

"The  storage  plant  is  known  as  Antelope  Reservoir  and  is  one  of  the  best  suited 
for  storage  the  writer  has  ever  seen,  and,  owing  to  the  contour  of  the  hills,  with  their 
rock-ribbed  formation,  where  the  main  dam  is  being  built,  can  be  made  very  substan- 
tial and  permanent.  The  base  is  built  to  accommodate  a  fifty  foot  dam  at  which  level 
it  will  store  thirty  thousand  acre  feet  of  water.  At  the  eighty  foot  level  it  is  to  im- 
pound one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  thousand  acre  feet.  This  storage  is  to  be  a 
reserve  supply  of  water,  as  the  water  for  irrigation  earlier  in  the  season  is  to  be  sup- 
plied direct  from  canals,  which  are  either  to  be  built  or  are  already  partially  con- 
structed. 

"There  is  also  a  second  reservoir  in  the  plan,  to  be  known  as  the  upper  canyon 
reservoir,  which  is  to  be  a  part  of  the  storage  system,  as  the  contention  is  that  the 


460  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

run-off  of  Jordan  Creek  and  its  tributaries  has  a  great  volume  of  water  in  the  early 
spring  which  can  and  will  be  utilized  by  the  storage  proposed,  to  be  used  later  in  the 
season  if  needed. 

"The  project  is  divided  into  three  systems  or  units.  The  upper  one  of  sixteen 
thousand  acres,  the  Antelope  unit  of  five  thousand  acres  and  the  lower  unit  of  twenty- 
three  thousand  acres." 


ANTON  M.  SANDE. 

Anton  M.  Sande  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Twin  Falls  Feed  &  Ice  Company  of  Twin 
Falls,  where  he  has  now  developed  a  business  of  gratifying  proportions,  his  methods 
at  all  times  measuring  up  to  modern  commercial  standards.  He  was  born  in  Stavanger, 
Norway,  on  the  25th  of  January,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Anna  (Rasmussen) 
Sande.  He  spent  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the  land  of  the  mid'night  s*un 
and  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  when  in  1896  he  bade  adieu  to  friends 
and  native  country  and  sailed  for  the  new  world.  After  crossing  the  briny  deep  he 
made  his  way  westward  to  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  and  there  he  secured  employment 
as  a  farm  hand,  for  he  had  come  to  the  United  States  with  a  very  limited  capital. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  remained  in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  then  in  August, 
1903,  came  to  Idaho,  making  Butte  his  destination.  He  entered  the  employ  of  McRoy 
&  Rogerson  and  for  four  years  was  connected  with  their  sheep  and  cattle  outfit.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Twin  Falls  and  here  engaged  in 
the  ice  business,  which  he  has  since  followed  successfully,  enjoying  a  large  trade  in 
that  commodity.  After  three  years  he  purchased  the  Twin  Falls  Feed  Mill  and  has 
since  conducted  both  lines  of  business  under  the  name  of  the  Twin  Falls  Feed  &  Ice 
Company.  In  addition  he  has  made  judicious  investments  in  farm  lands  and  now 
owns  considerable  good  property  of  that  character.  His  business  location  is  at  Fifth 
avenue,  South,  in  Twin  Falls. 

Mr.  Sande  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  After  taking 
out  his  naturalization  papers  he  became  a  supporter  of  the  republican  party.  Almost 
a  quarter  of  a  century  has  passed  since  he  left  his  native  land  to  seek  a  home  and 
fortune  in  the  new  world  and  he  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  the  change,  for 
here  he  found  the  chances  which  he  sought  and  in  their  utilization  has  advanced  to 
a  creditable  position  in  business  circles  of  his  adopted  city. 


JAMES  B.  LATIMER. 

James  B.  Latimer,  who  passed  away  July  3,  1912,  was  a  well  known  druggist  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Boise.  His  social  qualities  and  many  sterling  traits  of 
character  had  endeared  him  to  all  who  knew  him  and  his  cheery  disposition  won  for 
him  the  name  among  his  friends  of  "Sunny  Jim."  He  was  born  in  Iowa,  December  31, 
1874,  and  his  youthful  days  were  passed  in  that  state,  where  his  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  public  schools.  His  father  was  a  merchant  of  Iowa,  where  James  B.  Lat- 
imer remained  until  early  manhood,  when  he  came  to  Idaho.  After  a  brief  residence 
at  Hailey  he  removed  to  Boise  and  here  learned  the  drug  business,  chiefly  in  the  store 
of  Charles  L.  Joy.  After  two  years  there  passed  he  embarked  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  prompted  thereto  by  a  laudable  ambition  and  a  progressive  spirit,  which 
wrought  for  succss  in  later  life.  It  was  in  1901  that  he  joined  C.  O.  Ballou  in  organ- 
izing the  Ballou-Latimer  Company,  Ltd.,  of  which  he  became  the  vice  president.  They 
established  a  drug  store  which  they  successfully  conducted,  building  up  a  trade 
of  gratifying  proportions.  Mr.  Latimer  remained  an  active  factor  in  the  management 
and  control  of  the  business  until  his  death,  when  Mrs.  Latimer  became  the  vice  pres- 
ident and  is  still  thus  connected  with  the  store. 

It  was  on  the  30th  of  October,  1901,  that  Mr.  Latimer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Josephine  Haug,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Haug,  who  is  mentioned  at  length  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Mrs.  Latimer  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Mary  Haug,  reside  at 
No.  420  Jefferson  street  and  are  among  the  well  known  ladies  of  Boise.  In  the  Haug 
family  are  six  living  children,  four  daughters  and  two  sons:  Mrs.  Emma  Lippincott, 
of  New  York  City;  Mrs.  Theresa  Puckett,  the  widow  of  the  late  W.  H.  Puckett,  a  well 
known  lawyer  of  Boise  who  at  one  time  was  a  law  partner  of  Governor  James  H. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  461 

Hawley  and  who  passed  away  December  18,  1916;  Ethelbert,  living  in  Kellogg,  Idaho; 
Josephine,  who  became  the  wife  of  James  B.  Latimer;  Frank,  who  is  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness in  Boise;  and  Mrs.  Victoria  Jones,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Latimer  had  no  children.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  and  also  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  he  was  very  popular 
among  a  circle  of  friends  that  was  almost  coextensive  with  the  circle  of  his  ac- 
quaintance. He  had  not  yet  attained  middle  age  when  death  called  him,  although  he 
had  spent  the  previous  winter  in  Florida,  hoping  that  a  change  of  climate  would  prove 
beneficial.  He  was  a  man  of  courageous  spirit  and  high  principles  and  the  sterling 
traits  of  his  character  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 


A.  FRANK  SNOW. 

A.  Frank  Snow,  manager  at  Burley  for  the  Nibley-Channel  Lumber  Company,  Ltd., 
was  born  in  Albany,  Kentucky,  January  26,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  O.  H.  P.  and  Rebecca 
(Zimmerman)  Snow.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and 
his  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  there.  He  was  reared  to  the  occu- 
pation of  farming  to  which  he  afterward  gave  his  attention  until  1909,  when,  attracted 
by  the  opportunties  of  the  growing  northwest,  he  made  his  way  to  American  Falls, 
Idaho,  where  he  resided  for  a  year.  In  1910  he  removed  to  Burley  and  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Twin  Falls  Lumber  Company,  the  business  at  the  present  time  be- 
ing conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Boise-Payette  Lumber  Company.  He  remained  in 
that  connection  for  four  years,  after  which  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  treasurer 
of  Cassia  county  in  1914.  He  filled  the  office  for  two  years.  After  retiring  from  office 
he  conducted  a  farm  for  a  short  time  and  in  September,  1917,  accepted  his  present 
position  as  manager  with  the  Nibley-Channel  Lumber  Company,  Ltd.,  at  Burley.  His 
previous  experience  in  connection  with  the  lumber  trade  well  qualified  him  for  the 
onerous  and  responsible  duties  which  he  assumed.  He  has  developed  the  business  to 
gratifying  proportions,  being  now  in  charge  of  a  large  lumberyard,  in  connection 
with  which  he  cares  for  an  extensive  trade. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1917,  Mr.  Snow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret 
Lowrey,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Martha  Lowrey,  of  Grayville,  Illinois,  where  her 
father  was  extensively  engaged  in  stock  raising. 

Mr.  Snow  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  since 
attaining  his  majority  and  while  still  a  resident  of  Kentucky  served  as  sheriff  of  Clin- 
ton county  for  some  time.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  loyal 
to  the  teachings  and  purposes  of  those  organizations.  There  have  been  no  unusual  or 
spectacular  phases  in  his  life.  His  record  is  that  of  a  representative  American  busi- 
ness man  who  has  realized  at  the  outset  that  industry  and  perseverance  are  indis- 
pensable factors  in  the  attainment  of  success.  Thoroughness  and  fidelity  have  also 
characterized  his  career  and  have  brought  him  into  important  business  relations  in 
the  northwest. 


HERBERT  G.  WELLS. 

Herbert  G.  Wells,  the  Boise  representative  of  the  firm  of  Maney  Brothers  &  Com- 
pany, general  contractors  of  Oklahoma  City,  Oklahoma,  has  been  a  member  of  the.  firm 
since  1905  and  previous  to  that  time  was  for  several  years  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Wells  Brothers,  contractors.  His  associations  along  these  lines  have  brought  him  wide 
experience  and  pronounced  capability.  His  birth  occurred  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio 
River  in  West  Virginia,  October  22,  1867.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  Elijah  H.  and  Rachel 
Virginia  (Moore)  Wells,  natives  of  West  Virginia  and  Missouri  respectively.  Both  have 
now  passed  away.  The  son  went  to  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  when  seventeen  years  of 
age  in  company  with  his  parents  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  took  up  the  contract- 
ing business  in  that  state.  His  first  work  was  in  grading  a  railroad  and  for  thirty 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  general  contract  work,  chiefly  railroad  building,  the  con- 
struction of  dams,  canals,  irrigation  projects  and  drainage  work.  For  several  years 
he  and  his  younger  brother,  Ephraim  J.  Wells,  composed  the  firm  of  Wells  Brothers, 
general  contractors,  doing  grading  work  for  the  Big  Four  Railroad,  which  was  then 


462  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

being  built,  their  contracts  being  in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  The  Wells  Brothers  con- 
structed one  hundred  and  three  miles  of  the  Frisco  Railroad  in  Oklahoma  for  the  con- 
tracting firm  of  McArthur  Brothers  of  Chicago,  and  since  1905  they  have  been  the 
"company"  in  the  firm  of  Maney  Brothers  &  Company,  with  headquarters  at  Oklahoma 
City.  This,  too,  is  a  very  large  concern. 

Mr.  Wells  first  came  to  Idaho  as  representative  of  the  company  in  1911  to  construct 
the  Pacific  &  Idaho  Northern  Railroad.  The  firm  of  Maney  Brothers  &  Company  had 
the  contract  for  many  large  works  in  Idaho  and  Mr.  Wells  and  his  brother,  B.  J.  Wells, 
have  had  full  charge  of  all  work  done  by  the  firm  in  this  state.  They  have  been  the 
builders  of  the  Crane  Creek  dam  for  the  Crane  Creek  Land  &  Water  Company  of 
Weiser,  Idaho,  and  also  the  railroad  for  the  United  States  government  extending  from 
Barber,  Idaho,  to  Arrowrock  dam,  the  building  of  the  line  enabling  the  government 
to  construct  the  Arrowrock  dam,  which  is  the  largest  and  highest  in  the  world.  In 
recent  years  Mr.  Wells  has  also  executed  other  important  construction  work  for  Maney 
Brothers  &  Company  and  has  recently  completed  a  dam  on  Little  Lost  river,  near 
Mackay,  Idaho,  and  is  building  an  irrigation  plant  for  the  government  in  eastern 
Oregon  which  will  reclaim  thirty-eight  thousand  acres  of  land.  The  offices  of  the  com- 
pany in  Boise  are  located  in  the  Shaw  block  and  Mr.  Wells  and  his  brother  are  recog- 
nized as  among  the  most  prominent  general  contractors  of  the  northwest,  having  been 
identified  with  many  important  projects. 

In  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1905,  Mr.  Wells  was  married  to  James  Marie  Nagle,  of 
St.  Louis,  and  they  have  two  children,  James  Nagle  and  Katherine  Alice,  twins,  aged 
nine  years,  their  birth  having  occurred  July  15,  1909.  The  family  occupy  a  pleasant 
home  at  No.  2309  Sherman  street,  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Wells  about  seven  years 
ago.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  but  has  never  been  an  active  lodge 
man.  His  time  and  energies  have  been  chiefly  devoted  to  his  business  and  close  ap- 
plication, thoroughness  and  unfaltering  industry  have  brought  him  prominently  to  the 
front  in  this  connection. 


COLONEL   JOSIAH   E.   MILLER. 

Colonel  Josiah  E.  Miller  is  now  a  retired  stockman  living  at  Burley,  enjoying  in 
well  earned  rest  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  He  was  born  near  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  23,  1842,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Rebecca  (Love)  Miller.  His  boyhood  days 
were  passed  in  the  Keystone  state,  where  he  pursued  his  education  as  a  public  school 
pupil,  and  afterward  learned  the  trade  of  a  mason  and  bricklayer.  At  the  time  of 
the  Civil  war  all  business  and  personal  interests,  however,  were  put  aside  and  in 
1861  he  joined  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  which  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  His  military 
service  was  ,of  a  most  strenuous  character.  He  was  wounded  four  times  in  the  battle 
of  Fair  Oaks,  was  again  wounded  at  Gettysburg  and  at  Spottsylvania  Courthouse. 
He  was  present  when  General  Lee  surrendered  and  on  that  occasion  was  in  command 
of  a  brigade.  He  served  altogether  for  four  years  and  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Pittsburgh.  In  the  meantime  his  valor,  loyalty  and  capability  had  won  him  various 
promotions  until  he  had  reached  the  rank  of  colonel  and  with  that  rank  he  was  com- 
manding a  brigade  at  the  time  of  General  Lee's  surrender. 

In  1861  Colonel  Miller  went  to  the  oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania  and  worked  on  the 
first  oil  well  drilled  in  the'  United  States,  but  after  the  war,  on  account  of  the 
wounds  which  he  had  received  in  battle,  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  that  labor  in 
1867.  He  then  made  his  way  westward,  settling  at  Washington,  Iowa,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  and  improve  until  his  health 
failed.  He  afterward  sold  that  property  and  became  a  resident  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
where  he  entered  business  circles  as  a  building  contractor.  For  six  years  he  con- 
tinued in  that  business  and  in  farming  and  afterward  went  to  Halls  Station,  Missouri, 
where  he  remained  through  one  winter.  Later  he  drove  across  the  country  to  Hum- 
boldt,  Kansas,  where  lived  his  brother  Mathew,  who  had  also  served  in  the  Union 
army  in  the  same  company  as  Colonel  Miller.  He  and  his  brother  then  started  west, 
traveling  as  far  as  Green  River,  Wyoming,  there  being  forty-nine  wagons  in  the 
train.  Mathew  Miller  continued  the  journey  by  way  of  Ogden,  Utah,  while  Josiah 
E.  Miller  traveled  by  way  of  Soda  Springs.  They  were  to  meet  at  Goose  creek,  but 
on  arriving  Josiah  Miller  found  that  his  brother  and  others  of  the  party  were  far 


COLONEL  JOSIAH  E.  MILLER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  465 

ahead.  Colonel  Miller,  however,  remained  at  Goose  creek,  settling  three  fourths  of 
a  mile  from  where  the  town  of  Burley  now  stands.  Here  he  took  up  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  began  the  arduous  task  of  developing  a  new  farm.  After  building 
a  log  house  he  commenced  the  work  of  breaking  the  sod  and  cultivating  his  fields, 
which  he  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Later  he  sold  that  property 
and  located  the  land  where  Burley  now  stands,  taking  up  a  desert  claim  of  six 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  while  his  wife  secured  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
Colonel  Miller  also  bought  more  land  and  built  thereon  a  brick  house,  after  living 
for  a  time  in  a  log  house  that  already  stood  upon  his  claim.  In  1905  he  founded 
the  town  of  Burley  in  connection  with  others,  sold  lots  and  bent  his  energies  to  the 
development  of  the  village.  He  now  owns  two-thirds  of  the  stock  of  the  Townsite 
Company.  Much  of  the  growth  and  progress  of  Burley  is  directly  due  to  his  efforts 
and  assistance.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  having  the  sugar  factory  located 
there  and  has  at  all  times  been  a  prominent  figure  in  promoting  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  his  part  of  the  state. 

In  1865  Colonel  Miller  was  married  to  Miss  Isabel  Ray,  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Betsey  (Gilmore)  Ray  and  a  native  of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  have 
become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Mrs.  Grace  Higgins,  now  living  at  Red  Bluff, 
California;  Mrs.  Lillian  Vaughn,  whose  home  is  in  Sacramento,  California;  and 
Arthur  C.,  a  resident  of  Burley. 

In  his  political  views  Colonel  Miller  is  a  republican,  having  long  given  stanch 
and  unfaltering  support  to  the  party.  He  served  as  first  deputy  sheriff  at  Albion  and 
while  acting  in  that  capacity  was  wounded.  He  has  also  been  postmaster,  assessor 
and  school  trustee,  filling  the  latter  position  until  1915,  and  while  acting  as  post- 
master at  Albion  he  also  conducted  a  general  banking  business  there.  He  likewise 
established  the  Burley  State  Bank,  which  was  the  first  bank  of  the  town,  and  he 
became  its  first  president.  In  1915  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Burley.  He  had  previously 
been  connected  with  the  legislative  history  of  Idaho,  having  in  1893  been  chosen  to 
represent  his  district  in  the  state  senate.  While  a  member  of  the  upper  house  he 
introduced  a  bill  providing  for  the  Albion  Normal  School,  which  bill  passed  both 
houses  by  a  large  majority.  No  one  has  ever  questioned  his  devotion  to  the  public 
welfare.  He  has  labored  untiringly  to  promote  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of  com- 
munity and  commonwealth,  and  over  the  record  of  his  official  career  there  falls  no 
shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  Fraternally  he  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  in  the  consistory,  and  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  life  has  indeed  been  an  active  and  useful 
one.  While  holding  office  at  various  periods,  he  has  continued  a  successful  and 
prominent  stockman  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life  is  living  retired,  enjoying  a  rest 
which  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly  deserves.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has 
been  as  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  his  country  as  when  he  followed  the  nation's 
starry  banner  on  the  battlefields  of  the  south  and  aided  in  the  defense  of  the  Union. 


JESSE  M.  JACKSON. 


Jesse  M.  Jackson,  one  of  the  county  commissioners  of  Ada  county,  and  a  Boise 
pioneer,  formerly  identified  with  the  contracting  business  but  now  living  retired  in* 
the  enjoyment  of  well  earned  and  well  merited  rest,  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Illi- 
nois, October  8,  1858,  his  parents  being  Henry  Clayton  and  Sarah  Ellen  (Gibbs)  Jack- 
son, who  were  also  natives  of  Illinois.  They  removed  to  Kansas  when  their  son, 
Jesse  M.,  was  eight  years  of  age  and  both  have  now  passed  away. 

Jesse  M.  Jackson  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm  in  Johnson  county,  Kansas,  ten 
miles  from  Kansas  City.  His  father,  Henry  C.  Jackson,  who  made  farming  his  life 
work,  was  one  of  a  family  of  twenty-six  children  born  of  the  two  marriages  of  his 
father,  Lowe  Jackson,  who  removed  from  North  Carolina  to  Illinois  at  an  early  period 
in  the  settlement  of  the  latter  state  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Madison  county,  about 
twenty  miles  east  of  St.  Louis.  He  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  district,  settling 
in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  choosing  a  timbered  district  in  preference  to  the  Illinois 
prairies.  His  son,  Henry  Clayton  Jackson,  was  one  of  the  children  born  of  Lowe 
Jackson's  first  marriage.  He,  too,  had  a  large  family  numbering  ten  children,  of  whom 
seven  reached  adult  age,  while  five  are  still  living. 
Vol.  n— so 


466  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  1881  Jesse  M.  Jackson  removed  from  Kansas  to  Idaho.  He  spent  fifteen  years  in 
Custer  county,  near  Challis,  and  during  the  first  year  of  his  residence  there  worked  for 
wages.  The  second  year  he  made  a  "stake"  by  raising  a  crop  of  oats.  In  1896  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  Boise  and  has  made  his  home  in  and  near  the  city  since  that  time. 
For  five  years  he  owned  and  occupied  an  eighty-five  acre  ranch  on  the  Boise  bench 
and  for  about  twelve  years  he  conducted  an  extensive  general  contracting  business, 
making  various  large  excavations  for  some  of  Boise's  leading  structures,  including 
the  Overland  building,  the  Idaho  building,  the  new  state  capitol,  the  Boise  high  school, 
the  Oxford  Hotel,  the  Statesman  block  and  others.  In  this  undertaking  he  was  as- 
sociated with  J.  Ed  Rankin,  now  deceased.  The  firm  of  Jackson  &  Rankin  also  did 
the  excavating  for  the  McCarty  building,  the  Bristol  Hotel,  the  Owyhee  Hotel,  the 
Boise  City  National  Bank  building  and  the  Ford  Motor  Car  building.  As  Mr.  Jack- 
son prospered  in  his  undertakings  he  made  extensive  investments  in  property  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  much  valuable  rental  realty  in  Boise,  including  the  Jackson  flats  at 
the  corner  of  Fourth  street  and  Warm  Springs  avenue.  His  realty  possessions  return 
to  him  a  most  gratifying  annual  income  and  are  the  visible  evidence  of  his  life  of 
well  directed  energy,  thrift  and  sound  business  judgment. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1890,  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  to 
Miss  Marion  Irene  Spenny  and  they  have  two  living  children:  Edna  L.  V.,  who  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Leland  Stanford  University  and  is  now  private  secretary  to  Congressman 
Burton  L.  French  in  Washington,  D.  C.;  and  Jesse  M.,  fifteen  years  of  age,  a  pupil  in  the 
Boise  high  school,  from  which  his  sister  graduated  ere  entering  the  Leland  Stanford  Uni- 
versity. They  also  lost  a  daughter  who  died  while  the  family  resided  on  the  Boise 
bench.  Mr.  Jackson  and  his  wife  occupy  a  pleasant  home  which  was  built  after  plans 
which  he  made.  f 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  in  1918  was  the  candidate  on  the  party  ticket 
for  the  office  of  county  commissioner,  to  which  he  was  elected  and  is  now  capably 
filling  that  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  served 
as  noble  grand  in  the  local  lodge.  In  a  review  of  his  life  it  is  easily  seen  that,  he  has 
won  the  proud  American  title  of  a  self-made  man,  his  advancement  coming  as  the 
direct  reward  of  his  own  labors  and  perseverance,  and  his  life  history  should  serve  to 
inspire  and  encourage  others,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  by  individual  will. 


IRA  SMITH  LAMBING. 

Prominent  among  the  energetic,  farsighted  and  successful  business  men  of  Poca- 
tello  is  numbered  Ira  Smith  Lambing,  now  a  wholesale  dealer  in  hay,  grain,  flour  and 
feed.  His  residence  in  Idaho  dates  from  January  1,  1908,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  at 
Twin  Falls.  He  was  born  in  Taylor  county,  Iowa,  July  14,  1885,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
M.  Lambing,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  made  his  first  visit  to  Idaho  in  1872,  when  he  was 
engaged  in  government  survey  work.  He  removed  to  Twin  Falls  from  Iowa  in  1911  and 
for  many  years  was  an  active  and  prominent  figure  in  live  stock  circles  but  is  new 
living  retired  in  the  possession  of  a  handsome  competence  acquired  through  his  care- 
fully directed  business  affairs.  His  wife  has  passed  away. 

Their  son,  Ira  S.  Lambing,  attended  school  at  West  Liberty,  Iowa,  until  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  upon  a  business  course  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  and  later 
secured  a  position  with  the  United  States  Express  Company.  He  afterward  became 
actively  connected  with  the  hardware  trade  as  a  clerk  for  J.  F.  Doty,  at  West  Liberty, 
Iowa,  and  there  remained  in  active  business  until  January  1,  1908,  when  he  came  to 
this  state.  He  purchased  a  farm  at  Twin  Falls  and  remained  thereon  for  one  year,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  leased  his-  land  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Utah-Idaho 
Elevator  Company,  since  which  time  he  has  been  connected  with  the  grain  trade  of 
the  state.  He  was  later  made  manager  of  all  the  business  of  that  company  in  Idaho 
and  filled  that  responsible  position  until  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Farmers'  Grain 
&  Milling  Company  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  1913.  Mr.  Lambing  th'en  continued  with  John 
L.  Barr,  the  former  head  of  the  Utah-Idaho  Elevator  Company,  who  at  that  time  en- 
gaged in  the  grain  business  with  headquarters  at  Pocatello  under  the  name  of  the  Poca- 
tello  Milling  &  Elevator  Company.  On  the  1st  of  August,  1916,  Mr.  Lambing  purchased 
the  interests  of  Mr.  Barr  in  the  business  and  is  now  sole  owner.  He  has  erected  a 
splendid  large  cement  elevator  and  flour  mill,  and  is  engaged  in  the  hay,  grain,  flour 
and  feed  business  as  a  wholesale  dealer,  buying  as  far  east  as  Kansas  and  selling  as 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  467 

far  east  as  Kansas,  Georgia  and  Tennessee,  as  far  south  as  Texas  and  west  to  California. 
His  business  therefore  covers  a  very  wide  territory  and  has  reached  most  gratifying 
proportions.  He  owns  Block  603,  at  the  corner  of  Pocatello  and  Heyden  avenues,  where 
his  business  is  located. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  1908,  Mr.  Lambing  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Reeves,  of 
West  Liberty,  Iowa,  and  they  have  one  son.  Ira  S.,  Jr. 

Mr.  Lambing  is  fond  of  fishing  and  shooting  and  other  outdoor  sports.  He  was  an 
amateur  sprinter  in  his  youth  his  record  being  a  fifty-yard  dash  in  six  seconds,  made  at 
West  Liberty,  Iowa,  in  1902.  During  his  last  year  at  school  he  was  a  member  of  the 
football  team,  which  was  not  once  defeated  throughout  the  entire  year.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  republican  and  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Pocatello  in  1917  and 
1918,  standing  at  all  times  for  those  interests  which  are  of  greatest  worth  to  the  com- 
munity. In  fact  he  has  labored  untiringly  to  promote  the  welfare  and  advance  the 
upbuilding  of  Pocatello,  giving  much  time  and  effort  to  the  cause,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Rotary  Club,  which  draws  its  membership  from  among  the  most  wide-awake  and 
progressive  citizens  of  the  town  and  has  but  one  representative  from  each  line  of 
business.  During  the  period  of  the  world  war  Mr.  Lambing  took  a  very  active  part  in 
each  Liberty  Loan  drive,  speaking  in  the  interests  of  the  loan  throughout  the  state. 
He  is  a  man  of  forceful  character  and  one  that  impresses  others  with  the  idea  that 
anything  which  he  undertakes  he  accomplishes.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Masons  and  exemplifies  in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft.  His  is  a  character 
of  splendid  development,  well  rounded,  the  interests  and  activities  in  his  life  being 
carefully  balanced. 


MRS.  HENRIETTA  RESSLER. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  Ressler  is  an  active  factor  in  the  business  circles  of  Pocatello, 
where  she  is  conducting  a  grocery  store.  She  is  a  native  of  Brantford,  Canada,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  United  States  for  forty  years.  For  a  short  time  she  lived  in  St. 
Louis  and  then  removed  to  Aurora,  Illinois,  where  she  attended  the  public  schools, 
one  of  her  instructors  being  Professor  W.  B.  Powell,  the  father  of  the  renowned 
violinist,  Maud  Powell.  She  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  she  was  graduated  from 
the  grammar  school  of  Aurora,  after  which  she  attended  the  normal  school  for  one 
year  and  for  another  year  taught  at  Marengo,  Illinois.  Later  she  was  for  fifteen 
years  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  at  Creston,  Iowa,  proving  a  capable  educator, 
inspiring  her  pupils  with  much  of  her  own  zeal  and  interest  in  the  work.  In  1886  she 
became  the  wife  of  William  Ressler  at  Creston,  Iowa,  and  they  removed  to  Pocatello, 
Idaho,  where  Mrs.  Ressler  has  since  made  her  home.  On  the  8th  of  January,  1914,  she 
was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  her  husband.  She  had  left  to  her  an  only  son, 
Fred  A.  who  was  born  in  1889  and  who  was  overseas  in  the  great  world  war  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Battalion,  his  company  making  a 
splendid  record  on  the  battle  sectors  of  France.  He  married  Lola  Hansen,  of  Pocatello, 
and  they  are  parents  of  two  children,  Henrietta  and  Elizabeth. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Ressler  has  become  an  active  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness circles  of  Pocatello,  where  she  is  now  conducting  a  grocery  store  that  was  formerly 
the  property  of  Pond  Brothers.  She  carries  a  large  and  carefully  selected  stock  of 
staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  puts  forth  every  effort  to  please  her  customers,  while 
.her  reasonable  prices  and  straightforward  business  methods  have  secured  to  her  a 
liberal  and  growing  patronage.  She  is  a  woman  of  excellent  business  ability,  sagacious 
and  farsighted,  and  in  addition  to  her  grocery  store  she  owns  considerable  residence 
property  in  Pocatello  which  she  most  carefully  and  wisely  manages. 


CLENCY  ST.  CLAIR. 

Clency  St.  Clair.  attorney  at  law  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  Vinton,  Iowa,  May 
24,  1871,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  (Alcorn)  St.  Clair,  who  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  also  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  in  1856  he  went  to  Iowa, 
removing  to  that  state  when  there  was-  not  a  railroad  within  its  borders.  He  walked 
from  Davenport  to  Vinton  and  practiced  law  there  for  many  years,  or  until  1879,  when 


468  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  removed  to  Nebraska,  settling  at  Seward.  He  later  became  a  resident  of  Minden. 
Nebraska,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  law  throughout  his  remaining  days, 
his  death  occurring  in  August,  1897.  His  wife  passed  away  in  November,  1914. 

Clency  St.  Clair  lived  at  Seward  and  Minden,  Nebraska.  He  served  as  deputy 
clerk  and  recorder  at  the  latter  place  in  the  years  1888  and  1889  and  then  entered  his 
father's  office,  where  he  read  law.  He  afterward  became  a  law  student  in  the  State 
University  at  Iowa  City  and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Nebraska  bar  in  1891.  He 
then  opened  a  law  office  in  Minden,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  in  active  practice 
until  January,  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Omaha  and  practiced  for  eleven  years  in 
partnership  with  Warren  Switzler.  In  December,  1903,  he  arrived  in  Idaho  Falls  and 
has  since  been  a  member  of  the  bar  of  this  state.  He  also  has  farming  interests  in 
Bonneville  county  which  contribute  to  his  annual  income. 

In  September,  1906,  Mr.  St.  Clair  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline  Wright  and  to  them 
were  born  five  children:  Robert  W.,  whose  birth  occurred  October  1,  1907;  Anna 
Eugenia,  who  was  born  September  1,  1909;  Gilbert  Clency,  who  was  born  February 
11,  1912;  Adaline  W.,  born  September  30,  1914;  and  Catharine  Odell,  June  9,  1917. 

Fraternally  Mr.  St.  Clair  is  a  Mason  and  has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree 
of  the  York  Rite  and  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  is  the  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of 
Idaho  Falls.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  takes 
a  keen  interest  in  everything  that  has  to  do  with  matters  of  citizenship.  He  was 
elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1911  and  served  also  during  the  special  session  of  1912. 
He  was  delegate  to  the  republican  national  convention  of  that  year  and  was  a  member 
of  the  credentials  committee  for  Idaho. 


ALBERT  D.  PECK. 

Albert  D.  Peck,  probate  judge  of  Bonneville  county  and  a  resident  of  Idaho  Falls, 
was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  May  13,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Dewitt  C.  and 
Salome  (Kinne)  Peck,  who  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  C.  G.  Peck 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  Albert  D.  Peck  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  York, 
remaining  a  resident  of  the  Empire  state  to  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Through  the 
summer  months  he  engaged  in  farming  for  his  father  and  in  the  winter  seasons  taught 
school  until  1872,  when  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  in  the  following  year  purchased  land 
in  Sac  county.  This  he  improved  and  cultivated  until  1878,  when  he  was  elected 
county  auditor  of  Sac  county,  making  a  splendid  record  in  that  connection,  as  is  indi- 
cated by  his  five  terms  of  service,  covering  a  period  of  ten  years.  The  growing  west 
attracted  him  still  farther  and  in  1892  he  made  his  way  to  Deer  Lodge,  Montana,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  abstract  business  until  1903.  He  was  then  elected  to  the  office  of 
county  treasurer  and  filled  that  position  for  four  years.  In  1908  he  arrived  in  Idaho 
Falls,  purchased  land  two  miles  south  of  the  town  and  at  once  began  to  further  develop 
and  improve  the  property.  This  he  continued  to  cultivate  until  1916,  when  he  retired 
from  active  business  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  town.  He  had  also  been  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Idaho  irrigation  district  for  two  years  and  was  one  of  its  directors  before 
leaving  the  farm.  After  he  put  aside  the  active  work  of  the  fields,  however,  the  com- 
pany insisted  that  he  assume  the  duties  of  secretary.  In  November,  1918,  he  was 
elected  probate  judge  of  Bonneville  county  and  is  still  filling  that  position. 

On  the  26th  of  February,  1874,  Mr.  Peck  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Smurr,  of 
Columbus,  Ohio,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children.  Helen  S.,  who  was  born  in 
October,  1875,  and  passed  away  in  March,  1879;  and  DeWitt  Clinton  who  was  born  April 
26,  1880,  and  is  a  railroad  man  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  now  living  at 
Deer  Lodge  Montana. 

Politically  Judge  Peck  is  a  republican  and  is  a  stalwart  advocate  of  party  princi- 
ples because  of  his  firm  belief  in  their  efficacy  as  factors  in  good  government.  He  has 
always  been  more  or  less  active  and  prominent  in  political  circles  and  while  living  at 
Sac  City,  Iowa,  served  as  mayor.  He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  Col- 
lege for  one  term  and  while  in  Montana  was  a  member  of  the  state  capitol  commission 
for  five  years,  filling  that  position  during  the  building  of  the  capitol.  Judge  Peck  is  a 
Methodist  in  religious  faith  but  while  in  Montana  joined  the  Presbyterian  church  as 
there  was  no  church  of  his  denomination  in  the  town.  He  served  as  ruling  elder  in 
the  church  for  several  years.  In  1888  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  general  conference  of 


ALBERT  D.  PECK 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  471 

the  Methodist  church,  held  in  New  York.  His  religion  is  that  which  transcends  de- 
nominationalism  and  it  has  found  expression  in  every  relation  of  his  life,  making  him  a 
man  whom  to  know  is  to  esteem  and  honor. 


GEORGE  H.  ISH.  JR. 

George  H.  Ish,  Jr.,  filling  the  office  of  chief  of  police  of  Pocatello,  was  born  at 
Jacksonville,  Oregon,  November  5,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  George  H.  Ish,  Sr.,  who  was 
born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  and  who  crossed  the  plains  by  way  of  Mexico  in 
1849.  He  was  the  discoverer  of  the  famous  Gold  Hill  mine  at  Jacksonville,  Oregon, 
and  after  retiring  from  the  field  of  mining  activity  he  engaged  in  cattle  raising  in 
Idaho.  He  has  now  departed  this  life  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1908. 

George  H.  Ish,  Jr.,  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  with  their 
family  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Boise,  where  he  remained  until  1900.  He  passed  through 
all  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  early  days,  and  although  he  was  too  young  to  take  an 
actual  part  in  any  of  the  Indian  outbreaks,  those  times  and  scenes  are  indelibly  im- 
pressed upon  his  memory.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Boise  and  in  1901  he 
entered  the  hotel  business  at  Hailey,  Idaho,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1918,  con- 
ducting a  popular  hostelry  during  that  period.  He  was  then  appointed  deputy  United 
States  marshal  and  filled  that  position  in  a  most  capable  and  effective  manner  until 
he  was  made  chief  of  police  of  Pocatello  in  which  capacity  he  is  now  serving. 

In  1902  Mr.  Ish  was  married  to  Miss  Charlotte  Polshey,  of  Oregon.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Eagles.  The  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  however, 
is  concentrated  upon  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  and  he  is  found  a  prompt, 
fearless  and  faithful  officer. 


ROBERT  FRANKLIN  CARR. 

Robert  Franklin  Carr,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Burley  Realty  &  Abstract 
Company  of  Burley,  Idaho,  was  born  October  21,  1872,  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  is  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Townsend)  Carr.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
in  1878  removed  with  his  family  to  Linn  county,  Kansas,  where  he  secured  a  tract  of 
land  and  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  there. 

The  son  attended  the  rural  schools  of  Linn  county  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  and  during  vacation  periods  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm,  early  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  In  1892 
he  left  home  and  secured  employment  in  the  plant  of  the  Saddler  Company,  manuf  ic- 
turers  of  postoffice  fixtures.  He  afterward,  however,  returned  home  and  remained  upon 
the  farm  until  1899,  when  he  removed  to  Galena,  Kansas,  and  for  a  year  worked  in  a 
grocery  store.  He  then  went  upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman,  representing  the 
Joplin  Candy  Company.  At  a  later  period  he  was  employed  as  adjuster  by  the  Peo- 
ple's Ice  Company  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  in  the  summer  of  1903  he  went  to 
Pawnee  county,  Oklahoma,  where  he  engaged  in  townsite  promotion.  In  1904  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Beaumont,  Texas,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  rice  milling 
and  to  banking.  In  1905  he  organized,  in  connection  with  others,  a  bank  at  La  Cygne, 
Kansas,  and  in  1906  sold  his  interest  in  that  business  and  went  to  Richmond,  Kansas, 
a  place  thirty  miles  west  of  La  Cygne.  There  he  purchased  a  bank  in  partnership 
with  others  and  was  identified  therewith  until  1909,  when  h£  sold  his  interest  and  made 
his  way  westward  to  the  San  Luis  Valley.  In  June,  19M,  he  again  sold  out  and  went 
to  Florida  but  in  the  spring  of  1912  made  his  way  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  on 
the  1st  of  March  of  the  same  year  arrived  at  Burley,  Idaho.  Soon  afterward  he  become 
the  secretary  of  the  Burley  Township  Company  and  in  1914  he  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Cassia  County  Abstract  Company  and  since  that  time  has  been  actively  associated 
with  the  business  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  Burley  Realty  &  Abstract  Company 
are  bonded  abstractors,  handling  abstracts  of  title,  insurance  and  bonds,  real  estate, 
irrigated  lands,  dry  farms  and  city  property.  They  also  make  rentals  and  loans,  blue 
prints  and  do  conveyancing.  The  officers  are:  J.  C.  Gaskill,  president;  H.  J.  Chance, 
vice  president;  and  R.  F.  Carr,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

In  1907  Mr.  Carr  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  Broadwell,  a  daughter  of  William  H. 


472  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  Elizabeth  (Ward)  Broadwell,  of  La  Cygne,  Kansas.  They  now  have  two  children, 
Frances  and  Robert.  Mr.  Carr  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge  of  Burley,  and 
he  has  also  attained  high  rank  in  the  order,  as  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  has 
membership  in  Elkorah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  and  a  past  secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  manifests  a  keen 
and  helpful  interest  in  important  public  projects  and  is  alive  to  the  issues  and  needs 
of  the  present  hour,  lending  his  aid  and  support  to  all  measures  which  he  believes 
will  prove  of  public  benefit. 


WILLIAM  B.  DAVIDSON. 

William  B.  Davidson,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Davidson  &  Davison,  with 
offices  in  the  Yates  building  in  Boise,  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Virginia,  April  29, 
1878,  the  eldest  child  of  Melvin  Z.  and  Lucy  J.  (Collings)  Davidson.  The  Davidson 
family  is  of  Scotch  descent,  the  ancestry  being  traced  back  to  the  Davidsons,  a  nu- 
merous, powerful  and  prominent  clan  of  Scotland.  The  grandfathers  of  William  B. 
Davidson  in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  line  were  soldiers  of  the  Confederate  army, 
and  the  former,  Henry  Davidson,  died  as  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio. 
Melvin  Z.  Davidson  and  his  wife  now  reside  upon  a  farm  near  Meridian,  Idaho.  They 
were  both  born  and  reared  in  Virginia  and  in  that  state  were  married  on  the  17th  of 
May,  1877.  The  father  was  born  in  1858,  so  that  he  is  but  twenty  years  older  than 
his  son  William. 

The  latter  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  Cass  county,  Missouri,  about  forty  miles 
from  Kansas  City.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  country  schools  and  later  he 
attended  Scarritt  College  of  Neosho,  Missouri.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching,  which  profession  he  followed  for  a  brief  period  in  order  to  fill  out  an  unex- 
pired  term.  It  was  his  desire  to  become  a  member  of  the  bar  and  with  that  end  in 
view  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  at  Harrisonville,  Missouri,  where  he  pursued  his 
reading  from  1898  until  1900.  On  the  3d  of  January  of  the  latter  year  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  in  the  following  April  came  to  Boise.  Through  the  intervening 
period,  covering  nineteen  years,  he  has  continued  in  active  practice  in  this  city  save 
for  a  period  of  three  and  a  half  years,  from  1914  until  1918,  during  which  he  was  prac- 
ticing law  in  Los  Angeles,  California.  He  then  returned  to  Boise  in  January,  1918, 
and  is  now  senior  partner  in  the  law  firm  of  Davidson  &  Davison,  his  partner  being 
W.  H.  Davison. 

In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  but  is  an  American  before  being  a  partisan  and  pre- 
fers law  practice  to  political  activity.  His  ability  in  his  chosen  profession  is  acknowl- 
edged in  a  liberal  clientage  that  has  connected  him  with  much  important  litigation 
heard  in  the  courts  of  the  district.  He  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  a  Mystic  Shriner 
and  is  a  past  potentate  of  El  Korah  Temple  of  Boise.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Com- 
mercial Club  and  is  interested  in  all  of  the  projects  of  that  organization  for  the  benefit, 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  city. 


BURCHARD  LENDALL  SAWTELLE. 

Burchard  Lendall  Sawtelle  was  well  known  in  the  business  circles  of  Pocatello 
as  a  representative  of  the  Pocatello  Security  &  Trust  Company  from  1914  until  1918, 
when  he  joined  the  army  as  a  member  of  the  Tank  Corps.  Pocatello  numbers  him 
among  her  progressive  and  representative  citizens  and  in  Bannock  county  he  has  a 
circle  of  friends  almost  coextensive  with  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance.  He  was  born 
in  the  state  of  Maine,  January  13,  1877,  and  during  his  infancy  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  the  family  home  was  maintained  through  the  period 
of  his  youth.  He  attended  school  there  and  was  graduated  from  the  Roxbury  high 
school  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  started  upon  his  business  career  in  the  capacity 
of  a  commercial  traveler,  representing  a  jewelry  firm  of  the  east.  In  1904  he  removed 
to  Los  Angeles,  California,  although  continuing  in  his  former  employment.  The  year 
1914  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Pocatello,  at  which  time  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Pocatello  Security  &  Trust  Company,  with  which  he  continued  until  after  America's 
entrance  into  the  World  war.  Although  beyond  military  age  he  enlisted  in  the  service 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  473 

of  his  country  as  a  member  of  the  Tanks  Corps  and  was  sent  to  Gettysburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  his  return  home  he  opened  a  real  estate  office  in  Pocatello.  He  is  now 
president  of  the  Great  Northwest  Development  Company,  which  was  incorporated  March 
4,  1920,  and  of  which  G.  W.  Koch  is  secretary  and  treasurer 

In  1912  Mr.  Sawtelle  was  married  to  Mrs.  B.  F.  Garber,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Mary  Elizabeth  Harris  and  was  born  at  Carthage,  Missouri,  being  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  O.  F.  Harris.  Her  father  is  a  Civil  war  veteran  who  is  now  living  at  Portland, 
Oregon,  but  her  mother  passed  away  in  August,  1917.  Mrs.  Sawtelle's  daughter,  Leona 
Pearl  Koch,  is  living  with  her  at  Pocatello.  She  is  the  wife  of  Guilford  William  Koch, 
who  was  general  district  manager  at  Seattle,  Washington,  for  the  John  Bnllman  Tobacco 
Company.  He  was  born  in  South  Dakota  and  after  America  entered  the  war  against 
Germany  he  became  a  lieutenant  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  while  bis 
wife  returned  to  Pocatello  to  live  with  her  mother  during  his  absence. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawtelle  have  a  fine  home  in  Pocatello,  of  which  he  is  the  owner. 
He  has  been  an  Elk  for  more  than  twenty  years  and  is  a  valued  representative  of  that 
order.  He  has  long  been  classed  with  the  progressive  citizens  of  Pocatello  and  is  a 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community.  It  was  the  same  spirit  of  devotion  to  the 
public  good  and  to  high  ideals  that  caused  him  to  join  the  army,  doing  his  part  where 
duty  called  him. 


HARRY  L.  WILLSON,  M.   D. 

Dr.  Harry  L.  Willson,  a  physician  and  surgeon  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  at  Clarks- 
ville,  Virginia,  October  25,  1889,  and  is  a  sen  of  Dr.  Thomas  C.  and  Adelaide  (Shangle) 
Willson,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Bristol,  Tennessee. 
The  father  was  also  a  physician  who  practiced  his  profession  in  Virginia  for  some 
years  and  later  in  Pennsylvania  and  Missouri.  About  1890  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls, 
where  he  continuously  practiced  until  the  last  eight  or  nine  years,  during  which  period 
he  has  lived  retired.  He  has  become  the  owner  of  extensive  farming  interests  that 
require  all  of  his  attention,  leaving  him  no  time  for  professional  duties  His  wife  is 
also  living,  as  is  his  father,  who  served  in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  he  still  makes  his  home  in  Virginia. 

Dr.  Harry  L.  Willson  was  reared  and  educated  in  Idaho  Falls,  being  but  fourteen 
months  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  this  state.  He  passed  through  consecutive 
grades  tc  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  and  afterward  became  a  student  in  Whit- 
man College  at  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1910.  He  then  went  east  and  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1914  on  the  completion  of  a  course  in  medicine  and  surgery. 
He  afterward  practiced  in  the  University  Hospital  until  March,  1917,  when  he  returned 
to  Idaho  Falls  and  in  April  of  that  year  opened  an  office  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
He  is  recognized  as  a  thorough,  earnest  and  conscientious  member  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession, and  his  increasing  ability  is  winning  for  him  a  large  practice. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1917,  Dr.  Willson  was  married  to  Miss  Sue  Lambert  Miller. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  his 
religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  To  the  teachings  of  these 
organizations  he  is  loyal  and  faithful  and  their  principles  find  expression  in  his  life. 
Politically  he  maintains  an  independent  course,  nor  has  he  ever  been  an  aspirant  for 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided  time  and  attention  to  his  business  affairs. 


LELAND  D.  CREESE. 

Leland  D.  Creese,  conducting  a  photographic  establishment  at  Burley,  comes  to 
the  northwest  from  the  Sunflower  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Jewell  county, 
Kansas,  February  26,  1879,  his  parents  being  M.  P.  and  Susan  W.  (Wells)  Creese. 
His  youthful  days  were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  at  the  usual  age  he  became 
a  pupil  in  the  public  schools.  His  father  was  a  photographer  and  he  learned  the  busi- 
ness und«»r  his  father's  direction,  working  with  him  for  five  years.  He  then  went  to 
central  Florida,  where  he  remained  until  1919,  when  he  sought  the  opportunities  of 
the  growing  northwest  and  made  his  way  to  Burley.  Here  he  opened  a  gallery.  He 


474  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

has  a  well  appointed  studio,  employing  the  latest  and  most  scientific  processes  in  his 
photographic  work  and  producing  excellent  results.  He  possesses  a  naturally  keen 
artistic  sense  and  his  work  is  giving  the  utmost  satisfaction,  so  that  his  patronage  is 
steadily  growing. 

In  1900  Mr.  Creese  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Ross,  a  native  of  Oil  City,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  daughter  of  Frank  and  Lillie  Ross,  the  former  now  superintendent  for 
the  Postal  Telegraph  at  Memphis,  Tennessee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creese  have  one  child, 
Andrew. 

Since  starting  out  in  the  business  world  Mr.  Creese  has  concentrated  his  efforts  and 
attention  upon  photography  and  is  actuated  by  a  laudable  ambition  to  attain  the  highest 
possible  skill  in  that  field.  The  steady  progress  that  he  has  made  has  placed  him  with 
the  leading  photographers  of  southern  Idaho. 


DR.  HENRY  ARTHUR  GROSSMAN. 

Dr.  Henry  Arthur  Grossman,  optometrist  of  Boise,  who  has  been  continuously  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession  for  twenty  years,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  September  15,  1871,  and  was  also  reared  in  the  Empire  state.  Following  his 
removal  westward  he  resided  for  fifteen  years  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  covering  the 
period  from  1900  until  September,  1915,  when  he  came  to  Boise,  Idaho.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Merry  College  of  Optometry  and  also  the  Southwestern  Optical  College  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  for  two  decades  has  devoted  his  attention  to  practice.  He 
also  has  a  post-graduate  certificate  from  the  World's  Optometry  Congress  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  scientific  section  of  the  congress,  which 
was  a  feature  of  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition.  Dr.  Grossman  was  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate to  this  exposition  from  the  Idaho  State  Association  of  Optometrists.  His  skill 
and  ability  in  his  profession  are  pronounced.  He  has  studied  broadly  and  is  constantly 
promoting  his  knowledge  through  further  reading  and  experience. 

In  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1894,  Dr.  Grossman  was  married  to  Miss  Leefe  Lula  Fowler, 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  was  reared,  however,  in  Ohio.  They  have  three  children: 
Grizelda,  Alzena  and  Moritz.  Mrs.  Grossman  is  one  of  the  lineal  descendants  of  Sir 
Isaac  Newcome,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Dr.  Grossman  has  mem- 
bership with  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  and  also  in  the  Boise  Commercial  Club. 
He  is  likewise  connected  with  the  Hebrew  Temple  of  Boise  and  Mrs.  Grossman,  although 
reared  in  the  Gentile  faith,  has  espoused  the  Jewish  faith  since  her  marriage.  Dr. 
Grossman  has  no  business  interests  outside  of  his  profession,  concentrating  his  efforts 
and  attention  upon  his  chosen  life  work,  in  which  he  has  made  substantial  advance- 
ment. 


COLONEL  WILLIAM  H.   DEWEY. 

Colonel  William  H.  Dewey  of  Nampa,  who  has  departed  this  life,  was  one  of  the 
builders  of  Idaho's  greatness.  His  contributions  to  the  work  of  development  were 
real  and  creditable  and  his  signal  service  was  in  the  vigor  he  lent  to  the  pioneer  era  in 
making  this  region  habitable,  in  bringing  its  resources  to  light  and  in  stamping  his 
intensely  practical  ideas  upon  the  constructive  measures  which  have  led  to  the  up- 
building of  the  state.  Such  careers  are  too  near  us  now  for  their  significance  to  be 
appraised  at  its  true  value,  but  the  future  will  be  able  to  trace  the  tremendous  effect 
of  their  labors  upon  the  society  and  the  institutions  of  their  time.  The  possibilities 
of  high  position  afforded  in  the  United  States  to  industry  and  fidelity  were  never 
better  illustrated  than  in  Colonel  Dewey's  case.  He  crossed  the  plains  when  a  man  of 
about  forty  years  and  thereafter  bent  his  energies  to  constructive  work  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Idaho. 

Colonel  Dewey  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1822  and  in  1863  came  to  the 
northwest,  making  his  way  first  to  Ruby  City,  Owyhee  county.  From  that  town  he 
afterward  removed  to  Silver  City,  where  he  spent  many  years  in  the  boom  mining 
days,  contributing  much  to  the  utilization  of  the  great,  mineral  resources  of  that 
district  and  to  the  progress  made  in  other  directions.  He  at  once  saw  the  necessities 
and  the  opportunities  of  the  state  and  in  pioneer  times  became  identified  with  trail 


COLONEL  WILLIAM  H.  DEWEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  477 

building;  and  his  labors  were  continued  in  accordance  with  the  period  of  development 
until  he  was  actively  associated  with  railroad  building.  He  regarded  no  project  that 
would  benefit  his  community  too  unimportant  to  receive  his  attention,  nor  did  he 
hesitate  to  become  identified  with  the  most  extensive  interests.  In  pioneer  times 
he  labored  in  the  development  of  the  trails,  later  assisted  in  the  building  of  wagon 
roads  and  finally  of  railroads.  He  was  also  closely  associated  with  the  development  of 
mining  interests  and  whatever  he  undertook  seemed  to  be  attended  with  prosperity 
and  success. 

For  twenty  years  Colonel  Dewey  was  actively  engaged  in  mining  and  his  operations 
placed  him  in  the  front  rank  among  those  who  were  developing  Idaho's  mineral  re- 
sources. The  notable  properties  which  he  owned  included  the  Trade  Dollar  and  Black 
Jack  mines,  which  he  afterward  sold  to  Pittsburgh  (Pa.)  corporations.  These  prop- 
erties had  been  brought  to  a  stage  of  production  that  added  greatly  to  the  fame  of 
Owyhee  county  as  a  mineral  section.  With  various  other  mining  interests  Colonel 
Dewey  was  also  closely  associated.  However,  he  gradually  diverted  his  business  activ- 
ity to  other  fields,  becoming  interested  in  railroad  construction  and  in  community 
building.  In  1893  he  was  one  of  the  in  corporators  of  the  Boise,  Nampa  &  Owyhee  Rail- 
road Company,  which  constructed  a  standard  line  from  Nampa  to  Murphy  and  in- 
cluded the  building  of  the  pioneer  steel  bridge  across  the  Snake  river,  which  still  stands 
as  one  of  the  most  substantial  structures  of  the  kind — a  splendid  example  of  the  per- 
manency of  the  Dewey  construction.  With  the  completion  of  that  road  Colonel  Dewey 
took  up  the  work  of  building  a  line  north  from  Nampa  and  organized  the  Idaho  North- 
ern, which  in  1900  undertook  the  work  of  constructing  a  railroad  from  Nampa  to 
Emmett  which  was  completed  in  1902.  Later  this  road  was  extended  to  Payette  lakes, 
one  of  the  greatest  natural  summer  resorts  in  the  northwest,  but  which  was  neglected 
and  isolated  for  many  years  because  of  the  lack  of  transportation  facilities.  As  he 
promoted  his  mining  interests  he  always  secured  the  best  equipment  that  could  be 
purchased  and  the  same  was  true  in  connection  with  railroad  construction.  The 
result  of  this  high  standard  of  work  is  seen  today  in  the  excellent  condition  of  the 
railroads  which  he  built  and  the  mines  which  he  developed. 

A  contemporary  writer  has  said:  "Colonel  Dewey  was  a  typically  rugged  western 
specimen.  He  lived  many  years  in  the  mountains  but  at  no  time  did  he  permit  that 
environment  to  render  him  provincial.  His  ambition  as  a  builder  was  only  abridged 
by  his  most  supreme  effort  and  his  last  dollar.  His  determination  in  all  his  work  to 
build  big  and  broad  for  the  future  was  exemplified  in  a  thousand  directions,  but  per- 
haps at  no  time  more  noticeably  to  the  general  public  than  in  the  case  of  the  Dewey 
Palace  hotel  at  Nampa,  then  a  small  place.  Colonel  Dewey  projected  his  vision  down 
the  avenues  of  time  and  built  for  that  little  place  a  hotel  costing  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Time  has  fully  justified  his  judgment.  Colonel  Dewey,  in  all 
his  busy  life,  was  never  so  much  concerned  as  to  his  own  financial  future  as  he  was 
about  the  future  of  his  home  section  and  his  state,  although  he  had  amassed  consid- 
erable of  a  fortune  before  he  died.  Essentially  a  builder  for  future  generations,  he 
left  to  the  people  of  the  state  a  magnificent  heritage." 


E.  W.  M.  DAY. 

E.  W.  M.  Day,  of  the  Day  Realty  Company  of  Boise,  was  born  at  Tunbridge  Wells, 
England,  July  29,  1875,  the  eldest  child  of  Edward  and  Emily  Mary  (Honey)  Day,  who 
were  farming  people  of  that  country.  The  youth  of  E.  W.  M.  Day  was  passed  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm  and  after  his  education  was  completed  by  a  course  in  the  public 
schools  he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  and  fruit  growing  there.  He  lived  near 
London  for  ten  years  and  was  manager  for  a  large  fruit  and  vegetable  concern  near 
Windsor  Castle,  during  which  period  he  necessarily  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the 
metropolis,  marketing  all  of  his  fruit  and  vegetables  in  London  in  the  Covent  Garden 
market,  which  is  probably  the  largest  market  place  in  the  world. 

In  1903,  Mr.  Day  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world  and  crossed  the 
ocean  to  Canada,  spending  the  summer  in  Saskatchewan.  In  1904  he  crossed  the  border 
into  the  United  States  and  for  a  brief  period  resided  at  Lewistown,  Idaho,  but  later 
went  to  Colorado  and  in  1908  became  a  resident  of  Emmett,  Idaho.  His  parents  after- 
ward joined  him  in  the  new  world  and  are  now  residents  of  Boise.  In  their  family 
were  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  the  United  States,  and 


478  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

with  the  exception  of  one  brother,  Charles,  who  is  in  Michigan,  all  are  residents  of 
Idaho. 

During  the  four  years  of  his  residence  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  E.  W.  M.  Day  was 'engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  and  was  also  well  known  as  a  fruit  tree  salesman.  Upon 
coming  to  the  capital  in  1913  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Hub  City  Realty  Com- 
pany, his  partner  in  the  undertaking  being  Fred  Colburn,  but  soon  afterward  he  pur- 
chased Mr.  Colburn's  interest  and  later,  in  1915,  he  admitted  his  brother  Ernest  to  a 
partnership  in  the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Day  Realty  Company,  with  offices 
at  the  corner  of  Idaho  and  Tenth  streets.  They  have  built  up  a  business  of  large  and 
gratifying  proportions  and  through  their  activities  in  the  real  estate  field  have  done  much 
to-  develop  and  improve  the  city.  They  have  negotiated  many  important  realty  trans- 
fers and  have  been  the  means  of  transforming  unsightly  vacancies  into  attractive  resi- 
dential or  business  districts. 

In  1907,  in  Colorado,  E.  W.  M.  Day  was  married  to  Miss  Valeria  Olivia  Smith,  a 
native  of  Nebraska,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  Grace, 
Stanley,  Bernice  and  Melvin,  the  three  eldest  now  pupils  -in  the  public  schools  of  Boise. 

Mr.  Day  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club.  In  politics  he  maintains  an  inde- 
pendent course,  voting  for  the  candidates  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified  for  office, 
and  never  has  he  sought  political  preferment  for  himself.  His  chief  recreation  ?s  fish- 
ing and  hunting  but  he  has  little  leisure  for  such  sports,  his  life  being  one  of  intense 
business  activity.  He  and  all  of  his  family  are  Baptists  in  religious  faith  and  the 
teachings  of  the  church  permeate  his  conduct  in  every  relation  of  life,  making  him  a 
man  whom  to  know  is  to  esteem  and  honor. 


GEORGE  W.  FROMAN. 

George  W.  Froman,  serving  for  the  third  term  as  sheriff  of  Canyon  county  and  a 
most  highly  honored  and  valued  resident  of  Caldwell,  came  to  this  state  from  Missouri 
with  his  parents  in  1864,  the  family  having  driven  across  the  plains  with  five  yoke  of 
cows  to  one  wagon  and  a  team  of  horses  to  the  other.  He  was  at  that  time  a  little  lad 
of  but  four  summers,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Missouri,  March  20,  1860.  His  father, 
Dr.  F.  K.  Froman,  was  a  physician  by  profession  but  combined  farming  with  his  prac- 
tice and  followed  both  pursuits  here.  Locating  at  the  mouth  of  the  Boise  river,  they 
remained  there  until  1868  and  then  removed  to  a  point  near  Middleton,  Idaho,  where 
Dr.  Froman  again  engaged  in  farming  as  well  as  in  medical  practice  for  about  two 
years.  A  third  removal  took  him  to  within  six  miles  of  the  present  town  of  Vale,  Oregon, 
on  the  Malheur  river,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  to  the 
practice  of  medicine  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1896. 

His  son,  George  W.  Froman,  started  out  in  the  business  world  when  a  youth  of 
fourteen  years,  being  first  employed  by  Tom  Johnson  and  Yank  Robinson,  who  were 
in  the  cattle  business  in  Oregon.  After  three  years  spent  in  that  connection  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Billy  Starks,  also  a  cattle  dealer  of  Oregon,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
1878,  when  the  war  with  the  Bannock  Indians  broke  out  and  he  enlisted  as  a  scout  in 
the  United  States  government  service,  with  which  he  was  thus  connected  for  about 
four  months.  During  that  period  he  participated  in  several  fights  with  the  Indians 
and  had  many  narrow  escapes.  His  brother  Ben  was  also  a  scout  and  was  detailed  to 
apprehend  some  deserters  from  the  army.  A  second  brother,  Horton  Howard,  who  was 
a  messenger  in  the  United  States  service,  was  ambushed  by  the  Indians  and  killed  near 
Olive  lake,  in  Grant  county,  Oregon,  being  buried  where  he  fell.  The  following  fall, 
however,  when  the  war  was  over  his  body  was  exhumed  and  removed  to  the  Canyon  Hill 
cemetery  in  Caldwell. 

In  1879  George  W.  Froman  was  appointed  deputy  warden  of  the  United  States 
penitentiary  of  Idaho,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  two  years,  and  within  that  time 
six  convicts  broke  out  of  the  penitentiary,  one  of  whom  was  killed  in  the  pursuit,  two 
surrendered  and  the  other  three  were  captured  thirty  days  later  at  Paine's  creek,  near 
where  the  town  of  Bliss  is  now  located.  The  capture  of  these  three  men,  who  were 
serving  life  terms  and  were  therefore  very  desperate  in  attempting  their  escape,  re- 
sulted only  after  four  battles  between  them  and  the  officers  and  the  firing  of  forty-two 
rounds  of  ammunition,  the  convicts  being  hit  several  times  but  not  mortally  wounded. 
Subsequent  to  this  time  Mr.  Froman  was  appointed  warden  of  the  federal  penitentiary 
by  E.  S.  Chase,  United  States  marshal,  but  resigned  in  1881. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  479 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  that  Mr.  Froman  wedded  Miss  Mary 
Bowman,  a  daughter  of  Captain  John  Bowman,  of  the  Boise  valley.  He  then  took  up  the 
occupation  of  farming  and  also  engaged  in  freighting  between  Caldwell  and  De  Lamar, 
Silver  City  and  Flint  until  1884,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  butchering  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  at  Caldwell  for  two  years.  He  then  resumed  freighting  over 
his  old  route  and  in  1887- built  the  Jordan  Valley  wagon  road  and  Froman  ferry  across 
the  Snake  river.  He  operated  this  ferry  until  1900  and  then  disposed  of  St.  In  1898  he 
had  begun  the  shipping  of  beef  cattle  from  Caldwell  to  Dawson  City,  Alaska,  by  way  of 
Seattle,  Skagway  and  the  Dawson  trail,  following  that  route  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  shipped  by  way  of  Seattle,  Skagway  and  down  the  Yukon  river.  In  1900,  when  he 
was  going  down  the  Yukon,  he  had  two  empty  scows  wrecked  in  the  White  Horse 
Rapids.  In  1901,  however,  he  was  not  so  fortunate,  as  he  had  two  scows  that  contained 
sheep  wrecked  in  the  rapids,  losing  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight  head. 

In  1903  Mr.  Froman  embarked  in  the  real  estate  ^business  in  Caldwell,  where  he 
operated  until  1911,  when  he  built  a  garage,  in  conjunction  with  which  he  had  the 
agency  for  the  Ford  and  Reo  cars.  He  conducted  this  business  until  1914,  when  he  was 
elected  sheriff,  and  the  proof  of  his  capability  and  popularity  is  found  in  his  reelection 
in  1916  and  again  in  1918.  He  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Froman-Ross  Automobile 
Company  in  Boise  on  the  15th  of  October,  1918,  at  which  time  the  firm  had  outstanding 
accounts  of  over  twenty  thousand  dollars,  all  secured. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Froman  have  been  born  five  children:  Ethel,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Murray,  of  Springdale,  Montana,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Willis;  Walter  C,  a  civil 
engineer,  who  was  a  corporal  in  the  government  engineering  purchasing  office  in  France 
and  who  crossed  overseas  in  a  ship  that  was  attacked  by  submarines,  several  of  which 
they  succeeded  in  sinking;  Mrs.  Grace  Adams,  of  Boise,  whose  husband  is  associated 
with  the  Boise  Statesman;  Harry  Hunter,  who  is  connected  with  the  Troy  Laundry  of 
Caldwell  and  who  married  Muriel  Nolan,  of  Caldwell,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Robert; 
and  Georgie,  who  is  teaching  school  at  Tendavis,  Idaho,  and  who  is  the  wife  of  William 
W.  Welch. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Froman  is  a  Mason  and  loyally  adheres  to  the  teach- 
ings and  beneficent  purposes  of  the  craft.  His  life  has  been  fraught  with  many  interest- 
ing, exciting  and  ofttimes  dangerous  experiences  since  he  first  crossed  the  plains  in 
1864,  more  than  a  half  century  ago.  Throughout  this  long  period  he  has  been  an  in- 
terested witness  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the  west,  and  his  aid  and  influence 
have  ever  been  on  the  side  of  maintaining  order  and  promoting  the  public  welfare. 


HON.  IREL  J.  GUDMUNDSEN. 

Hon.  Irel  J.  Gudmundsen,  actively  engaged  in  farming  in  Cassia  county  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Burley,  where  he  is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  is  also  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature  and  his  activity  along  public  lines  is  an  indication  of  his  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  state.  He  was  born  at  Lehi,  Utah,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1887,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Fanny  (Mulliner)  Gudmundsen.  who  are  also  natives 
of  Utah  and  representatives  of  old  families  of  the  Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints  who 
colonized  that  state.  The  father  is  of  Danish  descent  while  the  mother  is  of  English 
origin,  and  they  now  make  their  home  in  Burley,  Idaho,  the  father  serving  as  bishop 
of  Burley  ward,  a  position  which  he  has  occupied  for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  in  the 
'50s  that  the  Gudmundsen  family  was  founded  in  Utah  by  the  paternal  grandparents  of 
Irel  J.  Gudmundsen,  who  came  from  Denmark.  The  grandfather  bore  the  name  of 
Gudmun  Gudmundsen  and  was  born  in  Iceland  but  went  to  Denmark  before  coming 
to  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1890  Isaac  Gudmundsen  removed  with  his  family  to  Idaho,  settling 
first  at  lona,  near  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  and  also  in  farming. 
In  1909  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Burley,  where  he  and  his  wife  still  reside. 

Irel  J.  Gudmundsen  supplemented  his  public  school  training  by  study  in  the  Brig- 
ham  Young  University  at  Provo,  Utah,  where  he  pursued  a  commercial  course  and  on 
its  completion  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  mercantile  business  and  in 
farming  and  sheep  raising.  The  business  association  between  them  was  long  main- 
tained and  Irel  J.  Gudmundsen  for  six  years  was  the  manager  of  the  large  retail 
general  store  of  the  firm  of  Gudmundsen  &  Sons  at  Burley.  They  carried  an  extensive 
stock  and  enjoyed  a  splendid  patronage,  remaining  actively  In  the  business  there  until 


480  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

1918,  when  they  withdrew  from  mercantile  circles  at  that  place.  Irel  J.  Gudmundsen  is 
now  actively  engaged  in  the  commission  business  and  as  a  dealer  in  real  estate  and 
investments,  and  a  member  of  the  Federal  Land  Company.  He  displays  sound  business 
judgment  and  indefatigable  energy,  and  his  perseverance  and  determination  have  been 
the  salient  factors  in  the  attainment  of  his  present-day  success. 

In  September,  1912,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Mr.  Gudmundsen  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie 
Taylor,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cassia  county,  Idaho,  and  they  now  have  three 
sons:  Irel  Taylor,  Decon  Max,  and  Dick  D. 

Mr.  Gudmundsen  has  always  remained  an  active  worker  and  earnest  supporter  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  from  1908  until  1911  was  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  church  in  France  and  Switzerland  and  while  abroad  he  also  traveled 
as  a  tourist  through  Italy,  Germany  and  England.  Ever  keenly  interested  in  com- 
munity welfare,  he  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Burley  city  council  in  the  capacity 
of  street  commissioner.  His  political  endorsement  has  always  been  given  to  the  repub- 
lican party  and  upon  its  ticket  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  the  fall  of 
1918,  being  accorded  a  good  majority.  He  is  now  chairman  of  the  committee  on  rail- 
roads and  other  corporations,  is  a  member  of  the  committee  on  state  affairs,  fish  and 
game,  irrigation,  reservoirs  and  reclamation  and  educational  institutions.  He  closely 
studies  plans  and  projects  which  come  before  the  legislature  and  his  endorsement  of  a 
measure  rests  upon  a  firm  belief  in  its  efficacy  as  a  factor  in  good  government  or  in  the 
material  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  state. 


ALBERT  E.  WEAVER,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Albert  E.  Weaver,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Boise,  was  born  at 
North  Liberty,  St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  May  11,  1875,  his  birthplace  being  the  farm 
of  his  parents,  David  H.  and  Malinda  (Rupel)  Weaver,  both  of  whom  have  passed 
away.  They  removed  to  Colorado  when  their  son  Albert  was  but  six  years  of  age 
and  there  he  was  reared  upon  a  ranch  meeting  with  the  usual  experiences  of  the  boy 
who  spends  his  youth  upon  the  frontier.  He  acquired  a  good  high  school  education 
at  Longmont,  Colorado,  and  then  determining  upon  the  practice  of  dentistry  as  a  life 
work,  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  Denver,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1897.  He  first  located  for  practice  in  Greeley,  where  he 
remained  until  1904  and  since  that  time  has  been  in  Boise.  He  has  offices  on  the 
fifth  floor  of  the  Overland  building,  having  occupied  his  present  location  for  six  years. 
He  keeps  in  touch  with  modern  professional  thought  and  investigation  and  is  skilled 
in  the  operative  work  of  dentistry,  so  that  he  is  accorded  a  liberal  patronage.  He 
belongs  to  the  Dental  Protective  Association  of  the  United  States  and  also  to  the 
Preparedness  League  of  American  Dentists. 

Dr.  Weaver  greatly  enjoys  a  hunting  and  fishing  trip  when  he  can  absent  himself 
from  professional  duties.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  formerly 
was  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  still  maintains  his  membership  relations  with  the  Elks  and  the  Masons  and  is  a  loyal 
exemplar  of  the  craft. 


JOHN  T.   GLENN. 

If  one  would  know  aught  of  the  history  of  western  development  and  the  experiences 
that  came  to  the  frontiersmen  he  need  only  ask  John  T.  Glenn,  who  has  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  phases  of  pioneer  life,  having  since  a  youth  of  fourteen  years  made 
his  home  in  the  northwest.  He  was  born  in  Wapello  county,  Iowa,  December  25,  1848. 
His  educational  opportunities  were  limited,  but  he  possessed  a  natural  aptitude  for 
spelling  and  was  one  of  the  best  spellers  of  his  time.  His  parents  were  John  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Glenn,  and  in  1862  they  came  west  with  their  family.  Their 
objective  was  the  Salmon  river  in  Idaho,  the  mining  excitement  having  just  broken  out 
there,  but  reports  regarding  the  roads  to  the  Salmon  river  and  the  fate  which  had 
befallen  others  who  had  tried  to  reach  there  with  wagons  caused  them  to  change  their 
plans  and  instead  of  coming  to  Idaho  they  went  to  Oregon,  reaching  the  present  site 
of  Baker  City.  There  they  remained  for  a  few  days,  after  which  some  of  the  party 


ALBERT  E.  WEAVER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  483 

went  to  Auburn,  Oregon,  but  John  M.  Glenn  and  his  family  made  their  way  to  The 
Dalles,  although  there  was  great  mining  excitement  at  Auburn  at  that  time.  When 
they  crossed  the  plains  John  T.  Glenn  of  this  review  acted  as  advance  guard  for  the 
train.  One  day  while  they  were  passing  through  Wyoming  about  two  days'  travel  west 
of  the  Rock  of  Independence,  on  the  northern  route,  he  was  acting  as  advance  scout 
with  several  companions  to  locate  a  camping  ground  and  keep  on  the  outlook  for 
Indians.  This  advance  guard  came  upon  a  lone  man  with  a  two-horse  wagon  who  was 
digging  by  the  roadside.  To  Captain  John  Canada's  query  as  to  what  he  was  doing 
he  replied  that  he  had  killed  a  man  and  was  burying  him.  The  captain  arrested  him  at 
once,  disinterred  the  dead  man  and  gave  him  decent  burial,  after  which  the  party 
took  the  prisoner  with  them  to  the  Sweetwater  river  in  Wyoming,  where  there  was 
located  a  camp  of  soldiers.  The  prisoner  was  given  a  fair  trial  and  condemned  and 
executed  in  regular  military  fashion.  Before  being  shot  he  willed  everything  he 
possessed  to  Mrs.  Scott,  the  widow  of  the  man  whom  he  had  shot.  His  name  was 
Young  and  both  men  were  from  Denver,  Colorado.  Several  thousand  people  congregated 
to  hear  the  trial  and  there  was  no  dearth  of  legal  talent  on  either  side,  nor  was  there 
any  lack  of  an  audience  at  the  time  of  the  execution,  which  took  place  out  on  the 
wild  plains.  Such  was  one  of  the  incidents  which  were  impressed  upon  the  youthful 
mind  of  John  T.  Glenn  as  the  party  traveled  westward  to  Oregon.  His  parents  re- 
mained at  The  Dalles  until  1864  and  then  came  to  Idaho,  taking  up  their  permanent 
abode  on  Dry  Creek,  about  twelve  miles  from  Boise,  where  the  father  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

John  T.  Glenn,  however,  became  a  "bell  boy"  with  a  pack  train  operating  between 
The  Dalles  and  Idaho  City  and  sometimes  did  teaming  until  1867  but  always  con- 
sidered his  parents'  place  of  residence  his  home  even  after  his  marriage.  His  father 
became  a  stockman,  raising  cattle  and  horses,  and  continued  active  in  business  until 
his  death  in  1877,  while  the  mother  survived  until  1893,  their  remains  being  interred 
in  Dry  Creek  cemetery.  John  T.  Glenn  also  engaged  in  the  live  stock  business,  both  in 
Idaho  and  in  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  in  the  days  when  the  ranges  were  free  and  open 
and  grass  was  found  everywhere.  He  took  up  his  residence  first  at  Ola,  Idaho,  where 
he  resided  for  twenty  years,  conducting  a  stock  raising  business  throughout  that 
period.  In  1912  he  removed  to  Star,  Ada  county,  where  he  had  seven  acres  of  land 
and  lived  practically  retired,  until  1919,  when  he  took  possession  of  his  present  pleasant 
home,  having  three  and  a  third  acres  of  land  on  Hillcrest  Loop  about  two  miles  from 
Boise. 

In  1874  Mr.  Glenn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nannie  Keeney,  a  daughter  of 
Captain  Jonathan  Keeney,  a  pioneer  of  the  Pacific  coast  country,  who  crossed  the  plains 
with  his  wife  in  1846  and  was  known  by  all  the  early  settlers  of  the  coast  as  one  of 
the  old  and  valiant  Indian  fighters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glenn  have  become  the  parents  of 
four  children,  Sherman,  forty  years  of  age,  is  married  and  resides  at  Ola,  Idaho.  He 
is  one  of  the  present  commissioners  of  Gem  county  and  be  has  a  family  of  four  children. 
Ada  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Frost,  of  Star.  James,  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  was  a 
volunteer  in  the  United  States  infantry  and  died  in  France.  Bessemer,  the  youngest 
of  the  family,  is  also  deceased. 

Mr.  Glenn  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  was  a  member 
of  the  general  assembly  of  Idaho  during  its  third  session,  in  1894-5.  He  did  not  seek 
the  office  and  has  persistently  refused  to  accept  any  further  nomination,  preferring  that 
his  public  duties  shall  be  done  as  a  private  citizen  rather  than  as  an  office  holder.  He 
stands  for  all  that  is  of  value  and  worth  in  connection  with  the  progress  and  upbuilding 
of  his  section  of  the  state  and  along  agricultural  and  stock  raising  lines  he  has  con- 
tributed much  to  its  development  and  improvement. 


CHARLES  A.  TERHUNE. 

A  well  known  representative  of  commercial  activity  in  Burley  is  Charles  A.  Ter- 
hune,  proprietor  of  a  drug  store.  He  was  born  in  Savannah,  Missouri,  September  15, 
1874,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Rodgers)  Terhune.  Through  the  period  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  he  was  a  resident  of  his  native  state  and  supplemented  his  public  school 
education  by  study  in  the  University  of  Missouri.  He  worked  in  a  drug  store  while  at- 
tending school,  thus  making  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  and  gaining  ex- 
perience that  proved  of  much  value  to  him  at  a  later  period.  After  leaving  school  he 


484  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

traveled  out  of  St.  Louis  for  the  Blackwell-Wielandy  Book  &  Stationery  Company  and 
subsequently  he  went  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  began  traveling  for  the  C.  D.  Smith 
Drug  Company.  He  found  the  business  congenial  and  later  he  bought  a  drug  store 
at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  in  business  for  four  years.  He  then  dis- 
posed of  his  store  there. 

In  1909  Mr.  Terhune  came  to  Idaho,  locating  at  Twin  Falls,  where  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  A.  B.  Colwell,  a  druggist,  with  whom  he  was  associated  in  business 
for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  sold  his  interest  and  erected  a 
building  at  Burley,  where  he  soon  opened  a  stock  of  drugs  and  has  since  developed 
a  substantial  trade.  He  has  a  well  appointed  store,  carrying  a  large  and  carefully  se- 
lected line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries,  and  his  reasonable  prices,  his  fair  deal- 
ing and  his  earnest  efforts  to  please  his  customers  have  gained  for  him  a  good  trade. 
He  is  likewise  the  vice  president  of  the  First  National  Bank. 

In  1903  Mr.  Terhune  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie  C.  Waters,  a  native  of  Paines- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  J.  F.  Waters.  Their  two  children  are  Mary  Catherine 
and  Charles  A.,  Jr.  In  politics  Mr.  Terhune  is  a  republican,  having  supported  the 
party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  In  Masonry  he  has  at- 
tained the  Knight  Templar  degree  of  the  commandery.  Since  starting  out  in  the  businss 
world  he  has  made  steady  progress,  making  wise  use  of  his  time,  his  talents  and  his 
opportunities,  and  step  by  step  he  has  advanced  until  he  is  now  a  forceful  factor  in 
the  commercial  and  also  in  the  financial  circles  of  Burley. 


JOHN  T.  JEFFERIS. 

John  T.  Jefferis,  sheriff  of  Payette  county,  to  which  office  he  was  called  by  popular 
suffrage  on  the  1st  of  January,  1919,  had  had  considerable  previous  experience  as  a 
custodian  of  the  public  peace  and  is  proving  most  faithful  and  competent  in  his  present 
position.  He  was  born  in  Richland,  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  November  20,  1876,  a  son 
of  W.  H.  and  Jennie  (Scearcy)  Jefferis.  The  family  comes  of  Scotch  lineage,  although 
the  great-grandfather  of  John  T.  Jefferis  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Elijah  Jefferis, 
the  paternal  grandfather  of  John  T.  Jefferis,  was  born  near  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and 
has  now  passed  away.  His  son,  W.  H.  Jefferis,  is  a  native  of  Richland,  Keokuk 
county,  Iowa,  and  at  the  present  time  is  living  retired  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 
His  wife's  birth  occurred  in  the  same  town  and  her  eldest  brother,  Jasper  Scearcy,  was 
the  first  white  child  born  in  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  and  now  at  the  age  of  eighty  years 
is  living  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born.  Her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Scearcy,  were  natives  of  Virginia  but  have  long  since  departed  this  life. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county  John  T.  Jefferis  pursued  his  educa- 
tion and  when  not  busy  with  his  textbooks  devoted  his  time  to  assisting  his  father  in 
the  hardware  store.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  farming  in  association  with 
his  father  in  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  where  they  remained  for  a  year  and  then  removed 
to  North  Dakota,  where  they  carried  on  general  farming  for  nine  years.  During  that 
period  John  T.  Jefferis  served  for  two  years  as  city  marshal  of  York,  North  Dakota, 
and  during  the  entire  nine  years  played  third  base  in  the  local  baseball  team.  He 
has  always  been  a  great  lover  of  the  national  game  and  is  yet  one  of  its  enthusiastic 
champions.  The  next  move  of  the  family  was  to  Snohomish,  Washington,  where  the 
father  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  while  John  T.  Jefferis  obtained  employment 
in  the  retail  department  of  a  wholesale  grocery  establishment.  After  two  and  a  half 
years  there  passed  the  family  removed  to  Payette,  Idaho,  in  the  spring  of  1908  and 
here  the  father  and  his  sons,  John  T.  and  Earle,  established  a  hardware  and  furniture 
business,  which  they  conducted  for  two  years,  when  a  handsome  profit  that  was  of- 
fered them  tempted  them  to  sell  the  business.  They  next  took  up  their  abode  in  the 
Pine  valley  of  Oregon  and  purchased  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  where- 
on for  five  years  they  engaged  in  raising  stock  and  grain.  They  then  removed  to 
Baker  City,  Oregon,  where  John  T.  and  Earle  Jefferis  again  turned  their  attention  to 
the  hardware  and  furniture  trade,  success  attending  this  venture  during  the  year  in 
which  they  conducted  the  store,  after  which  they  sold  the  business  to  good  advantage. 
Earle  Jefferis  now  resides  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  and  owns  a  wheat  ranch  of  six 
hundred  acres  near  the  city  which  he  rents.  He  makes  his  home  in  the  town  and  by 
his  friends  is  considered  one  of  the  best  traders  in  the  country,  possessing  much  natural 
business  ability  and  in  all  of  his  deals  displaying  sound  judgment  and  keen  sagicity. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  485 

After  John  T.  and  Earle  Jefferis  disposed  of  the  hardware  and  furniture  business 
at  Baker  City,  Oregon,  the  former  was  elected  constable  and  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff,  but  after  filling  those  positions  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  resigned  and  in  1917 
removed  to  Payette,  Idaho.  Here  he  was  appointed  chief  of  police,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  until  January  1,  1919,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Payette  county.  Thin 
being  a  newly  created  county,  he  was  the  first  incumbent  in  the  position  to  be  elected 
by  public  choice  and  he  is  proving  a  most  efficient  officer,  well  liked  by  the  people  of 
the  community  and  by  all  who  know  him. 

In  1901  Mr.  Jefferis  was  married  to  Miss  Blanche  Johnson,  a  native  of  Indiana  but 
then  a  resident  of  York,  North  Dakota.  They  have  four  children:  Fred  E.,  seventeen 
years  of  age,  attending  high  school;  Raymond  W.,  aged  fifteen,  who  is  now  in  his  first 
year  in  high  school;  Ethel  P.,  who  is  in  the  eighth  grade  of  the  common  schools;  and 
Albert  Le  Roy,  ten  years  of  age,  who  is  also  attending  school. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Jefferis  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  representative  for  nineteen  years,  and  he  also  has  membership 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  but  he  turns  to  baseball  for  recreation,  never  outgrowing 
his  boyhood  love  of  the  game.  His  business  activities  have  carried  him  into  various 
sections  of  the  west  and  he  is  now  identified  with  the  interests  and  development  of 
one  of  the  new  counties  of  Idaho,  where  his  work  is  proving  of  much  value. 


,    MORRIS  H.  KNUDSEN. 

Morris  H.  Knudsen,  a  member  of  the  Morrison-Knudsen  Company,  a  contract- 
ing firm  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Denmark,  July  16,  1862,  a  son  of  Hans  C.  and  Minnie 
(Larsen)  Knudsen.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869  and  established 
a  home  in  Rutland,  Vermont.  He  was  a  marble  cutter  by  trade.  The  following 
year  Morris  H.  Knudsen  and  two  other  children  of  the  family  accompanied  their 
mother  to  the  new  world  to  join  the  husband  and  father.  The  father  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  but  the  mother  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty-one 
years,  and  now  resides  at  Proctor,  Vermont. 

A  portion  of  the  boyhood  of  Morris  H.  Knudsen  was  spent  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  where  his  parents  lived  for  seven  years,  and  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age  the  family  home  was  established  in  Nebraska  but  subsequently  the  father  and 
mother  removed  to  the  Green  Mountain  state.  During  his  early  manhood  Morris 
H.  Knudsen  also  passed  a  year  in  Colorado.  In  1881  he  first  began  railway  con- 
struction work  as  an  employe  in  Colorado  and  since  that  time  his  efforts  and  atten- 
tion have  been  directed  continuously  along  the  same  line.  He  first  came  to  Boise 
in  1889  but  remained  for  only  three  years,  returning  to  the  state  of  Nebraska, 
where  he  spent  ten  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Columbus,  giving  his  attention  to  farming. 

In  1905  Mr.  Knudsen  again  made  his  way  to  Boise  and  for  two  years  was  fore- 
man of  Camp  No.  1  on  the  force  of  W.  H.  Thompson,  who  was  then  building  the 
New  York  canal.  He  was  foreman  of  canal  construction  for  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment also  and  his  work  with  the  government  and  with  Mr.  Thompson  covered 
about  seven  years.  In  1912  he  formed  a  partnership  in  a  general  contracting  busi- 
ness with  Harry  W.  Morrison  under  the  firm  style  of  the  Morrison-Knudsen  Company 
and  they  have  since  conducted  a  large  general  contracting  business  in  the  building 
of  railroads,  country  roads,  street  paving,  sewers,  sidewalks,  etc.,  and  also  in  the 
building  of  large  dams.  The  Morrison-Knudsen  Company  had  the  contract  for  the 
building  of  the  pump  house  for  the  Snake  river  irrigation  project  in  1912.  They 
also  completed  the  Gem  Irrigation  district  plant  in  1912  and  1913,  building  many 
of  the  ditches  and  installing  the  flumes.  The  firm  built  the  Umatilla  dam  in  the 
state  of  Oregon,  a  seventy  thousand  dollar  contract,  and  put  in  the  flrst  street  pav- 
ing— concrete — in  Logan,  Utah.  They  built  the  Garden  Valley  highway  from  Banks 
to  Garden  Valley  and  a  canal  in  Utah  known  as  the  Strawberry  Valley  project.  They 
did  much  canal  work  in  the  vicinity  of  Twin  Falls  and  as  subcontractors  they  built 
the  Harrison  boulevard  and  also  the  Sixteenth  street  approach  in  Boise.  'During  the 
last  two  years  they  have  done  all  the  railroad  construction  work  for  the  Boise- 
Payette  Lumber  Company.  At  the  present  time  they  are  engaged  in  reconstructing 
the  famous  Oxbow  tunnel,  twenty-four  hundred  feet  in  length,  in  the  state  of  Oregon, 
on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  and  are  now  raising  the  Murphy  dam  on  Sinker 
creek  in  Owyhee  county.  This  dam  Is  thirteen  hundred  feet  long  and  the  firm  is 


486  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

raising  it  to  a  height  of  fifteen  feet.  They  employ  at  times  several  hundred  men 
and  scores  of  teams  and  have  won  a  place  among  the  most  prominent  of  the  general 
contractors  of  the  state.  They  built  the  highway  between  Banks  and  Smiths  Ferry 
in  Idaho,  known  as  the  Star  McCall  road;  also  numerous  roads  in  Oregon;  and  at 
the  present  time  are  engaged  in  building  the  Cow  Valley-Brogan  state  highway. 

On  the  llth  of  February,  1892,  Mr.  Knudsen  was  married  in  Nebraska  to 
Miss  Emma  Peterson,  a  native  of  Sweden,  who  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  when  but  four  years  of  age.  They  have  no  children  of  their  own  but 
reared  an  adopted  son,  Edward  Knudsen,  who  is  now  employed  in  one  of  the  gov- 
ernment shipbuilding  plants  on  the  Pacific  coast,  in  California. 

Mr.  Knudsen  belongs  to  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church  and  finds  his  chief 
recreation  in  motoring.  He  has  had,  however,  but  few  idle  hours.  His  entire  time 
and  attention  have  been  given  to  his  business  affairs,  and  his  close  application  and 
industry  have  been  the  salient  features  in  the  attainment  of  the  substantial  suc- 
cess which  is  now  his.  Year  by  year  his  business  has  increased  in  extent  and  im- 
portance, and  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  has  been  connected  with  some 
of  the  largest  building  projects  of  the  west. 


OTTO   M.  JONES. 

Otto  M.  Jones,  state  game  warden,  sportsman  and  well  known  writer  on  fish, 
game  and  other  topics  that  have  to  do  with  sporting  interests,  came  to  Boise  in  1888 
and  through  the  intervening  period  has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho.  He  was  born  on 
his  father's  stock  ranch  near  Dillon,  Montana,  January  8,  1886,  the  third  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  four  sons,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely:  De  Forest,  a 
resident  of  Seattle,  Washington;  R.  Earl,  also  of  Seattle;  Otto  M.;  and  Delbert  E., 
who  was  in  Europe  as  an  aviator  with  the  American  forces,  holding  the  rank  of  first 
lieutenant.  The  father,  William  Jones,  was  a  wool  grower  and  well  known  sheepman. 
He  was  a  native  of  Wales  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
with  his  elder  brothers.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jennie  Emerick, 
was  born  in  the  United  States  and  was  of  Scotch,  Irish  and  German  lineage.  The 
father  died  in  1910,  while  the  mother  survived  until  1912. 

Otto  M.  Jones  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  Idaho,  set- 
tling on  a  sheep  ranch  twelve  miles  from  Boise,  on  Dry  creek.  In  1892,  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Boise  in  order  to  enjoy  the  better  educational  advantages  afforded 
in  the  city  schools.  The  father  erected  a  fine  home  on  North  Tenth  street  but  still 
retained  the  ownership  of  his  ranch  until  1902,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  retired 
from  active  business  life.  Otto  M.  Jones  has  lived  in  Boise  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  years  and  attended  the  public  schools  until  he  had  completed  the  work  of  the 
eighth  grade.  He  afterward  spent  a  year  in  the  Staunton  (Va.)  Military  Academy  and 
for  two  years  was  a  student  in  the  Washington  State  College  at  Pullman,  Washington. 
His  brother,  R.  Earl  Jones,  was  with  him  as  a  school  companion  and  student  at  both 
places.  Mr.  Jones  of  this  review  afterward  traveled  about  to  some  extent  and  also 
spent  some  time  with  his  parents.  He  finally  took  up  his  abode  in  Ashland,  Oregon,  in 
1907  but  in  1909  returned  to  Boise  and  since  that  date  has  devoted  most  of  his 
attention  to  writing  on  sport,  fish  and  game  topics  for  various  newspapers  and  mag- 
azines. He  has  been  a  contributor  to  the  Daily  Statesman  since  1907  and  since  1917 
has  been  regularly  on  its  staff,  having  a  full  page  of  each  Sunday's  issue  devoted  to 
his  sketches  and  the  reproduction  of  photographs  which  he  has  taken.  He  has  trav- 
eled all  over  Idaho  in  getting  these  photographs  and  has  now  on  file  more  than 
twenty-five  hundred  negatives,  which  he  has  made  relating  to  the  outdoor  life  of 
Idaho,  its  beautiful  mountain  and  lake  scenery,  its  streams,  its  big  game  and  its 
smaller  fish.  He  has  photographed  practically  every  species  of  fish  and  game  in  the 
state  of  Idaho  and  in  this  work  his  chief  assistant  has  been  his  wife,  Mrs.  Thaona 
A.  Jones,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Miss  Thaona  Aveline.  She  was  born  and  reared 
in  Boise  and  is  of  French  Canadian  stock,  a  daughter  of  Prosper  Aveline,  who  became 
a  resident  of  Boise  in  1889  and  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  were  married  in-  Boise  on  the  2d  of  July,  1911. 

It  was  in  January,  1919,  that  Mr.  Jones  was  appointed  state  fish  and  game  warden 
by  Governor  D.  W.  Davis,  a  position  for  which  he  is  splendidly  qualified.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  lovers  of  outdoor  life  and  sports  and  are  members  of  the  Boise  Gun 


OTTO  M.  JONES 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  489 

Club.  Mr.  Jones  was  in  1918  the  secretary  of  the  State  Sportsmen's  Association  and 
is  now  secretary  of  the  Idaho  Game  Protective  Association.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Elks.  Always  approachable  and  genial,  he  is  highly  esteemed  by 
those  whose  interests  turn  to  the  open  when  opportunity  comes  for  rest  and  recreation 
from  business  cares. 


L.  E.  DIEHL. 

L.  E.  Diehl  is  the  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Diehl  &  Mace,  general  merchants  of 
Eagle,  where  he  is  also  serving  as  postmaster.  He  was  born  in  Boise,  August  3,  1873, 
and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  I.  and  Laura  (McClellan)  Diehl,  the  latter  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  this  state.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  team  and  wagon  in  1863,  settling  at  Boise,  where  he  estab- 
lished one  of  the  first  saddlery  stores  of  the  city.  He  afterward  disposed  of  that  busi- 
ness and  turned  his  attention  to  farming  on  what  was  known  as  the  Ellis  ranch,  now  a 
part  of  the  city  of  Boise.  Later  he  conducted  the  toll  bridge  across  the  Boise  river 
for  W.  H.  Ridenbaugh  and  eventually  retired  from  active  life,  passing  away  in  the 
year  1894. 

L.  E.  Diehl,  reared  under  the  parental  roof,  attended  the  public  schools,  pass- 
ing through  consecutive  grades  until  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Boise  with 
the  class  of  1893.  He  started  out  in  the  business  world  as  an  employe  in  a  mer- 
cantile house  in  Boise  and  in  1908  he  embarked  in  merchandising  on  his  own  ac- 
count at  Eagle,  conducting  business  successfully  for  six  years,  or  until  1914,  when 
he  sold  his  store.  He  then  made  a  trip  through  Yellowstone  Park  and  upon  his 
return  he  purchased  an  interest  in  his  former  business,  that  is  now  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Diehl  &  Mace.  They  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  line  of  gen- 
eral merchandise  and  enjoy  a  gratifying  patronage.  Mr.  Diehl  is  the  agent  for 
the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Company  and  in  addition  to  his  other  interests  he  is  serv- 
ing as  postmaster  of  Eagle,  which  position  he  has  filled  for  the  past  twelve  years. 

In  1903  Mr.  Diehl  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Edith  H.  Newcomer,  a 
native  of  Virginia  and  a  daughter  of  James  H.  Newcomer,  now  a  resident  of  Meri- 
dian, Idaho.  They  have  one  child,  Eulalie,  now  attending  the  same  school  in  Boise 
in  which  her  father  was  educated.  Mr.  Diehl  also  has  two  brothers:  James  J., 
who  is  in  business  in  San  Francisco,  California;  and  Fred  W.,  who  is  living  retired 
in  Boise. 

Although  Mr.  Diehl  personally  has  had  no  trouble  with  the  Indians  he  can 
recall  many  of  the  outrages  perpetrated  by  them.  His  grandparents  had  many 
encounters  with  the  red  men  in  crossing  the  plains  and  much  of  the  stock  was  killed 
or  stolen.  Mr.  Diehl  has  witnessed  notable  changes  during  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  seen  the  advancement  made  as  Idaho 
has  emerged  from  pioneer  conditions  and  taken  on  all  of  the  advantages  and  op- 
portunities of  the  older  east,  and  he  rejoices  in  what  has  been  done,  for  at  all  times 
he  has  sought  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country. 


JAMES   L.    EDLEFSEN. 

James  L.  Edlefsen  is  a  successful  business  man  of  "Caldwell,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  handling  vehicles  and  harness.  He  is  likewise  connected  with  farming 
interests  in  that  vicinity  and  both  lines  of  activity  are  proving  to  him  a  source  of 
substantial  profit.  Mr.  Edlefsen  is  one  of  Idaho's  native  sons,  his  birth  having 
occurred  at  Ovid,  in  Bear  Lake  county,  July  19,  1874.  His  father,  N.  C.  Edlefsen, 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Bear  Lake,  Idaho,  and  Cache  valley,  Utah,  and  a  native 
of  Odense,  Denmark,  where  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed.  For 
three  years  he  helped  to  fight  against  the  German  seizure  of  Schleswig-Holstein. 
He  came  to  the  new  world  as  a  convert  to  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  and  was  a  bishop  in  Ovid  ward.  He  also  filled  several  mis- 
sions to  Europe.  He  married  Maron  Madson  while  still  a  resident  of  Denmark, 
she  being  a  native,  of  Copenhagen.  Both  are  now  deceased. 

James  L.  Edlefsen  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Logan,  Utah, 


490 

and  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  at  Logan,  where  he  completed  his  studies  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  then  took  up  a  homestead  in  the  Tieton  basin  and 
after  proving  up  on  the  property  turned  his  attention  to  active  church  work  through- 
out the  southern  states  in  hehalf  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
Following  the  completion  of  his  mission  he  returned  to  Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  for 
two  years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad.  He  afterward 
entered  the  service  of  the  Studebaker  Brothers  Company  of  Utah  and  in  this  con- 
nection settled  at  Logan,  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  while  later  he  represented 
the  same  interests  for  four  years  at  Preston,  Idaho,  for  three  years  at  Bancroft, 
Idaho,  and  for  one  year  at  Boise.  He  then  came  to  Caldwell,  where  he  has  since 
remained,  and  in  this  connection  is  handling  vehicles  and  harness,  the  trade  of  the 
house  extending  throughout  the  southwestern  part  of  Idaho  and  into  eastern  Ore- 
gon. Mr.  Edlefsen  has  now  been  a  representative  of  the  Studebaker  interests  for 
many  years,  a  fact  indicative  of  his  absolute  faithfulness,  capability  and  fidelity. 
He  has  not  only  manifested  progressiveness  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  business  but 
also  in  the  development  of  a  farm  which  he  owns  near  Caldwell. 

On  the  19th  of  February,  1901,  Mr.  Edlefsen  was  married  to  Miss  Lettle 
Thatcher,  a  daughter  of  John  B.  Thatcher,  of  Thatcher,  Idaho,  one  of  the  prominent 
business  men  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the  district.  Their  children  are:  Laurie, 
who  is  attending  school  in  Caldwell;  Clisby,  a  high  school  pupil;  Russell  and  Lee, 
who  are  yet  in  the  grades;  John  B.,  five  years  of  age;  and  Keith.  Both  Mi.  and  Mrs. 
Edlefsen  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  he  has 
won  substantial  recognition  as  an  enterprising  business  man  and  valuable  citizen. 


T.   R.   SCOTT. 

The  name  of  Scott  stands  high  in  connection  with  the  milling  and  elevator  in- 
dustry in  Nampa,  where  T.  R.  Scott  and  his  father,  Thomas  Scott,  are  associated 
with  M.  M.  Davidson  and  D.  L.  McBane  in  successfully  conducting  a  business  of  that 
kind.  The  importance  of  the  Nampa  Milling  &  Elevator  Company  is  further  empha- 
sized by  the  fact  that  this  institution  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  increasing 
wheat  production  in  southwestern  Idaho  and  in  a  few  years  it  may  be  predicted 
that  under  their  stimulus  production  will  have  reached  such  proportions  that  they 
will  not  be  compelled  to  ship  in  wheat  from  outside  the  state  in  order  that  they  may 
keep  their  plant  running  to  its  capacity.  Thomas  Scott,  who  is  president  of  the 
milling  company,  is  a  native  of  Nebraska  and  a  miller  by  trade,  which  occupation 
he  has  followed  throughout  his  business  life  in  Nebraska,  Missouri  and  Iowa.  His 
son,  T.  R.  Scott,  who  is  also  thoroughly  acquainted  with  milling  methods  and  the 
business  end  of  the  industry,  is  the  treasurer  of  the  company.  He  and  his  father 
came  to  Idaho  from  Missouri  in  1903  and  established  a  flour  mill  at  St.  Anthony 
but  after  successfully  operating  it  for  two  years  sold  the  business  to  J.  K.  Mullins, 
who  is  widely  known  in  the  milling  industry  in  the  west.  In  1907  they  came  to 
Nampa,  which  has  since  become  their  permanent  home,  and  they  established  the 
Nampa  Milling  &  Elevator  Company,  erecting  their  present  plant  with  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  barrels  per  day.  For  the  first  three  years  there  was  sufficient  wheat 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state  to  permit  of  only  a  forty-five  barrel  a  day  run 
and  they  were  compelled  to  ship  in  wheat  from  Washington,  Oregon  and  eastern 
Idaho.  They  now  have  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  barrels  a  day,  fifty 
per  cent  of  which  is  shipped  to  Georgia  and  Alabama.  In  1918  they  shipped  thirty 
thousand  sacks  of  flour  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  grain  east. 
That  their  business  is  of  considerable  importance  to  the  state  is  quite  evident  from 
the  fact  that  it  amounts  to  over  a  million  dollars  a  year.  They  operate  an  elevator 
at  Meridian,  Idaho,  and  will  in  a  short  time  erect  two  more  in  the  Boise  valley.  At 
present  eighteen  people  find  employment  in  their  mills.  The  Nampa  plant  covers  half 
a  block  and  the  present  officers  of  the  company  are:  Thomas  Scott,  president; 
D.  L.  McBane,  vice  president;  T.  R.  Scott,  treasurer;  and  M.  M.  Davidson,  secretary. 

T.  R.  Scott  is  an  able  business  man,  having  before  coming  to  Idaho  received 
thorough  training  in  one  of  Missouri's  best  commercial  colleges.  He  married  Hazel 
May  Griswold,  of  Colorado,  and  both  are  popular  in  the  social  set  of  their  city.  A 
brother  of  our  subject,  T.  M.  Scott,  having  trained  in  the  aviation  corps  in  Ken- 
tucky, received  his  commission,  but  when  the  armistice  was  signed  he  was  mus- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  491 

tered  out  and  returned  home.  Mr.  Scott  of  this  review  has  through  the  development 
of  a  large  and  important  industry  greatly  contributed  toward  the  prosperity  of  his 
section.  He  has  also  found  time  to  cooperate  in  measures  and  movements  undertaken 
on  behalf  of  the  general  welfare  and  through  his  efforts  has  done  much  toward  pro- 
moting the  growth  of  his  district.  While  he  is  not  active  in  political  affairs  and 
is  averse  to  holding  public  office,  he  thoroughly  studies  political  and  public  questions 
and  gives  his  support  to  such  measures  as  he  considers  of  the  greatest  value  to  the 
greatest  number. 


MRS.   MARY  E.  NILSSON 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Nilsson  is  the  first  reader  of  the  Christian  Science  church  in 
Pocatello  and  has  been  very  actively  connected  with  the  work  of  the  church  in  this 
city  since  1902.  She  was  born  at  Charleston,  Lee  county,  Iowa,  and  when  but  seven 
years  of  age  accompanied  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Slingerland,  to 
Nevada,  the  family  home  being  established  at  Aurora,  Nevada,  about  1864.  The 
daughter  Mary  there  resided  and  at  Eureka,  Nevada,  became  the  wife  of  Lambert 
Molinelli  in  1874. 

In  the  year  1884  she  became  a  resident  of  Utah,  where  she  remained  for 
eighteen  years  and  during  that  time  joined  the  Christian  Science  church.  She  was 
instrumental  in  the  building  of  the  first  Christian  Science  church  in  Salt  Lake  City 
at  No.  338  East  Broadway.  In  1902  she  came  to  Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  has  since 
been  associated  with  Christian  Science  work  here.  She  has  been  one  of  the  fore- 
most factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  church,  the  membership  of  which  has  increased 
from  fifteen  to  sixty.  Mrs.  Nilsson  is  the  present  reader  and  is  very  active  in  all 
the  branches  of  church  work.  The  congregation  now  owns  its  church  building 
and  the  site  upon  which  it  stands  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  church  to  erect 
later  a  house  of  worship  on  South  Garfield  street.  This  will  be  constructed  in 
colonial  style  and  equipped  for  Sunday  school  classes  in  the  basement.  Mrs. 
Nilsson  is  giving  all  of  her  time  to  the  work  of  the  church  and  is  one  of  its  practition- 
ers, as  is  also  her  present  husband,  Carl  Nilsson,  who  has  offices  in  the  Valen- 
tine block  over  the  First  National  Bank.  A  free  reading  room  is  maintained  in  the 
Kasiska  block,  where  all  church  literature  can  be  borrowed,  bought  or  read  in  the 
rooms.  The  first  church  at  Pocatello  was  established  on  the  21st  of  December,  1896, 
and  incorporated  January  8,  1897.  Fourteen  boys  who  were  members  of  the  Sunday 
school  and  entered  the  army  were  provided  with  Science  and  Health  in  pocket 
editions. 

Mrs.  Nilsson  has  two  children:  Jennie  M.  Molinelli,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
F.  P.  Holt,  connected  with  the  Bannock  National  Bank  of  Pocatello;  and  Leon 
Fletcher  Molinelli,  who  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  at  Pocatello.  The  active 
work  of  Mrs.  Nilsson  has  brought  her  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Pocatello  and  she  has 
gained  many  friends  in  the  city. 


HENRY  G.  KNIGHT. 

The  newspaper  fraternity  of  Idaho  finds  a  worthy  representative  in  Henry  G. 
Knight,  editor  and  manager  of  the  Bingham  County  Daily  News,  published  at  Blackfoot. 
He  was  born  at  Almy,  Wyoming,  November  9,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of  Arthur  and  Eliza- 
beth (Kirby)  Knight,  who  are  natives  of  England.  Coming  to  America  in  early  life, 
they  settled  in  Wyoming.  The  father  is  a  mining  engineer  who  has  always  been  active 
along  that  line.  For  a  number  of  years  he  resided  in  Wyoming  and  then  went  to 
Utah,  making  his  home  at  Salt  Lake  City  until  about  1912,  when  he  removed  to  Phoenix, 
Arizona,  where  he  has  since  lived.  The  mother,  however,  passed  away  in  1889. 

Henry  G.  Knight  was  reared  and  educated  in  Denver,  Colorado.  He  learned  the 
printer's  trade  in  that  city  and  for  a  year  worked  on  the  Denver  Post,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Malad,  Idaho,  continuing  his  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade  at  that 
place  in  1904.  He  followed  the  business  in  different  sections  of  the  state,  remaining 
active  in  connection  with  newspaper  interests  in  Idaho  until  1911.  From  May,  1915, 
until  1918  he  was  editor  of  the  Northern  Idaho  News  at  Sandpoint.  In  1916  he  entered 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

i 

the  service  of  his  country  and  wrs  stationed  between  Spokane  and  Pocatello.  He  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  sergeant  in  the  Student  Army  Training  Corps  and  was  dis- 
charged December  25,  1918.  He  then  went  to  Idaho  Falls,  where  lie  engaged  in  news- 
paper work,  there  remaining  until  March,  1919,  when  he  became  manager  of  the 
Irrigation  World  for  the  late  Senator  Brady  at  Pocatello.  He  left  there  to  accept  the 
position  of  fiscal  agent  of  the  Morning  Herald  of  Pocatello  and  while  thus  serving 
launched  a  successful  business  enterprise  with  a  capital  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  In 
August,  1919,  he  secured  an  interest  in  the  Bingham  County  News,  which  was  a  semi- 
weekly  paper  printed  at  Blackfoot.  After  publishing  this  for  one  month  he  converted 
it  to  a  daily,  which  now  has  a  circulation  of  two  thousand  copies.  The  plant  is 
thoroughly  modern  in  its  equipment  and  includes  not  only  presses  and  all  other  ac- 
cessories necessary  for  the  publication  of  the  paper  but  also  all  equipment  for  the  con- 
duct of  a  large  job  business,  which  is  now  accorded  him. 

Mr.  Knight  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nellie  Barbara  Cameron  and  to  them 
have  been  born  three  children:  Thelma,  Eleanor  and  Pearl.  In  politics  Mr.  Knight  is 
a  democrat  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  has  taken  a 
very  active  part  in  the  formation  of  the  American  Legion,  organizing  a  number  of 
posts  and  serving  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention.  All  men  employed  in  his  office 
are  members  of  the  American  Legion,  this  being  indicative  of  the  fact  that  they  were 
soldiers  of  the  recent  world  war.  Mr.  Knight  is  indeed  a  firm  believer  in  the  standards 
and  principles  of  the  Legion,  which  was  formed  to  advance  the  true  American  spirit 
and  bring  into  closer  and  more  harmonious  relations  the  people  of  the  country  in 
their  efforts  to  uphold  the  highest  American  ideals. 


A.  J.  ROCKWOOD. 

A.  J.  Rockwood  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  fine  homes  of  Roswell,  appropriately 
called  Rosebower,  and  it  stands  as  a  visible  evidence  of  his  life  of  well  directed  energy, 
for  his  prosperity  has  come  to  him  as  the  reward  of  persistency  of  purpose  guided  by 
intelligence.  Mr.  Rockwood  was  born  in  Bennington,  Vermont,  but  since  three  years 
of  age  has  lived  west  of  the  Mississippi,  his  parents  at  that  time  removing  to  Blue 
Earth  county,  Minnesota,  near  Mankato.  There  the  father,  Joseph  Rockwood,  followed 
farming  until  1870,  when  he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church  and  con- 
tinued active  in  the  work  of  the  gospel  until  too  feeble  to  continue  his  labors.  He 
died  upon  his  farm  in  Minnesota  in  April,  1904,  at  which  time  he  and  his  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Rhoda  Hurd,  were  living  with  their  youngest  daughter, 
Hattie,  R.,  the  wife  of  John  M.  Chapman.  The  mother  died  on  the  home  farm.  July 
26,  1911.  A.  J.  Rockwood  of  this  review  has  two  excellent  enlarged  pictures  of  his 
parents  upon  the  walls  of  his  home. 

Upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Minnesota,  A.  J.  Rockwood  was  reared  and  in  his 
boyhood  days  attended  the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He  began  farming 
on  his  own  account  on  a  rented  tract  of  land  when  twenty-five  years  of  age  and,  care- 
fully saving  his  earnings,  was  able  five  years  later  to  purchase  the  home  farm  from 
his  father.  This  he  cultivated  until  1900,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  came  to  Ros- 
well, Idaho,  at  which  time  he  purchased  the  forty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  The  land  had  not  been  planted  when  he  took  possession  and 
in  1902  he  gathered  his  first  crop  of  grain  and  now  has  the  place  seeded  to  alfalfa, 
wheat  and  blue  grass  pasture.  He  has  built  one  of  the  finest  residences,  modern  in 
every  way  and  of  beautiful  style  of  architecture.  It  is  supplied  with  every  convenience, 
such  as  an  electric  stove,  an  electric  washing  machine,  electric  iron  and  a  hot  water 
system.  The  road  in  front  of  the  house  is  lined  by  a  row  of  black  walnut  trees,  the 
seed  for  which  he  brought  from  Minnesota,  while  a  tree  of  English  walnuts  nearer  the 
house  provides  sufficient  nuts  for  the  family.  There  are  also  other  beautiful  shade 
and  ornamental  trees  upon  the  place,  such  as  weeping  willow,  boxelder,  elm  and  black 
locust.  Another  indication  of  the  adornment  of  his  lawn  is  found  in  the  name  of  his 
home — Rosebower.  The  outbuildings  are  large  arid  substantial,  in  keeping  with  the 
fine  residence,  while  the  grounds  show  every  care  and  attention.  Along  two  sides 
of  the  house  is  a  broad  porch,  where  as  many  as  one  hundred  guests  have  been  seated 
at  one  time  at  dinner.  The  Presbyterian  church  served  its  first  New  Year's  dinner 
at  his  house  in  1906  and  since  then  it  has  become  an  annual  affair'  to  which  everyone 
in  the  community  looks  forward. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  495 

Always  an  active  business  man,  Mr.  Rockwood  has  most  carefully  developed  his 
fields  and  his  stock.  He  now  has  eight  head  of  registered  shorthorns,  which  he  raises 
and  sells  for  breeding  purposes.  He  has  also  raised  fine  hogs  and  Percheron  horses, 
and  the  first  year  that  he  exhibited  his  Percherons  at  the  County  Fair  his  were  the 
only  registered  horses  on  the  grounds.  This  was  in  1901,  which  fact  indicates  that 
Mr.  Rockwood  was  a  pioneer  in  fine  stock  raising  in  his  section  of  the  state.  He 
brought  his  Percherons  from  Minnesota.  In  Addition  to  his  home  place  he  also  owns 
two  other  farms  of  eighty  acres  each,  both  under  the  Boise  project,  one  being  planted 
to  alfalfa  and  wheat,  while  the  other  eighty  is  Just  being  improved,  a  portion  of  it 
being  already  planted  to  alfalfa.  He  also  has  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  Black  canyon  district.  Mr.  Rockwood  in  addition  to  his  other  interests, 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Parma  State  Bank  and  he  has  been  a  director  of  the  Riverside 
Irrigation  District  for  twelve  years  and  is  president  of  the  company. 

In  November,  1892,  Mr.  Rockv  jod  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Dilley,  of  Minnesota, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Edna  R.,  the  widow  of  Henry  W.  Stark; 
Elwin  J.,  twenty-four  years  of  age,  who  is  with  the  United  States  reclamation  service 
and  lives  at  home;  Stella  M.,  the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Jurries,  of  Parma;  Eunice  G.,  at- 
tending the  Oregon  Agricultural  College  of  Corvallis,  Oregon;  and  Chelsea  J.,'ten 
years  of  age,  also  in  school.  The  son  Elwin  was  a  member  of  the  United  States  Army 
and  had  been  for  sixteen  weeks  at  Camp  Eustace,  Virginia,  when  the  armistice  was 
signed.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Rockwood  have  passed  away.  Her  mother  died  April  16, 
1901,  at  Rochester,  Minnesota,  and  the  father  August  19,  1905,  at  Garden  City,  Minnesota. 
She  has  photographs  of  her  direct  ancestors  for  several  generations  and  one  photograph, 
numbering  thirty-two  people,  which  was  taken  at  a  family  Christmas  dinner  in  Minne- 
apolis. She  was  very  active  in  connection  with  the  Red  Cross  during  the  great  war 
and  one  6f  the  large  rooms  in  her  home  was  given  over  to  the  use  of  the  Red  Cross 
workers  and  for  the  storing  of  their  goods. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Rockwood  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He 
is  serving  as  a  member,  of  the  school  board  of  Roswell  at  the  present  time  and  he  rep- 
resented his  district  in  the  twelfth  session  of  the  state  legislature.  His  activities  in 
behalf  of  public  progress  have  been  pronounced  and  the  results  achieved  have  been 
most  beneficial.  He  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  west  and 
there  is  no  plan  or  project  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  city  or  state  that  does  not  receive 
his  earnest  endorsement  and  support.  The  most  envious  cannot  grudge  him  his  suc- 
cess, so  honorably  has  it  been  won  and  so  worthily  used,  and  Canyon  county  points  to 
him  with  pride  as  one  of  her  leading  citizens. 


HARLEY  D.  HANNA 

Harley  D.  Hanna  is  actively  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Caldwell, 
conducting  his  interests  under  what  is  now  the  well  known  name  of  "H.  D.  Hanna, 
the  Home  Finder."  He  has  secured  a  large  clientage  in  this  connection  and  his 
efforts  are  a  contributing  factor  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  district  in  which  he  operates. 
He  comes  to  ttie  northwest  from  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Havensport,  Fair- 
field  county,  that  state,  on  the  12th  of  October,  1875.  He  is  a  son  of  W.  M.  Hanna, 
who  was  also  born  in  Havensport,  in  1850,  and  of  Samantha  (Stith)  Hanna,  who  was 
born  near  Carroll,  Fairfield  county.  There  they  were  married  in  early  life  and  for 
some  years  continued  their  residence  in  Ohio,  but  in  1878  removed  to  Wells  county,. 
Indiana,  where  they  lived  for  three  years.  They  then  became  residents  of  eastern 
Kansas,  where  Mr.  Hanna  still  follows  the  occupation  of  farming,  but  the  mother 
has  passed  away.  The  Hanna  family  is  an  old  and  prominent  one  of  Ohio  and  Harley 
D.  Hanna  is  a  distant  relative  of  the  late  Marcus  Hanna,  whose  great-grandfather 
was  an  own  cousin  of  the  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Hanna  of  this  review,  the  various 
branches  of  the  family  being  connected  with  the  development  of  Ohio  for  many  years. 

When  Harley  D.  Hanna  was  but  three  years  of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Wells  county,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  for  eleven  years,  and  then  went  with  his 
father  and  mother  to  Lamed,  Pawnee  county,  Kansas,  where  the  family  home  was 
maintained  for  two  and  a  half  years.  Their  next  removal  took  them  to  Hanston, 
Kansas,  and  later  they  established  their  home  in  Allen  county,  Kansas,  living  near 
La  Harpe  for  six  years.  At  a  later  period  Mr.  Hanna  resided  for  five  years  at  lola, 
Kansas,  and  then  returned  to  Lamed,  where  he  remained  for  six  years.  The  succeed- 


496  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ing  three  years  were  passed  in  Garfield,  Kansas,  and  thence  he  came  to  Idaho  in 
1913,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Caldwell.  His  life  throughout  all  the  intervening 
period  has  been  an  active,  busy  and  useful  one.  In  early  manhood  he  took  up  the 
occupation  of  farming,  which  he  followed  for  twenty-one  years,  and  he  also  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  to  which  he  gave  considerable  attention  until  1908.  In  that 
year  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  which  he  followed  for  two  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  lumberyard  and  purchased  a  hardware  and  imple- 
ment business,  which  he  conducted  for  two  years.  His  establishment  was  then 
destroyed  by  fire  and  Mr.  Hanna  sought  to  recuperate  his  losses  by  his  removal  to 
the  west.  At  Caldwell  he  entered  the  fuel  and  coal  business,  in  which  he  engaged 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  when  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  wife  he  sold  out  and 
returned  to  the  east.  Two  years  later,  however,  he  again  became  a  resident  of  Cald- 
well and  established  a  real  estate  business  under  the  name  of  "H.  D.  Hanna,  the 
Home  Finder."  He  has  since  dealt  in  farm  lands  and  city  property  and  also  main- 
tains a  loan  and  insurance  agency.  He  has  negotiated  many  important  property 
transfers  during  the  period  of  his  connection  with  the  business  in  Caldwell  and  his 
clientage  is  now  large  and  gratifying. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1900,  Mr.  Hanna  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Harris,  of 
Allen  County,  Kansas,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mildred  E.,  who  is  a  high  school 
pupil.  Mr.  Hanna  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  become 
connected  with  most  of  its  branches,  and  he  is  also  a  Modern  Woodman  of  America. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  and  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  are  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school,  doing  all  in  their  power  to  advance  the 
church  work  and  promote  the  moral  progress  of  the  community. 


ROBERT  I.  JONES. 

One  of  the  most  progressive  and  well  known  young  business  men  of  Rigby, 
which  has  been  his  home  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  is  Robert  I.  Jones,  the  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Rigby  Star.  He  was  born  in  Gordon,  Nebraska,  September  1, 
1888,  the  son  of  John  W;  and  Anna  E.  (Irvin)  Jones,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  the  latter  of  Iowa. 

John  W.  Jones  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  the  newspaper  business;  -in 
fact  he  gave  fifty  years  to  this  work,  a  part  of  which  time  he  was  in  business  for 
himself  and  the  remainder  he  spent  on  the  staffs  of  large  newspaper  concerns  of  the 
central  west,  working  on  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean  in  1871  at  the  time  the  great  fire 
occurred  in  that  city.  His  work  was  not  confined  to  any  one  place,  since  he  owned 
and  edited  papers  in  South  Dakota,  Nebraska  and  Iowa,  all  of  which  made  him  a 
newspaper  man  of  wide  experience  when  he  came  to  Rigby  in  1905  and  purchased  the 
Rigby  Star.  At  that  time  this  paper  was  of  comparatively  little  worth  but,  aided 
by  his  wide  experience  and  valuable  knowledge  of  the  business,  Mr.  Jones  built  up 
the  circulation  and  soon  started  the  paper  on  the  road  to  prosperity.  With  the 
assistance  of  his  son,  Robert  I.,  he  was  finally  able  to  make  the  Star  one  of  the 
best  weeklies  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  it  is  now  equipped  with  a  modern  and 
well  appointed  printing  plant.  Until  1916,  Mr.  Jones  devoted  himself  entirely  to  the 
publication  of  the  Star,  at  which  time  he  began  giving  only  a  part  of  his  time  to  the 
work.  He  retained  this  arrangement  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  January  28,  1918,  after  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Mrs. 
Jones  still  survives  and  is  living  at  the  family  home  in  Rigby. 

Robert  I.  Jones  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  New  Sharon,  Iowa, 
and  of  Lead,  Sonith  Dakota,  where  his  father  owned  newspapers.  It  was  quite 
natural  that  he  should  acquire  a  liking  and  an  aptitude  for  newspaper  work  and  he 
began  learning  the  business  under  the  instruction  of  his  father  while  the  family 
was  living  in  Iowa.  After  his  father  had  purchased  the  Rigby  Star  and  the  family 
had  moved  here  in  1905,  he  continued  in  the  employ  of  his  father  until  he  was  given 
a  share  in  the  publication  in  1912.  This  association  was  retained  until  the  death 
of  the  father  in  1918.  However,  two  years  before  this  time  the  responsibility  for 
the  publication  of  the  Star  had  in  the  main  fallen  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  junior 
member  of  the  firm,  due  to  the  partial  retirement  of  his  father.  Since  the  latter's 
death,  Robert  I.  Jones  has  assumed  full  charge  of  the  Star,  which  is  assured  many 
prosperous  years  under  his  skilful  management. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  497 

On  November  24,  1910,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  Sylvia  Doman,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  two  children,  namely:  Linden  D.,  on  September  13,  1911;  and 
Lawrence  I.,  on  March  18,  1913.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  members  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Rigby  and  they  are  rearing  their 
children  In  that  faith.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and, 
although  he  has  not  sought  public  office,  he  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  party. 


WILLIAM  A.  McVICAR. 

William  A.  McVicar  is  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Evening  Bulletin,  pub- 
lished at  Blackfoot.  He  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  in  March,  1877,  a  son  of 
Dougald  and  Mary  (Bagsley)  McVicar,  who  were  natives  of  Canada.  The  father 
was  a  brick  manufacturer  and  farmer  throughout  his  entire  life,  devoting  his  atten- 
tion to  those  business  interests  in  Canada,  where  he  passed  away  in  1903.  The 
mother  survives  and  makes  her  home  in  Brandon,  Manitoba. 

William  A.  McVicar  was  largely  reared  at  Brandon,  Manitoba,  and  pursued  his 
education  there.  He  afterward  learned  the  printer's  trade  at  Brandon  and  followed 
the  business  in  Canada  for  four  or  five  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
worked  on  all  the  big  papers  for  about  twelve  years.  In  1910  he  came  to  Blackfoot, 
Bingham  county,  and  for  four  years  was  employed  on  the  Idaho  Republican.  He 
afterward  accepted  a  position  on  the  Blackfoot  Optimist,  which  is  now  the  Bingham 
County  News,  spending  two  and  a  half  years  in  that  connection.  He  later  engaged 
in  the  business  on  his  own  account,  establishing  a  job  office,  and  in  June,  1917, 
he  began  the  publication  of  the  Evening  Bulletin,  a  daily  paper  which  he  has  since 
owned.  He  has  a  modern  plant  with  good  presses  and  all  necessary  machinery  for 
newspaper  publication,  and  the  Bulletin  has  now  reached  a  circulation  of  1,000 
copies.  In  addition  he  conducts  a  large  job  printing  business  and  in  this  department 
turns  out  most  excellent  work. 

In  August,  1910,  Mr.  McVicar  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Lynch.  They  are  well 
known  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city  and  enjoy  the  warm  regard  of  all.  They  hold 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  McVicar  gives  his  political 
support  to  the  republican  party,  using  the  columns  of  his  paper  also  to  further  its 
interests. 


B.  F.  LEAVELL. 

The  development  of  Caldwell  and  of  Canyon  county  is  attributable  to  its  real 
estate  men  perhaps  more  than  to  any  other  class  of  its  citizens,  for  active  in  the 
real  estate  field  are  progressive  men  who  realize  the  opportunities  of  this  section  and 
are  endeavoring  to  locate  in  the  district  families  who  desire  to  develop  farms  and 
contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  state.  In  this  connection  Mr.  Leavell  has  become 
well  known  and  his  labors  are  far-reaching  and  resultant. 

A  native  of  Iowa,  Mr.  Leavell  was  born  in  Appanoose  county,  May  1,  1858,  a  son 
of  Benjamin  W.  and  Susannah  (Whistler)  Leavell,  both  of  whom  were  of  American 
birth.  The  father  died  in  1866.  The  mother%  a  native  of  Virginia,  long  survived 
him  and  passed  away  in  Idaho  in  1903.  One  son  of  the  family,  Jefferson  Leavell, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  and  died  at  Jefferson  barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
while  still  in  the  army. 

The  educational  opportunities  of  B.  F.  Leavell  were  rather  meager,  being 
limited  to  not  more  than  three  terms  in  the  common  schools  at  intermittent  periods, 
as  his  mother  had  been  left  a  widow  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age,  and  as  he 
was  the  eldest  of  her  children  responsibilities  in  connection  with  the  support  of  the 
family  devolved  upon  him  when  he  was  still  quite  young.  On  attaining  his  majority 
he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  and  also  began  merchandising  at  Moulton, 
Iowa,  meeting  with  substantial  success  in  the  conduct  of  his  store.  After  six  months, 
however,  he  sold  the  business  owing  to  ill  health,  which  caused  him  to  leave  that 
section  of  the  country.  He  removed  to  eastern  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  the  occu- 

Vol.  11—32 


498  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

pation  of  farming  upon  rented  land  and  for  seventeen  years  successfully  carried  on 
general  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1900  he  came  to  Idaho  and  purchased  a  ranch 
between  Caldwell  and  Boise,  south  of  Star.  He  afterward  disposed  of  that  property 
and  homesteaded  two  miles  south  of  Wilder,  on  the  Boise-Payette  project.  He  has 
since  rented  his  farm  for  a  term  of  years  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Caldwell,  putting  forth  every  effort  to  locate  families  in  good  homes, 
where  success  will  attend  their  efforts  and  contribute  to  the  development  of  the 
country.  He  possesses  both  the  knowledge  and  land  to  accomplish  his  purpose  in 
this  connection  and  has  already  succeeded  in  bringing  many  families  to  this  section 
of  the  state,  his  labors  thereby  proving  an  element  in  the  development  of  Idaho. 

In  1881  Mr.  Leavell  was  married  to  Miss  Flora  Markley,  of  Iowa,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  eight  children:  Ray  O.,  who  is  married  and  has  two  children;  Grace 
I.,  who  is  married  and  has  one  child;  Louis  I.,  who  is  married  and  has  four  children; 
Susie  M.,  who  is  married  and  has  one  son;  Frank  M.,  who  is  married  and  lost  one 
child;  Sylvia,  who  is  married  and  has  one  daughter;  Oliver  M.,  who  enlisted  on  his 
twenty-first  birthday,  in  the  Sixty-ninth  Coast  Artillery  on  September  5,  1918;  and 
Essie,  who  is  attending  high  school.  Mr.  Leavell  sought  the  opportunities  of  the 
west  and  has  made  an  attractive  home  for  himself  and  family,  while  in  the  conduct 
of  his  business  affairs  he  has  met  with  substantial  results. 


COLONEL  JUDSON  SPOFFORD. 

Colonel  Judson  Spofford,  who  has  resided  in  Boise  for  more  than  thirty-five  years, 
is  well  known  not  only  in  the  capital  and  in  Ada  county  but  throughout  the  state. 
During  the  past  third  of  a  century  there  has  perhaps  been  no  one  in  Idaho  who  has 
been  a  more  consistent  supporter  of  the  Gem  state  than  he.  While  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  having  served  from  1862  until  1865  before  reaching  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
it  was  not  his  service  at  that  time  that  won  for  him  the  title  by  which  he  is  now 
widely  known  but  his  service  on  the  staff  of  one  of  the  governors  of  West  Virginia. 

Colonel  Spofford  was  born  in  Salem,  now  Derby,  Orleans  county,  Vermont,  March 
10,  1846,  a  son  of  Luke  and  Laura  (Wood)  Spofford,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  Green  Mountain  state  and  representatives  of  old  New  England  families  con- 
nected with  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  Spofford  family  traces  its  ancestral  line 
back  to  John  Spofford,  who  came  from  England  while  this  country  was  still  numbered 
among  the  colonial  possessions  of  Great  Britain.  John  Spofford  and  his  wife,  Eliza- 
beth (Scott)  Spofford,  came  from  Yorkshire  in  1638  and  took  up  their  abode  at 
Rowley,  Essex  county,  Massachusetts,  this  fact  being  cited  in  a  history  of  the  Spofford 
and  Spafford  families  in  America,  prepared  by  Dr.  Jeremiah  Spofford,  of  Groveland, 
Massachusetts.  The  great-grandfather  of  Colonel  Spofford  of  this  review,  Eleazer 
Spofford,  served  as  a  quartermaster  in  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Regiment  of  Militia 
in  the  war  for  independence.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Uriah  Wood,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812.  The  great-great-grandfather,  John  Spofford,  who  was  the  father  of 
Eleazer  Spofford,  won  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Ainsworth  R. 
Spofford,  a  second  cousin  of  Colonel  Spofford,  served  as  librarian  of  congress  for  many 
years  and  was  an  author  of  note.  The  father  of  Colonel  Spofford  was  a  machinist  by 
trade,  devoting  his  life  to  that  occupation  and  remaining  a  resident  of  Vermont  until 
called  to  his  final  rest. 

Colonel  Spofford  was  reared  upon  a  Vermont  farm,  which  had  the  usual  sugar 
camp  upon  it,  and  during  his  youth  he  labored  many  a  day  and  night  in  the  camp, 
assisting  in  gathering  and  boiling  the  sap.  He  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age  when 
he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting  in  the  Union  army,  with  which 
he  served  from  1862  until  1865.  He  went  to  the  front  with  Company  K  of  the  Tenth 
Vermont  Infantry  after  enlisting  on  the  22d  of  July,  1862,  and  he  participated  in  all 
of  the  battles,  campaigns,  and  hardships  experienced  by  the  regiment  until  severely 
wounded  in  the  attack  upon  Petersburg,  Virginia,  March  25,  1865.  His  old  captain, 
writing  of  him,  said:  "He  was  one  of  the  youngest  men  in  the  regiment  who  carried 
a  gun.  Company  K  was  in  close  proximity  to  my  own  company  considerable  of  the 
time,  and  I  was  temporarily  in  command  of  Company  K  awhile.  We  often  met  on 
picket  details,  and  I  early  made  his  acquaintance  and  became  attached  to  him  as  a 
clean,  modest,  polite,  obedient  and  brave  soldier,  such  as  any  officer  is  proud  of.  *  *  * 
At  the  battle  of  Monocacy  he  was  in  my  detail  of  seventy-five  men,  and  he  there  put 


COLONEL  JUDSON  SPOFFORD 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  501 

in  a  day's  work  for  our  government  of  which  any  man  might  be  proud,  if  pride  is 
allowable.  He  was  a  good  marksman  and  had  the  range  of  a  well  of  water  near  a 
house  in  the  rebel  lines  in  my  front.  The  enemy  were  obliged  to  keep  away  from 
that  spot  all  day.  He  was  one  of  the  very  last  men  to  cross  the  railroad  bridge  with 
me,  about  five  o'clock,  when  we  finally  retreated,  with  the  enemy  so  close  to  us  that 
it  seemed  no  one  could  escape.  But  for  his  extreme  youth,  he  would  have  received 
rapid  promotion  for  the  excellent  qualities  he  possessed.  When  he  was  wounded 
March  25,  1865,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  he  was  taken  back  to  the  division 
hospital  and  a  surgeon  glanced  at  his  wound,  pronounced  him  mortally  wounded  and 
left  him  outside  the  hospital,  on  the  ground,  to  die.  It  was  a  cold  night:  the  blood 
flowed  profusely  and  his  clothing  and  boots  were  stiff  with  it  After  all  the  others 
were  attended  to,  he  saw  they  did  not  intend  apparently  to  do  anything  for  him.  He 
asked  someone  passing  if  they  were  not  going  to  take  him  in  and  attend  to  his  case. 
The  surgeon  said  he  could  do  nothing  for  him,  as  he  must  die.  'I  will  not  die.  Can't 
yon  take  me  inside  the  hospital?  Is  it  necessary  for  me  to  freeze  to  death  out  here?' 
So  they  took  him  inside,  \vashed  away  the  blood,  removed  the  clotted  clothing  and 
examined  the  wound.  A  minie  ball  had  entered  his  right  side,  under  his  arm,  gone 
through  his  body,  penetrating  both  right  and  left  lungs,  and  was  just  under  the  skin 
under  the  left  arm.  The  surgeon  cut  the  skin,  removed  the  bullet  and  intended  to 
keep  it  as  a  relic.  Judson  told  the  surgeon  if  he  wanted  relics,  there  were  plenty  more 
up  on  the  line  where  he  found  that  one,  and  he  could  go  there  and  get  all  he  wanted, 
but  he  could  not  have  that  one.  Mr.  Spofford  has  it  yet.  With  good  care,  good  habits 
and  a  strong  constitution,  he  recovered  somewhat  and  now  is  a  fine  looking  specimen 
of  manhood,  over  six  feet  high." 

When  his  military  service  was  ended  Colonel  Spofford  returned  to  Vermont  but  in 
1868  removed  to  West  Virginia  and  for  sixteen  years  resided  in  that  state,  chiefly  at 
Huntington,  where  for  several  years  he  filled  the  office  of  postmaster,  finally  resign- 
ing in  1884.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  political  circles  in  West  Virginia  and 
for  twelve  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  republican  state  central  committee  and 
did  much  to  turn  the  state  from  the  solid  democratic  column  to  the  republican  col- 
umn. He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  which  nominated  Garfield 
and  Arthur  in  1880  and  it  was  President  Garfield  who  appointed  him  postmaster  of 
Huntington.  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  nearly  four  years,  when  he  resigned  on 
account  of  ill  health  occasioned  by  the  consequences  of  the  wound  which  he  had  sus- 
tained during  the  Civil  war. 

Thinking  that  a  change  of  climate  might  prove  beneficial,  Mr.  Spofford  then  came 
to  Boise,  and  while  his  business  experience  in  West  Virginia  had  been  that  of  an 
engineer  on  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Railroad,  he  turned  his  attention  to  mining  and 
agricultural  pursuits  after  coming  to  the  northwest.  He  first  bought  a  farm  and  a 
small  herd  of  Ayrshire  cattle  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of  thoroughbred  stock  and 
in  making  butter  for  the  market.  It  was  Colonel  Spofford  who  put  in  the  first  ma- 
chinery in  the  Boise  valley  to  make  high  grade  butter.  Later  he  took  an  option  on 
the  Paine  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  formed  a  company  of  Colorado 
people  and  platted  and  put  upon  the  market  the  Dundee  additions  to  Boise.  He  was 
likewise  instrumental  in  securing  the  opening  up  of  Broadway  avenue  and  the  build- 
ing of  the  Broadway  bridge  on  a  plan  that  provided  for  a  street  car  track  through 
the  center  of  it.  He  afterward  obtained  an  option  on  the  old  Methodist  ditch  below 
Caldwell  and  organized  the  company  that  built  the  Riverside  canal,  which  irrigates 
all  of  the  fine  country  around  Riverside.  He  was  likewise  one  of  the  originators  of 
the  old  Boise  Rapid  Transit  Company  that  built  the  first  street  car  line,  extending 
from  the  Natatorium  down  Warm  Springs  avenue  and  Main  street  to  Thirteenth  and 
Idaho  streets,  and  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  director  and  secretary  of  the  com- 
pany. He  then  promoted  and  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  building  the  Boise-Payette 
electric  power  plant  on  the  Payette  river  below  Horseshoe  Bend,  with  a  power  trans- 
mission line  from  the  power  plant  to  the  Pearl  mining  camp  and  a  power  line  from 
the  plant  to  Boise.  It  is  this  line  that  furnishes  much  of  the  light  and  power  for  the 
capital  city.  He  next  went  to  Lewiston  and  organized  a  company  to  build  the  Lewis- 
ton  &  Southeastern  Electric  Railway.  The  line  was  to  start  at  Lewiston,  extend  up 
Snake  river,  up  Tammany  Hollow,  by  Lake  Waha,  Forest,  West  Lake,  Cottonwood 
and  Denver  to  Grangeville,  with  a  branch  line  from  West  Lake  through  Ho  and 
Dublin  to  Nez  Perce  city.  This  line  was  laid  out  and  partially  built  through  the 
center  of  Mason  prairie,  Camas  and  Nez  Perce  prairies.  The  operation  of  this  elec- 
tric line  would  take  an  immense  amount  of  business  from  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 


502  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

road,  so  that  corporation  entered  into  a  combination  with  the  Oregon-Washington 
Railroad  &  Navigation  Company  and  built  a  line  from  Culdesac  to  Grangeville,  which 
made  it  impossible  to  finance  and  build  the  electric  line,  which  would  have  served 
that  whole  country  far  better  than  the  steam  line  ever  can.  Colonel  Spofford  also 
owns  an  interest  in  the  Combination  mine  at  Profile,  Idaho,  which  old  Coeur  d'Alene 
miners  say  will  make  another  Hercules  mine.  Colonel  Spofford  is  now  manager  of  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Boise,  it  being  the  property  of  Ex-United  States 
Senator  Nathan  Goff,  of  West  Virginia.  In  addition  to  the  management  of  this  farm 
he  holds  considerable  mining  interests  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  three-fourths  in- 
terest in  what  is  known  as  the  Combination  mine  in  Valley  county,  rich  in  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  copper  and  promising  large  returns. 

Colonel  Spofford  was  married  in  Brownington,  Vermont,  on  the  23d  of  September, 
1868,  to  Miss  Nellie  F.  Gcodall  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  yet  living,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  while  one  daughter  is  deceased.  The  son,  Lyman 
Henry  Spofford,  is  married  and  has  two  daughters.  He  is  a  resident  of  Boise.  Edith 
Evangeline  Spofford  became  the  wife  of  Douglas  W.  Ross,  at  one  time  state  engineer  of 
Idaho  and  a  resident  of  Boise.  He  is  now  employed  in  the  United  States  reclamation 
service  as  consulting  engineer  and  resides  in  Berkeley,  California.  Mrs.  ROBS  passed 
away  August  18,  1904,  leaving  two  daughters  who  have  reached  young  womanhood. 
The  youngest  child  of  Colonel  Spofford  is  Inez  Virginia  Spofford,  who  after  the  death 
of  her  sister,  Edith  Evangeline,  became  the  second  wife  of  Douglas  W.  Ross  and  is  with 
him  in  Berkeley,  California.  By  this  marriage  there  have  been  born  three  sons. 

In  politics  Colonel  Spofford  has  always  been  a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  repub- 
lican party  since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1864.  Since 
coming  to  Idaho,  however,  he  has  taken  no  active  part  in  politics  save  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  republican  county  central  committee,  in  which  position  he  is  now 
found.  He  is  a  past  department  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Rupublic  in 
Idaho  and  is  a  valued  representative  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  life 
has  been  one  of  intense  activity,  characterized  by  the  utmost  devotion  to  his  country 
and  her  welfare.  In  Boise  he  has  done  much  to  further  public  progress  and  the 
attractiveness  of  the  city  is  due  in  no  small  measure  to  his  efforts,  for  many  of  its 
beautiful  shade  trees — maples,  black  walnuts  and  elms — have  grown  from  seeds  planted 
by  Colonel  Spofford  in  his  garden  at  his  home  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Seventh 
streets.  When  the  trees  grew  to  be  the  size  of  buggy  whips  he  transplanted  them 
along  the  streets  of  Boise  and  some  of  them  are  now  twenty-four  inches  in  circum- 
ference and  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  city.  The  activities  of  Colonel  Spofford 
have  been  of  a  most  valuable  and  resultant  character  since  he  first  offered  his  services 
to  the  government  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  Whether  in  days  of  peace  or  days 
of  war  he  has  been  the  same  loyal  citizen,  unfaltering  in  his  allegiance  to  his  coun- 
try and  her  high  standards.  His  progressiveness  has  been  manifest  in  many  tangible 
ways  and  his  cooperation  has  been  a  tangible  asset  in  the  advancement  and  upbuild- 
ing of  community,  commonwealth  and  country. 


M.  H.  EUSTACE. 

M.  H.  Eustace,  an  able  member  of  the  Idaho  bar  practicing  at  Caldwell,  was 
born  in  Vernon  county,  Missouri,  December  17,  1885,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  H.  and 
Addie  J.  (Howell)  Eustace.  The  father  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1853  and  devoted 
his  active  business  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  stock  raising  but  is  now 
living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  well  earned  rest.  He  married  Addie  J.  Howell,  a 
native  of  Mississippi,  who  is  now  deceased.  Her  father  and  brothers  were  soldiers 
in  the  Confederate  army,  and  J.  H.  Eustace  had  two  brothers  who  also  were  soldiers 
of  the  southern  cause. 

Spending  his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof,  M.  H.  Eustace  supple- 
mented his  early  educational  opportunities  by  study  in  the  University  of  Missouri. 
Having  determined  upon  the  practice  of  law  as  a  life  work,  he  became  a  law  student 
in  the  State  University  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of  1906.  In 
the  following  year  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  of  South  Dakota  and 
entered  upon  the  active  work  of  the  profession  in  Deadwood,  where  he  maintained 
a  law  office  until  1914.  He  then  came  to  Caldwell,  "where  he  resumed  practice 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  503 

under  the  firm  style  of  Eustace  &  Groome.  In  1918  he  was  made  assistant  attorney 
general  and  has  most  capably  performed  the  duties  of  this  office.  Few  lawyers  have 
made  a  more  lasting  impression  upon  the  bar  of  the  state  both  for  legal  ability  of  a 
high  order  and  for  the  individuality  of  a  personal  character  which  Impresses  itself 
upon  the  community.  He  is  devotedly  attached  to  his  profession,  systematic  and 
methodical  in  habits,  sober  and  discreet  in  judgment,  and  diligent  in  research.  He 
enters  the  courtroom  well  prepared  to  meet  the  attacks  of  opposing  counsel,  and 
it  is  known  that  he  has  won  a  notable  percentage  of  the  cases  entrusted  to  him. 

In  1911  Mr.  Eustace  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  Mahau,  ot  Washington,  D.  C.,  a 
daughter  of  Captain  John  A.  Mahan,  of  Huntington,  West  Virginia,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Marion  Hewlett,  born  in  1912; 
Edward  Mahan,  born  in  1917;  and  Romaine  Elizabeth,  born  in  1919. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Eustace  is  connected  wfth  the  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  In  1917  he  filled  the  office  of  chief  clerk  in  the  house  of  representatives 
during  the  fourteenth  session  of  the  general  assembly  and  Idaho  in  this,  as  in  every 
other  connection,  has  found  him  a  representative  citizen. 


WILLIAM  H.  KIMERY. 

William  H.  Kimery.  proprietor  of  the  Kimery  Hardware  &  Paint  Company  of 
Boise,  was  born  in  East  Tennessee,  August  2,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  George  F. 
Kimery,  who  now  resides  in  Boise,  being  connected  in  a  clerical  capacity  with  the 
supreme  court  of  Idaho. 

In  1896  William  H.  Kimery  came  to  Boise  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  busi- 
ness here.  For  several  years  he  has  owned  and  conducted  one  of  the  leading 
hardware  and  paint  stores  of  the  city,  carrying  also  a  line  of  wall  paper,  and  in  this 
he  has  had  the  able  assistance  of  his  wife. 

It  was  on  the  24th  of  June,  1903,  that  Mr.  Kimery  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Moore,  who  was  also  born  in  East  Tennessee  and  is  the  daughter  of  a  Confederate 
war  veteran,  while  Mr.  Kimery's  father  served  in  the  Union  army.  Mrs.  Kimery 
devotes  her  attention  and  energies  largely  to  the  conduct  of  the  business  in  connection 
with  her  husband.  They  carry  a  complete  line  of  general  hardware  and  a  large 
stock  of  paints  and  wall  paper,  and  the  reliability  of  their  business  methods,  their 
reasonable  prices  and  their  enterprise  have  won  for  them  a  substantial  patronage 
which  is  certaintly  well  deserved. 


C.  W.  GIESLER. 

C.  W.  Giesler,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Payette,  was  born  in 
Wausau,  Wisconsin,  January  15,  1859.  His  father  died  when  the  son  was  but  six 
years  of  age  and  in  1867  he  and  his  mother  went  to  Kentucky  to  live  with  his 
maternal  grandfather,  Walter  Cooper,  near  Louisville.  There  they  continued  for  a 
year  and  then  went  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where  the  mother  passed  away  in  1872, 
her  son.  C.  W.  Giesler.  being  then  a  lad  of  thirteen  years.  He  and  his  grandfather 
afterward  removed  to  Troy,  Lincoln  county,  Missouri,  where  the  gandfather  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

C.  W.  Giesler  was:  at  that  time  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years  and  upon  him 
fell  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  a  younger  brother  and  sister.  He  went  to  work 
in  a  dry  goods  and  clothing  store  at  Elsberry,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until 
1890,  when  he  joined  his  brother,  who  five  years  before  had  come  to  the  west  and 
taken  up  a  homestead  near  Payette,  Idaho.  The  first  year  after  his  arrival  in 
Payette,  C.  W.  Giesler  worked  for  W.  A.  Coughanour  in  his  sawmill  and  then  entered 
the  employ  of  F.  C.  Marquardsen,  a  general  merchant,  with  whdm  he  continued  for 
a  year  and  a  half.  The  business  was  then  sold  to  D.  S.  Lamme,  with  whom  Mr. 
Giesler  remained  for  two  and  a  half  years.  With  his  brother,  J.  C.  Giesler,  he  then 
entered  the  lumber  business,  which  they  conducted  for  two  and  a  half  years  and 
then  sold  to  J.  M.  Bennett.  Later  they  erected  a  building  and  entered  the  implement 
and  vehicle  business,  which  they  carried  on  for  a  short  time  and  afterward  added 
groceries  and  hardware.  In  1917,  however,  they  closed  out  this  business,  the  brother 


504  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

returning  to  the  farm,  while  C.  W.  Giesler  entered  the  real  estate  business,  in  which 
he  has  since  engaged,  handling  hoth  farm  and  city  property  and  also  maintaining 
a  loan  and  insurance  department.  He  has  gained  a  good  clientele  and  the  business 
is  now  of  substantial  proportions. 

In  1897  Mr.  Giesler  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Trevey,  of  New  Hope, 
Missouri.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  he  has  done 
effective  public  work  since  coming  to  the  west.  In  1907  he  was  treasurer  of  Canyon 
county,  before  the  division  which  resulted  in  the  creation  of  Payette  county,  and 
about  1915  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Payette 
county  and  filled  that  position  until  1919.  He  has  also  served  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  of  Payette,  was  chairman  of  the  County  Council  of  Defense  and  was 
also  chairman  of  the  War  Savings  Stamps  committee.  He  gave  most  earnest  support 
to  every  project  that  led  to  the  upholding  of  American  interests  during  the  period 
of  the  war  and  he  is  at  all  times  one  hundred  per  cent  American.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Mason  and  exemplifies  in  his  life  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft,  which  recognizes 
the  brotherhood  of  mankind  and  the  obligations  thereby  imposed. 


THOMAS  B.  SMITH. 

Thomas  B.  Smith,  of  Pocatello,  is  the  promoter  and  the  head  of  the  Elkhorn  Live 
Stock  and  Dairy  Company,  successfully  conducting  the  business  of  cattle  raising  and 
dairying  and  the  manufacture  and  handling  of  creamery  products.  Executive  ability, 
keen  discrimination  and  unfaltering  enterprise  have  characterized  the  business  career 
of  Mr.  Smith,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  at  Mineral  Ridge,  near  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
June  20,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Cecelia  (Prosser)  Smith,  the  former  a 
native  of  England  and  the  latter  of  Wales.  On  emigrating  to  the  new  world  the 
father  settled  near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  being  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years.  He 
came  to  Idaho  in  1881  and  here  passed  away  about  twenty-eight  years  ago.  The  mother 
was  a  young  woman  when  she  became  a  resident  of  the  United  States  and  she,  too, 
died  in  Idaho. 

Thomas  B.  Smith  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  in  Ohio,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools  to  the  age  of  fifteen  and  then  made  his  way  to  the  west,  arriving  at. 
Evanston,  Wyoming,  in  Augusl,  1871.  There  he  became  a  rider  on  the  Crawford- 
Thompson  stock  ranch,  where  he  remained  for  about  three  years,  after  which  he  took 
up  a  desert  claim  on  the  Bear  river  in  Wyoming,  it  being  a  part  of  what  was  known 
as  the  Pixley  ranch.  In  1879  he  sold  his  interests  there  and  came  to  Idaho,  his  desti- 
nation being  what  was  then  known  as  Egin  Bench,  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Idaho  Falls. 
Egin  is  an  Indian  word  meaning  cold  and  indicates  something  of  the  nature  of  the 
district  into  which  Mr.  Smith  made  his  way.  He  remained  upon  the  ranch  long  enough 
to  win  his  title  to  the  homestead.  He  and  his  associates  lost  over  one  thousand  head 
of  cattle  through  lack  of  feed  and  through  cold,  as  the  winters  of  1879  and  1880  were 
very  severe.  Turning  his  attention  to  railroading,  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Utah  Northern,  which  at  that  time  was  a  narrow  gauge  road.  About  1891  he  came  to 
Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  established  a  coal  and  transfer  business,  at  the  same  time  acting 
as  agent  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  which  afterward  disposed  of  its  business 
to  the  Continental  Oil  Company.  In  1910  the  T.  B.  Smith  Company  took  over  the 
interests  of  Mr.  Smith  in  the  business,  of  which,  however,  he  remains  a  stockholder 
and  director.  In  that  year  he  organized  the  Elkhorn  Live  Stock  and  Dairy  Company, 
the  purpose  of  which  was  to  engage  in  dairying  and  cattle  raising.  At  the  outset 
it  was  not  the  intention  of  the  company  to  go  into  the  creamery  business,  but  they 
found  it  advisable  to  take  that  step  and  began  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  also 
the  handling  of  poultry  and  eggs.  Their  interests  have  now  developed  into  one  of  the 
big  industries  of  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  state  and  in  the  undertaking  Mr. 
Smith  has  associated  with  him  his  five  sons:  Samuel  P.,  George  L.,  Thomas  B.,  Jr., 
James  K.  and  Frank  H.  The  last  named,  however,  volunteered  for  service  in  the 
United  States  army  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and  went  to  France  as  a  member  of 
the  Heavy  Artillery.  The  business  of  the  Elkhorn  Live  Stock  and  Dairy  Company 
has  constantly  increased  in  volume  and  importance  and  they  now  control  about  forty 
outlying  stations  and  give  employment  to  fifty  people.  Their  first  building  was  only 
twenty  by  thirty  feet.  They  now  occupy  a  two-story  building  thirty  by  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  and  an  adjoining  building  which  is  sixty  by  thirty  feet.  Each  year 


THOMAS  B.  SMITH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  507 

they  have  been  obliged  to  make  an  addition  in  order  to  keep  up  with  their  develop- 
ment until  they  now  have  most  spacious  quarters.  The  business  constitutes  an  institu- 
tion of  which  Pocatello  and  southeastern  Idaho  may  well  be  proud,  as  it  is  a  splendid 
enterprise  that  will  undoubtedly  develop  to  still  greater  proportions  with  Idaho's  up 
building. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1890,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  King,  of  Logan, 
Utah,  who  passed  away  in  Pocatello  in  1912.  Their  family  included,  in  addition  to 
the  five  sons  named  above,  two  daughters:  Eliza,  who  is  teaching  school  at  Bancroft, 
Idaho;  and  Jessie  L.,  the  wife  of  Birdwell  Finlayson,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  government  and  lives  at  Provo,  Utah. 

Mr.  Smith  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  for  two  terms 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  is  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks 
of  his  party  and  has  been  chairman  of  the  county  central  committee.  His  chief  concern, 
however,  is  the  extensive  business  which  he  has  developed.  He  is  truly  a  self-made 
man.  Having  started  out  independently  when  in  his  fifteenth  year,  he  has  made  steady 
progress  and  has  been  the  promoter  of  an  industry  which  is  not  only  a  source  of  great 
personal  benefit  but  also  one  which  has  been  of  large  worth  to  the  community,  furnish- 
ing a  market  for  products  raised  in  this  section  of  the  state. 


JAMES   H.   FORBES. 

James  H.  Forbes,  of  Caldwell,  a  contractor  in  structural  work  and  proprietor 
of  the  Caldwell  Transfer  Company,  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  July  27, 
1862.  He  comes  of  Scotch  ancestry,  his  parents,  C.  H.  and  Annie  (King)  Forbes, 
being  natives  of  the  land  of  hills  and  heather.  The  father  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1846,  settling  in  Ohio,  where  he  took  up  agricultural  pursuits.  The  mother  was 
brought  to  the  new  world  during  her  childhood  days  and  both  have  now  passed 
away,  the  father's  death  occurring  in  1887,  when  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age, 
while  the  mother  died  in  Pueblo,  Colorado,  in  1907  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  James  H.  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

Between  the  ages  of  six  and  twelve  years  James  H.  Forbes  was  a  pupil  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  county  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  Campbell  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  worked  at  farm  labor  until  1884.  He 
then  removed  to  Cbautauqua  county,  Kansas,  where  for  one  year  he  was  employed 
as  a  stone  mason,  after  which  he  went  to  Finney  county,  Kansas,  where  he  worked 
as  a  stone  mason  for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to 
Pueblo,  Colorado,  where  he  again  engaged  in  stone  work  and  in  bridge  building 
until  1888.  In  1896  he  made  his  way  to  Cripple  Creek  and  devoted  two  years  to 
mining,  returning  then  to  Pueblo,  where  he  was  married.  He  then  took  up  the 
bridge  contracting  business,  which  he  followed  on  his  own  account  until  1900,  when 
he  removed  to  Montana,  where  he  was  instrumental  in  building  a  bridge  across  the 
Yellowstone  river  at  Glendive.  After  a  year  and  a  half  spent  in  Montana  he  came 
to  Idaho,  making  his  way  first  to  Boise,  where  he  once  more  engaged  in  bridge 
building,  and  secured  the  contract  for  the  construction  of  a  bridge  across  the  Boise 
river  at  Eagle  island.  In  the  spring  of  1903  he  went  to  Emmett,  Idaho,  and  built 
the  canyon  canal  dam  and  headgates.  He  also  built  the  electric  light  plant  at 
Emmett,  which  he  operated  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  disposed  of  his  interests 
there,  removing  to  Caldwell,  where  he  took  up  the  general  contracting  business,  with 
bridge  building  as  a  specialty.  One  of  the  large  contracts  awarded  him  was  the 
building  of  the  Emmett  waterworks,  which  is  a  model  of  completeness.  The  work 
was  done  in  four  months,  and  he  built  in  two  months  the  waterworks  at  Parma.  He 
obtained  his  first  practical  experience  in  structural  engineering  as  an  employe  of  a 
well  known  bridge  building  concern  doing  construction  work  on  the  Cincinnati 
Southern  Railroad,  and  later  he  was  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
His  experiences  have  constantly  broadened  his  knowledge  and  promoted  his  effi- 
ciency, and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  able  contractors  on  construction  work 
and  engineering  projects  in  this  section  of  the  state.  In  1918  he  organized  the 
Caldwell  Transfer  Company,  of  which  he  is  sole  proprietor,  but  he  regards  this  as  a 
sideline  to  his  construction  work,  although  his  modern  equipment  and  enterprising 
business  methods  will  undoubtedly  make  this  one  of  Caldwell's  big  business  un- 
dertakings. 


508  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

It  was  at  Pueblo,  on  the  28th  of  October,  1898,  that  Mr.  Forbes  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Ida  May  Pollock.  Fraternally  Mr.  Forbes  is  a  Mason  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Caldwell  for  one  term 
but  is  not  ambitious  to  hold  office.  He  finds  pleasure  in  the  outdoor  life  necessitated 
by  his  work,  and  in  his  business  has  experienced  the  keen  joy  of  success. 


MRS.    ETHEL   TONKIN    CLARK. 

It  was  the  great  World's  war  that  brought  enfranchisement  to  the  women 
of  Europe,  but  various  American  states  occupy  a  position  in  the  vanguard  in  this 
particular.  Idaho  was  among  the  number  which  some  years  ago  gave  the  franchise 
to  the  women  of  the  state  and  has  recognized  their  ability  in  calling  a  number  of 
them  to  public  office.  Mrs.  Ethel  T.  Clark  is  now  the  efficient  county  treasurer  of 
Ada  county,  to  which  position  she  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1918,  assuming  the  duties 
of  the  office  on  the  13th  of  January  following.  Mrs.  Clark  is  one  of  the  native 
daughters  of  Boise,  where  she  has  practically  spent  her  entire  life.  Her  father 
was  the  late  John  Tonkin,  a  mining  man  of  English  birth,  and  her  mother,  Mrs. 
Sarah  (Thomas)  Tonkin,  is  also  a  native  of  England.  The  latter  survives  and  yet 
makes  her  home  in  Boise. 

Mrs.  Clark  was  the  only  daughter  in  a  family  of  three  children.  She  was  reared 
in  the  capital  city  and  at  the  usual  age  became  a  pupil  in  its  public  schools,  passing 
through  consecutive  grades  and  eventually  becoming  a  student  in  the  Boise  Busi- 
ness College.  She  has  occupied  positions  in  the  business  world  as  an  accountant, 
stenographer  and  bookkeeper  in  Boise,  her  ability  and  efficiency  increasing  with 
her  broadening  experience,  and  at  length  she  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
treasurer.  For  five  years  she  was  in  the  employ  of  the  McCrum  &  Deary  Drug 
Company  of  Boise  as  bookkeeper  and  afterward  occupied  a  similar  position  in  the 
Owyhee  Pharmacy  for  more  than  a  year. 

Mrs.  Clark  was  married  in  1906.  She  has  a  little  daughter,  Margaret,  twelve 
years  of  age,  now  a  pupil  in  the  Boise  public  schools.  In  religious  faith  Mrs.  Clark 
is  a  Methodist,  and  her  political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party.  When 
elected  to  her  present  office  she  was  accorded  a  splendid  majority  of  over  two 
thousand,  and  she  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  youngest  incumbent  who  has 
ever  held  the  office  of  county  treasurer  in  Ada  county. 


LEM  A.  YORK. 

Lem  A.  York,  president  and  manager  of  the  Syms-York  Company,  Incorporated, 
of  Bo'ise,  was  born  in  Lewiston,  Maine,  March  13,  1866,  a  son  of  Jerome  and  Martha 
(Read)  York,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Pine  Tree  state  and  representatives  of 
old  New  England  families.  The  York  family  comes  of  Scotch  ancestry,  while  the 
Reads  are  of  English  lineage.  The  father  was  a  stationary  engineer  and  thus  pro- 
vided for  the  support  of  members  of  his  household. 

Lem  A.  York  was  a  little  lad  of  but  five  summers  when  his  parents  removed 
from  Maine  to  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  and  at  twelve  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
them  to  Michigan.  Through  the  succeeding  four  years  he  lived  in  Evart,  Michigan, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  school  to  learn  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of 
the  Evart  Review.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  made  his  way  to  Colorado,  set- 
tling at  Telluride,  where  he  worked  at  the  printer's  trade  until  1884,  when  he  went 
to  Edgeley,  North  Dakota,  his  parents  having  become  residents  of  that  locality, 
making  their  home  upon  a  ranch  near  the  town.  In  North  Dakota,  Mr.  York  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  also  worked  at  his  trade  at  intervals  until  1889.  He  then 
returned  to  Telluride,  Colorado,  and  resumed  his  old  position.  He  afterward  went 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  was  employed  on  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  and  in  1890 
he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Silver  City.  There  he  was  employed  as  a  printer  on 
the  Owyhee  Avalanche  for  a  time  and  afterward  leased  that  paper  and  later  pur- 
chased it.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  newspapers  of  Idaho,  having  been  established  on 
the  15th  of  August,  1865.  Mr.  York  continued  as  the  owner  and  publisher  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  509 

paper  until  1902,  when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Weiser,  Idaho,  where  he  bought 
the  Weiser  American,  with  which  paper  he  was  connected  until  1905,  when  he 
came  to  Boise  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  present  Syms-York  Company, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1909,  with  H.  J.  Syms  as  president  and  Mr.  York  as 
secretary,  treasurer  and  superintendent.  This  is  one  of  the  best  and  largest  printing 
plants  in  the  northwest  and  is  by  far  the  biggest  in  Idaho.  It  occupies  all  of  the 
main  floor  and  basement  of  the  splendid  new  Elks  Temple  in  Boise  at  the  corner 
of  Ninth  and  Jefferson  streets.  The  Syms-York  Company,  Incorporated,  of  Boise  is 
today  one  of  the  solid  and  substantial  and  also  one  of  the  widely  known  concerns 
of  Idaho.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1920,  Mr.  Syms  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the 
firm  and  Mr.  York  became  president,  taking  active  charge  of  the  business. 

At  Weiser,  on  the  19th  of  September,  1893,  Mr.  York  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Brady,  of  Weiser,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  but  has  lived  in  Idaho 
since  early  childhood.  They  have  become  parents  of  six  children,  two  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Ralph  W.,  who  was  educated  in  Leland  Stanford  University 
and  in  the  University  of  Idaho,  and  is  now  a  director  and  secretary  of  the  Syms- 
York  Company;  Ruth  A.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Idaho  in  June, 
1919,  and  married  Adna  M.  Boyd,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Lorna  E.,  a  sophomore  in 
that  institution;  Walter  R.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school  in  June, 
1919;  and  Catherine  A.  and  Jean  M.,  who  are  public  school  students. 

Mr.  York  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  camping  and  when  leisure  permits  greatly 
enjoys  a  period  spent  in  the  open.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Country  Club,  the  Boise 
Rotary  Club  and  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
also  an  Elk  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  both  the  subordinate  lodge  and  en- 
campment, and  is  a  past  grand  in  the  organization.  His  political  endorsement  is 
given  to  the  republican  party.  He  is  affiliated  with  Boise's  various  civic  and  com- 
mercial interests  and  with  the  club  life  of  the  city  and  is  an  active  and  progressive 
business  man  who  at  the  same  time  cooperates  heartily  in  all  plans  and  movements 
for  the  general  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  capital  and  of  the  state. 


JAMES  MONROE  JACKSON. 

James  Monroe  Jackson,  the  president  of  the  Meridian  Hardware  &  Imple- 
ment Company,  was  born  May  18,  1857,  in  Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  and  is  a  son 
of  Andrew  G.  and  Sarah  (Frances)  Jackson.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1823 
and  the  mother  was  born  in  Iowa,  in  which  state  their  marriage  was  celebrated. 
On  leaving  the  Buckeye  state  Andrew  G.  Jackson  removed  to  Iowa  and  afterward 
went  to  Missouri,  where  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years,  being  there  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  For  a  time  he  lived  in  Kansas  and  there 
his  wife  passed  away  in  1876,  when  forty-five  years  of  age.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Jackson  occurred  in  the  state  of  Washington  in  1909,  when  he  was  eighty-six 
years  of  age. 

James  M.  Jackson  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  seven  children  and  in  his  youth- 
ful days  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county.  He 
then  went  to  Kansas  with  his  parents  and  for  six  years  was  employed  at  farm 
labor  in  that  state.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Colorado  and  became  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  that  section,  there  remaining  until  1889,  when  he 
removed  to  the  northern  part  of  Idaho,  first  settling  in  Nez  Perce  county  on  Pot- 
latch  prairie.  There  he  resided  for  three  years,  or  until  1892,  when  he  removed 
to  a  farm  near  Meridian  and  for  fifteen  years  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  On  removing  to  the  Boise  valley  he  began  experimenting  with  various  fruits 
and  in  1891  cultivated  and  shipped  the  first  prunes  from  the  state,  thus  initiating 
what  has  in  the  course  of  years  come  to  be  one  of  the  important  industries  of  the 
state.  His  proof  of  what  could  be  done  in  this  connection  has  been  of  the  greatest 
value  to  Idaho,  as  lands  which  were  formerly  regarded  as  largely  worthless  have 
been  devoted  to  the  production  of  fruit  and  such  property  is  today  worth  more  than 
four  times  the  price  at  which  it  could  have  been  originally  bought.  Upon  his 
removal  to  the  Boise  valley  Mr.  Jackson  took  up  general  farming  and  was  so  en- 
gaged until  1907,  when  he  disposed  of  his  farming  interests  and  became  one  of 
the  owners  of  the  business  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Meridian  Hardware  & 
Implement  Company.  The  concern  was  then  a  small  one,  but  he  recognized  the 


510  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

possibilities  of  the  district  and  became  an  active  factor  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  business,  which,  under  the  wise  guidance  of  himself  and  his 
associates,  has  become  one  of  the  important  commercial  interests  or  this  locality. 
At  the  head  of  the  enterprise  have  been  most  capable  business  men,  Mr.  Jackson 
being  now  the  president  of  the  company,  with  J.  L.  Waggoner  as  the  secretary  and 
general  manager.  Retaining  some  of  his  farming  interests,  Mr.  Jackson  has  re- 
cently disposed  of  an  eighty  acre  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Meridian  for  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

At  Canyon  City,  Colorado,  February  14,  1882,  Mr.  Jackson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Delia  Price  Gibson,  who  was  born  near  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1863,  and  was  given  the  middle  name  of  Price  in  honor  of  General  Sterling 
Price  of  the  Confederate  army.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  Russell  Gibson,  who 
was  a  Confederate  veteran.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  died  in  infancy. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Jackson  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs  in 
the  local  lodge.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  he  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but  does  not  seek  nor  desire 
political  office.  He  and  his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Christian  church 
and  they  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles  of  the  city,  the  number  of  their 
friends  being  almost  equal  to  that  of  their  acquaintances.  Throughout  his  entire 
life  Mr.  Jackson  has  been  known  as  a  most  upright  man,  a  loyal  citizen  and  a  pro- 
gressive merchant.  His  activities  along  horticultural,  agricultural  and  commercial 
lines  have  all  contributed  to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state  and  he 
well  deserves  mention  among  Idaho's  representative  residents. 


REV.  NICHOLAS   PHILIP  HAHN. 

Rev.  Nicholas  Philip  Hahn,  pastor  of  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  church  in  Boise, 
was  born  at  Maryville,  Missouri,  September  26,  1878.  His  father,  Nicholas  Hahn, 
served  throughout  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Ninth  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  He  was  a  contractor  and  builder  by  occupation  and  he  passed  away 
in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  in  1906.  The  mother  was  prior  to  her  marriage  Miss  Helena 
Kohns.  Rev.  Hahn  of  this  review  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  two  of  whom 
have  passed  away,  while  a  brother  and  a  sister  reside  in  Portland,  Oregon. 

The  early  life  of  Rev.  Hahn  was  spent  chiefly  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  and  in  Portland,  Oregon.  He  pursued  a  classical  course  in  Mount  Angel 
College,  Oregon,  completing  his  studies  there  in  1898.  He  afterward  became  a  teacher 
in  that  institution,  giving  instruction  in  English  and  Latin  there  for  four  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  pursued  a  philosophical  course  in  the  Catholic  University  of  Washington, 
D.  C..  and  next  entered  the  Grand  Seminary  of  Montreal,  Canada,  where  he  pursued 
his  theological  studies  for  two  years.  Later  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in 
Menlo  Park,  California,  and  in  1911  he  came  to  Idaho,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  church  at  Genesee.  He  next  served  as  pastor  of  St.  Edward's 
church  at  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  for  a  period  of  six  years  and  was  transferred  from  that 
parish  to  St.  John's  Catholic  church  in  Boise  in  March,  1919. 

Rev.  Hahn  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  served  as  chaplain  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  council  at  Twin  Falls  during  his  pastorate  there.  He  is  now 
in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  zealous  and  earnest  in  support  of  the  cause  for  which 
he  labors,  his  efforts  proving  highly  resultant  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Catholic  church 
in  this  section  of  the  country. 


WILLIAM  T.   JACK. 

William  T.  Jack,  of  Oakley,  president  of  the  Cassia  stake  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  November  1, 
1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Ann  (Dunlap)  Jack,  the  former  a  native 
of  Scotland,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Ireland.  In  young  manhood  the  father 
worked  in  the  weaving  mills  of  Scotland  and  afterward  served  with  the  Ninety- 
second  Highlanders  for  twelve  and  a  half  years.  In  1854  he  volunteered  for  service 
in  the  Crimean  war  and  was  on  active  duty  on  the  Mediterranean.  He  joined  the 


REV.  NICHOLAS  P.  HAHN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  513 

Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  while  on  the  rock  of  Qibraltar.  After 
receiving  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  returned  to  Scotland,  where  he  was  again 
identified  with  weaving,  but  saved  his  money  in  order  to  come  to  the  United  States, 
it  being  his  desire  to  Join  the' people  of  his  faith  in  Utah.  He  was  married  in  Scot- 
land in  1843  and  came  to  Utah  in  1857,  crossing  the  plains  with  one  of  the  hand- 
cart compatfies.  He  located  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  followed  farming  there,  while 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  syrup.  He  continued  a 
resident  of  that  locality  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1907,  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  eighty  years.  The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy.  She, 
too,  was  a  follower  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

William  T.  Jack  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  under  Carl  G.  Measer.  Later  he  followed  farming,  freighting 
and  logging  and  afterward  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising,  in  which  he  was 
engaged  for  nineteen  years.  He  also  spent  five  years  in  the  mission  field  of  the 
central  states,  serving  as  president  for  three  years.  On  the  14th  of  May,  1900,  he 
came  to  Oakley,  Idaho,  having  been  chosen  as  president  of  Cassia  stake,  comprising 
seven  wards  and  extending  from  Carey,  Idaho,  to  Grouse  Creek,  Utah,  on  the  south. 
This  territory  has  since  developed,  so  that  at  the  present  time  it  includes  five  stakes, 
with  approximately  thirty-five  wards,  and  ten  thriving  branches  of  the  church.  Mr. 
Jack  has  most  wisely  and  carefully  directed  the  interests  of  the  stake  and  is  one  of 
the  prominent  representatives  of  the  church  in  Cassia  county  and  Idaho. 

He  has  also  been  an  active  factor  in  the  business  life  of  the  community  and 
has  contributed  much  to  its  material  as  well  as  to  its  moral  development.  He  was 
the  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Hurley  Town  Site  Company  for  ten  years 
following  the  organization  and  early  development  of  the  town.  He  also  engaged 
in  merchandising  at  Oakley  from  1904  until  1907  and  took  over  the  People's  Union 
Mercantile  Company  of  that  place,  which  was  in  debt.  He  placed  the  business  upon 
a  paying  basis,  thoroughly  reorganizing  and  systematizing  its  interests,  and  finally 
returned  it  to  the  People's  Union  Mercantile  Company  a  prosperous  concern. 

In  1877  Mr.  Jack  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Naylor,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Alice  (Button)  Naylor.  She  passed  away  in  1887,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  leaving 
one  child,  Arthur  W.,  who  died  in  1913,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Mr.  Jack 
was  again  married  in  1887,  when  Miss  Jubertine  Iverson  became  his  wife.  She  is 
a  native  of  Washington,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  H.  P.  and  Anna  D.  (Nisson) 
Iverson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children:  Kimball  I., 
Ella  D..  Mary  R.,  Lorenzo  T.  and  Calvin  O. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Jack  is  a  republican  but  has  been  so  active  in  a  busi- 
ness way  and  in  the  work  of  the  church  that  he  has  never  sought  nor  desired  polit- 
ical preferment.  He  is  keenly  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  progressive  cit- 
izenship, however,  and  his  aid  and  influence  are  always  on  the  side  of  advancement 
and  improvement.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  the  west  and  he  is  actuated  by 
the  enterprising  spirit  which  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  development  of 
this  section  of  the  country. 


REV.  BERNARDO  ARREGUI. 

Rev.  Bernardo  Arregui,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Idaho  streets  in  Boise,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  since 
1911,  coming  to  Boise  directly  from  Spain  in  order  to  serve  several  Spanish  Catholic 
congregations  in  Idaho,  or  in  fact  to  serve  all  of  the  churches  in  Idaho  among  the 
Spanish  people  or  'the  Basques.  During  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  pastor 
of  the  Spanish  or  Basque  branch  of  St.  John's  Cathedral  in  Boise  and  has  served  the 
Spanish  Catholics  at  NSmpa,  Mountain  Home,  Gooding,  Shoshone,  Hailey  and  other 
Idaho  points.  He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  Spanish  Catholic  priest 
!n  all  of  the  state. 

Rev.  Arregui  was  born  in  Spain,  July  23,  1866,  the  son  of  a  farmer.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  being  graduated  from  the  seminary  at 
Vitoria,  Spain,  in  1889.  He  was  at  once  ordained  to  the  priesthood  and  became 
pastor  of  St.  Michael's  church  in  Irura,  province  of  Guibuzcoa,  Spain,  where  he  served 
his  people  for  twenty-one  years,  taking  charge  there  on  the  14th  of  February,  1890, 
and  resigning  the  position  in  June,  1911,  in  order  to  come  to  the  United  States  for 


514  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  purpose  of  taking  up  the  work  among  the  Spanish  Catholics  of  Idaho.  Many 
of  the  people  speak  what  is  known  as  the  Basque  language.  It  is  a  prehistoric  tongue 
used  largely  by  the  people  on  both  sides  of  the  Pyrenees  which  divide  France  and 
Spain.  The  need  of  these  people  for  religious  instruction  led  to  Father  Arregui's  leav- 
ing his  native  country  to  come  to  Idaho  and  take  up  the  work  at  the  urgent  request 
of  the  late  Bishop  Glorieux  of  this  state.  Father  Arregui  has  done  most  important 
work  among  the  people  of  this  region  in  establishing  a  new  Catholic  parish  in  Boise, 
which  is  intended  to  serve  the  Spanish  Catholics  of  the  city  and  vicinity.  On  the 
2cl  of  March,  1919,  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  work  reach  a  happy  culmina- 
tion when  the  new  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Idaho 
streets  was  dedicated — the  only  Spanish  Catholic  church  property  and  parish  in 
all  the  state.  The  occasion  was  a  most  memorable  one,  the  bishop  and  many  church 
dignitaries  being  in  attendance,  Bishop  Gorman  preaching  a  most  impressive  sermon. 
Adjacent  to  the  church  and  fronting  on  Idaho  street  is  also  a  substantial  and  com- 
fortable parish  house,  which  is  occupied  by  Father  Arregui.  The  furnishings  and 
equipment  of  both  the  church  and  parish  house  are  new  and  of  exceedingly  hand- 
some design^  Both  buildings  are  of  brick  construction,  built  upon  an  attractive 
plan,  and  the  church  edifice  constitutes  a  beautiful  addition  to  the  houses  of  worship 
in  Boise.  Father  Arregui  becomes  the  first  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd. He  has  made  an  enviable  name  for  himself  by  reason  of  his  labors  since 
coming  to  this  city  and  he  is  now  ministering  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  one  hundred 
and  three  families  in  the  capital  and  vicinity.  Father  Arregui  was  appointed  Span- 
ish vice  consul  for  Idaho  and  Montana  February  28,  1916,  by  Count  Romances,  then 
secretary  of  state  in  Spain. 


WALTER  M.   CAMPBELL. 

Walter  M.  Campbell,  forest  supervisor  residing  at  Burley,  was  born  in  Eugene, 
Oregon,  July  2,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  William  O.  and  Clara  L.  (Little)  Campbell.  The 
father  was  born  in  the  Mohawk  valley  of  New  York  and  the  mother  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  The  former  was  a  master  carpenter  in  the  east  and  in  1861  put  aside 
all  business  and  personal  considerations  in  order  to  join  the  Union  army,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  First  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  served  for  four  years 
and  five  months.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Yorktown,  Petersburg,  Gettysburg 
and  others  and  also  took  part  in  the  Grand  Review  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  the 
victorious  army  marched  down  the  broad  Pennsylvania  avenue,  over  which  was 
suspended  a  banner  bearing  the  words:  "The  only  debt  which  our  country  owes 
that  she  cannot  pay  is  the  debt  which  she  owes  to  her  soldiers."  When  the  war  was 
over  he  returned  to  Connecticut  and  later  removed  westward  to  Chicago  and  to 
Evanston,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentering.  It  was  in  Evanston,  in  1867, 
that  he  was  married  and  later  he  removed  to  San  Francisco,  California.  From  that 
place  he  made  his  way  to  Eugene,  Oregon,  in  1873  and  there  again  engaged  in 
carpentering.  In  1877  he  established  his  home  at  Kamiah,  Idaho,  and  afterward 
removed  to  Moscow,  where  he  resided  until  July,  1882,  having  charge  of  the  Indian 
schools  there.  He  later  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  and  ranching  and  in 
1893  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  was  made  custodian  of  the  state  capitol,  filling  that 
position  until  January,  1898.  He  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number 
of  years  and  made  an  excellent  record  in  office,  his  decisions  being  at  all  times 
strictly  fair  and  impartial.  He  passed  away  in  June,  1916,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years  and  the  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  In  his 
political  views  Mr.  Campbell  was  a  republican,  fraternally  was  connected  with  the 
Masons  and  his  religious  faith  was  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  led  a  life  of  great  usefulness  and  activity  and  in  every  relation 
was  as  true  and  loyal  to  his  country  as  when  he  followed  the  nation's  starry  banner 
on  the  battlefields  of  the  south. 

Walter  M.  Campbell  was  still  in  his  infancy  when  his  parents  removed  to  Idaho, 
settling  first  at  Kamiah  and  afterward  establishing  their  home  at  Moscow.  At  the 
age  cf  eighteen  he  became  a  resident  of  Boise.  Previous  to  this  time  he  had  lived 
among  the  Indians  in  a  wild  country,  meeting  all  of  the  hardships,  privations  and 
experiences  of  frontier  life  in  a  country  devoted  to  stock  raising.  Following  his 
removal  to  Boise  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  promote  his  education  by 
attending  the  high  school  of  the  city  and  later  a  business  college.  He  afterward 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  515 

turned  bis  attention  to  mining  and  prospecting,  to  which  he  devoted  three  years. 
Later  he  was  in  the  Pacific  Railroad  service  as  clerk  and  agent  and  for  three  and  a 
half  years  was  in  the  railway  postoffice  at  Pendleton,  Oregon,  and  at  Weiser,  Idaho. 
In  1906  he  entered  the  United  States  forestry  service,  with  which  he  has  now  been  con- 
nected for  fifteen  years.  He  began  as  a  forest  guard  in  the  Weiser  National  Forest, 
later  became  deputy  supervisor  and  in  April,  1914,  was  transferred  to  take  charge 
of  the  Minidoka  National  Forest,  which  embraces  five  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
acres  and  is  situated  in  southern  Idaho  and  northern  Utah.  He  is  now  occupying 
the  position  of  forest  supervisor  and  the  record  that  he  has  made  is  a  most  credit- 
able one,  his  advancement  coming  in  recognition  of  capable  and  faithful  service. 

In  1900  Mr.  Campbell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Olive  H.  Hills,  a  native 
of  Stuart,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  George  S.  Hills.  They  have  become  parents  of 
five  children:  Clara  O.,  Walter  H.,  Howard  P.,  Forest  G.  and  Bonnie  Irene. 

In  politics  Mr.  Campbell  maintains  an  independent  course,  voting  according  to 
the  dictates  of  his  judgment  without  regard  to  party  ties.  He  is  connected  with 
the  association  known  as  Federal  Employes,  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  Masonry  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish 
Rite.  In  his  present  position  as  forest  supervisor  he  is  doing  splendid  work,  care- 
fully guarding  the  interests  of  the  government  in  relation  to  the  forest  preserves 
and  at  all  times  holding  to  high  standards  of  public  service. 


JAMES  R.  CLARK. 

James  R.  Clark,  a  real  estate  dealer  of  Meridian,  is  conducting  business  under 
the  name  of  the  Boise  Valley  Realty  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  promoter  and  is 
the  sole  owner.  In  regard  to  real  estate  matters  in  Meridian  and  vicinity  there  is 
no  one  better  informed  than  Mr.  Clark.  The  town  in  which  he  makes  his  home, 
an  enterprising  place  with  a  population  of  twelve  hundred,  is  located  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  famous  Boise  valley  and  surrounded  by  a  farming  district  where  the 
property  is  worth  from  two  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  This  is  a 
beautiful  agricultural  region,  producing  the  most  splendid  crops,  and  there  is  excel- 
lent opportunity  for  the  progressive  real  estate  man.  Mr.  Clark  is  conducting  a  « 
profitable  business  in  this  connection  and  his  labors  have  contributed  in  substantial 
measure  to  the  development  of  the  region  in  which  he  lives.  • 

A  native  of  eastern  Tennessee,  James  R.  Clark  was  born  twelve  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  Knoxville,  in  Blount  county,  February  17,  1858,  his  birthplace  being  the 
old  Clark  homestead  that  was  deeded  by  the  state  of  Tennessee  to  his  grandfather, 
James  Clark,  in  1805  and  has  since  been  in  possession  of  the  family,  covering  a 
period  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  years.  It  is  now  owned  by  Thomas  Edgar  and 
Robert  Harvey  Clark,  brothers  of  James  R.  Clark.  Their  father,  Philander  Harvey 
Clark,  was  also  born  upon  the  old  homestead,  his  birth  occurring  May  22.  1829,  and 
there  he  passed  away  June  1,  1912,  at  the  advanced  aged  of  eighty-three  years. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  A.  De  Armond,  was  also  born  in 
Blount  county,  Tennessee,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Richard  De  Armond.  Following 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  wedded  her  sister,  Margaret,J.  De  Armond. 

James  R.  Clark  was  the  only  child  of  the  first  marriage  but  by  the  second 
marriage  there  were  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  but  the  latter  is  deceased.  The 
three  half-brothers  of  James  R.  Clark  are  yet  living  and  one  of  these,  Philander  H. 
Clark,  Jr.,  is  a  resident  of  Nez  Perce  county,  Idaho. 

In  1890  James  R.  Clark  came  to  the  northwest  from  Tennessee  and  lived  in 
Washington  until  1901,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  Idaho,  and  since 
1913  he  has  been  in  Ada  and  Canyon  counties.  In  November,  1917,  he  located  in 
Meridian  and  established  business  under  the.  name  of  the  Boise  Valley  Realty 
Company,  of  which  he  is  sole  owner.  He  had  previously  carried  on  farming  and 
has  owned  several  good  ranch  properties  since  coming  to  Idaho,  these  being  located 
in  Nez  Perce,  Canyon,  Blaine  and  Ada  counties.  In  business  affairs  he  displays  keen 
sagacity  and  sound  judgment,  and  his  investments  have  been  most  judiciously  made. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1879,  in  Blount  county,  Tennessee,  Mr.  Clark  wedded 
Malvina  J.  Singleton,  who  was  born  in  that  county  August  1,  1859.  They  have  five 
living  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  A.  Blanche,  who  follows 
the  profession  of  teaching;  Mrs.  G.  H.  McKissick,  residing  in  Nez  Perce  county,  Idaho; 
Dick  S.,  also  a  resident  of  Nez  Perce  county;  John  H.,  who  makes  his  home  in 


516  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Wendell,  Idaho;   and  Jeannette  D.,  a  student  of  the  University  of  Idaho.     There  are 
also  nine  grandchildren. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Clark  is  a  democrat,  having  supported  the  party 
since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  a  loyal  follower  of  its  teachings. 
He  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to  come  to  the  northwest, 
for  in  this  growing  section  of  the  country  he  found  the  business  opportunities  which 
he  sought  and  in  their  utilization  has  made  steady  progress  toward  the  goal  of 
prosperity.  He  is  now  one  of  the  well  known  citizens  of  Meridian  and  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  the  worth  of  his  work  and  of  his  character  is  attested  by  all  who 
know  him. 


ROY  I.  HARTLEY. 

Roy  I.  Hartley,  a  well  known  representative  of  the  automobile  trade  in  Caldwell, 
being  agent  for  the  Studebaker  cars,  was  born  November  27,  1891,  in  the  city 
which  is  still  his  home.  His  father,  Charles  P.  Hartley,  is  a  pioneer  of  Idaho,  having 
come  to  this  state  with  his  parents  when  but  a  lad,  the  family  home^being  established 
near  Middleton.  Later  Charles  P.  Hartley  removed  to  a  homestead  claim  three 
miles  north  of  Caldwell  and  it  was  there  that  Roy  I.  was  born.  Twelve  years  ago 
the  father  sold  this  property  in  small  tracts  and  is  now  living  at  Emmett,  where  he 
is  devoting  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  peaches.  He  married  Estelle  Madden,  a 
daughter  of  C.  F.  Madden  and  a  sister  of  R.  S.  Madden,  who  was  secretary  to 
Governor  Alexander  of  Idaho. 

In  the  schools  of  Caldwell,  Roy  I.  Hartley  pursued  his  early  education  and 
afterward  attended  the  high  school  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  while  for  one  year  he  was  a 
student  in  the  College  of  Idaho  at  Caldwell.  He  afterward  engaged  in  the  nursery 
business  with  his  father  but  did  not  find  that  occupation  congenial  and  for  two  years 
devoted  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  but  that  venture  proved  unprofitable. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  automobile  trade  and  is  now  doing  business  under 
the  name  of  the  Hartley  Auto  Company.  They  are  agents  for  the  Studebaker  cars, 
their  territory  extending  over  the  Jordan  valley  and  the  Homedale  country.  They 
are  also  the  agents  for  the  Silvertown  cord  tire  and  expect  soon  to  handle  the 
Studebaker  trucks.  They  are  building  up  a  business  of  very  substantial  proportions 
and  Mr.  Hartley  is  recognized  as  a  young  man  of  great  industry  and  enterprise  whose 
future  career  will  be  well  worth  watching. 

In  February,  1913,  Mr.  Hartley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sybil  Major,  a 
daughter  of  S.  T.  Major,  of  Nampa.  They  have  one  child,  Nathelle. 


ALEXANDER  AYER  HIGGS,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Alexander  Ayer  Higgs,  the  only  representative  of  the  medical  profession  in 
Boise  confining  his  attention  exclusively  to  surgery,  in  which  connection  he  has  won 
a  wide  and  well  deserved  reputation,  was  born  in  Owensboro,  Kentucky,  or  upon  a 
farm  near  that  place,  August  4,  1870.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  De  Witt  G.  and  Rachel 
(Baird)  Higgs.  The  father,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Kentucky  in  his  boyhood  days  and  remained  a  resident  of  the  latter  state  through- 
out his  business  career.  He  served  as  a  commissioned  officer  in  the  Confederate  army 
during  the  Civil  war  and  spent  his  last  years  in  the  home  of  his  son,  Dr.  Higgs,  in 
Fairfield,  Idaho,  where  he  passed  away  in  1912  at  the  age  of  about  seventy.  The 
mother,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  also  died  in  Fairfield,  Idaho,  surviving  her  husband  for 
about  a  year. 

Dr.  Higgs  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eleven  sons  and  no  daughters.  Five  of 
the  number  are  still  living,  all  in  Idaho.  Two  of  these  are  physicians — Alexander  A., 
of  this  review,  and  Dr.  De  Witt  P.  Higgs,  of  Gooding,  Idaho.  Although  his  father  was 
not  a  physician,  Dr.  Alexander  A.  Higgs  comes  from  a  long  line  of  physicians  and 
surgeons  on  the  paternal  side,  the  family  being  represented  by  many  members  of  the 
medical  profession  in  North  Carolina.  His  paternal  grandfather  and  his  paternal  ances- 
tors for  several  generations  have  been  prominent  practitioners  of  both  medicine  and 
surgery.  Dr.  Higgs  began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Owensboro,  Kentucky, 


DR.  ALEXANDER  A.  HIGGS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  519 

passing  through  consecutive  grades  in  the  grammar  schools,  while  later  he  was  in- 
structed by  a  private  tutor.  At  the  early  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the  Cincinnati 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  M.  D.  degree  as  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1896.  He  then  located  for  practice  in  his  native  state  and  in  1898  was 
appointed  to  a  professorship  in  a  medical  college  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  In  1901  he  came  to  Idaho  and  located  on  the  Camas  prairie, 
in  the  town  of  Soldier,  now  Fairfleld,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until 
January  1,  1919,  when  he  removed  to  Boise  in  order  to  confine  his  attention  exclusively 
to  surgical  practice.  His  skill  as  a  successful  surgeon  first  spread  into  adjoining  coun- 
ties and  then  into  adjoining  states.  He  was  well  known  by  reputation  long  before  he 
opened  his  office  here  and  already  he  has  been  accorded  a  very  extensive  practice.  He 
has  done  much  post  graduate  work  along  surgical  lines  in  eastern  clinics.  He  possesses 
a  steady  hand,  and  is  cool  and  collected  in  the  face  of  danger.  He  has  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  anatomy  and  the  component  parts  of  the  human  body  and  the  onslaughts 
made  upon  it  by  disease  and,  moreover,  seems  to  have  almost  an  intuitive  knowledge 
combined  with  his  broad  scientific  learning  in  connection  with  surgery.  He  is  a  fellow 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  a  member  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society. 
He  occupies  a  suite  of  rooms  on  the  third  floor  of  the  Idaho  building  in  Boise,  splendidly 
appointed  and  supplied  with  every  device  known  to  or  necessary  in  surgical  work. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1898,  Dr.  Higgs  was  married  to  Miss  Blanche  King,  also 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  they  are  now  the  parents  of  six  living  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  Stirman  K.,  Ayer  N.,  Marguerite,  Donald  M.,  Lucile  and  Angela, 
whose  ages  range  from  seventeen  to  two  years. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  Dr. 
Higgs  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  is  most  conscientious  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  professional  duties,  holds  to  tire  highest  standards  and  puts  forth  every 
possible  effort  to  promote  his  skill  and  efficiency  in  order  that  his  service  shall  be  of 
the  greatest  value  to  his  fellowmen. 


HOWARD  E.  KING. 

For  a  number  of  years  Howard  E.  King  has  efficiently  discharged  his  duties  as 
postmaster  of  Nampa,  having  been  appointed  to  the  office  in  July,  1913.  He  recently 
received  his  second  commission  from  the  postoffice  department  at  Washington  as 
evidence  of  his  highly  satisfactory  services.  Not  only  has  he  won  the  praise  of  the 
department  in  Washingtoi|<W)ut  he  also  has  won  the  confidence  and  trust  of  the 
public,  with  whom  in  his  official  capacity  he  comes  so  frequently  in  contact. 

Born  in  Clearfield  county,  Pennsylvania,  December  21,  1862,  Mr.  King  was 
there  reared  and  attended  the  graded  and  high  schools  until  the  age  of  eighteen, 
when  he  entered  upon  a  mercantile  career  at  Deckers  Point,  Indiana  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, there  remaining  until  1885.  Seeking  the  opportunities  of  the  newer  west, 
he  removed  to  Caldwell,  Idaho,  in  1886  but  there  remained  only  a  short  time, 
subsequently  making  his  way  to  Nampa.  Here  he  assisted  in  the  building  of  the 
railroad  between  this  point  and  Boise.  He  fired  the  first  engine  that  laid  the 
track  and  also  the  engine  that  pulled  the  first  passenger  train  into  Boise.  In  1887 
he  and  John  W.  Griffith  laid  out  the  Griffith  &  King  addition,  just  across  the  rail- 
road track  from  the  depot,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Nampa.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  engaged  with  the  firm  of  Nathan  Falk  &  Brother  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  and  remained  with  them  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period 
he  opened  a  book  store  under  the  name  of  King  Brothers,  his  brother  at  that  time 
being  postmaster  of  Nampa.  He  later  sold  the  store  and  took  charge  of  a  store 
for  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company  on  the  Snake  river  and  on  the  Boise,  Nampa  & 
Oregon  Railroad.  When  they  sold  their  business  Mr.  King  went  to  Murphy,  on  the 
same  line,  and  took  charge  of  a  store  for  the  Owyhee  Commercial  Company,  but  they 
in  turn  sold  out  and  he  returned  to  Nampa,  where  he  established  himself  in  the 
insurance  and  bonding  business,  which  he  successfully  followed  until  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  in  July,  1913.  Recently  he  has  been  recommlssioned  as  post- 
master and  is  now  discharging  his  duties  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  general 
public. 

On  March  1,  1893,  Mr.  King  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cornelia  R.  Handy,  of 
Fort  Collins,  Colorado,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Ralph,  twenty-three  years  of  age,* 


520  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

who  at  the  outbreak  of  the  World  war  was  attending  Yale  University  but  enlisted  in 
the  ordnance  department  and  upon  his  discharge  continued  his  law  course  at  Yale; 
and  Henry,  aged  twenty-two,  who  is  attending  the  State  University  at  Moscow,  tak- 
ing the  engineer's  course.  There  are  also  two  daughters:  Margaret,  who  is  attend- 
ing the  College  of  Idaho  in  the  expectation  of  becoming  a  teacher;  and  Florence, 
who  is  a  high  school  student  at  Nampa. 

Mr.  King  has  ever  had  at  heart  the  growth  and  development  of  his  community, 
having  often  given  his  support  to  valuable  measures.  In  1887  he  voted  for  Governor 
Hawley  against  Du  Bois.  In  the  late  '80s  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  but 
his  campaign  was  not  crowned  with,  success.  As  county  commissioner  of  Canyon 
county  in  1896-7  he  did  excellent  work  and  has  ever  been  active  in  politics,  giving 
his  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party.  Personally  Mr.  King  is  a  man  of  the  most 
pleasing  address  and  genial  manner,  who  easily  makes  friends  and  yet  who  is  dis- 
criminating in  his  friendships. 


RALPH  FALK,  M.  -D. 

Dr.  Ralph  Falk  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Boise, 
his  native  city.  He  was  born  August  6,  1884,  a  son  of  the  late  Nathan  Falk,  a 
pioneer  merchant  of  Boise,  who  came  to  Idaho  in  1864  and  in  1868,  in  association 
with  his  brother  David,  established  the  business  that  has  since  been  developed  to 
extensive  proportions  under  the  name  of  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  which  is 
today  conducting  one  of  the  leading  mercantile  stores  of  Boise. 

Dr.  Falk  pursued  his  education  in  the  Boise  public  schools  and  the  Mount 
Tamalpais  Military  Academy  of  California,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1900.  He 
then  spent  two  years  in  the  University  of  California  and  in  1907  was  graduated 
from  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia.  His  initial  professional  expe- 
rience came  as  assistant  physician  in  the  St.  Louis  City  Hospital  in  1907  and  1908. 
Since  the  latter  year  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Boise,  specializing  in  surgery.  From  May,  1918,  until  January,  1919,  he 
served  in  the  United  States  army  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  and  later  as  cap- 
tain of  the  Medical  Corps.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Idaho  state  board  of  health 
from  1910  until  1917  and  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
American  Medical  Association. 


W.  S.  OAKLEY. 

W.  S.  Oakley  is  the  president  of  the  Western  Ignition  &  Battery  Company  of 
Boise,  a  business  that  was  incorporated  in  August,  1917,  with  S.  A.  Oakley  as  the 
vice  president  and  W.  A.  Oakley  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  the  last  two  being  sons 
of  the  president.  William  Sherman  Oakley  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Illinois,  June 
14,  1868,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  W.  Oakley,  a  well  known  business  man  and  musician 
who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  the  state  of  New 
York  and  his  last  days  were  passed  in  Montpelier,  Idaho,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  February,  1902.  He  long  figured  in  musical  circles  and  for  some  time  was 
leader  of  a  band  of  twenty-eight  pieces  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  This  band 
participated  in  the  Lincoln  funeral  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  1865  and  Mr.  Oakley 
had  also  participated  in  Lincoln's  first  inaugural  parade  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in 
1860.  His  younger  brother,  Thomas  Oakley,  was  also  a  Civil  war  veteran  and 
was  captured  and  imprisoned  at  Andersonville  for  eighteen  months. 

William  Sherman  Oakley  was  reared  in  Illinois  and  came  to  Idaho  with  his 
parents  in  1888.  He  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  an  employe  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  with  which  he  remained  for  ten  years  as  time- 
keeper and  clerk.  In  1912  he  removed  to  Boise  with  his  family  and  is  now  actively 
identified  with  the  Western  Ignition  &  Battery  Company.  This  concern  was  es- 
tablished by  his  younger  son,  S.  A.  Oakley,  in  1915  in  small  quarters  and  in  a  small 
way.  The  first  space  utilized  by  the  firm  was  only  eight  by  twelve  feet  and  the 
business  was  not  incorporated  until  1917.  W.  Arland  Oakley  joined  his  brother 
in  the  conduct  of  the  enterprise  in  May,  1915,  and  their  father  became  interested 
in  the  business  in  May,  1917.  No  stock  is  owned  outside  of  the  family.  The  busi- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ness  has  been  developed  along  steady  and  substantial  lines  and  the  company  moved 
July  1.  1919,  to  enlarged  quarters  at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Idaho  streets, 
occupying  a  building  specially  erected  for  the  purpose. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1892,  in  Montpelier,  Idaho,  Mr.  Oakley  was  married 
to  Miss  Clara  Toolson,  a  native  of  Utah.  They  have  three  children,  W.  Arland, 
Sterling  A.  and  Helen  V.,  all  of  whom  have  attained  adult  age.  W.  Arland  was 
married  September  26,  1917,  to  Grace  Peters  and  they  have  one  child,  Beverly 
Adaline,  born  June  24,  1918.  The  daughter  is  also  a  factor  in  the  conduct  of  the 
interests  of  the  Western  Ignition  &  Battery  Company,  holding  the  office  of  book- 
keeper. 

Mr.  Oakley  has  in  his  possession  a  valuable  and  much  prized  relic — a  copy  of 
the  New  York  Herald  of  April  14,  1865,  the  morning  after  President  Lincoln  was 
shot.  A  large  part  of  the  issue  is  devoted  to  a  detailed  account  of  the  great  trag- 
edy. This  paper  came  into  possession  of  Ebenezer  W.  Oakley  and  has  since  been 
carefully  preserved  by  the  Oakley  family  because  of  its  full  account  of  one  of  the 
most  momentous  events  in  American  history.  The  Oakley  family  has  now  been 
represented  in  Idaho  for  thirty  years,  W.  S.  Oakley  arriving  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty.  Through  the  intervening  period  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward 
in  business  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  important  industrial  enterprises  of 
Boise,  finding  in  his  two  sons  valuable  and  well  qualified  assistants. 


W.   J.  SOUTHWORTH. 

W.  J.  Southworth  is  a  well  known  representative  of  the  industrial  interests  of 
Oakley,  being  the  manager  of  the  Oakley  Milling  &  Elevator  Company.  He  was 
born  at  Tooele,  Utah,  October  20,  1890,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Lillie  (Taylor) 
Southworth.  His  boyhood  days  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  were  passed  in  Utah 
and  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  at  Logan.  In  1905 
he  came  to  Oakley  and  secured  a  position  in  the  mill.  He  bent  every  energy  to  the 
mastery  of  the  business  with  which  he  acquainted  himself  in  principle  and  detail, 
and  step  by  step  he  has  worked  his  way  upward.  As  his  ability  has  increased  he 
has  won  advancement  from  time  to  time  until  he  is  now  manager  of  the  business 
and  actively  controls  the  operation  of  the  mill,  which  annually  turns  out  an  ex- 
tensive output,  while  the  highest  standards  are  maintained  in  the  quality  of  flour 
manufactured.  Mr.  Southworth  is  now  familiar  with  every  phase  of  the  milling 
business  from  the  time  the  grain  is  purchased  until  it  is  turned  out  a  finished  flour, 
and  he  is  thus  well  able  to  superintend  the  labors  of  those  in  his  employ.  Aside 
from  his  connection  with  the  Oakley  Milling  &  Elevator  Company  he  is  the  vice 
president  of  the  Buhl  Flour  &  Feed  Mill  Company.  Moreover,  he  is  the  owner  of 
five  hundred«acres  of  valuable  land  under  the  Minidoka  project. 

In  1913  Mr.  Southworth  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  Pickett,  a  native  of  Marion, 
Idaho,  and  a  daughter  of  Moroni  and  Amelia  Pickett.  They  have  two  children,  Mark 
and  Donald.  Mr.  Southworth  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  in  all  mat- 
ters of  citizenship  he  is  allied  with  the  forces  of  right,  order  and  progress. 


RICHARD  ELMER  SHURTZ,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Richard  Elmer  Shurtz,  who  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery  since  1897,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Champaign  county,  Illinois, 
September  26,  1870,  the  youngest  of  the  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter, 
whose  parents  were  Watson  and  Malinda  (Asher)  Shurtz,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Illinois  respectively.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  1902,  but  the  mother 
survives  and  makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Erskine,  in  Saskatche- 
wan, Canada.  The  only  brother  of  Dr.  Richard  E.  Shurtz  is  Dr.  Straut  Shurtz,  a 
resident  of  Hawarden,  Saskatchewan. 

Upon  his  father's  farm  Dr.  Richard  E.  Shurtz  was  reared  and  attended  a  dis- 
trict school  in  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  He  afterward  engaged  in  teaching  and  later  was  a  student  in  the  Illinois 
State  University  at  Champaign,  pursuing  a  course  in  chemistry  preparatory  to  en- 


522  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

tering  upon  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1893  he  matriculated  in  Rush  Medical  College 
of  Chicago  and  v/as  graduated  therefrom,  after  four  years'  study,  with  the  class  of 
1897,  at- which  time  his  professional  degree  was  conferred  upon  him.  He  then 
located  for  practice  in  his  native  county,  residing  chiefly  at  Champaign  from  1897 
until  1913.  He  took  post  graduate  work  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  at  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  and  also  a  post  graduate  course  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in 
1911.  He  has  steadily  engaged  in  practice  in  Boise  since  1913,  when  he  removed 
from  Champaign,  Illinois,  to  the  northwest  and  here  opened  an  office  with  fifteen 
years'  experience  to  constitute  the  foundation  upon  which  to  build  his  present  day 
success.  He  has  continuously  remained  in  Boise  save  for  the  period  of  six  months 
which  he  spent  in  the  United  States  army  as  a  captain  in  the  Medical  Corps  of  the 
Eighteenth  Division  of  United  States  Regulars.  During  this  period  he  was  stationed 
at  San  Antonio,  Texas.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  of  Boise. 

In  Champaign,  Illinois,  on  the  5th  of  June,  1892,  Dr.  Shurtz  was  married  to 
Miss  Nellie  M.  Turner,  also  a  native  of  Champaign  county  and  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  eighteen  years  of  age.  They  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters,  Malinda 
and  Mary,  both  at  home  and  both  graduates  of  the  Boise  high  school.  The  former 
is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Idaho  State  Normal  School  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  tha 
public  schools  of  Boise.  The  younger  daughter  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Margaret's  Hall 
of  Boise. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Shurtz  is  an  Elk  and  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  his  political  alle- 
giance is  given  to  the  republican  party.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  fishing  and 
hunting  but  makes  this  subservient  to  his  professional  interests  and  duties,  to  which 
he  is  conscientiously  devoted. 


EDWARD  STEIN. 

The  life  of  Edward  Stein  covers  associations  and  incidents  so  replete  with  adventure 
as  to  read  almost  as  a  romance.  Of  his  distinguished  Prussian-Polish  family,  of  his 
adventurous  travels  over  half  of  the  globe,  of  his  immigration,  discarding  of  nobility 
and  of  the  varied  fortunes  of  his  sixty-five  years;  thirty-four  of  which  have  been  spent 
in  Idaho,  we  shall  speak  in  such  detail  as  this  publication  will  permit. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Edward  Stein  was  none  other  than  that  celebrated 
general.  Baron  von  Stein,  who,  in  1812,  was  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Prussian 
army  and  whose  clever  leadership  so  disconcerted  Napoleon's  as  to  result  in  his  final 
overthrow  and  in  freeing  Germany  from  French  domination. 

Wilhelm  von  Stein,  the  father  of  Edward  Stein,  was  born  on  the  2d  of  January, 
1800;  moved  to  Poland  in  1830,  at  the  time  when  Poland  was  divided,  where  he  purchased 
and  became  the  owner  cf  large  landed  estates;  where  he  met  and  won  a  Polish  lady  of 
an  old  and  distinguished  Polish  family,  Karoline  Bucholsky  and  the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  article.  This  marriage  between  a  Prussian  and  Pole  no  doubt  is  respon- 
sible for  the  democratic  tendencies  of  husband  and  son. 

Wilhelm  von  Stein  became  one  of  the  revolutionary  leaders  in  1848  and  became 
conspicuously  active  in  efforts  that  were  being  made  by  Carl  Schurz  and  others  to 
bring  about  a  democracy  for  Germany.  The  failure  of  the  plan  resulted  in  the  imprison- 
ment of  Wilhelm  von  Stein  and  others  of  the  revolutionists  and  the  escape  of  Carl 
Schurz  to  America,  while  Herr  von  Stein  spent  eighteen  months  in  the  military  prison 
of  Fort  Graudentz,  his  liberation  being  secured  through  the  death  of  the  old  king  and 
the  amnesty  proclamation  issued  by  his  successor  made  Wilhelm  von  Stein  again  a 
citizen,  but,  with  the  loss  of  his  nobility.  But  the  seeds  of  republicanism  had  taken 
deep  root  and  the  title  to  the  Prussian  nobility  had  lost  all  charm;  renouncing  it,  he 
became  one  of  the  people. 

With  such  a  grandfather  as  Baron  von  Stein  and  such  a  father  as  Wilhelm  von 
Stein  and  for  a  mother  a  Polish  lady  uniting  in  her  veins  the  best  blood  of  the  nobility 
of  Poland,  it  was  only  a  logical  result  that  Edward  Stein  should  develop  characteristics 
of  both  courageous  energy  and  of  broad  sympathy  for  his  fellowmen,  which  finds  its 
truest  expression  in  such  a  land  as  ours.  But  Edward  Stein  was  prepared  for  the  type 
of  civilization  which  he  has  adopted  as  his  own,  and  for  that  reason  ranks  high  among 
Boise  citizens  for  his  business  honor  and  integrity. 


EDWARD    STEIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  525 

Born  at  Schubina,  Poland.  January  17,  1854,  the  boy  Edward  was  early  influenced 
by  hte  parents'  democratic  theories.  His  earliest  recollection  Is  a  visit  in  1863,  when 
but  nine  years  of  age,  to  relatives  residing  at  Warsaw,  the  old  capital  city  of  the  kingdom 
of  Poland  and  now  in  the  year  1920  by  the  fortunes  of  war  again  the  capital  city  of 
the  young  republic  of  Poland.  Vividly  does  he  remember  a  stroll,  led  by  his  father's 
hand  along  one  of  the  principal  streets,  when  all  at  once  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the 
hissing  of  bullets  and  the  scream  and  explosion  of  grenades  rent  the  morning  air — the 
last  Polish  revolution  had  broken  out,  young  Edward  was  ushered  into  a  close-by  store 
building,  where  father  and  son  remained  for  hours  while'  the  battle  raged  through  the 
street  in  front,  back  and  forth.  Well  does  he  remember  when  finally  able  to  leave  the 
involuntary  prison,  after  the  Russian  army  had  withdrawn,  the  chaos  the  city  presented. 
The  streets  were  littered  with  dead,  barricades  and  furniture  of  all  description,  even 
organs  and  pianos  that  the  patriotic  Poles  had  hurled  from  upper  stories  of  buildings 
on  the  storming  Russians. 

The  education  of  young  Edward  was  not  neglected  even  in  the  preparatory,  he  be 
came  a  fluent  reader  and  speaker  of  no  less  than  five  languages — Polish,  Russian,  Ger- 
man, French  and  Latin.  A  German  minister  prepared  him  for  entrance  to  the  University 
of  Bromberg,  the  capital  of  Prussia  Poland,  and  well  does  he  remember  his  first  trip 
to  the  university  city,  accompanied  by  his  father;  he  visited  many  interesting  points 
of  interest,  when  late  in  the  afternoon  his  father  stopped  in  front  of  an  iron  gate,  gave 
certain  raps,  a  man  appeared,  a  whispered  short  conversation  and  young  Edward  was 
commanded  to  go  home.  In  later  years  young  Edward  made  a  survey  of  that  mysterious 
gate  and  found  that  a  stone  wall  enclosed  an  entire  square  and  a  large  massive  stone 
building  in  the  center  of  the  block,  with  spacious  grounds,  shrubs,  ferns,  trees  and 
flowers.  All  this  he  could  see  through  the  iron  gates.  It  was  five  years  later,  when 
returning  as  an  American  citizen,  that  Edward  Stein  discovered  the  mysterious  building 
to  be  a  Masonic  Temple,  his  father  had  been  a  Mason. 

At  the>  university  Edward  remained  until  1871 — the  close  of  the  Franco-German  war. 
The  young  man's  father  advised  him  to  consider  his  further  study  and  European  residence 
at  an  end,  so  Edward  was  supplied  with  money  and  with  passage  on  the  steamer 
Weiland  from  Hamburg  to  New  York  and  was  soon  on  the  way  to  the  land  where  he 
should  make  a  place  and  a  fortune  for  himself. 

Edward  Stein  had  embarked  without  the  required  passport,  which  he  could  not 
secure  because  of  the  fact  that  he  had  reached  the  age  at  which  the  German  army 
claimed  him.  His  father  did  not  intend  that  his  only  son  should  wear  the  livery  of 
royalty;  so  he  had  set  sail  without  attempting  to  secure  the  passport.  It  was  not  long 
however,  before  he  was  asked  to  produce  the  required  papers  on  ship  board.  After  a 
search  in  vain  for  papers  that  did  not  exist,  Stein  was  informed  that  a  telegram  fron; 
officials  at  his  home  had  been  received,  informing  the  ship's  authorities  and  asking  for 
his  detention.  In  this  emergency  Edward  Stein  once  more  plunged  his  hand  into  an 
inner  pocket,  brought  forth  an  envelope,  containing  four  hundred  marks,  which  he 
handed  to  the  officer  with  the  words,  "Here  are  the  passports."  The  official  glanced  at 
the  contents  of  the  envelope  and  shouted  to  his  superior  on  the  upper  deck,  "I  find 
the  papers  of  Herr  Stein  all  correct,"  and  they  were.  Thanks  to  his  father's  generosity 
in  parting,  who  had  amply  supplied  Edward  with  funds,  and  that  officer's  susceptibility 
to  the  temptations  of  graft,  Edward  Stein's  financial  resources  were  but  slightly  im- 
paired when  he  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  United  States.  Full  of  curiosity  he  determined 
to'see  something  of  the  country  before  beginning  his  definite  career.  He  traveled  exten- 
sively through  the  eastern  states  and  then  determined  to  look  up  relatives  who  bad 
immigrated  to  these  shores  in  1850,  before  he  was  born,  and  who  had  settled  somewhere 
in  Wisconsin.  This  search  proved  expensive  and  without  result.  His  means  were  soon 
diminished,  so  that  when  he  reached  Chicago  he  had  reached  a  state  in  which  hunger 
and  cold  were  the  chief  sensations.  Having  pawned  his  overcoat  and  other  trinkets 
to  purchase  food,  he  had  arrived  penniless  late  at  night,  hungry  and  tired. 

He  secured -shelter  for  the  night  in  a  coal  box  in  the  rear  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western depot.  This  depot,  by  the  way,  was  constructed  of  pine  log  slabs  with  the 
bark  facing  both  ways,  a  very  primitive  affair,  and  had  been  constructed  on  the  ruins 
of  the  depot  but  recently  destroyed  in  the  great  fire.  Many  of  the  basements  were  still 
smoking  ruins.  Early,  before  daybreak,  Edward  crawled  out  of  his  dusty,  dirty,  but 
for  all  that,  friendly  coal  box,  very  cold,  dead  broke,  begrimmed  with  coal  dust,  hardly 
able  to  move  his  benumbed  limbs. 

It  still  being  very  dark,  he  noted  in  the  distance  a  light  to  which  he  turned  his  weary 
steps.  This  led  him  through  a  lumber  yard.  A  desperate  man  stepped  in  front  of  him, 


526  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

stuck  a  revolver  in  his  face  and  ordered  him  to  throw  up  his  hands.  Stein  did  not 
understand  what  he  said  but  understood  instinctively  what  was  meant;  up  went  his 
hands  and  the  would-be  robber  went  through  the  innocent,  inoffensive,  but  broke,  Immi- 
grant and  found  nothing.  Stein  explained  his  plight  to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  the 
"man  behind  the  gun"  who  did  not  understand  the  several  languages  in  which  he  was 
addressed,  but  the  sign  language  of  an  empty  stomach  was  convincing.  The  holdup  took 
compassion  and  motioned  Stein  to  follow.  They  went  to  the  light  aforesaid,  which 
proved  to  be  a  restaurant.  The  waitress,  arranging  the  tables  for  the  morning  meal, 
proved  to  be  a  German.  Being  the  only  one  present,  a  communication  was  soon 
established.  The  holdup  bade  him  to  wash,  while  the  highwayman  cleaned  Stein's  gar- 
ments of  coal  dust.  Meanwhile  the  waitress  had  served  breakfast  and  Edward  Stein 
to  this  day  believes  that  meal  WES  the  finest  he  ever  tasted,  which  the  intended  vfctim 
eagerly  devoured.  After  breakfast,  ascertaining  that  Stein  could  speak  Polish  and 
German,  the  holdup  remembered  seeing  an  ad  in  the  Tribune  seeking  an  interpreter 
at  a  place  called  Parkridge.  The  would-be  highwayman  took  Stein  to  the  nearby  depot, 
purchased  a  ticket,  put  him  aboard  the  train  about  to  depart  and  in  this  manner,  through 
the  kindness  of  a  thief,  Edward  secured  his  first  job.  But  having  contracted  a  bad 
case  of  the  ague,  then  prevalent  in  that  vicinity,  his  doctor  recommended  a  change  of 
climate. 

He  went  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  and  visited  the  scenes  of  the  great  forest  fires 
in  the  regions  of  Pestico  and  Menominee,  where  so  many  hundreds  had  lost  their  lives. 
At  Green  Bay  Edward  Stein  secured  a  position  with  engineers  and  assisted  in  making 
the  survey  which  resulted  in  the  construction  of  the  Green  Bay  &  Winona  Railway. 
Thus  ccmmenced  his  railway  service,  which  was  to  claim  him  for  twenty-seven  years. 
At  Portage,  Wisconsin,  the  crew  was  disbanded.  Stein  went  to  Stevens  Point  and 
secured  employment  on  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railway,  just  then  completed  from 
Menasha  to  Stevens  Point,  a  distance  of  thirty-two  miles.  While  employed  as  an 
apprentice,  Master  Mechanic  Campbell  called  Stein  into  his  office  and  introduced  him 
to  George  Westinghouse,  the  inventor  of  the  now  famous  airbrake,  and  informed  him 
that  Stein  was  to  be  the  assistant  of  Mr.  Westinghouse,  to  equip  a  train  of  cars  and 
a  locomotive  with  the  air-brakes  for  the  purpose  of  testing  its  efficiency.  Mr.  Westing- 
house  informed  Stein  that  he  had  offered  prominent  railways  to  equip  their  trains  with 
his  brake,  but  they  had  refused,  not  being  able  to  see  any  merit  in  his  invention.  The 
air-brake  proved  a  success  from  its  first  application  to  the  first  train  so  equipped  in 
the  United  States  or  the  world.  Mr.  Stein  delights  to  recall  incidents  of  his  connection 
with  this  now  famous  man  and  is  very  proud  of  his  experience. 

In  later  years  Mr.  Westinghouse's  recommendation  secured  Mr.  Stein  a  position 
en  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railway  in  Denver,  Colorado,  to  equip  trains  with  his 
brake  when  the  invention  came  to  the  attention  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  This 
resulted  in  Stein's  employment  at  Eagle  Rock,  now  Idaho  Falls,  July  5,  1885.  Thus 
the  chance  meeting  of  George  Westinghouse  brought  Stein  to  Idaho  and  changed  the 
destiny  of  his  life. 

About  this  time,  1872,  the  owners  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  decided  to  extend  the 
road  to  Lake  Superior,  to  tap  the  rich  Casaba  iron  range,  now  considered  the  greatest 
and  richest  iron  ore  deposits  in  the  world.  A  surveying  crew  was  organized  and  as 
Stein  had  had  experience  in  the  field  with  the  engineers  of  the-"'  Green  Bay  &  Winona, 
he  was  selected  to  be  one  of  the  crew.  The  territory  through  which  this  survey  had  to 
be  made  was  at  that  time  a  virgin  forest  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  foot  of  white  man 
had  ever  trod  this  region  before.  Many  were  the  hardships  and  narrow  hair-breadth 
escapes  that  nearly  every  member  of  that  crew  experienced.  Especially  vicious  and 
dangerous  were  the  large  timber  wolves  against  which  a  constant  watch  had  to  be 
maintained.  Frequently  needed  supplies  ran  out  and  the  crew  had  to  sustain  life  on 
the  game  of  the  forest.  It  is  true  that  the  wagon-road  builders  followed  the  engineers, 
but  the  constant  twilight  prevailing  on  account  of  the  rank  foliage  of  the  immense 
forest,  prevented  the  sun  from  drying  the  moss-covered  ground,  hence,  the  ground  was 
always  wet  through  great  stretches  of  tamarack  and  spruce  swamps.  These  swamps  had 
to  be  bridged  by  corduroy  roads. 

In  the  rear  of  the  road  builders  followed  the  timber  crews,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
clear  the  right-of-way  of  standing  timber  and  brush,  a  hundred  feet  in  width.  These 
again  were  followed  by  the  graders  and  finally  the  track  layers.  The  engineering  crews 
generally  kept  about  fifteen  miles  in  advance,  and  it  was  one  of  the  duties  of  Stein 
to  carry  the  engineering  field  notes  and  mail  to  the  end  of  the  track  in  the  rear. 
These  trips  had  to  be  made  on  foot  on  account  of  the  nature  ( of  the  ground,  the  soil 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  527 

being  covered  with  moss  to  a  depth  of  many  inches,  the  roots  of  the  trees  being 
immediately  under  the  moss.  Hence  animals  could  not  be  used  until  the  wagon  roads 
were  constructed  and  supplies  had  to  be  carried  on  the  backs  of  men  to  the  advancing 
engineers. 

Stein  had  been  chosen  for  the  dangerous  task  of  keeping  up  the  line  of  communica- 
tion, and  many  were  his  encounters  with  the  timber  wolves.  But  being  well  armed  he 
paid  but  little  heed  to  the  friendly  warnings  of  his  chief.  On  one  occasion  Stein  left 
camp  without  his  armory  and  hereby  hangs  a  tale.  When  about  six  miles  from  camp 
at  eight  A.  M.,  he  spied  a  large  wolf  a  short  distance  ahead  in  his  path  (the  path  always 
being  the  air-line  surveyor  made  by  the  engineering  crew).  He  grabbed  for  his  revolver 
To  his  consternation  he  discovered  the  gun  missing.  Shouting  seemed  to  be  of  no  avail, 
as  the  beast  advanced,  followed  by  two  half  grown  cubs  and  Stein  discovered  that  the 
wolf  meant  business.  So  he  did  what  any  other  man  in  a  like  predicament  would  have 
done;  jumped  for  the  nearest  tree  limb  and  pulled  his  body  up  just  as  the  wolf  grabbed 
his  down-hanging  coat  tail;  the  wolf  recovered  his  balance  temporarily  lost  by  the  fall 
and  made  another  Jump  and  grabbed  this  time  the  left  heel  of  Stein's  boot;  here  Stein's 
good  right  foot  came  down  with  all  his  might  on  the  wolf's  nose.  With  a  snarl  of  rage 
the  wolf  fell.  Before  the  astonished  beast  could  recover  Stein  was  in  safety.  He 
remained  for  hours  on  top  of  the  friendly  tree,  with  the  wolf  which,  meanwhile,  had 
been  joined  by  a  whole  pack,  underneath  the  tree,  showing  their  red  fangs;  sometimes 
retiring  into  the  brush  until  they  were  invisible  but  as  soon  as  Stein  made  a  move  to 
descend  the  underbrush  seemed  alive  with  wolves.  Of  course  Stein  used  his  lungs  to 
some  extent  and  finally  was  awarded  by  the  approach  of  a  crew  of  wagon  road  builders, 
who  were  well  armed  and  the  pack  of  wolves  soon  disappeared.  Stein  did  not  desert 
the  job  but  this  experience  had  taught  him  a  lesson,  he  never  left  camp  without  his 
armory  and  plenty  of  ammunition. 

Another  of  Mr.  Stein's  vivid  memories  of  that  epoch  of  his  life  is  of  a  tramp  of 
one  hundred  and  one  miles  to  Stevens  Point  in  mid-winter.  There  had  been  a  heavy 
snowfall,  the  supplies  for  the  crew  had  ceased  to  arrive.  So  it  was  decided  that  three 
men  would  be  sent  to  the  end  of  the  track  to  ascertain  the  cause  and  bring  in  supplies. 
Stein  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  three  men.  An  early  start  was  made  and  by  dusk  the 
weary  seventeen  miles  to  the  end  of  the  track,  through  deep  snow  and  unbroken  paths, 
was  reached,  to  find  the  log  cabins  of  which  the  camp  here  consisted,  deserted  with 
the  exception  of  the  solitary  watchman  who  had  been  left  in  charge.  He  reported  that 
the  graders  and  track  layers  had  all  gone  back  to  Stevens  Point  with  the  work  train, 
work  being  impossible  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  winter  and  depth  of  the  snow. 
The  watchman  had  been  left  in  charge  with  the  promise  that  a  train  would  be  returned 
to  take  him  and  the  engineering  crews  back  to  civilization. 

It  was  then  decided  that  one  man  should  return  for  the  engineers,  while  the  two 
other  men  were  to  set  out  afoot  for  Stevens  Point;  Edward  Stein  was  one  of  these  two 
men  to  make  the  tramp  of  eighty-four  miles.  The  two  men  supplied  themselves  with 
biscuits,  bacon  and  crackers,  guns  and  plenty  of  ammunition  and  set  out.  Walking 
between  the  rails  was  not  difficult  as  the  moving  trains  had  packed  the  snow;  tf  •>  great- 
est danger  were  the  timber  wolves,  but  shots  fired  frequently  kept  them  at  a  T  pectful 
distance.  The  entire  country  was  deserted,  nothing  but  snow  and  forest,  will  a  group 
of  deserted  log  cabins  at  regular  intervals  of  ten  miles  which  had  been  used  and  aban- 
doned by  the  advancing  crews.  The  two  travelers  made  it  their  aim  to  reach  such 
deserted  cabins  for  the  night,  as  it  afforded  protection  both  from  the  cold  and  the  wolves. 

The  weather  was  cold  and  clear  and  twenty  degrees  and  more  below  zero.  The  pro- 
visions froze  hard  and  had  to  be  thawed  out  when  preparing  meals.  Snow  was  used  for 
water,  biscuits  were  carried  next  to  the  body  to  be  kept  from  freezing.  They  covered 
about  twenty  miles  the  first  day.  The  log  cabins  were  well  provided  with  fuel,  pole  bunks 
provided  the  wood,  dried  pine  boughs  furnished  kindling  and  the  wolves  the  serenade. 
So  passed  the  first  two  days  and  nights  without  incident.  They  had  covered  half  of  the 
distance  of  their  journey,  but  the  relief  train  had  not  appeared;  again  they  prepared  for 
the  night. 

It  was  bitter  cold,  a  great  fire  was  started  which  soon  made  the  interior  of  the  hut 
comfortable  and  the  weary  travelers  were  soon  sound  asleep.  The  day's  tramp  had  been 
exceedingly  hard,  they  were  foot  sore;  it  had  been  necessary  to  wrap  their  boots  with 
gunny  sacks  to  keep  their  feet  from  freezing.  After  some  hours  of  sleeping  the  heat 
became  so  oppressive  as  to  awaken  them,  the  cabin  was  full  of  smoke  and  the  roof  on 
fire.  They  packed  their  belongings  to  the  next  cabin,  but  a  short  distance  away,  but  it 
too  became  afire,  and  in  rapid  succession  the  other  eight  caught  fire  and  by  daybreak 


528  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  whole  town  of  cabins  had  burned  to  the  last  log.  The  fourth  day's  journey  brought 
the  travelers  to  Junction  City,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Stevens  Point;  here  a  log  train 
took  them  to  civilization,  reaching  Stevens  Point  after  midnight. 

Stein  started  for  the  hotel  near  the  depot  while  his  partner  of  misery  started  for 
home.  Stein  reached  the  hotel  porch  exhausted,  frozen  and  starved,  a  poor  combination 
in  zero  weather.  He  was  found  there  in  a  dead  faint  by  Givan  Campbell,  the  above  men- 
tioned master  mechanic,  whose  timely  arrival  no  doubt  saved  his  life.  Stein  was  taken 
down  with  rheumatic  fever  contracted  by  the  exposures  and  was  unable  to  leave  his  room 
for  months.  During  all  this  time  Givan  Campbell,  the  noble  Scotchman,  generously  and 
graciously  cared  for  the  sufferer,  and  when  Stein  was  able  to  work  resumed  his  apprentice- 
ship in  the  shops.  Here  he  remained  until  about  April  1876,  when  he  was  summoned  by 
a  cablegram  for  an  immediate  return  home. 

He  went  direct  to  Philadelphia,  to  take  passage  from  there  to  Europe.  He  arrived 
at  that  city  on  the  10th  of  May,  the  opening  day  of  the  Centennial  Exposition.  His 
steamer  did  not  sail  until  evening,  so  he  attended. the  opening  ceremonies  and  heard 
President  Grant  deliver  the  opening  address.  Among  the  many  wonderful  exhibits  he 
remembers  one  more  distinctly  than  all  the  rest — the  first  typewriter,  made  by  Remington. 

At  midnight  May  10,  1876,  Stein  sailed  on  the  steamer  State  of  Illinois,  and  arrived 
ten  days  later  at  Queenstown,  Ireland.  There  being  time  before  the  departure  of  the 
steamer,  Stein  had  the  opportunity  to  visit  Cork  and  other  Irish  cities.  He  landed  the 
next  day  in  Liverpool,  England,  and  crossed  by  rail  to  Hull,  where  on  the  good  steamer 
Tiger  he  crossed  the  North  Sea  and  landed  after  a  very  stormy  three  days'  voyage,  at 
Hamburg.  When  he  reached  the  parental  home,  the  only  occupant  he  found  was  a  girl 
of  six  summers.  He  learned  from  her  that  the  other  members  of  the  family  had  not 
yet  returned  from  "Grandpa's  funeral,"  thus  fate  robbed  Stein  of  seeing  his  father  whom 
he  had  left  six  years  -before. 

Next  morning  while  seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  a  policeman  was  seen  approaching 
Stein's  brother-in-law,  who  had  married  his  step-sister,  a  Prussian  officer  of  high  rank, 
remarked  to  Stein,  "You  had  better  step  in  yonder  closet,  that  officer  is  after  you,  you 
evaded  your  military  service  when  you  left.  A  few  hours  will  give  me  the  time  to  get 
your  American  passport  counter-signed  and  make  you  immune  of  arrest."  Accordingly 
Stein  stepped  into  a  wardrobe.  The  officer  entered,  and  inquired  of  the  whereabouts  of 
Edward  Stein  and  before  his  question  could  be  answered  the  double  bottom  broke  down 
with  a  crash  under  Stein's  weight,  the  doors  flew  open  and  Edward  sprawled  on  all  fours 
before  the  officer.  Explanations  were  not  necessary  and  a  half  hour  later  Stein  was  in 
prison  under  the  charge  of  having  evaded  his  military  duties,  a  great  crime  in  the 
eyes  of  the  military  government.  But  Stein  was  an  American  citizen,  his  papers  were  in 
his  possession,  but  to  make  them  valid  it  required  the  signature  of  the  United  States 
ambassador,  who  was  advised  of  the  situation  by  wire.  A  deputy  arrived,  signed  Stein's 
papers,  and  he  was  set  free;  thus  Stein  ate  for  six  days  the  prison  bread  of  the  Prus- 
sian king. 

An  inheritance  had  been  left  him  from  his  father's  estate.  So  before  returning  to 
his  adopted  land  he  set  forth  on  a  tour  of  Europe  and  to  visit  relatives  in  Russia  near 
Sebastopol.  There  the  uncle,  an  old  Russian  noble  and  his  wife,  received  Stein  with 
open  arms,  informed  him  that  as  they  had  no  children,  Stein  was  their  only  heir  and 
had  been  long  expected.  They  had  immense  landed  estates  and  a  beautiful  home  situated 
on  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea.  The  most  beautiful  country  in  Europe  are  the  surround- 
ings and  shores  of  the  Peninsula  of  the  Crimea,  where  the  home  of  the  Bucholskys  is 
situated.  The  wealth  and  nobility  of  Russia  have  their  summer  homes  there. 

Baron  Bucholsky  was  also  the  owner  of  extensive  factories  where  he  manufactured 
saddles  and  harness  for  the  Russian  government;  all  this  wealth  would  be  Stein's  if  he 
remained.  There  were  certain  preliminaries  to  be  attended,  to,  oath  of  alliance  to  the 
Russian  government,  one  year's  service  in  the  army,  and  that  the  family  circle  would 
have  the  right  and  privilege  to  select  the  bride.  Edward  Stein  begged  a  month  to  take 
the  matter  under  advisement;  he  was  enchanted  with  his  prospects,  until  one  day  he 
paid  a  visit  alone  to  Sebastopol.  While  crossing  the  intersection  of  two  streets  he 
passed  the  image  of  the  Virgin,  and  as  an  American  he  paid  but  little  attention  to  it. 
Not  so  the  Russian  officer  who  had  noticed  that  Stein  had  omitted  the  sign  of  the  cross 
and  not  removed  his  hat.  A  blow  removed  the  offending  hat  and  laid  Stein  in  the  dust; 
he  was  taken  to  the  police  station  to  explain  his  offence,  but  the  magic  name  of  Bucholsky, 
and  a  few  rubles  secured  his  liberty.  On  the  way  to  find  his  drosky  (cab),  being  pre- 
occupied by  his  recent  experience,  he  had  not  noticed  the  approach  of  an  army  officer,  as 
the  custom  provides,  he  had  not  stopped  on  the  curb  and  stood  at  attention  with  hat 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  529 

removed.  The  officer  grabbed  Stein  by  the  collar,  kicked  him  into  the  street  and  uncon- 
cernedly went  his  way. 

This  was  more  insult  than  an  American  could  stand,  there  was  no  redress,  no  help 
for  it.  Any  resentment  from  Stein  would  make  matters  worse,  probably  a  shot  and  no 
punishment  for  the  soldier.  Stein  quietly  and  soberly  picked  himself  up,  determined  to 
leave  the  country.  Arriving  home  he  learned  that  uncle  and  aunt  were  visiting  and  would 
not  return  until  late.  Hurriedly  he  packed  a  few  essentials,  returned  about  dark  to  the 
city,  boarded  the  steamer  about  to  depart  for  Constantinople.  Here  he  remained  a  few 
days,  returning  through  the  Balkan  countries,  visiting  the  principal  cities,  Athens,  Buch- 
arest, Nish,  Sofia,  Budapest,  Vienna;  thence  through  Switzerland,  to  Italy,  where  he 
visited  Venice,  Rome,  Naples,  Messina,  (since  destroyed  by  earthquake)  Florence,  vis- 
ited and  ascended  volcanoes  Vesuvius  and  Etna.  Returning  through  Italy  he  visited 
Monte  Carlo,  the  gambling  capitol  of  the  world,  thence  through  France,  visiting  the 
principal  cities  .and  arriving  at  Calais,  where  he  took  passage  and  arrived  in  New  York 
city,  in  December,  1876. 

After  a  few  days  rest  Stein  purchased  tickets  to  Stevens  Point,  Wisconsin,  where 
Marie,  a  farmer's  daughter  had  promised  to  wait  his  return  and  become  his  bride,  and 
for  whom  he  had  deserted  in  far  away  Russia  the  insignia  of  a  noble,  fame  and  fortune. 
For  it  had  not  been  as  much  the  indignity  and  insult  heaped  upon  Stein  by  the  Russian 
officers,  but  the  black  eyes,  brown  hair,  stately  grace  of  Marie  of  the  backwoods,  who 
unassisted  could  mount  a  spirited  horse,  hit  the  bull's  eye  with  a  rifle,  prepare  an  excel- 
lent meal,  milk  the  cows  and  do  the  family  washing.  A  comparison  between  Marie,  the 
democratic  maiden  of  the  forest,  and  Baroness  Olga,  the  aristocrat  of  the  Don  valley, 
selected  by  his  Russian  uncle  for  his  bride,  were  all  in  favor  of  Marie.  It  is  true  Olga 
could  converse  in  many  languages,  lead  the  cotilfion,  be  perfectly  at  ease  conversing 
with  the  nobility  of  her  country,  had  traveled  extensively,  could  with  perfect  grace  pre- 
side over  a  poker  game,  but  could  not  dress  without  a  maid.  Arriving  at  Marie's  home  he 
found  her  married.  Explanations  soon  brought  out  the  fact  that  the  lover's  mail  had 
been  tampered  with,  together  with  rumors  that  Stein  had  married. 

Remembering  of  seeing  in  the  papers  an  article  about  a  gold  discovery  in  the  Black 
Hills,  Dakota,  he  was  soon  on  his  way  to  the  field  of  discovery,  arriving  at  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  in  December,  1876,  and  starting  for  the  mines  as  soon  as  the  weather  per- 
mitted. About  the  end  of  February,  1877,  he  took  part  in  a  stampede  of  a  magnitude 
seldom  witnessed;  it  almost  depopulated  Cheyenne,  Denver  and  many  western  towns. 
Stein  had  before  departure  dispatched  to  the  mines  several  wagon  loads  of  liquor,  tobacco 
and  cigars,  quite  a  venture  in  those  days  of  Indians,  road  agents  and  no  roads.  He 
purchased  tickets  by  stage  and  walked  all  the  way.  Many  were  his  adventures  before 
reaching  Deadwood,  skirmishes  with  Indians,  holdups  by  road  agents,  taken  back  by 
soldiers,  getting  stuck  in  the  mud,  crossing  bridgeless  streams.  After  innumerable  hard- 
ships his  destination  was  reached. 

At  Deadwood  Stein  found  the  supply  of  liquors,  tobacco  and  cigars  exhausted.  He 
sold  the  way  bills — the  evidence  of  his  merchandise — to  a  storekeeper  at  more  than 
double  its  cost,  purchaser  assuming  risk  of  delivery.  He  immediately  duplicated  the 
order  by  private  post,  the  carrier,  who  was  none  other  than  Buffalo  Bill,  the  famous 
scout,  was  afterward  installed  by  the  law  abiding  element  of  Deadwood  as  marshal  to 
enforce  law  and  order,  and  check  the  murderous  crowds  of  cut-throats,  as  murders  were 
a  daily  occurrence.  Stein  witnessed  the  murder  of  Buffalo  Bill  by  McCall,  was  present 
at  the  latter's  trial  and  acquitted  by  a  mock  jury  of  cut-throats  and  gamblers.  Dead- 
wood  got  too  hot  for  McCall  so  he  departed.  The  telegraph  line  had  just  been  completed, 
so  word  was  sent  ahead  and  on  the  arrival  of  McCall  at  Yankton  he  was  arrested,  tried 
and  hung.  Sometime  afterward  Stein  saw  Buffalo  Bill's  body  exhumed,  it  was  pet- 
rifled,  owing  to  the  peculiar  construction  of  the  soil  in  which  it  was  buried. 

At  Deadwood  city  Stein  opened  a  hotel  and  restaurant  and  made  a  handsome  for- 
tune, sold  out  and  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Caladonia  mine,  adjoining  the  Home- 
stake,  recognized  as  the  third  largest  gold  mine  in  the  world.  A  stamp  mill  was 
constructed  to  mill  their  ore,  but  by  the  time  the  mill  was  erected  the  Homestake  Com- 
pany had  purchased  and  appropriated  all  the  waters  and  timber  of  that  region.  The 
Caladonia  had  the  mill,  but  no  water  to  mill  their  ore,  equally  as  rich  as  their  rival, 
and  no  wood  to  fire  their  boilers. 

After  a  long  delay  an  agreement  was  entered  into  by  which  the  Homestake  Company 
sold  the  Caladonia  fuel  and  water  at  prohibitive  rates,  assessments  were  frequent.  So 
financial  deficiencies  soon  exhausted  the  company.  The  sheriff  appeared  and  the  Home- 
stake  Company  got  the  property — now  one  of  their  greatest  ore  producers.  Stein  lost  his 

Vol.  11—34 


530  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

V 

fortune  and  was  broke.  Undaunted,  he  went  to  work  in  the  Golden  Terra,  a,  mine 
adjoining,  and  while  thus  engaged  he  found  himself  one  day  drilling  the  last  hole  to 
complete  a  hundred  foot  stope,  a  chamber  out  of  which  all  the  ore  had  been  removed, 
leaving  an  empty  cavity  a  hundred  feet  high  and  several  hundred  feet  long  and  wide, 
filled  with  sets  of  timber  ten  feet  square  each,  supporting  a  mountain  above. 

The  stope  was  deserted,  the  particular  work  Stein  was  engaged  in  was  to  put  in  a 
blast  to  make  room  for  the  last  set  of  timber  to  finish  the  chamber.  All  at  once  Stein 
noticed  a  slight  tremble,  a  rock  was  falling  near,  then  another,  a  squeeze  of  timber  as 
if  a  giant  hand  was  crushing  the  upright  standing  timbers  into  each  other.  Stein  left 
the  drill  in  the  uncompleted  hole,  went  to  the  cage  some  distance  away,  and  was  soon  on 
the  way  to  the  surface,  but  before  reaching  the  top  there  was  a  tremendous  crash, 
explosion  and  commotion.  The  cage  fairly  leaped  to  the  surface,  propelled  by  air  com- 
pression from  below.  The  cage  became  jammed  tight  within  a  short  distance  from  the 
surface,  the  sudden  halt  of  the  ascending  cage  broke  the  cable.  Fortunately  the  safety 
clutch  held,  otherwise  Stein  and  the  cage  would  have  gone  five  hundred  feet  down  to 
the  sump  below,  and  this  story  would  never  have  been  told.  The  entire  mountain  had 
caved  through  the  chambers,  crushing  timbers  fourteen  inches  square  to  pulp  as  if  they 
were  pipe  stems. 

After  this  occurrence  Stein  was  transferred  to  another  part  of  the  mine  to  a  stope 
entered  through  a  tunnel.  It  was  the  noon  hour,  the  miners  were  lounging  on  the  timbers 
about  the  tunnel  entrance,  shortly  before  the  whistle  blew,  Stein  and  eight  other  men 
entered  the  mine.  Just  as  Stein  arrived  at  his  station,  there  was  a  tremendous  crash, 
and  he  was  blown  by  air  pressure  quite  a  distance.  The  tunnel  in  his  rear  had  caved  in 
and  he  and  his  eight  companions  were  imprisoned  and  buried  alive.  Soon  he  could  hear 
his  companions  calling  for  help,  as  all  were  isolated  in  different  places  in  the  large 
chamber.  Other  crashes  and  cave-ins  followed,  soon  the  call  for  help  ceased,  then  silence; 
Stein's  candle  soon  burned  out,  and  then  darkness.  The  cave-in  had  stopped  the  drainage 
through  the  tunnel.  The  ever  increasing  .height  of  water  made  the  free  moving  about 
or  sitting  down  impossible.  Gradually  the  water  kept  rising,  higher,  and  higher,  and 
here  was  the  danger  of  drowning  without  escape,  like  a  rat  in  his  hole.  After  many 
hours  when  the  water  had  reached  his  armpits,  Stein  detected  a  faint  tapping  and  knew 
that  the  rescuers  were  at  work.  The  height  of  the  water  became  stationary,  then  gradually 
started  to  fall,  indicating  that  obstacles  in  the  tunnel  were  being  removed.  Soon  the 
tapping  of  the  workers  became  louder  and  Stein's  tappings  were  answered.  After 
forty-eight  hours  of  standing  in  an  upright  position  without  sleep  and  food  and  suffer- 
ing the  agony  of  death,  Stein  was  rescued,  the  others  were  dead,  crushed  and  drowned. 
Never  in  all  his  life  did  the  sun  look  brighter  and  the  firmament  more  beautiful  than 
when  emerging  from  the  dark  recesses  of  that  mine.  He  quit  mining  then  and  there, 
and  became  a  prospector  and  in  so  doing  fell  from  the  frying  pan  into  the  fire.  Many 
were  his  experiences  as  a  prospector  in  the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota,  packing  his  bed, 
provisions  and  tools  on  the  backs  of  burros,  but  he  was  finally  rewarded  by  discovering 
the  great  Montana  mine,  sold  for  a  fortune,  part  cash  and  bond,  giving  a  power  of 
attorney  to  one  of  his  partners  to  collect,  who  collected  and  disappeared  and  so  did 
the  money. 

Leaving  the  Black  Hills,  Mr.  Stein  returned  to  Colorado,  and  at  the  recommendation 
of  George  Westinghouse  found  a  profitable  railroad  connection  with  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande.  The  events  which  followed  this  engagement  led  Mr.  Stein  to  Gunnison,  where 
the  happiest  episode  of  his  life  occurred.  He  met,  wooed  and  married  Miss  Rachel 
Lowder,  July  1,  1882.  His  first  home  was  built  by  his  own  hands  for  himself  and  his  bride, 
and  no  baronial  castle  of  his  ancestors  was  ever  lighted  with  more  happiness  and  pride 
than  was  that  little  cottage.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  the  foremanship  of  the  railroad 
shops  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  March  1,  1883:  On  June  4,  1883,  their  son  Howard 
was  born.  In  1884  he  accepted  a  position  to  equip  with  air-brakes  the  Utah  &  Northern 
Railroad,  which  position  required  his  residence  at  Eagle  Rock,  now  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  5th  of  July,  1884.  In  March,  1885,  Mr.  Stein  was  appointed 
general  air-brake  inspector  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  and  the  Utah  &  Northern  Rail- 
roads, which  roads  had  at  that  time  been  consolidated,  which  required  his  removal  from 
Eagle  Rock  to  Pocatello,  the  junction  point  of  the  two  roads.  Pocatello  had  at  that  time 
but  thirty-two  houses,  all  the  property  of  the  railroad  company.  A  small  round  house, 
the  Pacific  Hotel,  a  two  story  structure,  which  was  also  used  for  railway  offices  and 
passenger  depot,  a  few  shacks  used  by  the  repair  men  and  a  freight  depot  built  of 
slabs,  which  soon  afterward  was  destroyed  by  fire.  A  few  months  later  Mr.  Stein  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  car  department  of  the  two  railroads,  and  under  his 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  531 

direction  the  shops  at  Eagle  Rock  and  Shoshone  were  removed  to  Pocatello,  together 
with  all  the  various  dwellings,  the  property  of  the  railway  company  and  several  hun- 
dred employes. 

The  young  city  of  Pocatello  was  Mr.  Stein's  home  for  a  number  of  years.  From  here 
he  organized  the  various  repair  stations  at  Granger,  Montpelier,  Glensferry,  Boise  and 
Huntington,  all  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad.  Ogden,  Logan,  Lima,  Butte,  Ana- 
conda and  Garrison  all  on  the  Utah  Northern,  then  a  narrow  gauge  railway,  whereas 
the  O.  S.  L.  railroad  was  a  Standard  Gauge.  Many  of  the  prosperous  towns  and  cities 
now  in  existence  were  not  yet  on  the  map.  From  Pocatello  to  Huntington  was  a  sage- 
brush desert,  inhabited  by  horntoads,  jack-rabbits  and  coyotes  The  end  of  the  O.  S.  L. 
railroad  was  at  Caldwell,  the  only  other  town  between  Pocatello  and  the  end  of  the 
track  was  Shoshone  from  where  a  stub  railroad  was  constructed  to  Hailey,  a  prosperous 
mining  camp.  When  the  railroad  reached  a  point  now  known  as  Payette,  Mr.  Stein  was 
instructed  by  Mr.  Blinkensderfer  (the  superintendent  of  the  road)  to  place  a  narrow 
gauge  box  car  along  the  track  on  the  ground,  for  the  use  of  the  Agent  and  Operator  at 
that  point.  So  Stein  constructed  the  first  dwelling  at  Payette. 

While  thus  engaged  in  placing  the  depot  he  noticed  a  man  in  the  distance  clearing 
land  of  sagebrush,  this  man  was  A.  N.  Jacobson,  who  informed  Mr.  Stein  that  he  intended 
to  prepare  the  ground  for  an  orchard.  Mr.  Jacobson  is  still  residing  at  Payette.  The 
orchard  that  he  planted  came  to  bearing  age  and  has  produced  thousands  of  carloads  of 
fruit.  This  fruit  has  been  shipped  over  this  continent  and  Europe.  That  eighty  acre 
orchard  has  now  almost  disappeared.  The  modern  city  of  Payette  is  occupying  its  loca- 
tion and  its  planter  Jacobson  has  reaped  a  harvest  that  he  so  richly  deserved,  by  his 
foresight.  Another  man,  D.  C.  Chace,  one  of  the  first  agents  there,  if  not  the  first,  located 
a  forty  acre  homestead  adjacent  the  depot.  This  forty  is  now  part  of  the  business  and 
residence  district  of  Payette  and  Chace  is  still  there  occupying  a  palatial  residence 
located  on  the  ground  he  homesteaded. 

About  March,  1886,  Mr.  Stein  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  town  of  Nampa, 
his  seventh  interest  in  the  venture  costing  him  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars. 
After  a  few  months  he  sold  his  interest  for  nine  hundred  and  secured  a  section  of  land 
two  miles  west  of  Nampa,  on  which  he  planted  an  eighty  acre  orchard  and  erected  the 
necessary  buildings.  This  orchard  he  traded  a  few  years  later  for  the  Palatine  Hotel, 
still  in  his  possession.  Mr.  Stein  also  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  railway  from 
Nampa  to  Boise,  then  known  as  the  Idaho  Central  Railroad.  The  road  was  constructed 
with  the  discarded  material  removed  from  the  Utah  Northern  at  the  time  said  road 
was  widened  to  a  standard  gauge,  its  rails  were  thirty-two  pound  iron  and  two  men 
were  able  to  carry  such  a  rail.  The  ties  were  second  hand  narrow  gauge  with  every 
fifth  a  standard  tie.  The  few  cars  were  of  narrow  gauge  placed  on  standard  trucks. 
The  only  locomotive  could  be  compared  to  a  watch  charm  to  the  locomotives  now  in 
use.  The  only  station  between  Boise  and  Nampa  was  Hunter  (now  Meridian)  named 
in  honor  of  John  Hunter,  its  first  manager.  The  first  conductor,  brakeman,  mail 
clerk  and  baggage  and  express  agent,  all  rolled  in  one  was  Fred  Bliss.  Owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  track  was  laid  on  the  ground  without  grading  or  leveling  of  the  road  bed, 
the  running  time  was  slew,  about  four  hours  to  make  the  nineteen  and  one  half  miles 
from  Jimmy  Hart's  Refreshment  Parlor  (the  first  business  building  erected  at  Nampa) 
to  the  top  of  the  one  mile  hill  south  of  Boise,  where  the  wooden  .shacks — the  terminal — 
was  located,  in  charge  of  J.  A.  Purdum  recently  deceased. 

The  Stein  family  naturally  became  a  leading  influential  one  in  Pocatello,  and  in 
1892  Mr.  Stein  was  honored  by  being  made  its  first  mayor,  the  gift  of  the  democratic 
party;  of  which  he  is  a  member.  After  being  elected  Mr.  Stein  severed  his  connection 
with  the  railway  company  to  devote  his  time  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  young  city.  Its 
streets  were  covered  with  sagebrush  and  lava  boulders.  Owing  to  the  financial  depres- 
sion of  the  times  a  large  number  of  tramps  paid  daily  visits  to  the  young  city.  These 
unwelcome  guests  were  dead  broke,  depending  on  the  charity  of  the  city.  They  received 
the  assistance  they  demanded  but  in  turn  had  to  give  their  labor  to  clear  and  grade 
the  streets.  Thus  the  tramps  (the  followers  of  the  Coxey  army,  as  they  were  then  known* 
assisted  in  building  the  city  of  Pocatello.  Mr.  Stein  planted  the  first  trees  in  Pocatello 
in  front  of  his  home,  three  Lombardy  poplars  and  three  Balm  of  Gilead,  which  he 
brought  from  -Logan,  Utah.  While  mayor  of  the  city  Mr.  Stein  prepared  a  tree  planting 
ordinance,  which  was  approved  and  passed  by  the  city  council,  offering  a  bonus  for 
every  tree  planted  and  alive  when  three  years  old.  This  resulted  in  carloads  of  trees 
being  planted,  and  the  fine  shade  trees  now  scattered  all  over  the  city  of  Pocatello 


532  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

which  give  the  town  such  a  cheerful  and  homelike  look,  is  the  result  of  Mr.  Stein's 
foresight  and  will  forever  remain  his  monument. 

Mr.  Stein  passed  into  extensive  real  estate  dealings  in  that  place,  continuing  with 
ever  increasing  success  as  long  as  he  remained  there.  In  1906  he  came  to  Boise,  which 
he  has  made  his  permanent  home  and  where  he  has  ever  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business.  He  is  a  pioneer  in  laying  out  subdivisions  of  which 
he  has  managed  a  number  with  skill  and  success. 

Mr.  Stein  is  a  member  of  all  Masonic  bodies,  both  the  York  and  Scottish  Rite, 
having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  and  being  treasurer  of  the  latter  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Shrine,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club  and  the  National  Geographic  Society. 

The  Lowder-Stein  marriage  has  been  blessed  by  two  sons,  Howard  and  Allan  T. 
Howard  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Idaho  of  the  class  of  1911.  He  and  his  wife 
nee  Alida  Wanek,  are  residents  of  Boise,  have  a  son  Edward  Wanek,  seven  years  old, 
the  only  grandchild  of  Edward  Stein.  Allan  T.  Stein  is  a  graduate  of  Leland  Stanford 
University  of  the  class  of  1912,  and  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  real  estate,  inst- 
ance and  loan  business,  while  Howard  Stein  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Stein  &  Lake, 
engaged  in  the  fuel,  loan  and  insurance  business. 

Edward  Stein's  friends  look  to  his  continued  useful  activity  through  many  more 
years  of  his  eventful  life. 


LIEUTENANT  JOHN  M.  REGAN,  D.   S.   C. 

Deeds  of  valor  have  been  the  theme  of  song  and  story  through  all  the  ages,  and 
when  personal  bravery  is  combined  with  the  highest  Christian  ideals  man  has  reached 
the  fulfillment  of  the  purposes  of  life.  There  is  no  citizen,  young  or  old,  who  has 
expressed  more  fully  the  ideals  of  manhood. than  did  Lieutenant  John  M.  Regan,  who 
gloriously  met  death  on  one  of  the  battlefields  of  Europe  in  the  recent  World  war.  It 
was  Ms  most  earnest  desire  to  be  actively  engaged  in  the  conflict  because  of  the 
high  principles  for  which  the  war  was  waged  and  he  sacrificed  military  honors  and 
promotions  in  order  to  take  his  place  on  the  firing  line.  The  story  of  his  career  is 
one  which  thrills  the  world  and  will  cause  his  memory  to  be  cherished  as  long  as  life 
remains  to  those  who  were  his  close  associates.  His  was  the  first  gold  star  to  be 
placed  among  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  stars  on  the  service  flag  of  St.  John's 
parish. 

Lieutenant  Regan  was  born  in  Silver  City,  Owyhee  county,  Idaho,  February  6, 
1886,  but  in  his  boyhood  days  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Timothy  Regan,  became 
residents  of  Boise.  There  in  his  early  youth  he  became  a  pupil  in  St.  Teresa's  Academy, 
which  he  entered  at  the  age  of  four,  remaining  under  the  instruction  of  the  Sisters 
of  the  Holy  Cross  until  his  eleventh  year.  He  then  became  a  pupil  in  Santa  Clara 
College  at  Santa  Clara,  California,  where  he  continued  until  1904,  when  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class, 
maxima  cum  laude.  The  college  faculty  also  awarded  him  the  Noble  prize  for  excel- 
lence in  character  and  scholarship. 

With  his  return  to  Boise,  following  his  graduation,  Lieutenant  Regan  entered 
business  life  in  positions  suitable  to  the  son  of  Timothy  Regan.  Not  that  parental 
influence  was  exercised  to  give  him  an  easy  berth.  Indeed  the  father  believed  that 
the  son  should  receive  thorough  training  and  the  latter  was  just  as  anxious  to  Qualify 
for  responsibilities  in  the  business  world.  John  M.  Regan  took  up  work  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Boise  Artesian  Hot  &  Cold  Walter  Company  and  with  the  Overland 
Company,  Limited,  owning  and  controlling  one  of  the  largest  office  buildings  of  Boise. 
But  business  affairs  did  not  altogether  monopolize  the  time  and  attention  of  John 
M.  Regan,  who  eagerly  utilized  his  opportunities  to  assist  those  in  need.  He  early 
became  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  Boise,  which  at  that 
time  was  a  struggling  organization.  His  contagious  enthusiasm  and  deep  interest  in 
the  work  were  soon  manifest  in  effective  results.  The  success  of  the  various  charity 
balls  given  in  Boise  was  attributable  largely  to  his  efforts  and  he  was  continually 
giving  generously  but  unostentatiously  to  the  organization,  which  at  thS  time  of  his 
death,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  office  of  Mayor  Hays,  expressed  in  a  set  of  resolutions 
"deep  sorrow  over  the  death  of  Lieutenant  John  M.  Regan  upon  the  field  of  honor" 
and  spoke  of  him  as  "fo'r  a  number  of  years  a  most  devoted,  most  unselfish  and  kind- 


LIEUT.  JOHN  M.  REGAN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  535 

hearted  officer  of  this  organization,"  in  whom  "the  necessitous  of  our  city  have  lost  a 
silent  friend  and  a  faithful  helper."  The  Associated  Charities  further  paid  public 
tribute  to  his  "noble  Christian  character  and  his  unfeigned  charitableness."  Lieu- 
tenant Regan  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  members  among  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  of  Idaho,  the  local  council  passing  resolutions  at  the  time  of  his  death 
which  termed  him  "one  of  its  most  faithful,  diligent  and  enthusiastic  workers,"  while 
noting  also  the  loss  to  the  nation  of  "one  of  its  most  loyal  and  devoted  citizens." 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Idaho  and  was  called 
to  important  offices  in  both  its  local  and  state  councils.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Boise  Lodge  of  Elks  and  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  did  much  to  further 
clean  sport  in  the  capital  city.  While  at  Santa  Clara  he  had  become  known  as  an 
all-round  athlete  and  achieved  an  enviable  football  record.  Following  his  college 
days  he  frequently  acted  as  coach  for  high  school  teams.  He  also  possessed  con- 
siderable dramatic  ability  and  aided  in  the  performances  given  by  Boise  talent  for 
local  charities. 

It  could  not  have  been  otherwise  that  a  man  of  Lieutenant  Regan's  disposition 
and  character  should  have  manifested  the  utmost  patriotism  and  love  of  country.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  National  Guard  of  Idaho,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  Company 
H,  Second  Idaho  Infantry,  February  27.  1912.  On  the  llth  of  June  of  the  same  year 
he  was  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant  and  on  the  7th  of  March.  1915.  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  the  quartermaster's  company.  This  would  have  given  him  the 
opportunity  to  remain  at  home  out  of  danger,  but  when  his  company  was  ordered 
to  the  Mexican  border  he  resigned  the  honorary  commission  and  re-enlisted  as  a 
private  that  he  might  go  with  the  troops  to  Nogales.  There  he  was  soon  made  a 
sergeant  and  upon  the  resignation  of  Lieutenant  L.  W.  Tennyson  was  again  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant.  He  was  on  guard  duty  at  Sindpoint  when  labor  troubles 
prevailed  in  north  Idaho  in  the  summer  of  1917.  Responding  to  the  call  of  the  colors, 
he  went  with  Company  H  to  Camp  Greene,  where  the  command  was  merged  into 
the  One  Hundred  and  .Sixteenth  Eneineers  under  Major  Oleson.  On  the  26th  of 
October,  Lieutenant  Regan  left  for  Camp  Mills  and  on  the  26th  of  November  sailed 
for  France,  where  he  arrived  on  the  10th  of  December.  His  duties  did  not  call  him 
to  active  service  at  the  front  and,  wishing  to  take  his  place  in  the  trenches,  he  asked 
to  be  transferred  to  the  infantry,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had  been  recom- 
mended for  promotion.  His  request  was  granted  and  he  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  Infantry,  of  the  Thirty-second  Division, 
composed  largely  of  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  troops.  He  was  thus  on  active  duty  until 
death  called  him  when  he  was  in  action  on  the  4th  of  August  His  last  letter  to  his 
mother  was  dated  July  31st  and  in  this  he  mentioned  the  terrible  devastation  of  the 
villages  through  which  he  had  passed  and  the  ruin  wrought  in  the  churches.  His 
religion  had  ever  been  the  guiding  spirit  of  his  life  and  it  was  a  matter  of  deep 
sorrow  to  him  to  see  these  holy  places  of  worship  so  demolished.  Speaking  of  one 
large  church,  in  which  he  said  that  not  an  image  was  left  nor  a  window  unshattered. 
he  wrote:  "I  picked  up  the  crucifix  out  of  the  wreckage  and  placed  it  on  top  of  the 
debris."  Further  on  he  said:  "My  God,  what  a  price  a  country  pays  for  war!  Amer- 
ica and  Enelpnd  will  never  know  just  the  price.  One  has  to  be  in  France  or  Belgium 
to  appreciate  it."  There  was  perhaps  no  officer  in  the  army  that  felt  more  keenly 
h's  responsibility  for  the  men  under  him  and  in  this  connection  Lieutenant  Regan. 
in  his  last  letter  to  his  mother,  wrote:  "May  God  grant  when  our  men  go  in  we 
may  do  our  duty  and  still  not  lose  heavily.  Pray  for  me  that  neither  by  cowardice, 
nor  lack  of  attention,  nor  bad  judgment,  nor  false  courage,  may  any  of  my  men  be 
lost.  That  is  my  strongest  prayer.  The  lives  of  my  men  are  a  heavy  responsibility. 
Pray  God  and  His  Blessed  Mother  to  give  me  wisdom  in  carrying  this  responsibility!" 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1918,  impressive  memorial  services  .in  honor  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  Morgan  Regan  were  held  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
where  for  the  first  time  a  gold  star  was  placed  among  the  one  hundred  and  twenty 
blue  stars  of  the  service  flag  of  the  parish.  On  that  occasion  Father  Kayzer  took  as 
his  text:  "Honor  all  men;  love  the  brotherhood;  fear  God;  honor  the  King."  He 
said  in  part:  "Lieutenant  John  M.  Regan  honored  all  men  and  in  turn  was  hon- 
ored and  loved  by  them  all.  Taught  from  his  earliest  youth  in  the  house  of  his 
father,  or  in  a  Christian  school,  that  all  men  are  God's  creatures,  are  God's  children, 
he  trained  the  vision. of  his  mind  to  discern,  even  through  the  mists  of  social  or 
racial  or  religious  differences,  the  one  golden  thread  that  runs  through  the  heart  of 
every  man  and  binds  us  all  to  the  throne  of  God.  His  was  the  gentleness  of  which 


536  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Cardinal  John  Henry  Newman  speaks,  which  would  never  give  offense  nor  cause  pain 
to  anyone.  Though  firm  in  his  convictions  and  strong  in  his  principles,  and  ardent 
of  nature,  he  possessed  in  no  small  degree  that  self-control  born  of  a  careful  and 
prudent  mistrust  of  self  and  kind  consideration  for  the  principles  or  th*e  opinions  of 
his  opponent  which  caused  him  never  to  do  a  hasty  deed  or  to  speak  an  ungentlemanly 
word.  Yes,  my  dear  brethren,  he  had  learned  to  look  upon  all  men  as  the  children  of 
God;  he  saw  in  them  God's  image,  and  he  was  willing  at  all  times  to  give  to  each 
and  every  one,  like  unto  a  good  picture,  the  benefit  of  the  best  light.  He  was  ready 
to  do  all  that  was  good;  he  gave  a  hand  to  anything  that  was  uplifting.  It  was  not 
his  custom  to  ride  in  state,  but  he  would  shoulder  the  wheel.*  And  this  was  the 
democracy  of  John  that  brought  him  so  many  friends  and  made  him  loved  by  all. 

*  *     *     There   are  very  few  men — very  few   sons — who   practice   as   did  John   Regan 
the   commandment,   'Honor   thy   father   and   thy   mother;'   there   are   very    few    indeed 
who  would  be  so  taken  up  with  what   was  their  parents'   interests, — ever   thoughtful 
of   their    welfare,    always    happy    with    their    happiness,    respectful    to    authority,    the 
love  of  his  mother  always  in  his  heart,  and  always  afraid  that  some  anxiety  or  trouble 
might  unnecessarily  come  unto  them;  praying  for  them,  loving  them,  living  for  them. 

*  *     *     There  was  nothing  sentimental   in  his  piety,   nothing  fitful  in  his  devotions, 
nothing  ostentatious  or  insincere.     Though  joyful  of  mind  and  heart,  full  of  life  and 
fond     of  merry  company  and  clean   sport,  he  could  always  temper— he  could   always 
moderate — himself.     Never  did  he  associate  himself  with  vice;    never  would   he  stain 
his  soul  with  any  unconscionable  deed.     He  loved  and   feared  God  and  kept  His  com- 
mandments, because  in  his  heart  he  knew — and  he  was  not  afraid  to  say  it — that  a 
man  who  is  a  disgrace  before  his  God  can  not  long  be  an  honor  unto  his   country. 

*  *     *     He  honored  and  loved  his  flag.     A  truer  patriot  than  John  M.  Regan  never 
drew  breath.     Had  he  been  permitted  to  live  I  dare  say  unto  you  that  no  other  young 
man  would  have  put  forth  better  efforts  to  safeguard  and  protect  the  government  of 
his  state  with  the  shield  of  white  honor  and  with  the  power  of  civic  righteousness. 
Better   schooled   in   the   Constitution    of  the   United    States   than   those   so-called,    self- 
styled   '100  per   cent   Americans,'   he   would   never  have   lowered   himself   to   place   an 
obstacle   of   religious    difference   upon   the   lawful   ambition    of    any   man   for    political 
preferment.     And   when   the   tocsins   of   war   were   sounded    throughout    the   land   and 
his  country  had  been  insulted,  this  peace-loving  young  man  was  amongst  the  first  to 
volunteer  his  services  and,  if  need  be,  his  life  blood  for  his  country.     My  dear  friends, 
I  need  not  now  recount  to  you  how  restive  he  was  because  kept  in  the  rear  and  how 
he  asked  permission  to  join  a  regiment  of  infantry  that  might  bring  him  quickly  to 
the  firing-line  that  he  might  fight  for  his  country  and  for  its  rights.     He  feared  noth- 
ing.    There  was  no  fear  in  his  heart,  because  he  kept  it  clean  before  his  God.     And 
when  the  word  came  to  go  over  the  top.  his  undaunted  spirit  flung  him  ahead  of  his 
soldiers,  with  the  impulse  of  his  nature  to  protect  them   from  the  bullet  which  laid 
him  low.     His  was  an  example  of  fidelity  and  of  patriotism   of  the  highest  type.     I 
auote  the  following  from  the  beautiful  eulogy  that  was  written  of  him  in  an  editorial 
in  the  Boise  evening  paper:     'The  heart  of  John  Regan  is  stilled,  but  the  spirit  that 
actuated  him  lives  on   to   inspire  us  with   a  better  understanding  and   conception   of 
our  duty.    Wherever  the  story  of  this  young  man  is  told  there  shall  be  reconsecration 
to  Americanism,  the  story  of  the  young  man  who  left  office  and  wealth,   his  family 
and  fa-iends  to  fight  and  to  die  for  his  country.'     *     *     *     I   can   see  his  grave  now, 
in  far-away  France.     I  see  it  marked  with  the  cross  and  with  the  flowers  laid  upon 
it.     *     *     *     But  if  the  remains  of  John  M.  Regan  might  not  be  permitted  to  rest  in 
our  midst,  O  then  I  pray — and  I  venture  to  hope — that  a  grateful  citizenry  of  Boise 
will  erect  unto  him   a  monument  with  his   own   features   in   bronze,    for   the   remem- 
brance of  his  contemporaries  and  as  an  inspiration  to  the  unborn  generations  of  men 
and  if  I  might  choose  the  inscription,  I  would  write  beneath  his  statue: 

'To  the  undying  memory  of 

JOHN    M.    REGAN 
Born  at  Silver  City,   Idaho. 

February   6,    1886 
He  was  the  idol  of  Boise. 
He  was  the  joy  and  crown  of  his 

parents. 

He  died  for  his  country  August 
4,  1918.'  " 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  537 

Lieutenant  Regan  had  been  awarded  the  distinguished  service  cross  before  par- 
ticipating in  the  engagement  in  which  he  lost  his  life.  The  Ada  county  post  of  the 
World  War  Veterans  has  been  named  the  John  M.  Regan  Post  in  his  honor.  When 
one  thinks  of  the  good  accomplished  in  the  life  of  a  young  man,  of  the  love  given 
to  parents  and  friends,  of  the  assistance  extended  to  those  in  need,  of  the  cheer  dis- 
seminated in  social  life,  of  that  devotion  to  country  leading  to  the  supreme  sacrifice, 
there  must  come  the  comfort  of  the  spirit  of  the  words  of  James  Whitcomb  Riley: 

I  cannot  say,  and  I  will  not  say 
That  he  is  dead. — He%is  just  away! 
K. 

With  a  cheery  smile,  and  a  wave  of  the  hand, 
He  has  wandered  into  an  unknown  land. 

And  left  us  dreaming  how  very  fair 
It  needs  must  be,  since  he  lingers  there. 

And  you — O  you,  who  the  wildest  yearn 
For  the  old-time  step  and  the  glad  return, — 

Think  of  him   faring  on,  as  dear 

In  the  love  of  There  as  the  love  of  Here; 

And  loyal  still,  as  he  gave  the  blows  -** 

Of   his   warrior-strength    to    his    country's    foes. — 

Think  of  him  still  as  the  same,  I  say: 
He  is  not  dead — he  is  just  away! 


T.  BAILEY  LEE. 

T.  Bailey  Lee,  a  member  of  the  Burley  bar,  practicing  as  senior  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Lee  &  Thomas,  was  born  at  Mocksville,  North  Carolina,  August  10,  1873, 
and  is  a  son  of  W.  D.  and  Sarah  B.  (Bailey)  Lee.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed 
in  his  native  state  and  in  the  acquirement  of  his  education  he  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  Later  he  became  a 
law  student.  He  was  afterward  a  Latin  teacher  in  the  Bingham  school  at  Ashe- 
ville,  North  Carolina,  and  continued  his  residence  in  the  Old  North  state  until 
1898,  when  he  removed  westward  to  Montana,  making  Butte  his  destination. 
There  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  in  which  he  continued  until  1905,  when 
he  became  a  resident  of  Burley,  being  the  first  lawyer  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city.  In  those  early  days,  when  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  had  scarcely 
been  begun  here,  court  was  held  in  an  old  frame  shack.  For  four  terms  he  filled 
the  position  of  county  attorney  at  Albion  but  retained  his  residence  at  Burh-y. 
For  two  years  he  occupied  the  position  of  city  attorney  and  throughout  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  clientage  that  has  con- 
nected him  with  much  of  the  important  litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  his  district. 
He  prepares  his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  care,  and  precision  characterizes 
everything  that  he  does  in  relation  to  his  work  in  the  courts.  He  is  a  clear  reasoner, 
a  logical  thinker  and  his  opinions  are  seldom  seriously  questioned  in  court.  His 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  clients  is  proverbial,  yet  he  never  forgets  that  he 
owes  a  still  higher  allegiance  to  the  majesty  of  the  law.  In  addition  to  his  pro- 
fessional interests  he  is  a  director  of  the  Burley  Town  Site  Company. 

In  1907  Mr.  Lee  -Was  married  to  Miss  Irene  Teasdale,  a  native  of  Hailey, 
Idaho,  and  a  daughter  of  William  J.  and  Belle  Teasdale,  the  former  a  ranchman 
of  this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  have  four  children:  Sarah  Belle,  T.  Bailey,  Mary 
Catherine  and  Eleanor  Jane. 

Mr.  Lee  votes  with  the  republican  party  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office 
outside  the  strict  path  of  his  profession.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Masons  and  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  he  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta,  while  along  strictly  professional  lines  he  has  connection 
with  the  American  Bar  Association.  He  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  trend  of 


538  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

progress  along  legal  lines  and  throughout  his  entire  career  at  the  har  has  been 
most  careful  to  conform  his  practice  to  the  highest  professional  standards  and 
ethics. 


ANDREW  HERVEY  EAGLESON. 

Andrew  Hervey  Eaglefion  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Cadiz,  Ohio,  February  7,  1834, 
not  far  from  the  birthplaces  of  his  parents,  William  and  Jane  (Gourley)  Eagleson. 
He  was  married  to  Martha  A.  Kerr,  of  Unionvale,  near  Cadiz,  on  Christmas  eve  of 
1860.  Mrs.  Eagleson  was  born  January  1,  1837,  and  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  John  C. 
and  Mary  (Henderson)  Kerr.  They  had  six  sons,  four  of  whom,  Ernest  G.,  Harry  K., 
John  W.  and  Charles  H.,  survive  them.  Both  were  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  and  belonged 
to  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Eagleson's  maternal  grandfather,  George  Gourley,  was 
a  frontier  civil  engineer.  He  surveyed  the  Earl  of  Derby's  land  grant  on  the  Hudson 
river  and  built  the  first  woolen  mill  in  Ohio.  Mrs.  Eagleson's  paternal  grandfather, 
James  Kerr,  settled  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  old  home  was  General  Mead's 
headquarters  for  a  time  during  the  great  battle  there. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eagleson  were  deeply  intersted  in  the  training  and  success  of  their 
boys  and  the  paternal  abode  was  always  a  home  to  be  proud  of,  though  unpretentious 
in  furnishings.  Mr.  Eagleson  was  ever  a  stockman  and  farmer  and  took  great  delight 
in  improving  new  lands,  although  he  was  oftentimes  engaged  otherwise  in  making  the 
family  living.  He  moved  to  Jefferson,  Iowa,  in  1871  and  in  1882  established  his  home 
at  Craig,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement  business. 
He  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in  November,  1890,  and  with  his  brother  George  and  Messrs. 
W.  C.  Annett  and  W.  H.  Thompson  purchased  a  sawmill  from  W.  C.  Stevens  located 
on  Clear  creek,  about  sixteen  miles  from  Boise,  where  they  sold  the  product  of  the 
mill.  Mr.  Eagleson  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Boise  Cold  Storage  Company 
and  the  New  York  Canal  Company  and  together  with  his  sons  organized  the  A.  H. 
Eagleson  &  Sons  Company. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eagleson,  like  their  ancestors,  were  real  pioneers  and  in  their  journey- 
ings  toward  the  golden  west  made  frontier  improvements  wherever  they  resided.  Mrs. 
Eagleson  passed  away  on  June  13,  1917,  and  Mr.  Eagleson,  after  a  prolonged  illness, 
died  April  17,  1919. 


MARK   AINSWORTH    COFFIN. 

Mark  Ainsworth  Coffin,  manager  of  the  firm  of  Coffin  &  Beglan,  engaged  in 
the  automobile  and  garage  business  in  Boise,  dates  his  residence  in  Idaho  from 
1891,  in  which  year  he  arrived  from  Longmont,  Colorado.  Illinois  claims  him 
as  a  native  son,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  DeKalb  county,  September  19,  1867, 
his  parents  being  George  W.  and  Emilie  (Ainsworth)  Coffin.  The  father  was  born 
at  Roxbury,  New  York,  while  the  mother  is  a  native  of  Belvidere,  Illinois.  His 
death  occurred  at  Longmont,  Colorado,  in  1906,  but  the  mother  still  survives  and 
makes  her.  home  with  her  son  Mark  in  Boise.  She  is  approaching  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  George  W.  Coffin  devoted  his  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and 
thus  provided  for  the  support  of  his  family,  which  numbered  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Mark  A.  Coffin  was  reared  and  educated  in  Colorado,  where  his  parents  had 
resided  for  several  years  prior  to  his  birth,  which  occurred,  however,  while  his 
mother  was  visiting  in  Illinois.  He  studied  civil  engineering  in  the  Colorado  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Fort  Collins  and  practiced  his  profession  for  some  time 
before  turning  his  attention  to  the  automobile  business.  He  removed  from  Long- 
mont, Colorado,  to  Idaho  in  1891,  settling  first  at  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  remained 
for  thirteen  years  and  afterward  lived  for  a  few  years  at  Twin  Falls.  In  the 
former  place  he  had  charge  of  the  Great  Western  canal  for  a  number  of  years, 
acting  as  water  master  for  some  time.  At  Twin  Falls  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
Twin  Falls  irrigation  project,  being  superintendent  of  construction  and  water 
master.  In  1906  he  went  to  Brazil,  where  he  spent  eighteen  months  as  super- 
intendent of  construction  of  a  large  dam  in  southern  Brazil  for  a  Toronto  (Can- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  541 

ada)  concern.  Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Boise 
in  1907  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  this  city.  While  his  family  were  in 
Boise,  however,  he  spent  much  of  the  time  during  the  years  1909  and  1910  in 
Twin  Falls,  occupying  the  position  which  he  had  previously  filled.  During  the  fol- 
lowing years  up  to  1915  he  was  professionally  engaged  on  various  other  public 
projects  in  Idaho  and  Utah.  In  1915,  however,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
automobile  and  garage  business  and  is  now  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Coffin 
&  Beglan,  his  associate  being  Matthew  Beglan.  They  are  distributors  in  south- 
western Idaho  and  eastern  Oregon  for  the  Hupmobile  and  sell  a  large  number  of 
cars  annually.  Their  garage  on  Bannock  street  is  seventy-five  by  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two  feet  and  they  have  a  storehouse  in  addition,  twenty-five  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty-two  feet. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1894,  Mr.  Coffin  was  married  in  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho, 
to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Pelot,  who  was  born  in  this  state  and  is  a  daughter  of  Carlisle 
and  Alice  (Buck)  Pelot,  early  residents  of  eastern  Idaho.  They  now  have  four 
daughters:  Reva,  the  wife  of  Pliny  Arnold,  of  Boise;  Ruth,  Mary  and  Laura,  who 
are  at  home.  Their  daughter  Ruth  is  stenographer  for  the  firm  of  Coffin  &  Beg- 
lan. Mr.  Coffin  owns  his  home  at  No.  1119  North  Eighth  street  in  Boise,  which 
he  erected  in  1908  and  which  is  a  comfortable  and  attractive  residence  of  eight 
rooms.  He  also  owns  an  excellent  grain  ranch  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Idaho  county. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Coffin  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  the  subordinate  lodge 
and  encampment,  and  is  a  past  grand  of  the  order.  He  also  has  membership  in 
the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  is  interested  in  all  of  its  well  defined  plans  and 
projects  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  but  has  never 
been  a  candidate  for  elective  office.  However,  he  is  serving  as  one  of  the  drain- 
age commissioners  of  Ada  county,  a  position  which  he  has  acceptably  filled  for 
some  time,  his  previous  experience  as  a  civil  and  irrigation  engineer  well  qualify- 
ing him  for  his  work  of  this  character. 


EVERETT  T.   MALCOM. 

On  the  roster  of  county  officials  in  Bingham  county  appears  the  name  of 
Everett  T.  Malcom,  who  in  the  fall  of  1914  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  assessor, 
in  which  position  he  is  now  serving  for  the  third  term,  having  been  chosen  for  the 
position  at  each  successive  election  since  first  nominated.  He  was  born  in  Mahon- 
ing  county,  Ohio,  April  6,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Stokes)  Malcom. 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  followed  farming  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  business  life  in  Ohio  and  there  passed  away  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1876,  while  the  mother  survived  until  1889. 

Their  son,  Everett  T.  Malcom,  who  was  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county  and  remained  at  home  until  the  age 
of  eleven  years,  when  his  father  died.  It  was  necessary  then  that  he  provide  for 
his  own  support  and  he  began  working  as  a  farm  hand,  being  thus  employed  until 
he  attained  his  majority,  at  which  time  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Utah.  There 
he  was  employed  at  civil  engineering  work  in  connection  with  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  for  four  years,  after  which  he  rented  land  and  began  farming,  being  ident- 
ified with  agricultural  interests  in  Utah  for  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he 
removed  to  Bingham  county,  Idaho,  where  he  took  up  land  nine  miles  west  of 
Blackfoot  and  carried  on  general  farming  for  some  time.  He  was  also  connected 
with  the  American  Falls  Canal  &  Power  Company.  Coming  to  Blackfoot,  he  worked 
in  a  grist  mill  for  two  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  carpentering,  which 
he  followed  until  the  fall  of  1914,  when  he  was  elected  county  assessor  of  Bingham 
county  and  has  been  reelected  since  that  time,  so  that  he  is  now  serving  for  the 
third  term.  His  increasing  popularity  as  a  public  official  is  indicated  in  the  fact 
that  at  the  last  election  he  had  no  opposition. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1893,  Mr.  Malcom  was  married  to  Miss  Luella  Robin- 
son, of  Plain  City,  Utah,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  one  child,  Glendora. 
who  was  born  September  7,  1897,  and  who  is  teaching  school  at  Riverside.  Idaho. 

Politically  Mr.  Malcom  is  a  republican  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  he  is  now  serving  as  second  coun- 


542  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

selor  to  Bishop  O.  L.  Rider.  By  reason  of  his  official  duties  'as  well  as  his  former 
business  interests  he  has  become  widely  known  in  Bingham  county  and  no  higher 
testimonial  of  his  personal  worth  and  popularity  as  well  as  the  business  qualities 
which  he  diplays  in  office  could  be  given  than  the  fact  that  he  has  been  chosen 
county  assessor  by  such  large  majorities. 


WILLIAM  L.  CUDDY. 

William  L.  Cuddy,  warden  of  the  Idaho  state  penitentiary  at  Boise,  to  which 
position  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Davis  in  January,  1919,  was  born  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  September  5,  1860,  a  son  of  Jolin  and  Nora  (Murphy)  Cuddy,  both  of 
whom  have  passed  away.  They  were  natives  of  Ireland  but  met  and  were  married 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

It  was  in  that  city  that  William  L.  Cuddy  was  reared  and  educated,  pursuing 
his  studies  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  and  also  in  the  Christian  Brothers 
College.  He  left  Cleveland  when  twenty  years  of  age  and  after  spending  two 
years  in  Chicago  came  to  Idaho  in  May,  1883.  For  ten  years  he  remained  in  the 
Wood  river  mining  country  of  Blaine  county  and  later  he  was  appointed  deputy 
warden  of  the  state  penitentiary  by  Governor  McConnell.  This  brought  him  to 
Boise  and  he  has  since  resided  in  the  state  capital.  He  acted  as  deputy  warden 
for  four  years  and  later  became  bookkeeper  at  the  penitentiary,  acting  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years.  From  1902  until  1910  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court  and  ex-officio  auditor  and  recorder  of  Ada  county.  He  was  elected  first 
in  1902  and  again  in  1906  on  the  republican  ticket  and  at  the  close  of  his  second 
term  declined  to  again  become  a  candidate  for  reelection.  He  afterward  spent 
several  years  in  the  real  estate  business,  or  until  appointed  warden  of  the  state 
penitentiary  on  the  6t.h  of  January,  1919,  by  the  prison  board,  consisting  of  the 
governor,  the  secretary  of  state  and  the  attorney  general.  He  has  been  a  prominent 
factor  in  republican  circles  in  Idaho  for  several  years  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
republican  state  central  committee. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1897,  Mr.  Cuddy  was  married  at  Hailey,  Idaho,  to 
Miss  Bessie  Hartung,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  reared,  however,  in  Hailey, 
Idaho.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters: George  Hamilton,  now  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years;  Margaret;  Louise; 
Frank;  and  Bessie.  George  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boise  high  school,  and  Margaret 
is  a  graduate  of  St.  Teresa's  Academy  of  Boise. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and 
fraternally  Mr.  Cuddy  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  spirit,  keenly  interested  in  the 
vital  questions  and  problems  of  the  day,  and  his  aid  and  influence  are  given  on  the 
side  of  progress  and  improvement  in  all  things  that  relate  to  the  advancement  of 
the  welfare  of  city  and  state,  while  as  head  of  a  great  penal  institution  he  is  closely 
studying  all  modern  ideas  of  prison  management  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
reformation  of  the  prisoners. 


CHARLES  E.   ROGERS,   D.   O, 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Rogers,  an  osteopathic  physician  with  offices  in  the  Salisbury- 
Earl  Building  at  Idaho  Falls  and  enjoying  an  extensive  practice,  was  born  in 
Manito,  Illinois,  January  18,  1890.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ida  M.  (Johns) 
Rogers,  who  are  also  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father,  who  is  a  drainage  contractor, 
went  to  Louisiana,  where  he  built  levees  for  the  government  along  the  Mississippi 
river,  remaining  there  for  a  number  of  years.  He  now  resides  at  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri, and  continues  in  the  same  business.  The  mother  is  also  living  and  is  prac- 
ticing osteopathy  in  St.  Joseph,  where  she  is  accorded  a  most  extensive  practice. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Rogers  was  reared  largely  in  Louisiana  and  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  I.  J.  College  at  New  Orleans,  a  Catholic  institution,  and  in  the  State 
University  of  Missouri,  also  in  the  high  school  at  Mound  City,  that  state.  After 
completing  his  state  university  course  he  entered  the  American  School  of  Osteop- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  543 

athy  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of  1911. 
He  afterward  removed  to  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where  he  opened  an  office,  continuing 
in  practice  there  from  1911  until  February,  1912,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  He  has  been  accorded  a  very  extensive  practice 
here,  his  ability  being  attested  by  hundreds  of  patients  While  at  Pocatello  he 
was  assistant  city  physician  for  a  year.  He  is  a  member  of  both  the  National  and 
State  Osteopathic  Associations,  and  his  work  is  the  last  word  in  the  scientific 
achievement  of  the  profession. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  1912,  Dr.  Rogers  was  married  to  Miss  Kathryn  Tupper, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Ida  Tupper,  who  were  natives  of  New  York  and  Maine 
respectively.  Her  father  installed  the  first  electric  lights  in  Salt  Lake  City  and 
also  in  the  tabernacle  there  and  likewise  put  in  the  first  electric  lights  at  Butte, 
Montana.  In  fact  he  was  the  first  electrician  of  the  western  country  and  has 
always  followed  that  business.  He  is  now  conducting  the  Tupper  apartments  at 
Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  his  wife  is  also  living.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  have  two  chil- 
dren: Rosemary,  who  was  born  August  2,  1916;  and  Helen  Louise,  born  in  No- 
vember, 1919. 

Dr.  Rogers  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  of  its  teachings  he  is  a  faithful  follower.  He  is  a  man  of  many  ster- 
ling qualities  and  admirable  characteristics,  well  descended  and  well  bred,  and 
not  only  professionally  but  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city  as  well  he  and  his  wife 
occupy  an  enviable  position. 


P.  S.  FARRELL. 

P.  S.  Farrell,  of  Caldwell,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Idaho-Oregon  Honey 
Producers  Association,  was  born  in  Grandview,  Ohio,  May  29,  1876,  and  his  youthful 
days  were  largely  devoted  to  the  acquirement  of  a  public  school  education  in 
Marietta,  Ohio,  and  Parkersburg,  West  Virginia,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  bicycle  business  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  afterward  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  but  after  a  brief  period  devoted  to  the 
sale  of  bicycles  he  became  a  professional  rider  and  was  upon  the  road  in  that 
connection  until  1899,  when  he  gave  up  the  work  and  returned  to  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
He  there  spent  a  year  in  the  employ  of  the  Glidden  Varnish  Company,  after  which 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  as  a  stu- 
dent, but  owing  to  ill  health  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  plan  and  return  to  the 
employ  of  the  Glidden  Varnish  Company,  at  which  time  he  assumed  the  duties  of 
assistant  superintendent  and  thus  served  for  a  year.  He  afterward  became  con- 
nected with  the  physicians'  supply  business  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  his  mother 
as  a  partner,  and  there  remained  until  1906,  when  he  sold  the  business  and  turned 
his  attention  to  real  estate  dealing,  being  with  John  H.  Blood  for  two  years.  Later 
he  was  connected  with  Julius  Timendorfer  in  the  same  line  and  when  the  business 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  The  J.  Timendorfer  Company  Mr.  Farrell 
became  the  vice  president. 

In  1911  his  health  again  failed  and  Mr.  Farrell  then  severed  his  connection 
with  the  real  estate  firm  and  removed  west  to  New  Plymouth,  Idaho,  where  ho 
purchased  a  ten  acre  orchard.  That  venture,  however,  did  not  prove  to  his  liking 
and  he  took  up  bee  culture  in  1914.  Through  his  instrumentality  the  Idaho- 
Oregon  Honey  Producers  Association  was  formed  in  January,  1915,  with  a  charter 
membership  of  but  twenty-two,  while  at  the  present  time  there  are  one  hundred  and 
sixty  active  members  from  Weiser,  Idaho,  to  Mountain  Home,  Idaho,  this  including 
the  Boise  and  Payette  valleys  of  Idaho  and  the  Malheur  river  valley  of  Oregon. 
They  control  over  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  honey  crop  produced  in  this  territory, 
which  in  1918  amounted  to  one  million,  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  thousand 
pounds.  For  their  product  they  found  a  ready  sale,  netting  them  almost  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  association  has  been  incorporated  with  a  capitaliza- 
tion of  ten  thousand  dollars,  the  officers  being  C.  E.  Dibble,  of  Payette,  Idaho, 
president;  H.  C.  Dudley,  of  Caldwell,  vice  president;  and  P.  S.  Farrell,  secretary 
and  treasurer.  Mr.  Farrell  has  now  disposed  of  his  other  business  interests  in 
order  to  devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the  duties  of  the  office.  He  has 


544  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

made  this  one  of  the  best  paying  associations  in  the  state  and  one  of  the  most 
harmonious  in  its  workings,  as  every  member  is  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  and 
worker  for  the  organization.  When  the  association  was  formed  extracted  honey 
was  selling  on  the  coast  at  five  and  a  half  cents  per  pound  and  comb  honey  -as 
low  as  two  dollars  and  a  quarter  per  case.  Immediately  after  the  producers  were 
organized  they  demanded  and  received  a  cent  more  per  pound  for  extracted  honey 
and  a  proportionate  raise  for  the  comb  honey,  while  the  highest  price  in  1918  paid 
for  fancy  comb  honey  was  six  dollars  and  a  quarter;  for  No.  1  six  dollars;  and  for 
No.  2  five  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  per  case,  while  extracted  honey  has  brought 
as  high  as  twenty-two  and  a  half  cents  per  pound.  They  not  only  sell  in  the  local 
and  western  markets  but  are  shipping  to  the  eastern  markets,  which  is  a  departure 
from  the  old  methods. 

Mr.  Farrell  was  married  in  1907  to  Miss  Minnie  I.  Swanson,  of  Jamestown, 
New  York,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children.  Mr.  Farrell  is  not 
active  in  public  affairs,  especially  as  an  office  seeker,  although  he  is  interested  in 
all  projects  that  tend  to  promote  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  community.  The 
success  of  the  Idaho-Oregon  Honey  Producers  Association  is  largely  attributable  to 
his  efforts,  which  have  made  honey  a  source  of  profit  to  producers  in  the  northwest. 


*  CHARLES  C.  MOORE. 

Charles  C.  Moore,  of  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1866,  the  son  of 
a  Civil  war  veteran.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  country  schools,  in  a  high 
school  and  in  a  teachers'  training  school.  Subsequently  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming,  taught  school  and  served  as  county  recorder.  In  1899  he  came  to  Idaho 
and  engaged  in  the  drug  business.  He  organized  the  St.  Anthony  Bank  &  Trust  Com- 
pany and  was  its  first  president,  but  his  business  activity  is,  and  has  been,  principally 
directed  along  the  lines  of  real  estate  dealing,  wheat  raising  and  tne  development  of 
farm  lands  with  a  view  of  increasing  their  value.  In  association  with  his  partner, 
Hiram  G.  Fuller,  he  organized  and  was  active  in  building  the  town  of  Ashton.  He 
was  a  member  of"  the  State  and  County  Councils  of  Defense  during  the  period  of  the 
World  war  and  had  two  sons  in  the  service.  In  1903  and  1905  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Idaho  legislature  and  he  located  the  State  Industrial  School  at  St.  Anthony.  He 
was  elected  lieutenant  governor  in  November,  1918. 


CHARLES  E.  MITCHELL. 

Charles  E.  Mitchell,  for  twelve  years  a  resident  of  Idaho,  is  now  engaged  in 
merchandising  at  Wilder,  where  he  is  also  filling  the  position  of  postmaster.  He 
was  born  in  Knoxville,  Marion  county,  Iowa,  June  21,  1882,  and  was  seven  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  removed  with  their  family  to  Ladora,  Iowa,  where  he 
acquired  his  education  and  made  his  home  until  1907.  During  the  last  years  of  his 
residence  there  he  was  employed  in  the  dry  goods  and  shoe  house  of  his  father-in- 
law,  who  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  L.  W.  Wilson  &  Son  and  who  was  a  pioneer 
resident  and  representative  citizen  of  Iowa. 

Attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  northwest,  Charles  E.  Mitchell 
made  his  way  to  Oregon  in  1907,  but  after  thirty  days  spent  in  that  state  decided 
there  was  too  much  rain  there  and  in  November,  1907,  removed  to  Boise,  Idaho. 
On  the  13th  of  January,  1908,  he  filed  on  eighty  acres  adjoining  the  town  of 
Wilder,  twenty  acres  of  which  he  subdivided  into  town  lots  and  they  are  a  desirable 
addition  to  the  present  townsite.  On  the  14th  of  February,  1908,  he  moved  upon 
the  land  where  the  family  still  resides.  In  1916  he  sold  forty  acres  of  his  claim 
at  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  per  acre  and  the  same  tract  was  resold  in  1918 
for  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven  dollars  and  a  half  per  acre.  Mr.  Mitchell  says 
that  Idaho  soil  and  climate  have  given  tangible  proof  of  their  worth,  for  there  are 
more  people  in  this  state  who  have  become  successful  farmers,  never  having  had 
previous  experience  along  agricultural  lines,  than  in  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 
Mr.  Mitchell  had  never  farmed  before  coming  here,  and  his  wife  had  always  lived 
in  the  house  in  which  she  was  born  until  coming  to  Idaho.  However,  in  the  develop- 


HON.  CHARLES  C.  MOORE 


Vol.  II— 85 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  547 

ment  of  their  place  substantial  results  have  been  reached  and  the  farm  is  now  a 
very  productive  tract  of  land,  bringing  to  them  very  substantial  returns.  In  1916 
Mr.  Mitchell  opened  a  stock  of  agricultural  implements,  hardware,  groceries,  boots 
and  shoes  in  Wilder  and  has  since  engaged  in  business  as  a  retail  merchant,  being 
now  accorded  a  liberal  patronage  in  recognition  of  his  reliable  business  methods, 
his  earnest  desire  to  please  his  patrons  and  his  straightforward  dealing.  In 
February,  1918,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  is  discharging  the  duties  of  that 
office  in  connection  with  his  business  affairs. 

In  1905  Mr.  Mitchell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Edna  Irene  Wilson,  a 
native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Helen  and 
Kenneth,  who  are  attending  school;  and  Lolo,  three  years  of  age. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  J.  H.  and  Sarah  (Morse)  Mitchell,  also  become 
residents  of  Idaho,  removing  from  Ladora,  Iowa,  in  1912.  The  father  purchased 
land  near  Wilder  which  he  now  rents,  for  he  has  retired  from  business,  having 
reached  the  age  of  seventy  years,  while  his  wife  is  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  They 
have  a  daughter,  Lilla,  who  is  a  trained  nurse,  having  graduated  from  the  State 
University  of  Iowa  and  now  making  her  home  in  Wilder. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Charles  E.  Mitchell  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  became  a 
charter  member  of  Wilder  Lodge,  No.  37.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  keenly  interested  in  everything  that  pertains  to  the 
welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives  and  cooperates  heartily  in 
all  well  defined  plans  and  measures  looking  to  the  betterment  of  the  town,  the 
extension  of  its  trade  relations  and  the  maintenance  of  its  high  civic  standards. 


FRED  H.  DAVIS. 

The  real  estate  business  in  Nampa  has  a  prominent  and  successful  represent- 
ative in  Fred  H.  Davis,  who  was  born  in  Craftsbury,  Orleans  county,  Vermont, 
October  28,  1861.  His  father,  Ira  Davis,  was  born  in  Broom  county,  Quebec, 
Canada.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  for  many  years  was  well  known  as 
a  tradesman  at  East  Harrington,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  passed  away.  His 
parents  were  Canadians  but  were  natives  of  Wales.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
in  her  maidenhood  Sarah  Cooey  and  was  also  a  native  of  Broom  county,  Canada, 
though  her  parents  were  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland.  She  is  still  living  upon  the 
old  homestead  at  East  Barrington,  New  Hampshire,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  She  bore  her  husband  ten  children,  of  whom  six  grew  to  manhood 
and  womanhood,  five  of  them  remaining  in  the  New  England  states.  One  brother 
of  our  subject,  Samuel  Davis,  is  and  has  been  for  many  years  prominent  in  the 
city  government  of  Manchester,  New  Hampshire. 

Fred  H.  Davis  was  educated  in  the  old  New  England  schools  until  the  age 
of  twelve,  when  the  family  removed  to  Manchester,  New  Hampshire,  which  remained 
his  home  until  he  was  eighteen.  At  that  period  in  his  life  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling 
in  Hailey,  where  he  remained,  however,  but  a  short  time.  He  then  went  to  Rocky 
Bar,  engaging  in  mining  in  its  immediate  vicinity  for  about  sixteen  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Silver  City.  While  there  residing  he  was  elected, 
to  the  legislature,  serving  one  term  and  not  only  doing  effective  work  in  taking 
care  of  the  interests  of  his  constituents  but  also  ably  supporting  all  measures  which 
he  considered  of  value  to  the  state.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  by  Governor 
Frank  Hunt  and  the  secretary  of  state  to  take  complete  charge  of  the  Idaho  mineral 
exhibit  at  the  Pan  American  Exposition  at  Buffalo,  New  York. 

Upon  his  return  to  Idaho  Mr.  Davis  chose  Nampa  as  his  place  of  residence  and 
in  1916  he  became  connected  with  the  United  Stores  Company  of  Shoshone  county. 
However,  he  maintained  this  relationship  for  but  a  short  time,  for  he  was  returned 
to  thf  legislature  under  Governor  Alexander,  again  doing  valuable  work  in  the  halls 
of  legislation.  After  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  returned  to  Nampa,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  his  wife  being  his  able  assistant.  He  has 
met  with  more  than  ordinary  success,  being  a  man  of  rare  business  tact  and  ability 
as  well  as  of  experience,  and  the  highest  principles  have  ever  guided  his  business 
deals.  It  is  therefore  but  natural  that  he  has  won  the  trust  and  confidence  of  all 
who  have  had  business  relations  with  him.  He  is  thoroughly  informed  in  regard 
to  local  conditions  and  values,  and  his  advice  and  judgment  are  often  sought  in 


548  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

financial   and   real   estate   matters.      Mr.   Davis   is  still   active  in   politics  and  is   so 
independent  in  his  views  that  he  ever  supports  the  best  interests  of  the  state. 

In  1910  occurred  the  marriage  of  Fred  H.  Davis  and  Hattie  Bohlscheid,  a  native 
of  Oakland,  California,  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anthony  Bohlscheid.  Her 
parents  removed  to  Colorado  when  Mrs.  Davis  was  but  an  infant  and  in  1902  the 
mother  became  a  resident  of  Nampa,  Idaho,  where  she  is  now  living  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Davis,  Mr.  Bohlscheid  having  passed  away  in  Colorado.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Davis  are  socially  prominent  in  Nampa,  where  they  have  many  friends,  and 
fraternally  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Masons  for  a  number  of  years.  Both 
are  valued  members  of  the  social  life  of  their  city  and  in  their  different  ways  have 
done  much  toward  general  uplift  along  material,  moral  and  intellectual  lines. 


H.   J.   SLOAN. 

H.  J.  Sloan,  a  druggist  of  Parma  and  also  identified  with  the  Parma  Realty 
Company,  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Iowa,  November  18,  1880.  In  the  acquire- 
ment of  his  education  he  attended  the  Highland  Park  College  of  Pharmacy  of 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  also  the  Iowa  Business  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1904.  For  a  year  thereafter  he  was  identified  with  the 
drug  trade  in  Des  Moines  and  then  came  to  the  west,  seeking  the  broader  oppor- 
tunities offered  in  this  great  and  growing  section  of  the  country.  He  made  his 
way  first  to  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  and  'afterward  opened  a  drug  store  at  Burley  under 
the  name  of  the  Burley  Drug  Company,  there  remaining  in  business  for  two  and 
a  half  years.  He  next  went  to  Butte,  Montana,  but  after  six  months  returned  to 
Idaho,  settling  at  Midvale  where  he  opened  the  first  registered  pharmaceutical 
drug  store  of  the  town  under  the  name  of  the  Red  Cross  Pharmacy.  For  five  years 
he  conducted  business  there  and  then  removed  to  Parma,  where  he  purchased  the 
City  Drug  Store.  E.  E.  Waite  bought  an  interest  in  this  store  and  is  now  its  man- 
ager. Mr.  Sloan  was  chosen  first  president  of  the  Parma  National  Bank  in  De- 
cember, 1919,  and  he  is  the  manager  of  the  Parma  Realty  Company,  which  he 
organized  in  1917.  The  officers  of  this  company  are  J.  C.  Watson,  secretary; 
E.  G.  Johnson,  president;  and  H.  J.  Sloan,  general  manager.  The  company  handles 
farm  and  city  property  in  various  localities.  Mr.  Sloan  is  also  president  of  the 
Walker  Drug  Company,  of  Wilder,  Idaho,  which  was  incorporated  in  June,  1919. 
In  addition  to  his  real  estate  and  mercantile  interests  Mr.  Sloan  has  become  a 
farmer,  owning  farm  lands  in  both  Washington  and  Canyon  counties. 

In  1906  Mr.  Sloan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Riordan,  of  Des  Moines. 
His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is  now  mayor  of 
Parma.  His  interest  in  community  welfare  is  manifest  in  many  tangible  ways  and 
his  cooperation  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  plan  or  project  for  the 
general  good. 


P.    H.    SPANGENBERG. 

P.  H.  Spangenberg,  city  building  inspector  of  Boise  and  an  electrician  by 
profession,  has  occupied  his  present  position  since  1914,  with  the  exception  of 
about  six  months,  which  he  spent  as  secretary  of  the  district  draft  board.  He  has 
made  his  home  in  Boise  since  1910  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho  since  1906, 
removing  to  this  state  from  Chicago  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  created 
by  the  Cary  act.  He  therefore  purchased  a  ranch  in  Elmore  county,  on  the  King 
Hill  project,  and  developed  it  but  later  came  to  the  capital. 

Mr.  Spangenberg  is  a  native  of  Watertown,  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  April 
25,  1881,  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .George  Spangenberg,  the  former  a  mer- 
chant tailor  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  The  son  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  town  and  upon  leaving  school  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  took  up  elec- 
trical work,  which  he  followed  for  many  years  in  that  city,  in  Pittsburgh  and  jn 
various  other  places  in  the  east.  He  has  been  identified  with  electrical  work  also 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  and  formerly  conducted  an  elec- 
trical establishment  at  Mountain  Home.  His  venture  in  the  King  Hill  Extension 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  549 

project  in  Elmore  county  proved  to  be  a  disappointment  owing  to  the  enormous 
cost  of  the  water  for  irrigation  purposes.  While  the  land  could  be  obtained  prac- 
tically free,  he  had  to  enter  into  a  contract  to  pay  an  enormous  water  rental  and 
a  brief  experience  was  sufficient  to  convince  him  that  such  an  investment  would 
not  pay.  Since  1910  he  has  lived  continuously  in  Boise  and  in  1914  was  appointed 
building  inspector,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  rendered  valuable  service  save 
for  the  period  of  his  connection  with  the  draft  board,  covering  six  months.  He  is 
prominent  in  labor  circles  and  has  been  secretary  of  the  Idaho  State  Federation 
of  Labor  since  it  was  organized  in  1915  but  lately  resigned  the  position. 

Mr.  Spangenberg  was  married  in  Chicago  in  1906.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason  and  Mystic  Shriner.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  his  wife  has  membership  with  the 
Pythian  Sisters.  Mr.  Spangenberg  is  likewise  identified  with  the  Sons  of  Veterans 
and  in  1919  was  commander  of  Phil  Seridan  Camp,  No.  2.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Ada  County  Council  of  Defense  and  is  interested  in  all  that  is  of 
substantial  worth  to  the  citizen  and  to  the  community  at  large.  As  a  public  official 
he  has  ever  been  loyal  and  true  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him,  and  his  record  has 
been  marked  by  devotion  to  the  public  welfare. 


HENRY  E.  BOWLES. 

Among  the  fine  business  establishments  that  render  Oakley  an  attractive  com- 
mercial center  is  the  well  appointed  drug  store  of  Henry  E.  Bowles,  who  is  an 
alert  and  energetic  young  merchant,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  western  progress  and 
enterprise.  In  his  vocabulary  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail  and  his  determination 
and  energy  are  the  salient  qualities  upon  which  he  is  building  his  success.  Idaho 
numbers  him  among  her  native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Viclor  on  the 
18th  of  October,  1894,  his  parents  being  Henry  C.  and  Sarah  R.  (Clark)  Bowles. 
The  father  was  born  at  Burkes  Garden,  Tazewell  county,  Virginia,  in  1849  and 
there  pursued  his  education,  after  which  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching. 
His  father  was  a  slaveholder  and  the  owner  of  a  large  plantation  and  Henry  C. 
Bowles  assisted  in  the  development  of  their  farming  interests.  He  was  married 
in  his  native  state  and  in  1881  removed  to  the  Cache  valley  of  Utah,  where  he 
cultivated  land  for  ten  years.  In  1888  he  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Teton  basin, 
where  he  purchased  a  quit  claim.  Later  he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  to  his  original  holdings  added  from  time  to  time  as  his  financial  resources 
increased  until  he  became  the  owner  of  an  excellent  ranch  property  of  four  hundred 
acres.  To  this  he  added  all  modern  equipments  and  accessories  and  developed  one 
of  the  fine  ranch  properties  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  built  thereon  a  beautiful 
and  commodious  frame  residence  and  continued  upon  the  place  until  1912,  when 
he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  St.  Anthony,  where  his  son 
was  conducting  a  drug  store.  On  the  27th  of  August,  1918,  the  store  was  destroyed 
by  fire  and  the  family  then  removed  to  Oakley,  purchasing  the  drug  store  that  had 
previously  been  the  property  of  W.  O.  Plummer.  The  father,  however,  is  retired 
from  active  connection  with  business,  enjoying  in  well  earned  rest  the  fruits  of 
his  former  toil.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  and 
his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  To 
him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  seven  children:  William  A.,  Margaret  E.,  Viola, 
Rebecca,  Ada,  Florence  and  Henry  E. 

The  last  named  spent  his  boyhood  days  largely  in  the  Teton  basin  till  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Having  determined  upon  a  life  work,  he  then 
entered  the  North  Pacific  College  School  of  Pharmacy  at  Portland,  Oregon,  and 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  class  of  1913.  He  entered  upon 
active  connection  .with  the  drug  business  at  Teton,  Idaho,  and  also  clerked  in 
Pocatello,  spending  the  last  winter  in  the  employ  of  H.  H.  Whittlesly.  With  the 
removal  of  the  family  to  Oakley  he  became  actively  interested  in  the  conduct  of 
the  store  of  which  he  is  now  the  head  and  which  is  regarded  as  the  finest  drug 
store  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  carries  an  extensive  line  of  drugs  and  druggists' 
sundries  and  the  tasteful  arrangement  of  the  store,  its  fine  fixtures  and  the  splendid 
service  rendered  the  public  place  it  in  a  well  merited  position  of  leadership. 

On  the   22d   day  of  June,   1916,   Mr.   Bowles  was   married   to  Miss  Margaret 


550  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Andregg,  a  native  of  Switzerland  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Andregg,  who  in  the 
land  of  the  Alps  was  foreman  of  a  leather  factory,  doing  upholstering  work  and 
manufacturing  automobile  tops.  Coming  to  America,  he  made  his  way  to  Rexburg, 
Idaho,  when  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bowles,  was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bowles  has  been  born  one  son,  Clyde. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Bowles  is  a  democrat  and  by  broad  reading  keeps 
in  close  touch  with  the -vital  questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  Fraternally  he  ia 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  wide-awake  and 
alert  young  business  man  who  though  but  twenty-six  years  of  age  is  proving  well 
qualified  to  conduct  along  successful  lines  one  of  Oakley's  leading  commercial  enter- 
prises. His  friends — and  they  are  many — have  no  hesitancy  in  predicting  for  him 
a  successful  future. 


WILLIAM  P.  SHINN. 

William  P.  Shinn,  postmaster  at  Filer,  was  born  in  Jo  Daviess  county,  Illinois, 
about  eight  miles  from  Galena,  in  January,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Amos  and  Mary  (Van 
Dyke)  Shinn.  The  father  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  while  the  mother  was  born  at 
Monmouth,  Illinois.  The  former  left  his  native  state  when  a  small  boy  in  company 
with  his  parents,  who  made  their  way  to  Licking  county,  Ohio,  where  the  grandfather 
of  William  P.  Shinn  devoted  his  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  At  a  later  period 
Amos  Shinn  left  the  old  home  in  Ohio  and  removed  westward  to  Jo  Daviess  county, 
Illinois.  There  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising,  which  he  followed  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  becoming  the  first  merchant  at  Warren,  Illinois,  following  the  building  of 
the  railroad.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  removed  to  Marshall  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873,  when  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  fifty-eight  years.  In  1874  the  mother  with  her  family  removed  to  Adams  county, 
Iowa,  where  she  continued  to  make  her  home  until  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1892,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  In  the  early  days  the  father  had  engaged  in  freighting  out 
of  Omaha  to  Denver  and  several  times  crossed  the  plains,  meeting  with  all  of  the  varied 
experiences  and  hardships  incident  to  travel  in  that  manner  and  at  that  period.  He 
was  in  fact  acquainted  with  every  phase  of  pioneer  life  and  he  contributed  in  substan- 
tial measure  to  the  development  of  the  middle  west.  His  political  allegiance  was  given 
to  the  whig  party  in  early  life,  while  subsequently  he  became  a  stanch  champion  of 
republican  principles. 

William  P.  Shinn  spent  his  boyhood  days  at  Warren,  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  Marshall  county,  Iowa. 
In  that  locality  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  closely  associated  with  farming  interests 
through  the  assistance  which  he  rendered  his  father  in  the  development  and  improve- 
ment of  the  fields  at  the  old  home  place.  Later  he  clerked  in  a  general  store  at  Carbon, 
Iowa,  and  afterward  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account  for  a  decade.  He  was 
likewise  postmaster  there  for  a  number  of  years  and  in  1886  he  entered  the  railway  mail 
service,  making  the  run  between  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
for  a  period  of  four  years.  In  1890  he  established  a  drug  store  at  Corning,  Iowa,  in 
connection  with  his  brother,  and  while  thus  engaged  he  went  to  Alaska,  eventually,  how- 
ever, returning  to  Iowa,  where  he  continued  in  the  drug  business  until  1898.  In  that 
year  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  for  a  four  years'  term  and  accept- 
ably filled  the  position,  discharging  his  duties  w'ith  marked  promptness  and  fidelity. 
Following  his  retirement  from  office  he  became  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Prescott,  Iowa,  and  during  that  period  he  still  continued  in  the  drug  business,  while  his 
association  with  the  bank  covered  two  years. 

The  year  1905  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Shinn  in  Idaho,  at  which  time  he  made 
his  way  to  Shoshone,  driving  from  that  point  to  Twin  Falls.  He  then  entered  land 
south  of  Filer,  in  Twin  Falls  county,  his  place  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  adjoin- 
ing the  town  site.  In  September  of  that  year  he  removed  to  his  farm  and  began  its 
development  and  improvement.  Since  then  he  has  bought  and  sold  several  farms  and 
he  has  also  been  an  important  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  of  Filer.  He  becfame 
a  member  of  the  town  site  company  and  put  forth  earnest  and  effective  effort  to  pro- 
mote the  new  town.  In  1915  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  is  still  occupying  that 
position,  giving  to  the  public  excellent  service  in  this  connection. 

In  1873  Mr.  Shinn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eloise  Morris,  a  native  of  On- 


WILLIAM  P.  SHINN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  553 

tario,  Canada,  and  they  have  three  children:  Benoni  H.,  Darwin  A.  and  Juneau  H. 
Mr.  Shinn  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  is  a 
faithful  follower  of  its  teachings.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Masons  and  his  life  exemplifies  the 
beneficent  teachings  of  these  different  organizations.  His  experiences  have  been  broad 
and  varied  as  he  has  gone  from  one  point  to  another  and  since  coming  to  Twin  Falls 
county  he  has  proven  a  valuable  factor  in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this 
district. 


HENRY  A.  VERNON. 

Henry  A.  Vernon,  president  of  the  Continental  Investment  Company  of  Boise 
and  also  superintendent  of  the  quarries  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company,  has  been 
identified  with  Idaho's  interests  since  1898,  in  which  year  he  removed  to  this  state 
from  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  He  was  born  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  June  21,  1869, 
and  is  the  only  living  son  of  Enoch  S.  and  Catherine  (Gier)  Vernon.  The  father 
was  born  near  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  was  a  representative  of  an  old  Quaker  family. 
He  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work,  but  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war  patriotism  was  his  paramount  characteristic  and  he  Joined  the  boys  in  blue, 
doing  active  duty  at  the  front  with  the  Union  army.  He  married  Catherine  Gier 
in  1867,  and  they  became  residents  of  the  northwest  soon  after  the  Civil  war.  The 
father  passed  away  in  Boise  in  1915,  while  the  mother  is  still  living. 

Henry  A.  Vernon  of  this  review  was  largely  reared  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  where 
he  acquired  his  education.  In  1888,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Denver, 
Colorado,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  there  remaining  until  1896.  He 
afterward  spent  two  years  in  Kansas  City,  where  he  engaged  in  the  contracting 
business,  and  in  1898  he  came  to  Boise.  Here  he  resumed  business  as  a  contractor 
and  builder  and  followed  that  line  for  several  years.  In  1913,  however,  he  became 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company  and  is  one  of  its  heavy  stock- 
holders. Since  the  organization  he  has  been  superintendent  of  its  quarries  and  is 
thus  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the  kind  in  the  northwest  and 
the  only  one  in  Idaho.  The  company  ships  a  high  grade  of  cut  stone  all  over  the 
Pacific  states  and  as  far  east  as  New  York  city.  Their  works  or  finishing  plant  is 
located  east  of  Boise,  about  one  mile  on  the  Warm  Springs  road,  while  the  quarries 
are  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  from  the  finishing  plant,  which  rests  at  the 
base  of  the  first  foothill  and  is  on  a  spur  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  so 
that  the  cut  stone  can  be  loaded  onto  flat  cars  and  shipped  to  any  point  in  the 
United  States.  The  quarries  are  situated  over  and  beyond  the  first  foothills  in  the 
mountains  and  the  stone  there  quarried  is  loaded  onto  flat  cars  in  large,  irregular 
chunks,  some  of  them  of  many  tons  weight,  and  is  hauled  on  these  cars  to  the 
finishing  plant  over  a  steel  rail  tramway  which  hugs  the  surface  in  its  course  over 
hill  and  dale,  the  fiat  cars  being  attached  to  an  immense  steel  wire  cable  that  is 
given  its  progressive  motion  through  electric  power.  This  gigantic  steel  cable  puts 
the  heavily  laden  flat  cars  up  and  over  the  intervening  hills  and  the  grip  which  the 
cars  have  on  it  prevent  them  from  attaining  the  speed  which  their  momentum  would 
naturally  give  them  in  going  down  the  inclines  of  the  tramway,  some  of  which 
are  very  steep.  In  the  quarries  the  gigantic  pieces  of  stone  are  handled  by  electric 
derricks,  while  at  the  works  they  are  handled  by  a  portable  overhead  trolley  crane 
of  ponderous  size  and  wonderful  power,  all  operated  by  electricity.  The  great 
chunks  of  stone  are  sawed  into  the  desired  sizes,  much  as  big  logs  are  sawed  in  a 
lumber  plant.  The  sawed  stone  blocks  then  have  their  rough  margins  pared  off 
by  steel  knives  which  shave  off  all  the  roughness,  the  knives  paring  off  the  sides 
and  dressing  them  down  with  far  greater  accuracy  than  one  could  peel  an  apple 
with  a  keen  bladed  knife.  The  product  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company  is  an  extra 
high  quality  of  building  stone.  It  is  hard  and  possesses  great  powers  of  endurance, 
being  said  by  some  to  be  even  superior  to  the  famous  Bedford  stone  of  Indiana. 
While  the  management  of  this  important  interest  makes  heavy  demands  upon  the 
time  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Vernon,  he  is  also  the  president  of  the  Continental  Invest- 
ment Company,  which  he  organized  in  1918,  its  object  being  to  promote  mining1 
interests  in  Idaho.  Its  offices  are  located  in  the  Sonna  block  and  the  business 
is  being  developed  along  substantial  lines. 


554  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Tn  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1896,  Mr.  Vernon  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Doherty, 
a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters:  Harry  S.,  who  served  with  the  United  States  forces 
during  the  war  and  is  now  in  the  Pennsylvania  Military  College  at  Chester,  Penn- 
sylvania; Margaret  Vernon,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boise  high  school  and  of  the 
Boston  Finishing  School  at  Mount  Idaho;  Dorothy,  who  is  a  high  school  pupil; 
and  Paul. 

Mr.  Vernon  belongs  to  several  fraternal  orders,  including  the  Masons,  the 
Elks  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  but  has  never 
been  a  candidate  for  office.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  hunting  and  fishing  and 
enjoys  wrestling  and  sporting  contests.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  bird  dog  which 
is  his  companion  on  his  hunting  trips.  Business  activity,  however,  has  been  the 
dominant  force  in  his  life,  bringing  him  to  a  position  of  leadership  in  industrial 
circles  in  the  northwest. 


A.  F.  ISHAM,  M.  D. 

No  history  of  Caldwell  and  the  surrounding  country  would  be  complete  without 
extended  reference  to  Dr.  A.  F.  Isham,  who  came  to  the  west  at  the  time  of 
the  earliest  development  of  this  region  and  has  been  connected  with  many  interests 
which  have  been  a  most  potent  force  in  further  progress  and  improvement,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  has  followed  his  profession.  Opportunity  has  ever  been  to 
him  a  call  to  action,  and  the  chances  for  developing^  and  improving  this  section 
have  received  from  him  hearty  support.  The  story  of  his  activity  is  largely  the 
record  of  the  unfolding  of  Caldwell's  history. 

Dr.  Isham  was  born  as  Williston,  seven  miles  from  the  city  of  Burlington, 
Vermont,  February  10,  1858,  his  birthplace  being  the  old  homestead  which  his 
generation  of  John  Isham,  who  came  to  America  in  1620,  and  his  lineage  can  be 
traced  back  to  the  Ishams  of  Isham  Castle,  England.  Among  the  early  represen- 
tatives of  the  name  in  America  were  those  who  became  pioneer  residents  of  the 
state  of  Vermont.  His  grandfather  fought  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  father, 
great-grandfather  secured  from  the  Indians.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the  seventh 
Franklin  H.  Isham,  wedded  Mary  Smith,  who  was  born  at  Alexander  Bay,  New 
York,  June  24,  1825,  and  she  was  a  representative  of  the  same  family  as  Joseph 
Smith,  founder  of  the  Salt  Lake  colony  at  Salt  Lake  City.  Her  grandfather  and 
uncle  took  an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  fighting  under  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen  at  Ticonderoga. 

Dr.  Isham  came  to  Idaho  from  Vermont,  stopping,  however,  for  six  months 
while  en  route  at  Rock  Springs  and  Green  River  City,  Wyoming,  in  the  fall  of 
1883  to  do  surgical  work  there.  When  he  arrived  in  Idaho,  Caldwell  was  a  tent 
town,  even  the  postoffice  being  a  tent.  The  first  hotel  was  moved  into  the  town 
on  rollers  from  a  point  about  five  miles  distant.  Shoshone  was  at  that  time  the 
terminus  of  the  passenger  service  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  and  Dr. 
Isham  completed  his  journey  to  Caldwell  on  a  construction  train.  He  immediately 
assumed  the  duties  of  surgeon  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  in  which  capacity 
he  continued  to  serve  for  fourteen  years.  He  was  the  first  resident,  physician  in 
Caldwell  and  at  present  is  the  fifth  oldest  in  the  state.  He  has  now  retired  from 
active  practice  although  he  is  sometimes  persuaded  to  serve  a  few  old-time  friends 
who  are  loath  to  give  up  his  professional  aid.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  on  the  26th  of  June,  1882,  and  throughout  the  entire  period  of 
his  professional  career  maintained  the  keenest  interest  in  the  science  of  medicine 
and  kept  abreast  with  the  onward  trend  of  professional  thought  and  investigation. 
•During  a  visit  to  his  old  home  in  Vermont  the  university  from  which  he  had  grad- 
uated conferred  upon  him  the  honor  of  the  vice  presidency  of  the  college  alumni  of 
the  medical  department  for  the  year  1917-18.  It  was  during  this  trip  east  that  Dr. 
Isham's  mother  died  when  within  two  days  of  the  ninety-second  anniversary  of  her 
birth  and  she  was  buried  on  her  birthday.  Her  husband  had  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years  and  from  that  time  Dr.  Isham  was  the  support  of  his  mother, 
maintaining  her  in  comfort  in  gratitude  for  her  kindness  and  helpfulness  to  him 
in  obtaining  his  education. 

While  Dr.  Isham  was  for  many  years  a  leading  and  largely  patronized  physician 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  555 

and  surgeon  of  his  section  of  Idaho,  he  did  not  confine  his  efforts  entirely  to  prac- 
tice but  became  identified  with  business  progress  along  various  lines.  He  was  the 
first  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Emmett,  Idaho,  which  office  he  filled 
for  five  years,  and  for  ten  years  was  vice  president  of  the  Peoples  Bank  of  Cam- 
bridge, Idaho,  which  he  assisted  in  organizing.  The  Doctor  still  remains  one  of 
the  stockholders  of  that  institution.  He  was  also  director  of  the  First  Bank  of 
Vale,  Oregon,  and  was  on  the  building  committee  which  erected  the  first  fine  hotel 
at  Vale.  For  five  years  he  was  connected  with  the  directorate  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Caldwell  and  is  still  one  of  its  stockholders.  He  founded  the  Idaho  Milling 
&  Feed  Company,  of  which  he  is  sole  proprietor,  and  in  this  connection  conducts 
a  general  milling  business,  operating  the  plant  on  the  old  plan  of  grinding  the 
grist  on  shares.  He  has  five  hundred  farmers  as  his  patrons  and  turns  out  about 
eight  carloads  of  the  product  per  year.  He  has  made  judicious  investment  in  farm 
lands  and  is  now  the  owner  of  five  excellent  farms,  which  he  rents,  together  with 
considerable  improved  city  property.  In  all  business  transactions  he  has  displayed 
notably  sound  judgment  and  keen  sagacity,  which  have  enabled  him  to  avoid  the 
unwarranted  risks  and  failures  into  which  unrestricted  progress! veness  is  BO  fre- 
quently led. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1885,  Dr.  Isham  was  married  to  Miss  Lida  M.  Johnson, 
who  was  born  March  23,  1864,  and  was  one  of  the  first  native  white  children  of 
Boise  valley.  Her  father,  Peter  Johnson,  was  captain  of  one  hundred  teams  of 
settlers  that  came  from  Missouri  to  Idaho  and  Oregon  in  the  early  days.  To 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Isham  have  been  born  four  children:  .Mary;  Elsie,  the  wife  of  Alex 
Alexander  and  the  mother  of  a  son,  Albert;  Helen,  the  wife  of  Henry  Quast,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  in  Caldwell,  and  they  have  one  son,  Henry,  Jr.;  and 
Alberta,  who  is  with  the  Idaho  Power  Company  of  Boise. 

Dr.  Isham  is  a  well  known  representative  of  fraternal  interests,  in  which  he 
is  very  active.  He  has  been  master  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Masonry  and  has  been  a 
member  of  Boise  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  the  Knights  Templar  Commandery  and  the 
Mystic  Shrine  for  nineteen  years.  He  has  held  every  office  in  the  local  organiza- 
tion of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  at  present  grand  high  priest  of  the  Grand  Encampment. 
There  was  a  time  when  Dr.  Isham  knew  every  man  who  came  to  Caldwell  and  he 
is  perhaps  the  best  informed  man  on  the  early  history  of  the  city  now  living  in 
the  state.  When  he  arrived  here  there  were  no  irrigation  systems  and  he  recalls 
that  when  driving  to  Boise  in  the  spring  of  1884  there  was  but  very  few  houses 
between  the  two  points,  the  country  having  the  appearance  of  an  undeveloped 
desert.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Caldwell  Building  &  Loan  Association  for  seven 
years,  during  which  time  they  built  one  hundred  and  seventeen  houses,  thus  con- 
tributing much  to  the  growth  and  benefit  of  the  city.  He  served  as  mayor  of 
Caldwell  in  1900,  was  president  of  the  city  council  in  1902  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  council  for  three  terms.  He  also  served  on  the  school  board  for  two  years. 
He  has  had  charge  of  many  Fourth  of  July  celebrations  and  other  public  events  in 
the  city  and  no  project  for  the  benefit  and  welfare  of  Caldwell  has  sought  his  aid 
in  vain  and  on  many  occasions  he  has  been  a  leading  spirit  in  such  activities.  He 
has  recently  been  a  heavy  contributor  to  all  war  charities  and  a  supporter  of  the 
Liberty  loan  drives,  doing  everything  in  his  power  throughout  the  period  of  the 
war  to  maintain  the  strength  of  the  government  and  the  support  of  the  soldiers  in 
the  field.  He  was  also  a  government  four  minute  speaker. 


WILLIAM  MCMILLAN. 
i 

William  McMillan,  of  Burley,  thoroughly  understanding  every  phase  of  flour 
manufacture,  is  therefore  well  qualified  to  fill  the  important  position  of  manager 
of  the  Burley  Flour  Mills.  He  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  January  6,  1885, 
a  son  of  William  and  Agnes  (Newton)  McMillan.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed 
in  his  native  state  and  there  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  Start- 
ing out  in  the  business  world,  he  was  employed  by  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad 
in  connection  with  the  freight  department,  remaining  with  that  corporation  for 
twelve  years. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1911,  Mr.  McMillan  became  connected  with  the  Husler 
Flour  Mills  and  was  associated  with  that  firm  until  May  15,  1917,  as  bookkeeper. 


556  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  then  came  to  Burley,  Idaho,  where  he  was  appointed  manager  of  the  Burley 
Flour  Mills.  His  previous  experience  well  qualified  him  to  take  up  the  duties  of 
this  position.  He  thoroughly  understands  every  phase  of  the  work,  so  that  he  is 
able  to  direct  the  labors  of  those  employed  under  him.  The  mill  is  yet  one  of  the 
new  industries  of  the  town  and  is  continually  growing.  The  enterprise  now  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  Burley  Flour  Mills  was  originally  the  Burley  Mill 
&  Elevator  Company  and  in  1911  was  purchased  by  the  Colorado  Mill  &  Elevator 
Company  of  Denver,  Colorado.  At  the  Burley  establishment  they  employ  twenty 
people  throughout  the  year  and  their  pay  roll  amounts  to  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  business  had  its  beginning  in  a  warehouse.  In  1911  an  elevator  was  built 
and  in  1917  the  mill  was  erected.  It  is  one  of  the  modern  mills  of  this  section 
of  the  country,  with  a  daily  capacity  of  four  hundred  barrels.  The  mill  is  so 
constructed  that  the  capacity  can  be  doubled  on  short  notice.  The  flour  manu- 
factured is  of  splendid  quality  and  finds  a  ready  sale  on  the  market.  Their  brand, 
Sunny  Valley,  is  well  known  throughout  Idaho  and  southern  states.  They  also 
operate  elevators  at  Declo,  Cotterel,  Idahome,  Churchill  and  Oakley,  having  a  total 
storage  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  bushels.  Mr.  McMillan  has 
been  connected  with  the  Colorado  Mill  &  Elevator  Company  since  1911  and  became 
manager  of  the  Burley  plant  in  1917. 

In  June,  1908,  Mr.  McMillan  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Crane,  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  John  T.  and  Eliza  (Brown)  Crane.  They  now 
have  two  daughters,  Lucile  and  Margaret.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  McMillan  is 
a  republican  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but 
does  not  seek  nor  desire  office.  His  attention  is  concentrated  upon  his  business 
affairs  and  his  industry  and  persistency  of  purpose  are  the  basic  elements  that  are 
bringing  to  him  success  in  his  business  career. 


JOHN    BLYTH. 

The  home  ranch  of  John  Blyth  is  situated  on  the  border  line  between  Utah  and 
Idaho,  while  his  postoffice  is  at  Yost,  Utah.  This  does  not  include  the  extent  of  his 
property  holdings,  however,  for  he  is  the  owner  of  three  excellent  ranch  properties, 
together  with  a  fine  hotel  property  at  Burley.  All  this  he  has  acquired  through  his 
individual  effort,  for  he  started  out  in  life  empty-handed  and  is  truly  a  self-made  man, 
his  prosperity  coming  to  him  as  the  direct  outcome  and  reward  of  e.arnest,  persistent 
labor.  Mr.  Blyth  is  of  Scotch  birth,  the  place  of  his  nativity  being  Redden  in  the 
county  of  Roxburgh,  Scotland.  He  was  born  April  21,  1853,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Ann  (Smith)  Blyth.  He  became  a  sheep  herder  in  his  native  country.  In  1880,  when 
a  young  man  of  about  twenty-seven  years,  he  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 
new  world  and  arrived  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  on  the  1st  of  March.  He  at  once 
made  his  way  across  the  country  to  Oakley,  Idaho.  He  had  come  to  the  United  States 
to  enter  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Scott  and  Welsh,  for  whom  he  herded  sheep  out  of 
Oakley  for  a  year.  Later  he  was  employed  as  a  sheep  herder  by  Charles'  Parks  on 
Cassia  creek  and  continued  with  him  for  four  years.  He  was  afterward  with  Rees 
Howell,  of  Kelton,  Utah,  and  they  formed  a  partnership  in  sheep  raising  that  was 
continued  for  two  years.  Later  Mr.  Blyth  began  operating  independently  and  has 
become  recognized  as  one  of  the  prominent  sheepmen  of  the  state,  running  as  high  as 
eighteen  thousand  head.  At  the  present  time,  however,  he  maintains  but  two  small 
bands,  for  his  labors  in  the  interim  have  brought  to  him  substantial  prosperity  and 
he  does  not  care  to  bind  himself  quite  so  tightly  to  his  business  as  he  did  in  former 
years.  He  purchased  his  ranch  and  homestead  from  a  squatter,  securing  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land,  and  to  his  place  he  has  added  all  modern  equipments  and 
improvements  and  now  has  one  of  the  excellent  ranch  properties  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  During  the  year  1915  he  purchased  the  National  Hotel  of  Burley,  has  built  an 
addition  thereto  and  now  has  a  fine  hotel  and  bank  building,  the  hotel  containing 
eighty-two  rooms.  He  also  has  a  ranch  near  Standrod,  on  the  boundary  line  between 
Idaho  and  Utah,  and  another  tract  of  land  southwest  of  his  present  home,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Thus  he  has  acquired  three  excellent  ranch  properties 
and  his  hotel  property  Nand  has  won  a  place  among  the  capitalists  of  this  section  of 
the  state. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Blyth  has  been  a  republican  since  becoming  a  naturalized 


JOHN  BLYTH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  559 

American  citizen.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  high  and 
honorable  principles  have  actuated  him  at  every  point  in  his  career,  making  him  a 
man  whom  to  know  is  to  esteem  and  honor.  He  has  ever  been  straightforward  in  his 
dealings  and  his  methods  have  at  all  times  been  such  as  would  bear  the  closest  investi- 
gation and  scrutiny. 


E.  W.   JOHNSON. 

E.  W.  Johnson,  deputy  county  treasurer  of  Madison  county  and  a  resident  of 
Rexburg,  was  born  in  Logan,  Utah,  April  8,  1875,  his  parents  being  John  J.  and 
Eva  C.  (Larson)  Johnson,  who  were  natives  of  Denmark.  The  father  came  to 
America  in  his  boyhood  and  located  at  Logan,  Utah.  He  later  took  up  merchandis- 
ing and  in  early  life  also  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some 
time.  He  finally  filed  on  land  in  1888.  His  claim  was  in  what  was  then  Bannock 
county  and  which  by  subsequent  divisions  afterward  became  Bingham,  then  Fre- 
mont and  finally  Madison  county.  This  land  he  improved  and  continued  to  culti- 
vate throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  August,  1902.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  filled  a  mission 
to  Denmark  from  1884  until  1886.  He  was  also  bishop  of  Burton  ward,  near 
Rexburg.  His  widow  survives  and  still  makes  her  home  in  Rexburg. 

E.  W.  Johnson  was  reared  and  educated  in  Logan,  Utah,  and  in  Madison 
county,  Idaho,  being  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  when  his  parents  removed  to  this 
state.  He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
his  father  gave  him  a  part  of  the  old  homestead,  which  Mr.  Johnson  has  since 
farmed  and  further  improved  and  developed.  He  still  lives  upon  the  place  and 
has  made  it  an  excellent  farm  property.  He  devotes  his  land  to  general  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  he  has  in  addition  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he 
leases  from  the  state  and  which  he  uses  for  pasture  purposes.  His  farm  is 
pleasantly  and  conveniently  situated  three  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Rexburg. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1897,  Mrx  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Lillie  M. 
Machen  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  May,  Harold, 
Cora  and  Grace.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  Mr.  Johnson  filled  a  two  years'  mission,  from 
1904  to  1906,  to  the  northwestern  states.  He  has  also  been  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  and  ward  clerk.  His  political  faith  is  that  of  the 
republican  party  and  in  1912  he  was  appointed  deputy  assessor  of  Fremont  county, 
in  which  position  he  served  for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  appointed  by  Mr. 
Randall  deputy  county  treasurer  of  Fremont  county.  Upon  the  division  of  the 
county  he  was  made  deputy  treasurer  of  Madison  county  under  Mr.  Randall  and 
has  since  occupied  that  position. 


CHARLES  V.  GENOWAY,  M.   D. 

Dr.  Charles  V.  Genoway,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  October  27,  1863,  a  son  of  Daniel  C.  and  Ruth  (MacGuire)  Genoway. 
The  father  accompanied  his  parents  from  Kentucky  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  during 
the  early  '40s  and  there  learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
a  number  of  years  but  during  the  latter  part  of  his  active  business  life  gave  his 
attention  to  farming.  Subsequently  he  lived  retired  in  Pierre,  South  Dakota.  His 
wife,  a  native  of  Ohio,  died  in  1866,  leaving  two  sons,  Charles  V.  and  Elmer,  the 
latter  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

The  elder  son,  but  two  years  of  age  at  his  mother's  death,  was  reared  by  his 
paternal  grandmother,  with  whom  he  continued  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen,  obtaining  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  suburbs  of  Cincin- 
nati. As  a  youth  he  had  decided  upon  a  professional  career,  but  not  having  the 
means  with  which  to  pursue  a  college  course,  he  resorted  to  teaching  in  order 
to  supply  the  necessary  funds,  becoming  principal  of  a  school  when  but  twenty 
years  of  age.  At  length  his  earnings  made  it  possible  or  him  to  enroll  as  a  student 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  Cincinnati  University,  in  which  he  completed 


560  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

his  course  with  the  graduating  class  of  1888.  He  afterward  spent  a  year  in  post- 
graduate work  in  the  Cincinnati  Hospital,  subsequent  to  which  time  he  entered 
upon  the  general  practice  of  medicine  in  Cincinnati  but  after  a  year  removed  to 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  until  1892.  The  opportunities  of  the 
northwest  then  proved  to  him  an  irresistible  lure  and  he  became  a  resident  of 
Wallace,  Idaho,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  for 
eight  years.  Ever  desirous  of  promoting  his  knowledge  and  thus  increasing  his 
efficiency  in  practice,  he  then  went  abroad  for  post-graduate  work  in  Vienna  and 
Paris,  returning  to  his  native  land  in  1902.  In  that  year  he  opened  an  office  in 
Spokane,  Washington,  where  he  resided  until  1908  and  during  that  period  was  for 
three  years  health  officer  of  the  city  and  was  also  instrumental  in  securing  the 
passage  of  the  dairy  laws  of  -the  state.  In  1908  he  started  upon  an  extended  tour 
around  the  world,  visiting  numerous  foreign  countries,  including  China,  Japan 
and  other  points  in  Asia,  while  in  Europe  he  studied  methods  of  various  eminent 
physicians  and  surgeons  connected  with  leading  hospitals.  In  London  he  pursued 
a  four  months'  post-graduate  course  and  following  his  return  to  the  United  States 
devoted  an  equal  period  to  post-graduate  work  in  Bellevue  Hospital  of  New  York 
and  a  short  time  to  further  study  in  St.  Vincent's  Hospital.  For  a  brief  period  he 
resided  in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  in  May,  1912,  opened  an  office  in  Boise.  His 
practice  has  become  extensive  and  important  and  he  has  largely  specialized  in 
electro-therapeutic  and  X-ray  work.  Conscientious  in  the  performance  of  all  of 
his  professional  duties  and  most  careful  in  his  diagnosis,  his  labors  have  gained 
him  recognition  from  his  colleagues  and  from  the  public  at  large  as  one  of  the 
ablest  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Boise.  He  belongs  to  the  Idaho  State  Medical 
Society,  has  for  nineteen  years  been  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  belongs  also  to  the  Physicians  and  Surgeons  Club  of  Boise. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  1909,  at  Spokane,  Dr.  Genoway  was  married  to  Miss 
Helen  Curran,  a  native  of  Montana,  where  her  parents  settled  in  pioneer  times. 
Their  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and  Dr.  Genoway  is  con- 
nected with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Wallace,  where  he  served 
as  exalted  ruler  for  three  years.  All  outside  interests,  however,  are  made  sub- 
servient to  his  professional  duties,  as  he  has  ever  shown  marked  recognition  of  the 
heavy  obligations  and  responsibilities  that  devolve  upon  the  physician  and  surgeon. 


HERMAN  J.   HASBROUCK. 

Herman  J.  Hasbrouck  is  now  living  retired  at  Idaho  Falls  but  for  many  years 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  and  won  rank  with  the  eminent  attor- 
neys of  the  Idaho  bar.  He  now  resides  at  No.  311  North  Placer  avenue  in  Idaho 
Falls  and  almost  the  width  of  the  continent  separates  him  from  the  place  of  his 
birth,  for  he  is  a  native  of  Highland,  New  York.  He  was  born  in  July,  1862,  of 
the  marriage  of  Jacob  D.  and  Rowena  C.  (Deyo)  Hasbrouck  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  Empire  state.  The  father  was  a  miller  in  New  York,  but  at  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  put  aside  all  business  and  personal  considerations  and  served  for  three 
years  as  captain  of  a  company  of  New  York  infantry,  which  company  hfe  organized. 
He  was  wounded  on  the  battlefield  but  recovered  and  after  the  war  made  his  way 
west  to  Iowa,  settling  at  Humiston.  There  he  founded  the  Home  Bank  and  was 
president  thereof  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  January, 
1904,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  February,  1916. 

Herman  J.  Hasbrouck  was  reared  at  Humiston,  Iowa,  and  supplemented  his 
public  school  education  by  study  in  Parsons  College  at  Fairfield,  Iowa,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1887.  He  then  went  to  Minden,  Nebraska,  where  he  studied 
law,  and  later  he  entered  the  State  University  at  Iowa  City.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Nebraska  in  1889  and  practiced  at  Alliance,  that  state,  for  a  short 
time.  In  1890  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls  and  continued  in  active  practice  until 
1915,  when  he  put  aside  the  work  of  the  profession,  having  in  the  meantime 
enjoyed  a  large  and  representative  clientage.  He  now  derives  a  good  income  from 
two  valuable  farm  properties  which  he  owns  in  Bonneville  county  and  also  from 
two  business  blocks  of  the  city. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1893,  Mr.  Hasbrouck  was  married  to  Miss  Willa  St.  Clair, 
a  sister  of  Clency  St.  Clair,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  561 

Hasbrouck  now  have  three  children.  Helen  R.  was  graduated  from  the  Wellesley 
College  in  1918.  Clency  H.  enlisted  in  May,  1917,  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant 
and  went  overseas  with  the  Three  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Field  Artillery  of  the 
Ninety-first  Division  in  July,  1918.  He  was  mustered  out  in  May,  1919,  after 
having  been  with  the  army  of  occupation  in  Germany.  He  is  now  attending  Cor- 
nell College.  Eltinge  is  a  high  school  student  at  Pasadena,  California. 

Mr.  Hasbrouck  has  always  been  an  earnest  republican  in  his  political  views 
and  has  been  somewhat  active  in  party  ranks.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council  of  Idaho  Falls  from  1894  until  1896  inclusive  and  represented  Bonne- 
ville  county  in  the  tenth  session  of  the  Idaho  senate.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  his  religious  faith  is  indicated 
in  his  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Having  won  substantial  success 
in  his  professional  career,  he  is  now  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest  and  spends  the 
winter  months  in  California's  sunny  clime. 


GEORGE    R.    EZELL. 

George  R.  Ezell,  deputy  sheriff  of  Bingham  county  and  a  resident  of  Black- 
foot,  was  born  in  Princeton,  Kentucky,  October  24,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  James  W. 
and  Mary  F.  (White)  Ezell,  who  were  natives  of  Texas  and  Kentucky  respectively. 
The  father  devoted  his  life  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  in  early  life  went  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  purchased  land,  which  he  owned  and  cultivated  until  1886. 
That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  at 
Malad,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing  in  connection  with  his  brother  for  three 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Kentucky,  where  he  again  followed  farming  for  six 
years,  specializing  in  the  production  of  tobacco.  Finally  he  returned  to  Malad  and 
there  engaged  in  sheep  raising  in  connection  with  D.  W.  Stanrod  for  a  period  of 
four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Blackfoot  and  pur- 
chased the  ranch  of  Judge  Stevens  five  miles  southwest  of  the  town,  comprising 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  then  bent  his  energies  to  the  further  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  that  property  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death 
occurring  December  1,  1918,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-eighf  years. 
His  wife  survives  and  is  now  living  in  Blackfoot  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 

George  R.  Ezell  spent  his  youth  in  Princeton,  Kentucky,  and  at  Malad,  Idaho, 
as  his  parents  removed  from  one  state  to  the  other.  He  continued  with  his  father 
to  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  when  he  accepted  a  position  at  the  State  Insane 
Asylum  at  Blackfoot  and  was  there  employed  for  seven  years,  acting  as  farm  boss. 
For  two  years  he  was  head  warden  and  had  charge  of  the  violent  ward  under 
Dr.  John  W.  Givens.  For  eighteen  months  he  acted  as  engineer  and  electrician 
under  Dr.  Hoover.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  plumbing  business  at 
Pocatello,  where  he  continued  for  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went 
upon  a  ranch  owned  by  Mr.  Capps,  spending  two  years  in  managing  that  property. 
He  next  began  pumping  water  for  the  railroad  company  and  after  a  year  and  a 
half  spent  in  that  connection  he  became  a  brakeman  on  the  Oregon  Shore  Line 
Railroad.  A  year  later  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Brown-Eldredge  Furniture 
Company  at  Blackfoot,  with  which  he  remained  for  four  years,  and  later  he  spent 
a  year  with  the  Pearson  Grocery  Company.  In  September,  1911,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff  and  has  since  served  in  that  connection,  discharging  his  duties  in  a 
prompt,  fearless  and  efficient  manner. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  1898,  Mr.  Ezell  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  I.  Jackson 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Guy  W.,  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
enlisted  in  1917  in  the  United  States  army  and  served  on  the  Texas  border  with 
Troop  L,  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Cavalry,  until  the  spring  of  1919,  when  he 
reenlisted  in  Motor  Truck  Company,  No.  20,  his  term  of  service  to  continue  until 
April,  1920.  He  is  now  stationed  at  Brownsville,  Texas.  Lilly  E.  died  June  1, 
1914,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  The  others  are:  Nancy  Lee,  who  is  sixteen  years 
of  age;  Fanny  May,  aged  thirteen;  Robert  J.,  eight;  and  two  children  who  died 
in  infancy. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Ezell  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  with  the  Royal  Neighbors  and  on  the  1st  of  December,  1919,  was  elected 
manager  for  a  three  years'  term.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  repub- 
voi.  n— se 


562  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

lican  party,  which  finds  in  him  a  stalwart  champion,  and  his  religious  faith  is 
that  of  the  Baptist  church.  In  the  community  in  which  he  resides  he  is  spoken 
of  in  terms  of  regard  and  respect  by  reason  of  a  well  spent  life. 


WALTER   F.   FORBES. 

Walter  F.  Forbes  is  the  manager  of  the  Farmers  Equity  at  Buhl,  handling 
grain,  feed,  live  stock,  hay  and  hogs  and  also  bee  supplies,  as  well  as  the  products 
of  the  J.  I.  Case  Manufacturing  Company.  He  was  born  in  Bath,  England,  and  in 
1909  came  to  Buhl,  since  which  time  he  has  been  identified  with  the  interests  and 
upbuilding  of  this  section  of  Idaho.  He  filed  on  a  ranch  northwest  of  the  town, 
securing  forty  acres  which  he  developed  and  improved,  residing  thereon  for  eight 
years.  In  1917  he  took  charge  of  the  business  of  the  Farmers  Equity  of  Buhl,  all 
of  the  stock  being  owned  by  the  farmers  of  Buhl  and  vicinity.  The  business  was 
established  in  a  small  way  in  1911  and  the  company  now  has  a  large  warehouse 
and  elevator.  The  president  of  the  company  is  Gustav  Kunze,  with  Albert  Winters, 
a  farmer  living  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  town,  as  the  secretary.  Mr. 
Forbes  is  the  general  manager  and  under  his  direction  the  business  is  steadily 
increasing  and  is  proving  a  valuable  element  to  the  farmers  of  the  community 
in  placing  their  products  upon  the  market  and  securing  for  them  good  prices. 


JUDGE  GEORGE  CHAPIN. 

Judge  George  Chapin,  who  for  many  years  was  a  well  known  figure  in  newspaper 
circles  in  Idaho,  making  his  home  at  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  in 
1840.  His  parents  were  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  The  father  was  a  soap  manufac- 
turer of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  there  remained  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death.  The  mother  afterward  came  west  with  her  son  George  and  passed  away  in 
Idaho,  after  living  upon  a  ranch  in  this  state  for  several  years. 

George  Chapin  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  York  city  and  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  and  after  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  served  as  bookkeeper  for  his  father  in 
connection  with  the  soap  manufacturing  business  until  1863.  Attracted  by  the  oppor- 
tunities of  the  growing  west,  he  then  came  to  Idaho,  settling  in  Owyhee  county,  where 
he  filed  on  land  and  also  purchased  property,  becoming  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  all  of  which  he  brought  under  cultivation.  The  county  seat  was  then  Silver 
City  and  he  was  distant  therefrom  three  hundred  miles.  He  improved  his  ranch  in 
splendid  manner  and  had  the  best  water  rights  of  the  district.  He  continued  the 
further  development  and  cultivation  of  his  place  until  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho 
Falls.  While  living  upon  the  ranch  he  had  become  an  active  factor  in  public  affairs 
of  the  community  and  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature.  It  was  through  his  efforts 
that  the  county  was  divided  and  the  section  in  which  Mr.  Chapin  resided  was  called 
Cassia  county,  while  Albion  was  made  the  county  seat.  Upon  his  removing  to  Idaho 
Falls,  Mr.  Chapin  turned  his  attention  to  newspaper  interests  and  continued  the  publi- 
cation of  his  paper  for  a  decade.  He  then  sold  and  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Bonne- 
ville  county,  which  office  he  filled  for  two  years.  He  was  always  a  very  active  and 
prominent  factor  in  local  politics  and  gave  stalwart  support  to  the  democratic  party. 
He  erected  a  building  in  Idaho  Falls  which  he  occupied  as  the  printing  office  of  the 
Idaho  Falls  Times  and  he  became  the  owner  of  valuable  property  and  invested  interests 
which  enabled  him  to  leave  his  family  in  very  comfortable  financial  circumstances. 

On  the  26th  of  February,  1861,  Judge  Chapin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Del- 
phine  Henion,  who  was  born  in  New  York  city,  February  26,  1842,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Cornelia  (Fisher)  Henion,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  The  father 
was  a  harbor  master  in  New  York  and  resided  in  Brooklyn  throughout  his  entire  life, 
as  did  his  wife.  To  Judge  and  Mrs.  Chapin  were  born  three  children.  Charles,  who 
was  a  civil  engineer  and  talented  violinist,  died  January  19,  1912,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years.  Cornelia  is  the  wife  of  A.  R.  Hutten,  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
Clarence  is  a  rancher  living  one  mile  from  Idaho  Falls  on  property  that  was  given  him 
by  his  father. 

With  the  development  of  the  west  George  Chapin  was  actively  identified.     In  early 


JUDGE  GEORGE  CHAPIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  565 

days  he  formed  a  company  and  scoured  the  country  to  keep  the  Indians  from  running 
the  white  settlers  out  of  the  district.  He  was  closely  associated  with  the  pioneer  devel- 
opment of  the  community  and  experienced  many  of  the  hardships,  privations  and  trials 
incident  to  frontier  life  but  contributed  in  marked  measure  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
region  as  the  years  passed.  He  died  very  suddenly,  after  an  extremely  brief  illness,  in 
February,  1917,  when  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  His  political  allegiance  had  always 
been  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while  his  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  served  as  a  trustee.  In  these  associations  were  found  the  rules 
which  governed  his  conduct  and  shaped  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen.  He  pos- 
sessed many  sterling  traits  of  character  which  endeared  him  to  those  who  knew  him 
and  caused  his  memory  to  be  revered  and  cherished  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


HENRY  A.   McCORNICK. 

Henry  A.  McCornick  represents  important  financial  interests  in  Twin  Falls, 
Idaho,  as  vice  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  &  Trust  Company.  In  this  posi- 
tion he  has  done  much  towards  promoting  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city 
by  making  the  institution  with  which  he  is  connected  a  really  first  class  banking 
enterprise.  He  was  born  in  Austin,  Nevada,  May  1,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
S.  and  Johannah  (Keogh)  McCornick.  In  1873  the  family  removed  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah,  where  the  son  received  his  primary  education.  He  also  attended  the 
University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1890  and  previous  to  this  time  went  to 
Europe,  being  a  student  in  colleges  in  both  Paris  and  Dresden  for  some  years. 

On  the  completion  of  his  education  Mr.  McCornick  resided  in  Salt  Lake  City 
for  a  time  but  in  1895  became  a  resident  of  Custer,  Idaho,  where  he  was  connected 
with  mining  operations  for  seven  years.  He  was  then  assistant  cashier  of  the  Mc- 
Cornick &  Company  Bank  at  Salt  Lake  City  until  1910,  at  which  time  he  entered 
upon  his  present  duties  as  vice  president  of  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  &  Trust  Com- 
pany. The  firm  of  McCornick  &  Company  had  organized  this  bank  as  a  private 
institution  in  1905  but  In  1909  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Twin  Falls  Bank  & 
Trust  Company.  The  success  of  the  institution  is  largely  due  to  the  initiative  and 
executive  ability  of  Mr.  McCornick,  who  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  its  inter- 
ests, although  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  has  other  property 
in  the  city  of  Twin  Falls  as  well  as  in  the  county. 


MARTIN  O.  LUTHER. 

Almost  the  width  of  the  continent  separates  Martin  O.  Luther,  of  Payette, 
from  the  place  of  his  birth,  for  he  is  a  native  son  of  New  York,  his  natal  day 
being  March  8,  1876.  His  grandparents  in  the  paternal  line  were  both  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  New  York,  his  grandfather,  Isaac  Luther,  becoming  a  captain 
in  the  War  of  1812  and  participating  in  the  battle  of  Sackett's  Harbor.  The  powder 
horn  which  he  carried  during  that  war  is  now  in  possession  of  George  I.  Luther, 
a  brother  of  Martin  O.  His  father,  A.  S.  Luther,  was  born  in  Watertown,  New 
York,  in  1834  and  is  now  living  at  Payette.  He  married  Amanda  Thum,  also  a 
native  of  Watertown,  and  she,  too,  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  They 
are  both  enjoying  good  health  and  on  the  5th  of  July,  1919,  occurred  the  sixty- 
third  anniversary  of  their  marriage.  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  o'f 
whom  are  living;  Mrs.  Hattie  L.  Ackerman,  of  New  Plymouth,  Idaho;  Marion  M., 
who  is  keeping  house  for  her  parents;  George  L.  and  Herbert  S.,  residents  of 
Watertown,  New  York;  Mrs.  Ada  C.  Duke,  living  at  Albany,  New  York;  and  Martin 
O.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named,  spending  his  youthful  days  in  New  York,  attended  the 
common  schools  and  afterward  entered  college  but  owing  to  illness  was  unable 
to  complete  his  course.  He  afterward  pursued  a  business  course  and  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  left  school.  Later  he  spent  four  years  as  a  bookkeeper  and  in 
1899  he  came  to  Payette,  Idaho,  where  in  a  short  time  he  was  appointed  to  the 
office  of  deputy  assessor  for  Canyon  county,  the  county  seat  being  Caldwell.  This 


566  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

position  he  held  for  a  year  and  a  half  and  then  went  to  Boise,  where  he  taught 
bookkeeping  and  stenography  at  Ways  Business  School  for  three  years.  On  ac- 
count of  the  illness  of  his  mother  he  returned  to  the  east  but  after  three  years 
again  came  to  Payette,  Idaho,  arriving  the  second  time  in  1907.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  city  clerk  and  police  judge  and  in  1918  he 
was  appointed  probate  judge.  His  leisure  time  is  devoted  to  the  study  of  law  and 
he  expects  to  be  admitted  to  the  bar  within  the  next  two  years  and  will  then 
engage  in  law  practice.  He  is  naturally  of  a  studious  nature  and  is  the  possessor 
of  one  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in  the  state,  containing  about  twelve  hun- 
dred volumes.  He  is  particularly  fond  of  natural  history  and  especially  ot  orni- 
thology and  has  read  broadly  along  those  lines. 

In  1917  Mr.  Luther  was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  B.  Waterman,  a  native  of 
Kansas.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  always  been  a  great 
admirer  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  whose  example  in  many  ways  has  stimulated  his 
own  activity.  Mr.  Luther  is  a  most  affable  and  genial  young  man  who  at  all  times 
commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  who  know  him,  and  his  circle 
of  friends  constantly  broadens  as  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance  increases. 


REILLY    ATKINSON. 

Reilly  Atkinson,  president  of  the  firm  of  Reilly  Atkinson  &  Company,  mer- 
chandise brokers  of  Boise,  is  a  native  of  Michigan.  He  was  the  fourth  in  a  family 
of  seven  children,  six  sons  and  a  daughter,  born  to  John  and  Lida  (Lyons)  Atkin- 
son, the  place  of  his  nativity  being  Detroit  and  his  natal  day  the  7th  of  August, 
1880.  His  father  was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  bar,  practicing  for  a  number  of  years  in  Detroit,  where  he  was  also 
numbered  among  the  lawmakers  of  the  state,  representing  his  district  in  the  gen- 
eral assembly.  He  died  in  1898,  just  two  days  after  the  return  of  his  son  Reilly 
from  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
having  served  for  three  years  in  different  Michigan  regiments.  He  had  joined 
the  army  as  a  lieutenant  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  serving  with  the  rank 
of  lieutenant  colonel.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  reached  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  He  was  of  Irish  descent,  his  parents  having  removed  from  the  Emer- 
ald isle  to  become  residents  of  Ontario,  Canada.  The  wife  of  Colonel  John  Atkin- 
son bore  the  maiden  name  of  Lida  Lyons  and  was  born  in  San  Antonio,  Texas, 
the  daughter  of  a  surgeon  of  the  Confederate  army  who  served  with  the  rank  of 
major.  It  was  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  that  Colonel  Atkinson  was  sent  to 
San  Antonio  with  his  regiment  and  there  he  met  Lida  Lyons.  Notwithstanding 
the  difference  of  opinion  between  her  father  and  Colonel  Atkinson,  he  was  suc- 
cessful in  winning  her  hand  in  marriage.  She  still  survives  her  husband  and  yet 
makes  her  home  in  Detroit.  Among  her  ancestors  were  those  who  aided  in  the 
struggle  for  independence. 

Reilly  Atkinson  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  of  seven  children  who  resides 
in  Idaho.  He  was  reared  in  Detroit  and  in  the  pursuit  of  his  education  attended 
the  Detroit  College,  also  Fordham  College,  New  York,  and  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan. In  the  latter  institution  he  pursued  a  law  course,  winning  the  Bachelor 
of  Laws  degree  upon  graduation  with  the  class  of  1901.  He  has  never  engaged 
in  practice,  however.  Following  the  termination  of  his  university  course  he 
spent  five  years  in  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  in  mining.  In  January,  1906,  he 
came  to  Boise  and  for  six  years  was  the  efficient  secretary  of  the  Commercial 
Club.  In  1912  he  purchased  the  merchandise  brokerage  business  of  Harry  K. 
Fritchman  and  at  once  incorporated  his  interests  under  the  name  of  Reilly  Atkin- 
son &  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  president.  This  is  the  oldest  merchandise 
brokerage  business  in  Boise  and  the  trade  is  one  of  extensive  and  gratifying 
proportions. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1907,  Mr.  Atkinson  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Cleveland  Hawley,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Governor  James  H.  Hawley,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Elizabeth  Lida,  Reilly,  Jr.,  and  Hawley,  aged  respectively  nine, 
seven  and  three  years. 

Mr.  Atkinson's  military  record  is  an  interesting  one,  for  he  served  as  a 
private  second  and  first  lieutenant  of  Company  L  of  the  Thirty-third  Michigan 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  567 

Regiment  during  the  Spanish-American  war,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Santiago 
under  General  Shafter  and  in  other  military  movements  which  led  up  to  the  final 
victory  that  crowned  the  American  arms.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church  and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  also  to  the  Country 
Club  and  his  dominant  characteristics  are  such  as  make  for  personal  popularity 
in  the  community  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


GEORGE    CUTHBERT. 

George  Cuthbert,  who  for  the  last  five  years  has  been  deputy  sheriff  of  Jeffer- 
son county  with  residence  in  Rigby,  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  August  21. 
1871,  the  son  of  John  A.  and  Georgiana  (Thompson)  Cuthbert.  The  father  came 
originally  from  Illinois,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of  England. 

It  was  when  the  western  frontier  was  being  broken  by  ttoe  sturdy,  ambitious 
pioneers  of  the  middle  west,  that  immigrant  trains  were  being  made  up  of  families 
gathered  together  to  start  to  that  yet  unbroken  territory  beyond  the  plains  to 
make  a  home,  regardless  of  the  hardships  of  travel  and  of  living  that  awaited  them. 
On  one  of  these  immigrant  trains  as  it  made  its  way  westward,  destined  for  the 
wilds  of  Utah,  John  A.  Cuthbert,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born. 
On  arriving  in  Utah,  the  Cuthbert  family  set  to  work  with  courage  and  diligence 
to  till  the  soil  and  establish  a  home.  It  was  amid  these  surroundings  that  John  A. 
Cuthbert  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  the  scant  schooling  afforded  at  that  time  in 
that  section,  giving  the  greater  part  of  his  time,  however,  to  farming.  He  remained 
in  Utah  until  1884,  when,  wishing  to  be  independent,  he  came  to  Idaho,  where  he 
took  up  a  homestead  three  and  one-half  miles  from  Rigby  in  what  was  Bingham 
but  is  now  Jefferson  county.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  here  working  to 
improve  his  holding  in  true  pioneer  spirit.  He  died  in  May,  1910,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one  years.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Georgiana  Cuthbert  occurred  in  the  summer 
of  1875  when  her  son  George  was  four  years  of  age. 

Until  George  Cuthbert  was  twenty-six  years  of  age  he  remained  on  the  home 
place  near  Rigby,  having  received  his  early  education  and  training  partly  in  Salt 
Lake  City  and  partly  in  Jefferson  county,  Idaho.  While  helping  to  manage  his 
father's  farm,  he  gained  the  knowledge  and  practical  experience  which  proved  to 
be  of  great  benefit  to  him  when  he  started  out  for  himself.  Having  already  received 
a  part  of  the  old  homestead  as  his  share  of  the  estate,  he  leased  a  neighboring  farm 
in  1897  and  on  these  two  tracts  he  carried  on  agricultural  operations  until  1914. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  by  successful  management  he  had  been  able  to  add  to 
his  holding  a  dry  farm  which  he  now  leases. 

Mr.  Cuthbert's  interests  do  not  lie  wholly  in  farming,  for  he  gave  up  in  part 
his  agricultural  operations  in  1914  to  go  into  the  sheriff's  office  as  deputy,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  since  served  the  citizens  of  Jefferson  county  to  their  entire  satis- 
faction. Previous  to  his  elevation  to  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff,  he  had  served 
Jefferson  county  as  constable  for  six  years  and  the  citizens  of  Rigby  as  city  marshal 
for  fourteen  months. 

On  February  2,  1897,  Mr.  Cuthbert  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice  Tout.  They 
have  no  children.  Both  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  giving  it  their  active  support.  Mr.  Cuthbert  is  a  democrat,  and  the  interest 
which  he  and  his  wife  take  in  the  welfare  of  their  town  places  them  among  the 
community's  most  valued  citizens. 


SCHREIBER    &     SIDENFADEN. 

The  firm  of  Schreiber  &  Sidenfaden,  funeral  directors  and  embalmers,  is  well 
known  in  southern  Idaho,  for  their  establishment  in  Boise  is  one  of  the  most  mod- 
ern and  scientifically  conducted  in  the  state.  They  have  a  splendid  chapel  with 
large  seating  capacity  and  their  equipment  in  every  particular  is  up-to-date.  Wil- 
liam Sidenfaden  has  been  in  Boise  for  twelve  years  as  a  member  of  the  firm.  He 
came  to  this  city  from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  1906  and  purchased  the  interest  of 


568  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Edward  Brennan  in  the  undertaking  firm  of  Schreiber  &  Brennan.  He  is  a  native 
of  Missouri. 

Adolph  F.  Schreiber  arrived  in  Boise  from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  1891.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  now  been 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Boise.  The  present  building  of  the  firm 
at  Nos.  609  to  611  Bannock  street  was  erected  in  1909.  It  is  a  two-story  brick  struc- 
ture, fifty  by  one  hundred  feet,  thoroughly  equipped  for  the  purpose  used.  Today 
theirs  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  undertaking  establishments  of  southern 
Idaho,  the  business  having  been  established  by  Mr.  Schreiber  in  1901.  They  were 
the  first  firm  in  the  state  to  own  an  ambulance  and  they  have  ever  stood  for  all  that 
is  most  progressive  in  relation  to  the  business. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1894,  Mr.  Schreiber  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Mc- 
Mahon,  who  was  born  in  Silver  City,  Idaho,  January  8,  1873,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  John  McMahon,  who  was  a  very  prominent  citizen  and  pioneer  of  Silver  City. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schreiber  have  two  children,  Josephine  and  Elizabeth  Louise.  The 
religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Schreiber  is 
connected  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  several  other  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  like- 
wise connected  with  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  gives  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  republican  party.  He  has  served  for  several  terms  as  coroner  of  Ada  county, 
making  an  excellent  record  in  office. 

Mr.  Sidenfaden  also  is  married  and  has  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. He,  too,  is  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  his 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party. 


PRANK  RIBLETT. 

The  experiences  which  have  come  to  Frank  Riblett  in  the  course  of  an  active  life 
have  been  broad  and  varied.  He  is  now  filling  the  position  of  United  States  commis- 
sioner at  Malta,  Cassia  county,  and  he  has  been  identified  with  the  work  of  shaping 
the  legislation  of  Idaho  as  well  as  contributing  to  the  material  development  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Pekin,  Illinois,  December  24,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  H. 
and  Diana  (Fisher)  Riblett.  He  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  left  Illinois  in 
company  with  his  parents,  who  removed  to  Keokuk,  Iowa.  Later  the  family  home 
was  established  in  Clark  county,  Missouri,  and  in  April,  1875,  Frank  Riblett  went  to 
Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he  remained  for  a  brief  period.  He  afterward  traveled 
to  Soda  Springs,  Idaho,  making  the  trip  with  ox  teams.  He  taught  the  first  school 
at  Soda  Springs  and  also  worked  for  ranchers  in  that  section.  Later  he  went  to 
Dry  creek,  southwest  of  Burley,  where  lived  his  uncle  Jeremiah,  and  his  next  removal 
took  him  to  the  Marsh  basin,  where  the  town  of  Albion  now  stands.  He  also  taught 
the  first  public  school  there,  when  it  still  formed  a  part  of  Owyhee  county,  and  later 
he  purchased  a  ranch  where  Oakley  is  seen  today.  That  was  the  year  of  the  Bannock 
Indian  war.  There  is  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  with  all  of  its  attendant  hardships,  pri- 
vations, opportunities  and  privileges  with  which  Mr.  Riblett  is  not  familiar.  He  has 
studied  the  Indian  at  close  range,  knows  his  methods  of  warfare  and  his  habits  in 
times  of  peace,  and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  lived  to  witness  the  wonderful 
changes  which  have  occurred  as  the  seeds  of  civilization  have  been  planted  upon  the 
western  frontier.  He  continued  to  develop  and  improve  his  ranch  at  Oakley  until  the 
spring  of  1880  and  in  1878  he  carried  the  mail  for  a  short  time.  In  1879  Cassia 
county  was  struck  off  from  Owyhee  county  and  Mr.  Riblett  was  appointed  county  sur- 
veyor of  Cassia  county  and  his  duties  in  that  connection  brought  him  wide  familiarity 
with  the  country,  its  conditions,  its  topography  and  its  opportunities. 

In  January,  1881,  he  made  the  first  location  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Mini- 
doka  Reclamation  project  and  during  that  year  ran  a  number  of  lines  and  discovered 
its  possibilities  as  a  gravity  proposition.  Years  later  it  was  taken  up  by  the  United 
States  government  and  developed  as  existing  today.  Mr.  Riblett  was  chairman  of  the 
first  organization  of  water  users.  In  1887,  on  his1  own  initiative,  he  made  the  first 
preliminary  survey  for  a  canal  from  Snake  river  to  irrigate  the  territory  lying  on  the 
south  -side  below  the  American  Falls.  The  report  of  this  survey  was  widely  quoted  by 
Governor  Stevenson  and  others,  including  Delegate  Fred  T.  Dubois  in  a  speech 


FRANK  RIBLETT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  571 

in  congress  leading  to  surveys  and  investigations  by  the  government  soon  afterward, 
and  resulted  in  the  development  of  the  lower  Snake  river  valley.  Mr.  Riblett  also 
discovered  and  made  a  location  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Twin  Falls-Salmon  River 
Carey  Act  project  in  1892-3,  many  years  before  it  was  taken  up  by  any  company  for 
active  development.  With  his  keen  foresight  he  saw  the  advisability  of  starting  these 
projects  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  they  were  put  in  execution. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1898,  Mr.  Riblett  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops 
for  the  Spanish-American  war,  joining  Company  C  of  the  First  Idaho  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, with  which  he  served  until  September  25,  1899,  his  regiment  being  with  the  First 
Division,  Eighth  Army  Corps.  After  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Albion.  He  had 
been  elected  to  the  office  of  county  surveyor  in  the  fall  of  1898,  while  he  was  absent 
in  Manila — a  fact  indicative  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
their  appreciation  of  his  ability.  Mr.  Riblett  has  been  kept  almost  continuously  in 
public  office.  In  1902  he  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  legislative  session 
of  1903  and  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  state  water  commis- 
sioner and  occupied  that  office  until  the  spring  of  1907.  In  1908  he  was  again  elected 
to  the  state  legislature  to  serve  through  the  following  year  and  in  1911  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  commissioner,  taking  the  office  in  June,  1913,  since  which  time 
he  has  served  continuously  in  this  position,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharges  with 
marked  promptness,  capability  and  fidelity.  He  also  operates  his  ranch  near  Hurley 
and  another  near  Declo,  having  secured  forty  acres  near  Burley  that  is  now  within 
the  corporation  limits  of  the  town.  He  has  taken  a  prominent  part  under  Judge 
Hawley  in  some  of  the  largest  water  suits  of  Idaho  and  there  is  no  man  more  familiar 
with  irrigation  conditions  and  interests  in  this  state  than  Mr.  Riblett.  He  is  a 
certified  engineer  and  a  member  of  the  American  Association  of  Engineers. 

Long  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  republican  party,  he  served  for  eight  years  as  chair- 
man of  the  republican  central  committee  of  Cassia  county  and  his  opinions  carry 
weight  in  party  councils  and  his  cooperation  is  sought  by  prominent  republican  leaders 
of  Idaho.  He  has  a  very  wide  acquaintance  in  this  state,  has  served  the  public  well  in 
all  positions  to  which  he  has  been  called  and  over  the  record  of  his  official  career 
there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  His  fidelity  and  progressiveness 
in  citizenship  and  his  sterling  personal  worth  have  made  for  popularity  wherever  he 
is  known.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
with  the  Masons  and  is  a  loyal  follower  of  the  teachings  of  these  organizations.  Dur- 
ing the  World  war  he  took  a  very  active  part  in  Red  Cross,  Liberty  Loan  and  other 
war  work,  to  which  he  contributed  liberally  of  his  means. 


LORENZO   Y.   RIGBY. 

Lorenzo  Y.  Rigby,  postmaster  of  Rezburg,  was  born  at  Newton,  Cache  county, 
Utah,  January  7,  1878,  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Ann  (Yates)  Rigby,  who  were 
natives  of  England.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1856  and  crossed  the  plains 
with  ox  teams  to  Utah,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1879, 
when  he  settled  in  Beaver  canyon,  where  is  now  the  town  of  Spencer.  There  he 
operated  a  sawmill  and  supplied  timber  for  ties  and  bridges  for  the  construction 
of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  to  Butte,  Montana.  He  operated  his  lumber  mill 
until  1884,  when  he  came  to  Rexburg,  Idaho,  settling  in  what  was  then  Bingham 
county  but  is  now  Madison  county.  He  filed  on  land  near  Rexburg  and  in  connec- 
tion with  Thomas  E.  Ricks  laid  out* the  town  of  Rexburg  in  1883.  He  continued 
the  work  of  developing  and  improving  his  farm  property,  devoting  his  remaining 
days  to  its  cultivation  and  making  it  an  excellent  farm.  He  also  filed  on  a  timber 
claim,  secured  title  thereto  and  then  converted  it  into  the  Rigby  addition  to  Rex- 
burg. Not  only  did  he  take  active  part  in  advancing  the  material  development  of 
his  section  of  the  state  but  also  figured  prominently  in  political  circles  and  in  1898 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  in  which  he  served  for  a  term,  during  which 
time  he  was  instrumental  in  influencing  the  Oregon  Short  Line  to  build  a  branch 
road  through  Rexburg.  He  was  also  a  very  prominent  representative  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  was  first  counselor  to  Thomas  E. 
Ricks.  He  filled  a  mission  in  Europe  for  two  years  and  did  everything  in  his  power 
to  promote  the  work  of  the  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  he  passed  away  in  March, 


572  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

1901,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife,  who  came  to  America  in  1864,  died 
in  December,  1917. 

Lorenzo  Y.  Rigby  was  reared  and  educated  in  Madison  county,  Idaho,  then 
Bingham  county,  having  been  but  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents  settled  in  this 
state.  He  completed  his  education  in  what  is  now  Ricks  Academy,  then  called  the 
Bannock  Stake  Academy,  his  father  having  been  one  of  the  founders  of  that  school. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  majority  and  then  filled  a  three 
years'  mission  in  the  Netherlands.  Upon  his  return  he  purchased  school  land  two 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Rexburg  and  at  once  began  to  improve  and  develop 
the  property,  which  he  converted  into  rich  and  productive  fields.  He  also  bought 
grain  until  the  1st  of  April,  1914,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Rexburg 
by  President  Wilson  and  to  the  office  was  reappointed  in  September,  1918.  He  is 
still  active  in  business  life,  being  vice  president  of  the  United  Mercantile  Company 
of  Rexburg  and  a  director  of  the  Rexburg  Home  Builders.  He  likewise  owns  his 
farm  of  forty-five  acres. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1903,  Mr.  Rigby  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Jane 
Holman  and  they  have  become  parents  of  a  daughter,  Emma,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 11,  1904,  and  is  attending  high  school.  Politically  Mr.  Rigby  is  a  democrat 
and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
He  has  been  connected  with  the  Quorum  of  Seventy,  has  held  stake  offices  and  is  a 
worker  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  has  likewise  filled  secular  offices,  serving  for  two 
years  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  he  represented  Idaho  at  Brussels,  Bel- 
gium, at  the  international  congress  for  the  relief  of  the  deaf  and  blind.  He  has 
thus  made  his  life  one  of  usefulness  to  his  fellowmen  and  of  service  to  the  state 
as  well  as  a  benefit  to  his  family  in  providing  for  them  those  things  which  make 
for  material,  social,  intellectual  and  moral  progress. 


MRS.    ZINA   HANSEN   POOLE. 

The  annals  of  the  past  are  full  of  the  achievements  of  men  but  history  had 
to  wait  until  the  earlier  years  of  the  twentieth  century  to  record  the  initial  en- 
trance of  woman  into  her  broadened  sphere -of  usefulness,  and  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  her  sex  who  are  convincing  the  world  of  the  superior  gifts  of  their  kind  is  Mrs. 
Zina  Hansen  Poole,  the  clerk  and  recorder  of  Jefferson  county,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Rigby.  Mrs.  Poole  was  born  in  Teton,  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  May  16,  1892,  a 
daughter  of  Nels  P.  and  Rhoda  A.  (Shelton)  Hansen,  both  of  whom  are  natives 
of  the  state  of  Utah,  the  father  having  been  born  in  Brigham  City  and  the  mother 
in  Mendon. 

In  1886  when  this  part  of  Idaho  was  still  a  new  country,  Nels  P.  Hansen  brought 
his  family  northward  and  located  in  Fremont  county,  where  he  engaged  in  dairying, 
in  connection  with  which  he  operated  a  cheese  factory  until  1902.  In  the  year  pre- 
vious, he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Fremont  county  and  served  his  term  of  two  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  farming  and  engaged  in  the  same  until  1906.  In  that 
year  his  neighbors  recalled  him  to  public  service  in  the  capacity  of  county  as- 
sessor and  he  served  them  efficiently  and  well  for  two  years  with  the  able  assistance 
of  his  daughter  Edith,  who  was  his  deputy  and  who,  when  her  father's  term  of 
office  had  expired,  remained  in  the  service  of  the  county  for  five  years  longer  as  a 
deputy  to  the  clerk  and  recorder.  After  Mr.  Hansen  had  completed  the  term  of  .his 
last  public  trust,  he  returned  to  farming  in  which  he  engaged  after  his  removal 
to  Rexburg,  this  state,  until  1917.  In  that  year  he  left  this  state  to  locate  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  where  he  and  his  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Poole,  now  reside.  Mr.  Han- 
sen is  now  vice  president  of  the  West-Rideout  Brokerage  Company,  which  is  carry- 
ing on  a  flourishing  business  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Zina  Hansen  Poole  grew  to  womanhood  in  Fremont  county  and  there  received 
her  elementary  education  in  the  public  schools.  Early  in  her  career  she  recog- 
nized the  need  of  advanced  training  and  after  she  had  completed  her  preparatory 
course  in  the  high  school  she  entered  Ricks  College,  from  which  she  graduated  in 
1911.  During  her  college  career,  she  took  a  prominent  part  in  school  activities, 
editing  for  two  years  the  college  newspaper,  called  the  Student  Rays,  and  playing 
basket  ball  on  the  girls'  college  team  which  held  the  championship  of  southeastern 
Idaho.  While  a  student  in  Ricks,  Mrs.  Poole  was  a-  member  of  the  college  quartet, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  573 

a  musical  organization  which  appeared  before  audiences  in  all  parts  of  the  state 
for  two  or  three  years,  and  on  the  occasion  of  Governor  James  H.  Hawley's  inaugural 
ball  the  quartet  was  invited  to  sing  at  that  important  function. 

After  the  completion  of  her  college  course,  Mrs.  Poole  entered  the  office  of  the 
Utah  Power  &  Light  Company  at  Rexburg,  Idaho,  where  she  remained  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  she  began  working  in  the  office  of  the  recorder  of 
Fremont  county,  gaining  much  experience  which  has  proved  to  be  of  great  value  to 
her  subsequently.  When  Jefferson  county  was  organized  in  1913,  her  previous 
training  recommended  her  for  the  office  of  deputy  clerk  and  recorder,  to  which  she 
was  duly  appointed.  Under  three  different  auditors  Mrs.  Poole  served  in  this  ca- 
pacity until  the  autumn  of  1918,  when  the  citizens  of  the  county,  convinced  of  her 
superior  ability  as  shown  in  her  performance  of  the  duties,  elected  her  clerk  and 
recorder,  in  which  office  she  is  now  serving. 

It  was  on  April  16,  1918,  that  Zina  Hansen  was  married  to  Lewis  W.  Poole. 
In  May  of  the  previous  year  Mr.  Poole  had  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  navy  and  was  mustered  out  in  New  York  in  January,  1919,  after  six  months 
spent  overseas.  For  several  years  prior  to  his  enlistment,  he  was  connected  with 
J.  C.  Peney  &  Company  which  operates  a  chain  of  stores,  and  after  his  return  to 
civilian  life  he  resumed  his  connection  with  that  firm.  He  also  has  agricultural 
interests  in  Jefferson  county,  being  the  owner  of  a  well  improved  farm  which  lies 
five  miles  north  of  Rigby. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poole  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  at  Rigby,  giving  its  furtherance  their  unstinted  support,  the  former  hav- 
ing served  this  denomination  in  mission  work  in  the  southern  states  for  three 
years.  Both  the  husband  and  wife  are  stanch  republicans. 


D.    ROLLA    HARRIS. 

D.  Rolla  Harris,  who  is  filling  the  position  of  postmaster  at  Sugar,  was  born 
in  Pleasant  Grove,  Utah,  November  23,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  George  H.  A.  and 
Sarah  (Loader)  Harris,  the  latter  now  living  in  Rexburg.  Extended  mention 
of  the  father  is  made  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  George  H.  B.  Harris  on 
another  page  of  this  work. 

At  the  place  of  his  nativity  D.  Rolla  Harris  was  reared,  remaining  at  home 
to  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he  began  working  in  a  sawmill  in  Montana.  He 
was  thus  employed  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five,  when  he  turned  his 
attention  to  general  merchandising  at  Salem,  Idaho,  where  he  conducted  his  store 
for  eighteen  years  and  then  sold  the  business  to  his  brother.  Subsequently  he 
drove  a  rural  mail  route  out  of  Rexburg  for  eighteen  months  and  on  the  22d  of 
February,  1917,  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Sugar  and  has  since  occupied  that 
position.  This  was  not  his  original  experience  as  postmaster,  for  he  had  filled 
the  same  office  at  Salem,  where  he  had  also 'served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
addition  to  his  official  duties  he  has  farming  interests  in  Madison  county,  includ- 
ing fifty  acres  of  irrigated  land  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  dry  land  which 
he  homesteaded.  He  also  owns  several  residences  at  Sugar,  from  which  he  de- 
rives a  substantial  annual  rental. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1895,  Mr.  Harris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eupheraia 
Lutz,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  Reeves  R.,  who  was  born  January  18,  1896,  and  If 
now  cashier  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  at  Arco,  Idaho.  The  wife  and 
mother  passed  away  September  26,  1896,  after  a  short  illness,  and  on  the  9th  of 
June,  1897,  Mr.  Harris  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Sarah  Bell. 
To  them  have  been  born  nine  children,  as  follows:  Vesta,  who  was  born  April  21, 
1898,  and  died  the  following  day;  Euphemia,  whose  birth  occurred  May  12,  1900, 
and  who  is  a  postoffice  clerk;  Myrthan,  whose  natal  day  was  September  6,  1901, 
and  who  passed  away  December  31,  1910;  Alice,  who  was  born  August  16,  1906; 
Olive,  born  October  26,  1907;  Maude,  born  July  26,  1909;  Lowell,  born  October 
9,  1911;  Martell,  born  September  24,  1914;  and  one  unnamed,  who  was  born  on 
the  6th  of  December,  1918,  and  died  the  same  month. 

Politically  Mr.  Harris  is  connected  with  the  democratic  party  and  his  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  high  council  of  the  Fremont  stake  and  has  filled  three  missions  covering 


574  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

seven  years.  He  spent  twenty-eight  months  in  England,  from  the  23d  of  February, 
1903,  until  June  24,  1905,  and  from  the  15th  of  June,  1897,  until  May  24,  1899, 
filled  a  mission  in  the  northwestern  states,  while  his  labors  in  the  eastern  states 
extended  from  the  4th  of  March,  1912,  to  the  24th  of  December,  1913.  He  has 
held  various  other  offices  in  the  church,  including  that  of  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school,  teacher  and  choir  leader. 

Mr.  Harris  dates  his  connection  with  Madison  county  from  July  27,  1883, 
when  he  arrived  in  this  district  as  a  youth  of  fourteen  years.  He  thus  early  became 
familiar  with  frontier  life,  with  its  varied  experiences  and  its  attendant  hardships 
and  privations.  He  has  lived  to  witness  remarkable  changes  as  the  years  have 
gone  by  and  at  all  times  he  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  general  develop- 
ment and  improvement. 


GEORGE  HOWARD  FISHER. 

George  Howard  Fisher,  member  of  the  Idaho  industrial  accident  board  through  ap- 
pointment of  Governor  Davis,  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  democratic  appointee 
of  the  present  administration.  He  was  first  called  to  the  office  by  Governor  Moses  Alex- 
ander in  the  fall  of  1917  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  board,  January  1,  1918,  he 
was  made  its  first  chairman.  In  January,  1919,  his  name  was  sent  by  Governor  Davis, 
the  republican  incumbent,  to  the  state  senate  for  confirmation  for  a  four  years'  term. 
No  higher  testimonial  of  fidelity  and  efficiency  could  be  given. 

Mr.  Fisher  is  a  native  of  Richmond,  Utah.  He  was  born  December  5,  1872,  and 
belongs  to  one  of  the  old  Mormon  families  of  that  state,  his  father,  William  F.  Fisher, 
being  a  man  of  note  in  both  Utah  and  Idaho.  He  is  still  living,  making  his  home  at 
Oxford,  Idaho,  and  is  now  an  octogenarian.  He  was  born  in  Woolwich,  England,  No- 
vember 16,  1839,  and  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  in  company 
with  his  parents,  Thomas  F.  and  Jane  (Christen)  Fisher.  The  grandparents  were  con- 
verts to  the  Mormon  faith  and  crossed  the  plains  in  the  year  1854  to  Bountiful,  Davis 
county,  Utah,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days.  In  England  the  grandfather  had 
been  a  shipbuilder.  William  F.  Fisher,  the  father,  lived  in  Utah  until  1877  and  since 
that  date  has  made  his  home  in  Idaho.  At  different  periods  he  has  followed  merchan- 
dising and  stock  raising  and  is  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  pony  express  riders  of 
Russell,  Majors  &  Wad<iell.  He  carried  the  new?  concerning  the  first  election  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  in  1860  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Rush  valley,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles, 
in  four  hours  and  ten  minutes,  making  the  trip  on  horseback.  He  also  rode  from  Ruby 
Station,  Nevada,  to  Salt  Lake  City  on  horseback,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  in 
thirty-six  hours,  using  a  relay  of  seven  horses.  The  last  horse  he  used  was  called  Buck- 
ing Bolly  and  covered  the  last  seventy-five  miles  in  six  hours.  The  object  of  this  rapid 
riding  was  to  bring  the  news  of  an  Indian  outbreak  and  have  the  United  States  govern- 
ment send  troops.  The  government  responded  with  two  companies  of  dragoons,  under 
Lieutenants  Weed  and  Perkins,  from  Camp  Floyd,  Utah.  The  mother  of  George  H. 
Fisher  prior  to  her  marriage  bore  the  name  of  Millennium  Andrews.  She  is  still  living 
and  is  yet  hale  and  hearty.  She  is  six  years  the  junior  of  her  husband.  She  reared  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  George  H.  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  and  seven 
of  the  family  survive.  Mrs.  Fisher  was  born  in  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  August  31,  1845,  a 
daughter  of  Milo  Andrews,  a  famous  character  in  Utah  in  his  day.  He  was  a  contractor 
and  railroad  builder  and  a  very  prominent  churchman  who  served  for  eleven  years  on 
missions  for  the  church  in  foreign  lands.  He  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
speakers  of  his  day. 

George  H.  Fisher  has  lived  in  Idaho  since  1877,  at  which  time  he  was  five  years  of 
age.  With  the  removal  of  the  family  to  this  state  they  settled  at  Oxford,  then  Oneida 
county  but  now  Bannock  county,  and  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  near  his 
father's  home,  in  the  Brigham  Young  College  and  the  Utah  Agricultural  College.  As  a 
boy  he  rode  the  range  and  worked  upon  the  farm.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  in  the  civil  engineering  depart- 
ment and  was  one  of  the  engineers  who  constructed  the  line  of  railroad  through  Bear 
river  canyon  on  the  Idaho  and  Utah  state  line  in  1890.  He  shook  hands  with  a  com- 
panion through  the  first  hole  blown  through  the  tunnel  as  the  excavation  was  carried 
to  the  middle.  For  several  years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  after  reaching  the 
age  of  twenty. 


GEORGE  H.   FISHER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  577 

Mr.  Fisher  was  married  September  20,  1893,  in  the  famous  Mormon  Temple  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  to  Miss  Laura  Lewis,  who  was  also  born  in  Richmond,  Utah.  She  is  a  lady 
of  refinement  and  charming  personality.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  her 
native  city  and  also  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College,  later  devoting  a  number  of 
years  to  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Idaho.  She  also  has  taken  a  prominent  and 
active  part  in  woman's  work,  both  in  church  and  secular  circles.  For  several  years 
she  served  as  president  of  The  Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Association,  of 
Bannock  and  Idaho  stakes,  from  which  work  she  reluctantly  resigned  upon  removing 
to  Boise.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Fisher  spent  three  years  on  a  mission  for  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  the  Hawaiian  islands,  his  wife  being  with  him 
through  almost  the  entire  period.  He  learned  the  Hawaiian  language  thoroughly  and 
still  speaks  it  fluently.  During  that  time  he  spent  six  days  on  Molokai  island,  on 
which  is  located  the  Hawaiian  leper  colony,  then  numbering  eleven  hundred  lepers.  In 
1896  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  it  was  subsequent  to  this  time  that  he  taught 
school  and  attended  the  Utah  Agricultural  College. 

In  the  fall  of  1898  Mr.  Fisher  was  elected  to  represent  Bannock  county  in  the 
Idaho- legislature,  being  the  youngest  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  with  one 
exception.  Later  he  was  for  several  years  a  traveling  salesman  and  accountant.  In 
1906  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Bancroft,  Idaho,  and  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising 
there  in  1907  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fisher  &  Alley.  This  mercantile  business  con- 
tinued until  recently.  The  business  was  first  conducted  under  the  name  of  Fisher  & 
Titus  and  later  became  Fisher  &  Alley,  the  latter  partner  being  George  Alley,  Mr.  Fish- 
er's son-in-law.  Other  business  interests  also  claim  the  attention  of  Mr.  Fisher,  who 
since  taking  up  his  abode  in  Bancroft  in  1906  has  been  identified  with  building  opera- 
tions there.  He  took  the  initiative  in  the  building  of  one  of  the  best  amusement  halls 
of  the  state,  erected  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  It  now  belongs  to  Idaho 
stake  and  is  used  as  a  Mormon  tabernacle  and  assembly  hall.  It  was  completed  in  1912 
and  Mr.  Fisher  was  in  charge  of  the  construction.  He  also  assisted  in  erecting  the 
beautiful  Mormon  church  in  Bancroft  and  he  served  as  bishop  of  Bancroft  ward  from 
August  11,  1907,  until  December  30,  1917,  when  he  was  honorably  released  to  accept  an 
appointment  as  a  state  official.  He  still  makes  his  home  in  Bancroft,  where  he  owns  a 
most  commodious  and  beautiful  residence.  Mr.  Fisher  was  personally  acquainted  with 
the  late  Joseph  F.  Smith,  president  of  the  Mormon  church,  and  had  many  interviews 
with  him  in  both  the  English  and  Hawaiian  language,  President  Smith  having  learned 
that  language  during  the  time  that  he,  too,  served  as  a  missionary  there  in  his  younger 
days.  Mr.  Fisher  entertained  President  Smith  in  his  own  home  in  Bancroft. 

In  addition  to  his  service  as  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  the 
Idaho  legislature,  Mr.  Fisher  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  Bannock  county  in 
1910  and  served  for  one  term,  also  during  the  extraordinary  session  of  1913,  called  by 
Governor  James  H.  Hawley.  In  1912  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  democratic  national  con- 
vention held  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  which  nominated  Woodrow  Wilson  for  the  presi- 
dency for  the  first  time.  In  1917  Mr.  Fisher  was  appointed  by  Governor  Alexander  a 
member  of  the  Idaho  industrial  accident  board  and  was  at  once  made  its  chairman,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  until  April  17,  1919.  His  appointment  by  a  republican  gov- 
ernor being  indeed  a  well  merited  tribute  to  his  efficiency  and  fidelity  to  the  interests 
of  the  office.  During  the  legislative  session  of  1917,  and  preceding  his  appointment  as 
a  member  of  the  industrial  accident  board,  Mr.  Fisher  became  the  recognized  leader  of 
the  opposition  forces  contesting  the  proposed  division  of  Bannock  county,  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  personal  efforts,  as  well  as  his  able  management,  that  the  measure 
was  defeated,  despite  the  fact  that  it  received  the  support  of  every  member  of  the  house 
and  senate  from  Bannock  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  are  the  parents  of  but  one  child,  Henrietta,  who  on  the  24th 
of  May,  1911,  became  the  wife  of  George  Alley,  who  became  her  father's  partner  in 
business.  They  have  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  Phyllis,  George,  Stephen 
and  Robert.  In  addition  to  his  connection  with  commercial  interests  at  Bancroft, 
Mr.  Alley  is  also  the  postmaster  there,  having  served  in  that  capacity  for  several  years. 
Such  in  brief  is  the  life  history  of  George  H.  Fisher,  whose  record  has  been  one 
of  untiring  activity,  bringing  him  wide  experience.  Following  his  reappointment  to 
his  present  position  as  member  of  the  state  industrial  accident  board,  one  of  the  Idaho 
papers  said  of  him:  "When  he  was  appointed  a  year  ago  this  month  and  after  taking 
office,  many  interests  were  at  work  trying  to  persuade  him  to  follow  their  particular 
whims  and  fancies.  He  refused  to  be  swerved  from  his  path  of  duty,  holding  his  posi- 
tion was  ministerial  and  not  law-making,  and  firmly  stood  for  administration  of  the  law 

Vol.  II— ST 


578  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  was  sworn  to  enforce,  stating  that  when  he  lacked  information  as  to  what  the  law 
means  he  would  be  guided  by  the  state's  legal  counsel,  the  attorney  general.  His  stand 
was  exonerated  by  the  recent  decision  of  Judge  Charles  P.  McCarthy  in  the  Aetna  man- 
damus case."  This  is  characteristic  of  George  H.  Fisher,  who  is  at  all  times  fair  and 
impartial,  loyal  to  any  interest  entrusted  to  his  care  and  maintaining  a  high  sense  of 
justice  and  political  integrity. 


O.  E.  BOSSEN. 

O.  E.  Bossen,  Payette  county's  first  assessor  and  a  successful  and  enterprising 
business  man,  now  connected  with  banking  interests  as  president  of  the  Fruitland 
State  Bank,  was  born  in  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  December  31,  1876.  His  father 
Henry  Bossen,  was  a  native  of  Denmark  and,  coming  to  America  in  1853,  settled 
in  Iowa,  where  he  followed  farming  until  his  death.  He  wedded  Mary  Bacon, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  who  is  now  residing  in  the  state  of  Washington. 

O.  E.  Bossen  obtained  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Jewell  county, 
Kansas,  which  he  attended  to  the  age  of  twenty  years.  The  following  year  he 
married  Miss  Oddessa  Delp,  of  Kansas,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of-  a 
daughter,  Winifred,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Lewiston  State  Normal.  Imme- 
diately following  his  marriage  Mr.  Bossen  removed  with  his  bride  to  North  Da- 
kota and  homesteaded  near  Bismarck,  there  carrying  on  farming  until  1912,  in 
which  year  he  came  to  Idaho  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  fruit  and 
poultry  at  Fruitland,  Payette  county,  where  he  still  has  fifteen  acres  planted  to 
apples.  He  has  not  only  proven  a  capable  and  resourceful  business  man,  but  his 
loyalty  and  fidelity  in  citizenship  have  been  widely  recognized  and  have  led  to 
his  selection  for  important  local  offices.  While  in  North  Dakota  he  served  for 
eight  years  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  McLean  county  and  in 
1917  was  deputy  assessor  of  Canyon  county,  Idaho.  With  the  organization  of 
Payette  county  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  assessor  and  in  1918  was  elected 
to  the  position,  so  that  he  is  the  first  incumbent  in  this  office.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  explain  to  those  who  have  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Bossen  that  he  is  proving 
an  excellent  official,  for  all  who  know  him  recognize  in  him  a  man  who  is  faith- 
ful to  every  trust  reposed  in  him. 

Not  only  has  Mr.  Bossen  made  an  excellent  record  as  a  public  official  but  also 
has  contributed  much  to  the  development  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  all  of  his  business  undertakings  and  is  concentrat- 
ing his  attention  in  large  measure  upon  the  further  promotion  of  his  horticultural 
interests,  while  at  the  same  time  he  is  a  successful  poultryman  and  in  Fruitland 
is  well  known  as  a  capable  banker  \vho  tempers  progressiveness  by  a  safe  con- 
servatism. 


JEREMIAH  W.  ROBINSON. 

Jeremiah  W.  Robinson,  auditor  and  accountant  and  secretary  of  the  Idaho 
State  Bankers  Association,  has  also  been  identified  with  municipal  interests  as 
mayor  of  Boise  and  as  public  official  and  business  man  has  contributed  in  no  small 
measure  to  the  development  and  progress  of  the  city.  He  was  born  upon  a  Ken- 
tucky farm,  twenty-five  miles  from  Owensboro,  Kentucky,  July  18,  1860,  the  third 
of  a  family  of  six  sons  whose  parents  were  George  H.  and  Caroline  L.  (Heard) 
Robinson,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  state,  the  former  born  in  1831  and  the 
latter  in  1834.  The  sons,  all  yet  living,  are:  Dr.  James  M.  Robinson,  a  physician 
of  Guthrie,  Kentucky;  John  A.,  a  farmer  residing  in  Oklahoma;  Jeremiah  W. ; 
Thomas  F.  and  Robert  Conrad,  twins,  the  former  a  practicing  physician  of  Oroville, 
Washington,  and  the  latter  a  farmer  of  Oklahoma;  and  Joseph  V.,  who  also  follows 
farming  in  Oklahoma.  The  parents  and  younger  sons  removed  from  Kentucky  to 
western  Kansas  in  1887  and  there  the  mother  passed  away  in  1888.  The  father 
spent  his  last  days  in  Oklahoma,  where  his  death  occurred  October  1,  1914.  In  the 
paternal  line  the  Robinsons  are  descended  from  an  old  family  of  South  Carolina, 
while  the  maternal  ancestry  is  traced  back  to  the  Calhoun  and  the  Morrow  families, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  579 

also  prominent  in  that  state,  and  among  the  ancestors  of  Jeremiah  W.  Robinson 
were  those  who  fought  for  American  independence  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Kentucky,  Jeremiah  W.  Robinson  was  reared 
and  after  mastering  the  branches  of  learning  taught  in  the  public  schools  he  con- 
tinued his  education  in  a  college  at  Carrollton,  Kentucky,  while  later  he  became 
a  student  in  the  National  Normal  School  of  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he  was  graduated 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  having  completed  a  scientific  course.  He  afterward 
devoted  several  years  to  teaching  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and  in  early  manhood 
made  his  way  westward  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  depart- 
ment store  for  a  year.  In  1885  he  proceeded  to  Elk  City,  Kansas,  and  later  to 
Syracuse  and  to  Richfield,  Kansas.  In  all  of  those  places  he  held  bank  positions, 
acting  as  cashier  of  a  bank  in  both  Syracuse  and  Richfield.  While  thus  engaged 
he  devoted  every  available  moment  to  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Kansas  in  1889.  In  1890  he  came  to  Boise,  where  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  law,  and  in  1891  he  was  appointed  chief  clerk  in  the  United  States 
assayer's  office  of  Boise,  in  which  position  he  continued  through  seventeen  consecu- 
tive years,  resigning  in  1908  to  become  cashier  of  the  Idaho  Trust  &  Savings  Bank. 
After  serving  in  that  position  for  three  years  he  temporarily  resumed  his  former 
position  in  the  assayer's  office  and  about  this  time  also  served  as  secretary  of  the 
loan  company.  He  had  become  widely  known  as  an  expert  accountant  and  was  on 
various  occasions  called  upon  to  disentangle  involved  accounts  in  various  offices. 
He  has  been  recalled  to  the  asseyer's  office  on  two  or  three  different  occasions  to 
audit  the  books  and  straighten  out  its  affairs.  As  expert  accountant  he  was  called 
to  the  office  of  the  state  treasurer  to  fix  up  affairs  there  which  were  in  a  tangle. 
That  was  in  1914  and  he  acted  as  deputy  state  treasurer  for  six  months.  In  the 
spring  of  1915  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Boise  and  remained  in  the  position  fourteen 
months,  in  which  time  he  brought  about  various  needed  reforms  and  improvements, 
cleaning  up  the  city  and  driving  out  the  saloons,  the  gambling  houses  and  the  slot 
machines.  He  also  closed  the  dives,  wiping  out  the  red  light  district,  and  cleaned 
up  the  city  generally,  his  administration  placing  Boise  in  the  front  rank  among 
ideally  governed  cities  and  with  those  who  hold  to  the  highest  civic  standards. 
The  course  which  he  pursued  brought  on  a  big  recall  fight  and  though  the  opposition 
won,  recalling  him  from  the  position,  he  had  all  of  the  better  element  of  the  city 
practically  with  him.  Since  1916  he  has  been  in  the  United  States  assayer's  and 
reclamation  office  in  auditing  and  accounting  work,  which  requires  most  of  his 
time  in  Boise. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1888,  Mr.  Robinson  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Cruson 
and  they  became  parents  of  three  children:  Rebekah;  Jeremiah  W.,  who  was  an 
electrician  with  the  Signal  Corps  on  active  duty  in  France;  and  Edith,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  W.  A.  Thompson,  of  Seattle,  Washington. 

In  politics  Mr.  Robinson  has  always  been  a  democrat  but  belongs  to  that  class 
who  hold  the  public  good  above  partisanship  and  the  general  welfare  before  personal 
aggrandizement.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  Masonry  in 
the  west.  He  has  taken  all  of  the  degrees  of  both  York  and  Scottish  Rites,  Including 
the  honorary  thirty-third  degree,  and  is  a  past  grand  master  of  the  state.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star  and  is  'a.  past  grand 
patron  in  Idaho.  His  life  is  an  exemplification  of  the  sterling  principles  upon  which 
the  order  is  founded  and  which  have  continued  it  as  the  strongest  of  the  fraternal 
organizations  of  the  world.  He  has  also  been  secretary  of  the  Idaho  State  Bankers 
Association  for  the  past  eight  years.  His  qualities  of  leadership  are  pronounced 
and  his  devotion  to  high  standards  is  uniformly  recognized. 


GUY  H.  SHEARER. 

Guy  H.  Shearer,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Filer,  was  born  at 
Cullom,  Illinois,  January  25,  1885,  his  parents  being  Lewis  and  Mary  J.  (Ray) 
Shearer.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of  the  place  of  his  nativity  he  con- 
tinued his  education  in  the  Grand  Prairie  Seminary  at  Onarga,  Illinois,  and  after- 
ward became  a  student  in  the  Chicago  Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1906.  He  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  secretary 
for  the  Chickering  Brothers  Piano  Company  of  Chicago  and  later  he  took  up  the 


580  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

practice  of  law  in  that  city,  in  which  he  continued  for  three  years.  In  1911  he 
arrived  in  Filer,  Idaho,  and  in  company  with  Elmer  B.  Haag,  an  old  friend,  he 
purchased  the  Filer  State  Bank,  which  was  reorganized  and  converted  into  the 
First  National  Bank  in  1917.  It  is  capitalized  for  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  has  a 
surplus  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  T.  E.  Moore  is  now  the  president  of  the  bank, 
with  Mr.  Shearer  as  cashier.  Under  their  direction  the  business  of  the  bank  has 
steadily  increased.  Their  conservative  methods  most  carefully  safeguard  the 
interests  of  depositors  and  at  the  same  time  they  manifest  a  progressiveness  that 
contributes  to  the  welfare  and  development  of  the  district  in  which  they  are  located. 
Mr.  Shearer  is  also  interested  in  farmlands  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1912,  Mr.  Shearer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Azalea  E.  Bolens,  a  native  of  Port  Washington,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of 
A.  D.  and  Julia  Bolens.  Mr.  Shearer  votes  with  the  republican  party,  which  he  has 
supported  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and -is  not  only 
faithful  concerning  the  teachings  of  these  organizations  as  to  the  brotherhood  of 
mankind  but  also  greatly  enjoys  the  social  life  of  the  orders  and  has  won  many 
stanch  friends  among  their  members. 


HON.  JOSEPH  B.  CONOVER. 

Hon.  Joseph  B.  Conover  passed  away  on  the  8th  of  May,  1919.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  member  of  the  house  of  represen- 
tatives in  the  Idaho  legislature  and  he  was  also  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  post 
in  which  he  had  membership,  for  he  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  in 
Mason  county,  Illinois,  September  28,  1844,  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Rebecca  (Hop- 
kins) Conover.  The  father  died  when  the  son  was  but  four  years  ofl  age  and  the 
mother  had  previously  passed  away  when  her  son  Joseph  was  but  nine  months  old. 
He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  have  now  passed 
away.  His  youthful  days  were  passed  in  Mason  county,  Illinois,  and  in  August,  1862, 
when  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid  in  maintain- 
ing the  Union  intact  and  became  a  corporal  of  Company  D,  Eighty-fifth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, with  which  he  served  until  July  19,  1864.  In  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek  on 
that  date  he  was  severely  wounded  by  a  Minie  ball  in  the  right  arm  which  necessitated 
its  amputation  near  the  shoulder  a  few  hours  later.  Upon  being  wounded  he  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  it  was  a  Confederate  surgeon  who  amputated  his 
arm.  He  was  then  taken  to  Atlanta  by  his  captors  and  finally  to  Andersonville 
prison.  On  the  20th  of  November,  1864,  he  was  paroled,  and  being  unfit  for  further 
military  duty,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  at  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
February  23,  1865.  He  not  only  participated  in  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek  but 
also  in  the  engagements  at  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Resaca,  Rome,  Dalton,  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  Chattahoochee  River  and  never  lost  a 
day's  service  from  illness  or  other  cause  until  wounded  and  never  was  in  a  guard- 
house. In  fact  his  was  an  exemplary  military  record,  characterized  by  the  utmost 
devotion  to  duty  and  by  marked  bravery  in  the  face  of  danger. 

After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Conover  returned  to  his  home  in  Mason  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  continued  to  reside  and  devote  his  attention  to  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing until  1913,  when  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Twin  Falls.  He  had  become  very 
successful  as  a  farmer  in  Illinois  and  had  acquired  large  land  holdings,  having  many 
hundred  acres  of  fine  land  in  Mason  county;  but  a  series  of  wet  seasons,  five  in  num- 
ber and  in  succession,  drowned  out  his  corn  crops  and  eventually  was  the  cause  of 
his  losing  his  land.  Not  only  did  this  occur  but  he  also  found  himself  twenty  thousand 
dollars  in  debt.  Not  disheartened  or  discouraged,  he  at  once  set  about  to  retrieve  his 
lost  fortune.  He  bought  back  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  his  former  possessions 
on  time;  better  seasons  and  good  crops  followed  and  he  paid  off  his  indebtedness 
in  full,  dollar  for  dollar.  Eventually  he  sold  this  farm  and  for  twenty-five  years  was 
a  partner  in  the  ownership  of  a  large  grain  elevator  at  Kilbourne,  Mason  county,  and 
still  acted  as  overseer  of  a  farm  comprising  thirty-six  hundred  acres  in  Mason  county 
for  fourteen  years.  After  his  removal  to  Twin  Falls  county,  Idaho,  he  acquired  exten- 
sive ranch  and  farm  interests  and  he  and  his  two  sons,  Marshall  O.  and  Howard, 
.  owned  together  over  five  hundred  acres  of  choice  irrigated  land  in  that  county.  One 


HON.  JOSEPH   B.  CONOVER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  583 

tract,  comprising  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  is  situated  eight  miles  from  Twin 
Falls  and  is  valued  at  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  while  the  remainder 
is  worth  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre. 

Mr.  Conover  resided  in  Twin  Falls,  where  shortly  prior  to  his  demise  he  completed 
an  eight  thousand  dollar  residence,  one  of  the  attractive  homes  of  the  city.  His  sons 
look  after  and  manage  the  ranches  and  the  sales  of  farm  products  in  1918  from  the 
Conover  ranches  amounted  to  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  They  raised 
nine  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  on  their  land.  Mr.  Conover  certainly  deserved  the 
success  which  came  to  him.  Notwithstanding  his  previous  losses,  he  again  gained  a 
place  among  the  substantial  business  men  of  his  section  of  the  country. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  1869,  Mr.  Conover  was  married  in  Mason  county,  Illi- 
nois, to  Miss  Charlotte  Cogeshall,  who  was  born  in  that  county.  They  had  but  two 
children,  the  two  sons  mentioned  above,  both  of  whom  are  married  and  are  recog- 
nized as  leading  and  valued  citizens  of  Twin  Falls  county. 

Mr.  Conover  long  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  in 
Illinois,  as  early  as  1869,  was  elected  county  treasurer  of  Mason  county  on  the  repub- 
lican ticket  in  a  democratic  stronghold  and  served  for  one  term.  In  the  fall  of  1918 
his  party  named  him  for  the  office  of  representative  in  the  Idaho  legislature,  where 
he  was  serving  when  death  called  him.  He  maintained  pleasant  relations  with  his 
old  army  comrades  through  his  membership  in  Dan  Cook  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Twin  Falls, 
of  which  he  served  as  commander.  His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  his  life  was  always  guided  by  its  teachings.  He  was  a  man  of  high  principles, 
of  genial  disposition,  of  social  nature  and  of  sterling  worth,  and  in  Twin  Falls  county, 
as  in  Illinois  where  he  so  long  made  his  home,  he  had  a  circle  of  friends  almost  coex- 
tensive with  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance. 


GEORGE   W.    OYLEAR. 

George  W.  Oylear,  filling  the  position  of  assessor  of  Canyon  county  and  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Caldwell,  has  long  been  identified  with  the  west  and  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  California  and  Idaho.  He  was  born 
in  Carson  valley,  California,  March  17,  1877,  his  father  being  Jonathan  C.  Oylear, 
who  was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  served  through- 
out the  entire  period  of  hostilities  with  Company  A  of  the  Sixth  Missouri  Cavalry, 
entering  the  service  as  a  private  and  being  discharged  as  a  first  sergeant,  his 
principal  duty  being  that  of  scouting.  After  the  war  he  established  his  home  near 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  for  ten  years,  and  then  went  to  California, 
living  there  for  about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  piloted  a  wagon 
train  of  settlers  from  California  to  Lewiston,  Idaho,  in  1878.  The  Indians  were 
then  very  hostile  and  many  of  the  trains  which  both  preceded  and  followed  him 
had  serious  trouble  with  the  red  men,  but  Mr.  Oylear  landed  his  train  without 
the  loss  of  a  man,  owing  to  his  ability  as  a  scout  and  his  knowledge  of  the  western 
country.  He  settled  with  his  family  on  Little  Potlatch  creek  about  twelve  miles 
southeast  of  Moscow,  where  he  homesteaded  and  where  he  died  in  February,  1919, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  wife  died  in  1897.  They  had  »  'amily  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  George  W.  is  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  Five  of  the  sons 
are  living,  while  the  parents  and  four  brothers  and  a  sister  have  passed  away. 
Those  who  survive  are:  S.  D.,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Lewiston,  Idaho;  J.  M., 
a  farmer  residing  at  Southwick,  Idaho;  Elmer  E.,  a  merchant  of  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington; and  M.  M.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  J.  C.  Penny  Company  at  Pendle- 
ton,  Oregon.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Oylear  married  again  and  the 
children  of  that  union  are:  Jesse  C.  who  farms  the  old  homestead;  Dora,  also  on 
the  home  farm;  and  Hazel,  who  is  connected  with  the  Williamson  Company  at 
Moscow.  In  the  early  days  of  the  residence  of  the  Oylear  family  in  Idaho  there 
were  no  mills  in  that  section  of  the  country  and  it  was  necessary  many  times  to 
grind  their  wheat  in  a  coffee  mill  in  order  to  obtain  flour.  The  father  assisted 
largely  in  the  development  of  Spokane,  Washington,  as  a  contractor  and  builder, 
for  it  was  by  following  that  pursuit  that  he  managed  to  support  his  family,  as 
the  land  was  all  wild  and  undeveloped  and  in  the  early  days  crops  could  not  be 
grown  successfully.  It  was  also  Mr.  Oylear  who  introduced  the  first  threshing 


584  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

machine,  mowing  machine  and  reaper  in  the  Moscow  country,  the  unusual  machines 
frightening  the  children  o£  the  neighborhood. 

George  W.  Oylear  entered  the  University  of  Moscow  in  1893,  pursuing  the 
regular  course,  but  on  account  of  the  death  of  his  mother  he  was  compelled  to 
leave  college  in  1897.  He  is  a  natural  musician  and  as  a  boy  began  playing  the 
violin  and  played  for  the  country  dances,  using  the  proceeds  to  pay  for  his  edu- 
cation. After  leaving  college  he  taught  school  until  1902,  when  he  became  cashier 
of  the  M.  A.  Means  Bank  at  Orofino,  at  the  same  time  acting  as  general  manager 
and  bookkeeper  for  the  M.  A.  Means  store  and  bookkeeper  for  the  bank.  After 
two  years  his  strenuous  life,  however,  proved  too  much  for  his  health  and  he  was 
compelled  to  resign.  He  then,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  L.  L.  Oylear,  opened 
a  hardware  and  grocery  store  at  Leland,  Nez  Perce  county,  and  from  the  begin- 
ning the  venture  proved  profitable.  In  1906  the  brother  died  and  in  1907  George 
W.  Oylear  closed  out  the  business  and  in  May  of  that  year  removed  to  Caldwell. 
He  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  at  Middleton  for  six  months  and  then  opened 
a  hardware  store  there,  which  he  still  conducts.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Middleton  State  Bank,  of  which  he  formerly  served  as  assistant  cashier.  He  is 
an  enterprising  and  progressive  business  man  in  whose  vocabulary  there  is  no 
such  word  as  fail,  and  his  enterprise  and  determination  have  been  the  salient 
features  in  the  attainment  of  success. 

In  June,  1898,  Mr.  Oylear  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Chenoweth,  of 
Lewiston,  Idaho,  a  daughter  of  John  Chenoweth,  a  pioneer  of  Dayton,  Washing- 
ton, which  is  situated  but  a  short  distance  from  Lewiston.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oylear 
have  three  children:  Clarence  H.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  now  attending  the  Uni- 
versity of  Moscow;  Georgia  E.,  a  freshman  at  Moscow;  and  Gertrude  I. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Oylear  is  a  republican  and  has  long  been  an  earnest 
supporter  and  active  worker  in  the  party.  For  six  years  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  republican  county  central  committee  of  Canyon  county.  When  he  was 
made  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  assessor  he  was  accorded  a  splendid  majority, 
winning  the  election  by  three  hundred  and  fifty  votes  in  a  county  that  had  formerly 
given  a  strong  democratic  majority.  He  is  chairman  of  the  school  board  of  Middle- 
ton  and  was  also  city  clerk  there,  and  at  the  present  time  he  is  most  capably  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  assessor  of  the  county. 


MOSES  H.  GOODWIN. 

For  almost  a  half  century  Moses  H.  Goodwin  was  a  resident  of  Idaho  and  for 
many  years  was  closely  associated  with  the  industrial  development  of  Boise.  His 
activities  constituted  an  element  in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  city,  for  he 
belonged  to  that  class  of  men  who  contribute  to  the  general  prosperity  while 
advancing  individual  success.  In  all  business  affairs  he  was  actuated  by  a  pro- 
gressive spirit  and  a  laudable  ambition  and  his  record  was  illustrative  of  what 
could  be  achieved  by  the  individual  when  there  is  a  will  to  dare  and  to  do.  He 
was  born  in  Waldo  county,  Maine,  December  29,  1834,  and  was  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  old  New  England  families  that  was '  established  in  America  by  four 
brothers,  who  were  natives  of  England  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  colonial  days, 
establishing  their  home  in  New  Hampshire.  Of  this  family  Aaron  Goodwin,  grand- 
father of  Moses  H.  Goodwin,  sailed  with  Paul  Jones,  the  renowned  naval  hero  who 
won  fame  in  connection  with  the  American  naval  service  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  twice  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  ere  the  close  of  hostilities  but 
when  released  loyally  returned  to  his  duty  as  a  defender  of  the  cause  of  indeh 
pendence.  His  son,  Moses  Goodwin,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  and  married 
Hannah  Ricker,  whose  father  was  also  connected  with  the  navy  on  the  ship  com- 
manded by  Paul  Jones.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moses  Goodwin  were  industrious  farming  people 
whose  lives  were  guided  by  their  Christian  faith  as  manifest  in  their  membership 
in  the  Baptist  church.  Moses  Goodwin  continued  a  resident  of  New  Hampshire 
until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he  removed  to  Maine  and  continued  in  that 
state  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  in  the  seventy-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  His  wife  survived  and  had  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's 
journey  when  called  to  her  final  rest.  Mr.  Goodwin  had  given  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  whig  party  until  it  passed  out  of  existence,  when  he  joined  the  new  republican 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  585 

party  formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery.  This  naturally  made 
appeal  to  him,  for  he  was  a  lover  of  liberty  and  opposed  to  every  form  of  oppression. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  seven  children  who  reached  adult  age,  this  number 
including  Moses  Hubbard  Goodwin,  who  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

The  youthful  experiences  of  Moses  H.  Goodwin  were  those  of  the  farm-bred 
boy  who  early  takes  up  the  work  of  the  fields,  to  which  he  devotes  the  summer 
months,  while  in  the  winter  seasons  he  gives  his  attention  to  the  acquirement  of  a 
public  school  education.  Having  put  aside  his  textbooks  when  seventeen  years  of 
age,  Mr.  Goodwin  then  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
a  year  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  He  then  sought  the  opportunities  of  the  west  and 
for  two  years  was  employed  at  his  trade  in  Minnesota.  He  afterward  removed  to 
the  south,  remaining  a  resident  of  Mississippi  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war,  when  an  attempt  was  made  to  force  him  into  the  Confederate  army  and 
he  accordingly  left  for  the  north.  Having  contracted  a  severe  cold  which  settled 
on  his  lungs,  he  determined  to  seek  the  benefits  offered  by  the  California  climate 
and  on  the  20th  of  October,  1861,  sailed  from  New  York  for  San  Francisco,  where 
he  arrived  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-two  days.  Benefiting  by  the  sunny  climate  of 
that  state,  he  was  soon  able  to  resume  work  at  his  trade,  to  which  he  devoted  the 
months  of  the  succeeding  winter.  With  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Auburn,  Oregon, 
in  the  following  spring  he  made  his  way  to  that  state  and  on  reaching  Portland 
found  that  the  reports  of  rich  finds  were  largely  exaggerated.  He  therefore  remained 
in  Portland,  where  he  was  employed  from  December  until  the  following  June  by 
the  Oregon  Navigation  Company  in  building  steamboats.  Again  gold  excitement 
caused  his  removal,  bringing  him  to  Idaho,  where  he  arrived  in  July,  1863,  before 
the  territory  was  organized.  While  he  devoted  some  time  to  mining,  there  was  a 
great  demand  for  carpenter  work  and  he  became  active  in  the  line  of  his  trade, 
for  which  he  was  paid  eight  dollars  per  day.  He  aided  in  the  erection  of  the 
Mammoth  quartz  mill,  the  second  mill  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  and  in  1864  he 
built  the  first  water  wheel  of  any  size  in  Idaho,  this  being  thirty  feet  in  diameter. 
In  1865  he  aided  in  building  the  Elkhorn  mill  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was 
engaged  to  superintend  the  Mammoth  mill  and  the  interests  of  the  company, 
occupying  that  position  for  two  years.  He  later  became  part  owner  of  the  mill 
and  remained  in  charge  until  1870,  meeting  with  very  substantial  success  in  the 
conduct  of  the  business.  His  health,  however,  became  impaired  in  that  high 
altitude  and  he  removed  to  Payette,  Idaho,  where  he  became  part  owner  of  a  farm 
and  a  considerable  number  of  cattle.  He  not  only  gave  his  attention  to  the  care 
of  his  live  stock  but  also  followed  carpentering  in  that  locality  until  his  return 
to  the  east. 

It  was  on  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  that  Mr.  Goodwin  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Emma  Frances  Burdge,  who  was  born  near  Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  county, 
Iowa,  December  4,  1855,  a  daughter  of  William  C.  and  Mary  A.  (Chandler)  Burdge, 
both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  Mrs.  Goodwin  crossed  the  plains  with  her 
parents  in  1864,  the  Burdge  family  being  one  of  several  to  make  up  a  large  wagon 
train.  She  was  then  only  eight  years  of  age.  The  family  settled  in  the  Payette 
valley  upon  a  ranch  that  is  just  two  miles  west  of  the  present  site  of  Emmett. 
There  Mrs.  M.  H.  Goodwin  lived  from  the  time  that  she  was  eight  years  of  age 
until  she  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  when  she  was  married.  Before  her  marriage 
she  taught  two  terms  of  school.  The  Burdge  ranch  near  Emmett  continued  in 
possession  of  the  family  until  1916,  when  it  was  sold  by  Mrs.  Goodwin,  who  became 
the  owner  by  acquiring  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  property.  Her  father 
died  in  1884,  but  her  mother  survived  for  a  long  period,  passing  away  in  1908. 
Mrs.  Goodwin  was  one  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are  yet  living.  The  wedding 
journey  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwin  consisted  of  a  visit  to  the  Centennial  Exposition 
in  Philadelphia  and  a  trip  to  his  old  home  in  Maine  to  see  his  aged  mother  and 
also  to  visit  the  scenes  and  friends  of  his  youth.  The  following  spring  they  returned 
to  Idaho,  establishing  their  home  in  Boise,  and  to  them  was  born  a  daughter,  Mabel 
C.,  who  was  the  wife  of  R.  V.  Stone.  They  had  two  children:  Robert  Goodwin, 
now  twenty  years  of  age,  who  served  in  the  United  States  Navy  as  a  radio  operator 
for  two  and  a  half  years  and  was  honorably  released  in  1919;  and  Frances  Claire, 
eleven  years  of  age,  who  resides  with  her  grandmother,  Mrs.  Goodwin. 

It  was  after  their  return  from  their  wedding  trip  in  the  east  that  Mr.  Goodwin 
purchased  a  planing  machine,  which  he  began  operating,  later  incorporating  it  in 
the  sawmill  of  which  he  was  afterward  the  owner.  In  1883  he  purchased  the  water 


586  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

power  and  mill  site,  comprising  four  acres  of  land,  and  began  the  conduct  of  an 
extensive  lumber  business.  For  some  time  he  had  the  only  planer  and  improved 
machinery  in  that  line  in  the  city  and  was  the  only  manufacturer  of  doors,  sash  and 
blinds.  He  cut  pine  lumber  in  the  mountains,  supplied  the  home  demands  and 
conducted  two  lumberyards  with  offices  in  Boise.  He  manifested  a  most  progressive 
spirit  in  the  conduct  of  his  business  affairs  and  his  indefatigable  energy,  wisely 
directed,  brought  to  him  a  very  gratifying  measure  of  success. 

Mr.  Goodwin  was  also  a  prominent  figure  in  political  circles  and  was  a  recog- 
nized leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  republican  party,  to  which  he  gave  unfaltering 
allegiance  and  support.  He  was  twice  called  upon  to  represent  his  district  in  the 
territorial  legislature  and  was  twice  elected  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  com- 
missioners, of  which  he  served  as  chairman.  While  he  was  ever  known  as  a  stal- 
wart republican,  he  did  not  hesitate  even  to  oppose  his  party  if  he  believed  such  a 
course  to  be  the  fair  and  honorable  thing  to  do.  In  a  word  he  stood  loyally  by 
his  honest  convictions  at  all  times  nor  could  he  be  swerved  from  a,  course  which 
he  believed  to  be  right  in  business  by  the  hope  of  winning  larger  rewards.  The 
sterling  traits  of  his  character  were  many  and  his  regard  for  others  was  manifest 
in  a  kindliness  and  geniality  which  were  marked  traits  of  his  character.  He  had 
been  a  valued  and  honored  resident  of  Idaho  for  almost  a  half  century  when  on  the 
1st  of  October,  1912,  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest.  Mrs.  Goodwin  still  makes 
her  home  in  Boise  and  is  numbered  among  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  the 
state,  having  crossed  the  plains  in  1864.  She  has  been  an  interested  witness  of 
the  many  changes  which  have  been  wrought  through  the  intervening  period  as 
Idaho  has  emerged  from  frontier  conditions  and  taken  on  all  of  the  evidences  of  a 
modern  and  progressive  civilization. 


FRED  G.  MOCK. 

Fred  G.  Mock,  a  retired  banker  and  author  of  Nampa,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Cumberland  county,  Illinois,  November  24,  1861.  His  ancestors  were  farmer  folk  as  far 
back  as  the  records  trace.  His  father,  Henry  P.  Mock,  was  born  at  Mocksville,  North 
Carolina,  a  town  named  in  honor  of  his  father.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Mary  (Kelly)  Mock, 
was  born  on  the  Wabash  in  Indiana.  Both  passed  away  many  years  ago. 

Fred  G.  Mock  attended  school  a  part  of  five  terms  between  the  ages  of  seven  and 
eleven  years — numbers  that  have  always  been  sacred  to  him.  In  young  manhood  his 
father  taught  school  and  shortly  after  his  marriage  removed  with  his  wife  to  Illinois, 
settling  on  a  farm,  on  which  Fred  G.  Mock  was  reared,  but  when  quite  a  young  lad  he 
became  afflicted  with  the  wanderlust  and  worked  his  way  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  took 
a  steamer  to  Keokuk,  Iowa.  Arriving  there  without  capital,  he  started  out  to  find  work, 
which  he  finally  secured  on  a  farm  west  of  Farmington.  His  employer  had  been  a 
member  of  Quantrell's  gang  and  to  his  place  strangers  came,  making  themselves  at 
home  and  staying  as  long  as  they  desired.  They  were  horsemen  to  young  Mock,  who 
was  never  introduced  to  them,  but  he  thought  that  they  must  be  very  rich  men,  for  they 
rode  the  finest  horses  he  had  ever  seen.  Sometimes  there  would  be  two,  again  three, 
or  even  five  of  them.  They  were  quiet,  kindly  looking  men,  so  of  course  he  liked  them 
and  their  horses.  He  had  been  with  the  family  for  two  months,  when  he  received  such 
a  shock  and  scare  that  he  would  have  started  back  home  on  foot,  could  he  have  gotten 
out  of  the  house  without  being  seen.  He  had  gone  upstairs  and  retired  early  one  night 
when  he  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  barn  petting  the  horses.  He  heard  the  visitors 
talking  and  to  his  great  surprise  and  horror  recognized  that  they  were  the  James  and 
Younger  brothers,  planning  a  train  robbery.  The  next  morning  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  drew  his  pay — twenty-six  dollars  for  sixty  days  of  hard,  heavy  farm  work  of 
sixteen  hours  per  day,  Sunday  included.  He  never  told  his  employer  why  he  was  quit- 
ting and  he  felt  better  when  he  had  reached  northwestern  Missouri,  for  he  felt  that  the 
bandits  had  seen  him  paid  off  a  princely  sum  (to  him),  twenty-six  dollars  in  cash,  and 
could  they  not  hold  him  up  if  they  wanted  to? 

For  a  year  Mr.  Mock  worked  for  John  Girdner,  a  stockman  living  between  Bethany 
and  Mount  Moriah,  Missouri,  for.  whom  he  bought  cattle  and  who  proved  a  good  friend 
to  him,  giving  him  books  to  read,  so  that  he  felt  it  was  almost  a  year  spent  in  school. 

The  "lure  of  the  dim  trails"  was,  however,  upon  him  and  he  left  Missouri,  making 
a  trip  through  Dakota,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  Missouri  river;  stopping  at  Falls 


FRED  G.   MOCK 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  589 

City,  where  he  pursued  a  sixty  days'  course  in  a  business  college.  He  then  turned  west 
again,  organizing  classes  and  teaching  penmanship,  but  rheumatism  in  the  right  hand 
and  shoulder  stopped  his  Spencerian  career  and  he  took  to  the  range.  For  ten  years 
he  worked  as  a  cowboy  except  a  part  of  three  winters,  when  he  clerked  in  stores, 
assisted  in  the  postoffice  and  did  other  such  work.  He  was  connected  with  several  big 
cow  outfits  and  thus  came  to  know  well  the  country  lying  west  of  a  line  drawn  from 
Ogallala,  Nebraska,  to  Las  Animas,  Colorado,  and  extending  almost  to  the  Rocky 
mountains.  Those  were  the  "good  old  days," — '79  to  '89,  the  days  of  real  champion 
riders  and  ropers.  Speaking  of  these  days,  Mr.  Mock  said:  "No,  I  didn't  win  any 
medals  in  those  contests.  I  thought  I  rated  as  a  champion  rider,  so  entered  a  contest 
at  Las  Animas,  Colorado.  There  was  a  big  crowd  there,  cowboys,  stockmen  and  not  a 
few  women  and  girls,  and  even  if  they  were  nearly  all  Mexicans,  we  liked  to  show  off 
well  before  them.  I  drew  Weaver,  a  little  flea-bitten  strawberry  roan,  and  after  a  while 
succeeded  in  getting  my  saddle  on  him.  Then  I  climbed  on  that  bronk,  confident  I  would 
show  those  Southdowns,  as  we  called  those  who  lived  south  of  the  Arkansas,  a  few 
fancy  tricks  in  riding.  I  did.  That  cayuse  threw  me  so  high  my  clothes  were  out  of 
fashion  when  I  came  down.  So  I  repeat  it,  I  never  won  any  medals  in  champion  con- 
tests as  a  rider." 

At  various  times  during  those  days  Mr.  Mock  enlisted  with  Ranger  organizations, 
a  secret  law  and  order  bunch.  There  were  some  mean  Indians  and  Mexicans  and  also 
some  white  men  that  caused  the  stockmen  much  trouble,  working  out  across  the  head 
waters  of  the  Republican  and  Arickaree  rivers.  They  would  commit  all  kinds  of  depre 
dations  and  get  away  before  the  United  States  soldiers  at  Fort  Lyon  could  arrive. 
Some  Ogallala  Sioux  were  going  across  the  district  one  time,  headed  north,  stealing 
horses  and  cattle,  which  they  drove  along  with  them.  They  had  attacked  an  emigrant 
train  at  the  head  waters  of  the  north  fork  and  killed  two  of  the  party.  Nine  of  the 
Ranger  organization  took  after  them  and  came  upon  them  a  few  miles  northwest  of 
the  head  waters  of  the  Arickaree.  They  rode  up  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  where  they 
could  look  down  on  the  Sioux.  "There  were  six  of  them,"  said  Mr.  Mock,  "all  going  at 
once  to  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground.  The  renegades  were  strangers  to  us,  but  we  gave 
them  a  decent  burial.  I  remember  it  so  well — it  was  a  beautiful  evening,  Just  at  sunset, 
the  end  of  a  perfect  (Indian)  summer  day." 

After  leaving  the  range  Mr.  Mock  served  for  a  term  as  deputy  assessor  of  Kit 
Carson  county  and  then  came  to  Idaho  on  the  13th  of  November,  1890.  He  spent  the 
winter  at  work  in  Boise.  After  Governor  Shoup  had  been  elected  United  States  senator 
and  Lieutenant  Governor  Willy  advanced  to  the  governor's  chair  only  a  few  days 
passed  when  he  issued  a  call  for  volunteers  to  recruit  old  Company  A  of  the  National 
Guard  of  Idaho.  The  Bannock  and  Shoshone  Indians  had  gone  on  the  war  path  and 
had  left  the  reservation  and  it  was  feared  that  the  authorities  at  Fort  Hall  and  Poca- 
tello  could  not  hold  them  in  check  and  get  them  back  to  the  reservation.  Mr.  Mock 
enlisted  and  for  two  weeks  expected  to  be  called  for  active  duty,  but  the  authorities 
near  the  scene 'of  trouble  were  equal  to  the  emergency  and  Company  A  was  not  needed. 
Mr.  Mock  then  went  to  work  for  James  S.  Bogart  in  his  abstract  office,  there  remaining 
for  four  months,  during  which  time  he  boarded  with  Mrs.  J.  D.  Agnew.  A  smooth-faced 
attorney  who  had  located  in  Boise,  by  name  William  E.  Borah,  took  his  meals  there 
and  sat  opposite  to  Mr.  Mock  at  the  dining  room  table.  The  latter  said:  "Coming  to 
think  of  it,  in  almost  everything  except  the  friendship  that  has  ripened  and  grown 
stronger  with  the  years,  the  senator  has  been  opposite  me  ever  since."  Mr.  Mock 
joined  the  O.  L.  Miller  party,  leaving  Boise,  June  2,  1891,  to  make  a  preliminary  survey 
for  a  railroad  to  Butte,  Montana,  to  be  known  as  the  Boise-Butte  Railroad.  They 
reached  Butte  on  the  29th  of  September  and  immediately  returned  to  Boise.  With 
Thomas  D.  Babbitt,  who  was  the  engineer,  Mr.  Mock  formed  a  partnership  and  on  the 
21st  of  December,  1891,  they  arrived  in  Nampa  and  hung  out  their  sign,  "Abstractors 
and  Civil  Engineers."  They  ran  the  lines  for  practically  all  the  lateral  ditches  south 
and  west  of  'the  railroad  for  what  was  then  known  as  the  Ridenbaugh  canal.  They  also 
made  the  maps  that  were  required  by  the  department  when  final  proof  was  made  on 
desert  claims;  these  maps  showing  how  the  water  was  carried  to  each  forty  acres.  The 
firm  also  made  the  survey  for  the  Nampa-Silver  City  Railroad,  Mr.  Babbitt  doing  the 
field  work,  while  Mr.  Mock  remained  in  the  office.  Colonel  Dewey  took  over  the  maps 
and  built  the  railroad  to  Murphy,  closely  following  the  Babbitt  ft  Mock  line.  On  the 
1st  of  ^ebruary,  1892,  they  purchased  the  Nampa  Leader  from  Jake  Horn  and  continued 
its  publication  in  connection  with  the  insurance,  loan  and  abstract  business.  A  little 
later  they  sold  the  abstract  books  and  after  a  partnership  of  about  five  years  Mr.  Mock 


590  HISTORY  C%  IDAHO 


purchased  Mr.  Babbitt's  interest  in  the  business.  He  published  the  Leader  for  exactly 
six  years,  never  missing  an  issue  nor  producing  one  late  except  on  two  occasions,  owing 
to  the  Coxey  army  and  a  railroad  strike,  which  prevented  him  from  getting  paper,  but 
he  brought  out  one  issue  on  wrapping  paper  and  the  other  on  butchers'  brown.  Mr. 
Mock  sold  the  Leader  March  1,  1899,  to  McKee  &  Howry  and  established  the  Bank  of 
Nampa,  using  the  -fixtures  of  the  First  Bank  of  Nampa.  The  town  had  three  "First" 
banks,  but  they  failed  for  lack  of  business.  Mr.  Mock  established  his  bank  in  the  Wil- 
terding  building,  where  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  National  is  now  located,  and  after- 
ward removed  to  the  corner  room  of  the  Dewey  Palace  Hotel  when  that  building  was 
completed.  He  remained  at  the  head  of  the  bank  until  1907,  when  he  sold  out,  and  in 
1908  he  retired  from  active  business.  He  has  largely  placed  his  investments  in  Nampa 
property  and  derives  therefrom  a  good  income. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1894,  Mr.  Mock  was  married  to  Miss  Mennah  Nettleton,  a 
daughter  of  Hubert  and  Emeline  (Crow)  Nettleton,  of  Medina,  Ohio,  who  passed  away 
some  years  ago.  Her  brother,  V.  F.  Nettleton,  is  a  resident  of  Sinker  Creek,  Idaho, 
while  her  sister,  Mrs.  May  N.  Cottingham,  makes  her  home  at  McCall,  Idaho.  Mrs. 
Mock  came  to  Nampa  to  visit  them  and,  forming  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Mock,  gave 
him  her  hand  in  marriage.  They  have  since  resided  at  Nampa  save  for  a  brief  period 
spent  on  the  coast,  about  a  year  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  a  similar  period  in  Astoria 
Oregon.  Their  only  child,  a  son,  born  January  4,  1901,  lived  only  a  few  hours.  Mrs. 
Mock  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Century  Club,  in  which  she  has  filled  all  of  the 
offices.  During  her  presidency  Kurtz  park  was  opened  and  the  work  of  beautifying  it 
was  begun.  Mrs.  Mock  was  the  assistant  hostess  of  the  Idaho  building  for  a  time  dur- 
ing the  San  Francisco  Exposition,  extending  to  all  a  kindly  greeting  —  a  touch  of  genuine 
Idaho  hospitality.  She  became  a  member  of  the  Canyon  County  Council  of  Defense 
during  the  World  war,  was  chairman  of  the  home  service  branch  of  the  Red  Cross,  is 
chairman  of  the  Carnegie  library  board  of  Nampa  and  served  for  two  years  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  the  Associated  Charities.  She  is  an  untiring  worker,  never  sparing 
time  nor  energy  when  there  is  anything  to  be  done  for  the  betterment  of  Nampa.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mock  are  members  of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  Nampa,  of  which  the  latter 
was  the  first  president,  serving  for  two  terms,  while  Mr.  Mock  is  treasurer  of  the 
society.  They  have  always  worked  together  in  everything  and  during  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Mock  his  wife  would  edit  the  paper,  collect  bills,  write  insurance  and  afterward 
assisted  him  in  the  bank  until  his  business  grew  so  that  he  could  afford  to  hire  help. 

Mr.  Mock  has  at  different  times  been  a  member  of  various  lodges  and  fraternal 
organizations  but  has  withdrawn  from  all  now  save  the  Masons  and  the  Elks.  His 
Masonic  record  is  without  a  parallel.  He  was  initiated  in  Burlington  Lodge,  No.  77, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Burlington,  Colorado,  September  6th,  passed  September  20th  and  was 
raised  October  4,  1890.  He  demitted  and  joined  Boise  Lodge,  No.  2,  demitted  from 
there  and  assisted  in  organizing  Nampa  Lodge,  No.  29,  as  a  charter  member  and  served 
as  its  first  master.  The  lodge  was  instituted  June  4,  1892,  and  finished  its  work  under 
dispensation  on  the  31st  of  August  of  that  year,  making  report  to  the  Grand  Lodge, 
which  convened  the  second  Tuesday  in  September,  after  which  the  charter  was  re- 
ceived. Mr.  Mock  was  reelected  master  and  on  October  4th,  two  years  after  he  had 
been  made  a  Mason,  he  was  installed  as  the  first  master  under  charter.  He  was  re- 
elected  in  1893  and  1894  and  served  still  another  term  in  1898.  In  1893  he  was  elected 
grand  lecturer  and  again  in  1894  and  1895,  while  on  the  10th  of  September,  1896,  he 
was  elected  grand  master,  when  less  than  six  years  old  in  Masonry.  He  joined  the 
Eastern  Star  at  Boise  in  November,  1893,  and  was  appointed  grand  representative  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  North  Carolina,  near  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Idaho,  and  is  still  hold- 
ing that  commission.  He  wrote  the  report  for  the  committee  on  foreign  correspondence 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  for  the  years  1898,  1899  and  1900.  On  retiring  from  the  grand  mas- 
ter's chair  he  presented  the  Grand  Lodge  with  a  grand  master's  signet  ring,  worn  by 
the  grand  master  during  his  term  of  office  and  then  surrendered  to  his  successor.  It  has 
been  a  great  pleasure  to  him  to  see  this  ring  turned  over  to  the  grand  master  elected 
each  succeeding  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  and  started  on  another  Masonic  mile  of  the 
long  journey  it  will  travel.  Mr.  Mock  received  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees  in  Salt  Lake, 
Utah,  but  withdrew  later  and  became  a  charter  member  of  the  four  bodies  in  Boise. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  Nampa  Lodge,  No.  29,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  thirty-second  degree 
member  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  at  Boise  and  a  member  of  El  Korah  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  likewise  belongs  to  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E. 

Mr.  Mock  served  as  school  treasurer  and  city  treasurer  of  Nampa  for  many  "years 
and  also  served  three  terms  as  deputy  county  assessor.  In  the  early  days  of  Canyon 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  591 

county  he  was  a  candidate  for  clerk  and  recorder  on  the  democratic  ticket  and  though 
the  republicans  and  populists  outnumbered  the  democrats  two  to  one,  he  was  defeated 
by  only  a  few  votes — a  fact  indicative  of  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  Shortly  after  Nampa  was  incorporated  he 
was  a  candidate  for  mayor,  but  his  ambition  has  never  been  in  the  line  of  office  hold- 
ing. He  has  written  and  published  two  novels:  "Blue  Eye,"  a  story  of  the  people  of 
the  plains;  and  "A  Romance  of  the  Sawtooth,"  an  Idaho  story,  dedicated  to  the  Idaho 
pioneers.  He  has  also  written  several  short  magazine  sketches.  He  and  his  wife  now 
spend  much  time  in  motoring,  having  thus  traveled  practically  all  over  Idaho,  Oregon, 
California  and  Nevada,  and  they  make  ready  response  to  nature's  call  into  the  open. 


FRED  PLOED. 

Fred  Floed,  the  founder  of  The  New  Freedom,  a  democratic  weekly  paper 
published  in  Boise,  and  until  August,  1919,  its  editor  and  publisher,  is  a  native 
of  Roseburg,  Oregon,  and  a  son  of  John  Creed  Floed,  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants 
of  Roseburg  who  there  took  up  his  abode  in  1852,  having  removed  to  the  north- 
west from  Evansville,  Indiana.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia  and  in  young 
manhood  was  a  pilot  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  river  steamboats.  He  was  a 
boon  companion  in  those  days  of  Samuel  L.  Clemens,  whose  literary  nom  de  plume 
of  Mark  Twain  was  suggested  to  him  during  his  pilot  days.  The  mother  of  Mr. 
Floed  of  this  review  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Emily  Lane  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  General  Joseph  Lane  the  first  governor  of  the  territory  of  Oregon.  She 
passed  away  in  Boise  in  1907  at  the  home  of  her  son  Fred.  The  late  United  States 
senator,  Harry  Lane,  of  Oregon,  was  a  first  cousin  of  Mr.  Floed. 

The  latter  acquired  a  college  education  in  Washington  and  Lee  University 
of  Lexington,  Virginia.  His  entire  life  has  been  devoted  to  newspaper  work  and 
publication.  After  coming  to  Boise  in  1900  he  was  a  writer  on  The  Cpaital  News 
for  several  years  and  later  he  was  editor  and  publisher  of  The  Boise  Citizen  for 
four  years.  During  the  administration  of  Governor  James  H.  Hawley  as  governor 
of  Idaho,  Mr.  Floed  was  the  private  secretary  to  the  chief  executive,  serving  in 
that  capacity  from  January,  1911,  until  January,  1913.  Upon  his  retirement  from 
that  position  he  became  editor  and  publisher  of  The  New  Freedom,  the  only  demo- 
cratic newspaper  of  Boise.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  democrat, 
giving  unfaltering  allegiance  to  the  party  and  its  principles,  and  in  1892  he  was 
a  delegate  from  Oregon  to  the  democratic  national  convention  in  Chicago,  which 
nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  the  third  time. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1901,  in  Bellevue,  Idaho,  Mr.  Floed  was  married  to  Miss 
Metta  Wright,  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  lady  most  widely  known  and  highly 
honored  in  Idaho.  She  was  formerly  school  superintendent  in  Blaine  county  and 
has  been  very  prominent  in  democratic  circles.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Floed  have  been 
born  two  children:  Hickory  Carter,  seventeen  years  of  age,  recently  appointed 
to  the  United  States  Naval  College  at  Annapolis;  and  Frances  Margaret  fourteen 
years  of  age,  who  is  a  freshman  in  the  Boise  high  school. 

Through  his  newspaper  activity  Mr.  Floed  has  become  widely  known  and 
has  had  not  a  little  to  do  with  molding  public  thought  and  opinion  in  Boise  and 
the  surrounding  country,  especially  in  regard  to  political  problems. 


WILLIAM    G.    BIERI. 

William  G.  Bieri,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Thatcher  Realty  Company 
of  Rexburg  is  a  native  of  the  city  in  which  he  makes  his  home  and  in  which  he 
has  won  n  creditable  position  is  a  business  man.  His  birth  occurred  on  the  14th 
of  March,  1892,  his  parents  being  Gotlieb  and  Verena  (Hunziker)  Bieri,  who  were 
natives  of  Switzerland  and  came  to  America  in  early  life,  settling  first  at  Logan, 
Utah.  After  a  few  months  they  removed  to  Rexburg,  Idaho,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  contracting,  having  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  his  native  coun- 
try. He  has  since  been  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Rexburg  and  has  contributed 


592  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

much  to  the  substantial  development  of  the  town.  His  wife  passed  away  in  June, 
1917. 

William  G.  Bieri  was  reared  and  educated  in  Rexburg,  supplementing  his 
public  school  training  by  study  in  the  Ricks  Academy.  He  afterward  worked  for 
the  H.  Flamm  Company  for  five  years  and  subsequently  spent  two  and  a  half  years 
on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  Switzerland 
and  Germany.  Following  his  return  home  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Rexburg 
State  Bank  as  bookkeeper  and  later  was  made  teller,  occupying  that  position  until 
the  9th  of  August,  1919,  when  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Thatcher  Realty 
Company,  of  which  he  became  the  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  has  thus  gained  a 
place  among  the  leading  real  estate  men  of  the  city,  the  firm  conducting  an  ex- 
tensive business  and  negotiating  annually  many  important  realty  transfers. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1917,  Mr.  Bieri  was  married  to  Miss  Mildred  Hart- 
man,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  they  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  the  social  circles 
of  Rexburg,  their  home  being  the  abode  of  warm-hearted  hospitality.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  property  interests  in  Rexburg,  Mr.  Biei'i  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Teton  county,  which  he  homesteaded.  He  has  always  been  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  in  which  he  is  now 
an  elder,  and  he  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Rexburg  second  ward  Mutual 
Improvement  Association.  He  belongs  as  well  to  the  Rexburg  Athletic  Club  and 
to  the  Rexburg  Commercial  Club  and  is  keenly  interested  in  all  the  projects  of 
the  latter  organization  for  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  His  political 
allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party,  but  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  his  energies  upon  his  business 
affairs. 


DON  C.  DRIGGS. 

With  many  phases  of  Teton  county's  development  and  upbuilding  Don  C. 
Driggs  is  closely  associated.  He  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Teton  National  Bank 
and  proprietor  of  Hotel  Driggs  in  the  town  which  was  named  in  his  honor  and, 
moreover,  he  is  an  influential  factor  in  the  moral  progress  of  the  community  as 
president  of  the  Teton  stake  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
Utah  numbers  him  among  her  native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Pleasant 
Grove,  November  20,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  W.  and  Olivia  (Pratt)  Driggs, 
who  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  B.  W.  Driggs  on  another  page 
of  this  work. 

Don  C.  Driggs  spent  his  youthful  days  in  his  parents'  home  at  Pleasant  Grove, 
Utah,  and  supplemented  his  early  education,  acquired  in  the  common  schools,  by 
study  in  the  Brigham  Young  University  at  Provo.  He  then  turned  his  attention 
to  merchandising  and  was  connected  with  his  father  in  mercantile  interests  until 
1888,  when  he  removed  to  what  was  then  Bingham  county,  Idaho.  On  his  arrival 
in  this  state  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  store  in  connection  with  M.  W.  Pratt, 
and  also  filed  on  land,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  and  further 
extended  the  scope  of  his  activities  by  operating  a  sawmill.  Every  avenue  in 
business  that  was  opened  seemed  to  call  him.  He  established  the  first  creamery 
and  in  1895  he  founded  the  town  of  Driggs,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  He 
platted  his  land  and  sold  town  lots  and  became  the  first  postmaster  of  the  town, 
serving  under  Grover  Cleveland.  He  was  also  the  first  mayor  of  the  town,  estab- 
lished the  first  bank  in  Teton  county,  known  as  the  Driggs  State  Bank,  and  later 
converted  it  into  the  First  National  Bank.  Of  this  institution  he  was  the  cashier 
for  seven  years.  He  was  the  organizer  of  the  Teton  National  Bank,  which  opened 
its  doors  on  the  1st  of  November,  1919.  He  became  vice  president  of  the  institu- 
tion, which  was  capitalized  at  $35,000  and  of  which  F.  J.  Drake  became  president, 
with  C.  T.  Manville  as  cashier.  In  addition  to  his  other  and  varied  business  activi- 
ties Mr.  Driggs  has  become  extensively  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  carries  on 
under  the  firm  style  of  D.  C.  Driggs  and  Sons.  They  operate  six  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  are  extensively  engaged  in  cattle  raising,  with  which  business  Mr.  Driggs 
has  been  identified  since  his  removal  to  the  state.  In  1917  he  purchased  the  Driggs 
Hotel  and  has  since  been  its  proprietor  and  host.  He  is  likewise  the  vice  president 
of  the  Teton  Realty  Company  and  the  vice  president  of  the  Teton  Abstract  Com- 


DON  C.  DRIGGS 


Vi-l.    |] 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  595 

pany.  He  secured  the  right  of  way  from  Ashton  to  Driggs,  a  distance  of  thirty- 
seven  miles,  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  in  1912  and  he  has  at  all  times 
been  ready  to  aid  and  cooperate  in  any  plan,  movement  or  project  that  has  had 
to  do  with  the  development,  settlement  and  improvement  of  this  section  of  the 
country.  He  was  associated  with  the  Teton  Coal  Company,  now  the  Idaho  Coal 
Mines  Company,  and  secured  the  right  of  way  for  the  tracks  to  the  mines. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  1889,  Mr.  Driggs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May 
Robison  and  to  them  were  born  nine  children:  Lewis  L. ;  Vida,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Van  B.  Brinton,  of  Victor,  Idaho;  Ellwood  W.,  a  student  In  the  University  of  Utah 
at  Salt  Lake  City;  Douglas  H.,  who  is  also  attending  the  University  of  Utah  at  Salt 
Lake  City;  Golden  K.,  Junius  F.,  and  Virginia,  all  of  whom  are  in  school;  Erma, 
who  passed  away  in  March,  1902;  and  Don  C.,  Jr.,  whose  demise  occurred  on  the 
21st  of  November,  1898. 

Mr.  Driggs  has  ever  been  keenly  interested  in  public  affairs  and  has  been 
very  active  in  support  of  all  plans  and  measures  for  the  general  good.  He  votes 
with  the  democratic  party,  is  a  member  of  the  state  central  committee  and  was 
a  delegate  to  the  democratic  national  convention  which  was  held  in  St.  Louis  in 
1916.  He  served  as  county  commissioner  of  old  Fremont  county  In  1899  and  in 
1898  was  county  treasurer  of  that  county.  He  was  elected  the  first  state  senator 
from  Teton  county  and  occupied  that  position  for  one  term,  serving  in  1917, 
He  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  in  1898  filled 
a  three  months'  mission  in  the  northwestern  states.  In  1901  the  Teton  stake 
was  organized  and  Mr.  Driggs  was  made  president  and  has  so  served  to  this  time. 
He  is  likewise  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Ricks  Normal  College  at  Rexburg.  He 
was  made  bishop  of  Driggs  ward  at  the  time  of  its  organization.  He  stood  loyally 
for  every  interest  of  the  government  during  the  period  of  the  World  war.  He 
was  county  chairman  of  the  federal  food  administration,  was  a  member  of  the 
County  Council  of  Defense  and  likewise  aided  in  putting  the  county  over  the  top 
in  all  of  the  Liberty  Loan  drives.  His  activities  and  interests  have  been  wide  and 
varied,  his  labors  have  been  a  potent  force  in  public  welfare  and  in  the  material 
progress  of  the  community  and  on  the  list  of  leading  citizens  of  this  district  his 
name  stands  high. 


HARRY  H.  RUNYON. 

Harry  H.  Runyon,  the  vice  president  and  manager  of  the  White-Runyon  Shoe 
Company,  a  Concern  that  does  an  extensive  retail  shoe  business  in  Idaho,  operating 
two  stores,  one  in  Boise  and  another  at  Buhl,  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  having 
been  born  in  Perth  Amboy,  that  state,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1885,  his  parents  being 
George  D.  and  Melvina  (Lewis)  Runyon,  both  of  whom  are  yet  living.  The  ancestry 
in  the  paternal  line  is  traced  back  to  Vincent  Rognon,  a  French  Huguenot  who 
came  from  France  in  1665  and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  His  grave  is  only  seven 
miles  from  Perth  Amboy.  He  spelled  his  name  Rognon,  but  later  the  spelling 
underwent  several  variations,  such  as  Ronnion,  Runnion,  Runyan  and  Runyon. 
George  D.  Runyon,  father  of  Harry  H.  Runyon,  was  formerly  a  wholesale  and 
retail  lumber  dealer  but  is  now  president  of  the  Perth  Amboy  Publishing  Com- 
pany, publishers  of  the  Perth  Amboy  Evening  News.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born 
three  sons  and  two  daughters.  A  brother  of  Harry  H.  Runyon  is  L.  Parker  Runyon, 
who  follows  merchandising  at  Buhl,  Idaho,  while  the  other  brother,  Vincent  Runyon. 
the  youngest  of  the  three  sons,  who  served  in  Europe  with  the  American  army  of 
occupation,  is  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  is  now  in  the  advertising  business  in 
New  York  city. 

Harry  H.  Runyon  was  reared  at  Perth  Amboy  and  the  public  school  system  of 
that  city  afforded  him  his  early  educational  privileges.  He  passed  through  consecu- 
tive grades  to  the  high  school  and  afterward  completed  a  course  in  the  Hacketts- 
town  Collegiate  Institute  of  New  Jersey.  Later  he  spent  two  years  in  the  State 
School  of  Mines  of  the  University  of  Utah  at  Salt  Lake  City.  This  covered  the 
years  1906  and  1907.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Idaho  and  filed 
on  land  in  the  Twin  Falls  tract  near  Buhl  and  established  himself  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Buhl.  In  1912,  however,  he  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  retail  shoe  trade.  For  several  years  he  was 


596  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

associated  with  his  father-in-law,  the  late  D.  C.  Wallace,  who  conducted  a  store 
under  the  name  of  the  Wallace  Shoe  Company  at  No.  804  Main  street.  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Wallace  in  1914,  Mr.  Runyon  became  the  manager  of  the  business 
and  in  1917  he  and  others  organized  and  incorporated  the  White-Runyon  Shoe  Com- 
pany, which  took  over  the  business  of  the  Wallace  concern.  Of  the  new  company 
Clarence  H.  White,  the  well  known  Chautauqua  man  of  Boise,  is  the  president. 
Mr.  White,  however,  has  other  large  business  interests  and  therefore  does  not 
give  his  attention  to  the  shoe  trade  but  leaves  this  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Runyon,  who 
Is  in  full  charge  and  who  has  made  the  establishment  of  the  White-Runyon  Company 
the  leading  one  in  Boise.  In  the  conduct  of  the  business  he  is  actuated  by  a  most 
progressive  spirit  and  has  made  his  establishment  the  leading  footwear  store  of 
the  city,  appealing  to  every  class  of  trade.  The  most  fastidious  can  here  supply 
their  wants  and  everything  needed  for  everyday  wear  in  shoes  and  by  workers  is 
found  in  this  store.  The  trade  of  the  house  has  constantly  grown  until  It  has 
assumed  extensive  proportions  and  Mr.  Runyon  has  also  extended  the  scope  of  the 
business  by  establishing  a  branch  house  at  Buhl  in  1918.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Shoe  Retailers'  Association  and  frequently  attends  its  conventions. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1910,  Mr.  Runyon  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  Rosalie 
Wallace,  a  great-great-niece  of  Daniel  Webster,  and  a  native  of  Naperville,  Illinois. 
She  was  educated  at  Mount  St.  Joseph  Academy  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  from  which 
institution  she  was  graduated  in  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Runyon  have  two  children: 
Virginia  Wallace,  born  October  17,  1911;  and  Robert  Vincent,  born  October 
27,  1914. 

Mr.  Runyon  is  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi,  a  college  fraternity.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  director,  and  he  likewise 
has  membership  with  the  Boise  Rotary  Club,  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  takes  an  active  part  in  its  work.  He  has  never 
been  active  in  politics,  however,  and  in  exercising  his  right  of  franchise  casts  his 
ballot  for  the  candidates  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified  for  office.  His  associ- 
ations and  membership  connections  at  once  indicate  the  breadth  of  his  interests  and 
the  trend  of  his  activities.  He  is  a  most  loyal  supporter  of  Boise  and  her  welfare 
and  is  keenly  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  her  upbuilding  and  development, 
giving  his  hearty  cooperation  to  every  movement  that  has  for  its  object  the 
further  growth  and  improvement  of  the  city.  He  has  been  a  most  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  Chautauqua  and  has  been  foremost  among  those  who  have  assisted 
in  the  Red  Cross  and  Liberty  Bond  drives. 


HENRY  I.  ADAMS. 

Among  the  county  officials  of  Fremont  county  is  numbered  Henry  I.  Adams, 
who  is  serving  as  county  assessor,  with  office  in  St.  Anthony.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  native  sons  of  Utah,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Richmond,  that  state, 
on  the  24th  of  January,  1887.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Almira  (Bair)  Adams, 
the  latter  a  native  of  Utah,  while  the  former  was  born  in  Wales,  whence  he  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  parents  when  but  three  years  of  age,  this  being  in 
1854.  The  family  home  was  established  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  they  remained 
for  three  years,  and  then  drove  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  Utah,  settling 
near  Lehi,  where  they  resided  for  five  years.  Their  next  removal  brought  them  to 
Idaho,  the  father  taking  up  a  homestead  near  Hayden,  which  he  improved  and  culti- 
vated until  1889.  In  that  year  he  sold  the  property  and  purchased  other  land  in 
Fremont  county,  which  he  has  since  tilled,  converting  the  place  into  rich  and  pro- 
ductive fields.  The  mother  is  still  living. 

Henry  I.  Adams  was  reared  and  educated  in  St.  Anthony,  being  but  two  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  took  up  their  abode  in  Fremont  county.  He  was  one  of  a 
family  of  eight  children,  the  others  being:  George;  Maude,  who  died  in  1901; 
William;  Clem;  Leo;  Benjamin;  and  Ray.  After  spending  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  under  the  parental  roof  Henry  I.  Adams  started  out  in  the  business 
world  with  the  firm  of  Fogg  &  Jacobs,  general  merchants,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  June,  1913,  when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  as  a  partner  of  J.  G. 
Thompson.  They  continued  together  for  nine  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  597 

Mr.  Adams  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  and  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Fogg  &  Jacobs.  About  the  same  time  he  also  built  four  houses  for  rent.  He  has 
since  sold  three  of  these  but  still  retains  one.  He  also  retains  his  interest  in  the 
Fogg  &  Jacobs  Mercantile  Company  and  thus  remains  an  active  factor  in  com- 
merci§l  circles,  while  at  the  same  time  he  is  proving  a  capable  official.  He  is  also 
secretary  of  the  Independent  Oil  Company  of  St.  Anthony. 

In  1918  Mr.  Adams  enlisted  for  service  in  the  World  war  and  was  stationed 
at  Vancouver  as  posting  clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  office.  While  there  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  county  assessor.  On  the  13th  of  December,  he  was  dis- 
charged, returning  home  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  and  on  the  13th  of  January, 
1919,  he  took  the  office  of  county  assessor,  in  which  he  is  now  serving.  He  belongs 
to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  is  noble  grand,  and  also  to 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Politically  his  support  has  always  been  given 
to  the  republican  party,  which  finds  in  him  an  earnest  worker. 


BASH  L.  BENNETT. 

Bash  L.  Bennett,  county  assessor  of  Jefferson  county  and  a  resident  of  Rigby, 
where  he  is  closely  associated  with  public  and  business  interests,  was  born  at 
Fontanelle,  Iowa,  May  30,  1874,  a  son  of  Gordon  N.  and  Lovey  J.  (Wright) 
Bennett,  the  father_being  originally  from  the  Empire  state  and  the  mother  from 
North  Carolina. 

Gordon  N.  Bennett  was  one  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  who  began  the  development 
of  the  great  central  west,  for  he  established  himself  upon  the  then  virgin  soil  of 
Iowa,  in  the  county  of  Adair,  in  1849,  and  there  bought  a  farm,  becoming  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  community.  He  immediately  set  to  work  with  the  limited 
equipment  of  the  pioneer  and  soon  developed  his  land  into  a  well  improved  farm, 
which  he  cultivated  until  1884,  when  he  went  to  Nebraska.  There  he  purchased 
a  farm  and  operated  the  same  until  1894,  when  he  disposed  of  it  and  came  to 
Idaho,  settling  in  what  is  now  Jefferson  but  then  Fremont  county.  There  he  bought 
land  and  farmed  the  rest  of  his  life,  which  ended  in  November,  1904,  his  wife, 
Lovey  J.  Bennett,  surviving  until  January,  1915. 

Bash  L.  Bennett  spent  his  early  life  in  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  where  he  received 
his  early  training  in  the  local  schools.  He  remained  with  his  parents,  giving  them 
valuable  assistance  in  the  development  of  their  agricultural  interests,  until  he 
became  of  age.  He  accompanied  them  when  they  came  to  Jefferson  county,  Idaho, 
in  1894.  Later  he  struck  out  for  himself,  buying  a  farm  In  this  county  which  he 
developed  and  operated  until  1909,  when  he  disposed  of  it  and  removed  to  Market 
Lake,  Jefferson  county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  until  1915. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Rigby,  where  he  and  his  family  have  since  made  their  home. 
He  is  still  interested  in  farming,  however,  and  gives  supervision  to  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  still  owns. 

Mr.  Bennett's  activities  are  not  confined  to  agriculture  for  he  is  closely  associ- 
ated with  local  business  and  legal  affairs.  In  January,  1915,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Jefferson  county  bar  and  has  since  carried  on  a  successful  practice  of  law,  being 
now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bennett  &  McCall.  He  is  also  secretary  of  the  Idaho 
Title  &  Loan  Company  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company, 
the  Gem  State  Furniture  Company  and  the  Jefferson  Title  &  Abstract  Company,  all 
of  Rigby. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bennett  is  a  stanch  republican  and  for  a  number  of  years  he 
has  done  valuable  work  in  his  party's  local  organization.  Even  before  Jefferson 
county  was  established,  he  was  closely  associated  with  the  public  and  political  inter- 
ests of  the  community,  for  he  was  deputy  assessor  to  Fremont  county  when  this 
section  was  included  in  the  aforementioned  county.  After  the  organization  of  the 
government  of  Jefferson  county,  his  previous  experience  and  his  efficiency  in  the 
administration  of  a  public  trust  so  recommended  him  that  he  was  appointed  county 
assessor  in  November,  1913.  So  ably  did  he  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  that 
his  fellow  citizens  have  reelected  him  annually.  Furthermore,  he  has  been  the 
recipient  of  other  •ffices  of  trust  at  the  hands  of  his  neighbors.  While  he  was  a 
resident  of  Roberts,  Jefferson  county,  he  was  elected  a  member  to  the  first  town 
board.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  member  of  the  city  council  of  Rigby, 


598  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  which  he  is  chairman.  For  six  years  he  served  as  school  director  and  was  for 
four  years  United  States  commissioner.  It  can  well  be  said  in  summary  that 
Mr.  Bennett  in  the  performance  of  the  onerous  duties  of  public  office  has  been 
dominated  by  a  strict  sense  of  justice  and  right  as  he  sees  it,  which  have  met  the 
approbation  of  his  fellow  citizens.  « 

It  was  in  December,  1897,  that  Mr.  Bennett  married  Alice  E.  Williams,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  eight  children,  who  are  in  the  order  of  their  births:  Gordon, 
Hope,  Everett,  Carroll,  Burton,  Mabel,  Bernice  and  Robert.  Both  the  father  and 
mother  are  active  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and 
they  are  rearing  their  children  according  to  the  tenets  of  their  religion.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bennett  take  a  proper  interest  in  the  social  affairs  of  Rigby,  and  they  give 
their  closest  attention  to  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 


HARRY  H.  BRYANT. 

Harry  H.  Bryant,  senior  partner  and  founder  of  the  firm  of  H.  H.  Bryant  &  Son, 
dealers  in  automobiles  and  automobile  accessories  and  supplies  in  Boise,  also  sales 
agent  for  Boise  and  vicinity  for  the  Ford  Motor  Car  Company  of  Detroit,  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  capital  for  the  past  five  years,  having  removed  to  this  city  from 
Seattle  in  1913.  Impaired  health  had  caused  him  to  leave  Detroit,  Michigan,  in  1908 
and  establish  his  home  in  Seattle,  where  he  was  captain  of  different  coastwise  steam- 
boats. He  was  born  in  Detroit,  August  5,  1871,  a  son  of  Melvin  and  Martha  (Bench) 
Bryant,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  father  was  born  in  Vermont  and  made 
farming  his  life  work.  The  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Sheffield,  England.  They  were 
married  in  Greenfield,  Michigan,  and  both  passed  away  in  Detroit,  the  mother  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years  and  the  father  when  he  had  reached  the  eighty-second  mile- 
stone on  life's  journey. 

Harry  H.  Bryant  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  supplemented  the  public  school 
training  which  he  there  received  by  study  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor. 
His  textbooks  were  put  aside,  however,  when  he  attained  his  majority  and  for  several 
years  thereafter  he  was  connected  with  steamboating  on  the  Great  Lakes.  During 
the  eight  or  ten  years  thus  occupied  he  filled  practically  every  position  from  that  of 
cabin  boy  up  to  engineer  and  captain.  His  health  became  impaired,  however,  and  he 
decided  to  try  a  change  of  climate  and  sought  the  salt  air  of  the  Pacific  coast.  Ac- 
cordingly in  1908  he  made  his  way  to  Seattle,  where  he  completely  regained  his  health. 
He  went  to  that  city  on  crutches,  suffering  from  rheumatism,  and  weighed  but  one 
hundred  and  twenty-one  pounds.  He  is  now  robust  and  in  excellent  health,  and  his 
weight  is  now  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds.  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  brother-in-law 
of  Henry  Ford,  the  noted  motor  car  manufacturer  of  Detroit,  Mrs.  Ford  being  Mr. 
Bryant's  eldest  sister.  At  the  request  of  Mr.  Ford,  Mr.  Bryant  came  to  Boise  in  1913 
to  take  charge  of  the  Ford  motor  agency  at  this  place,  conducting  the  business  under 
the  firm  style  of  H.  H.  Bryant  &  Son,  his  territory  covering  Boise  and  seven  Idaho 
counties  adjacent  thereto.  The  firm  of  H.  H.  Bryant  &  Son  owns  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  motor  car  plants  in  Boise  and  also  the  land  on  which  the  plant  stands.  Their 
building  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet  and  is  located 
at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Front  streets.  It  is  a  two-story  concrete  building  cover- 
ing the  whole  lot  and  was  completed  in  August,  1917.  It  is  today  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  equipped  garages  in  the  west  and  represents  an  expenditure  of  about  eighty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  The  entire  plant  is  owned  by  Mr.  Bryant  and  his  son,  Melvin  B. 
Bryant.  The  firm  sold  thirteen  hundred  and  seventy  Ford  cars  in  the  year  from 
August  1,  1916,  to  August  1,  1917.  In  addition  to  the  passenger  car  they  also  sell  the 
Ford  motor  truck  and  Fordson-  tractors. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  Mr.  Bryant  married  Miss 
Nellie.  Pierce,  who  was  born  at  Redford,  Michigan,  a  daughter  of  Alvin  Pierce  and  a 
niece  of  Franklin  Pierce,  the  manufacturer  of  the  Fierce-Arrow  motor  cars.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bryant  have  two  sons,  Melvin  B.  and1  Harry  H.,  Jr.  The  former  was  born  in 
Detroit,  August  31,  1894,  and  was  in  the  service  of  the  government  as  a  marine  archi- 
tect in  the  shipyards  at  Seattle  during  the  World  war.  He  holds  a  license  as  a  steam- 
boat engineer.  Harry  H.  Bryant,  Jr.,  born  at  Detroit,  April  30,  1903,  is  a  student  in 
the  public  schools  of  Boise.  The  elder  son  was  the  only  marine  architect  engaged 
on  government  work  from  all  the  state  of  Idaho.  He  had  two  years  of  submarine 


HARRY  H.  BRYANT 


MELVIN  B.  BRYANT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  603 

training  before  the  United  States  entered  the  war.  He  learned  his  trade  of  marine 
architect  with  the  Seattle  Construction  &  Dry  Dock  Company  of  Seattle  and  on  the 
25th  of  April,  1918,  he  received  a  highly  complimentary  letter  from  Chairman  Edward 
N.  Hurley  of  the  United  States  shipping  board.  On  the  19th  of  July,  1918,  he  married 
Miss  Emma  Louise  Bucklin,  of  Port  Blakeley,  Washington,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  Nathan  and  Martha  Bucklin,  pioneers  of  the  Puget  Sound,  arriving  there  in  1868. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  B.  Bryant  have  a  little  daughter,  born  November  29,  1919,  in  Boise. 
In  that  city  they  now  make  their  home,  owning  property  at  1814  North  Eighth  street. 
In  religious  faith  H.  H.  Bryant  is  an  Episcopalian.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Limit  Club,  an  organization  com- 
posed of  one  hundred  members,  all  of  whom  have  purchased  a  thousand  dollars  worth — 
the  limit — of  War  Savings  stamps.  Since  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Bryant  is  planning 
to  turn  the  motor  car  business  over  to  his  two  sons  and  engage  extensively  in  farm- 
ing in  the  state  of  Idaho,  already  owning  land  in  Canyon  county.  He  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  west  and  its  opportunities  and  is  eager  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantages 
offered  for  agricultural  development. 


CHARLES  ELLSWORTH  SHRIVER. 

Charles  Ellsworth  Shriver  is  a  prominent  figure  in  the  industrial  circles  of 
Boise,  where  he  is  conducting  business  under  the  name  of  the  Capital  Sash  and 
Door  Company.  In  this  connection  he  has  developed  an  enterprise  of  importance, 
and  his  efforts  have  ever  been  of  a  character  that  have  contributed  to  public  prog- 
ress and  prosperity  as  well  as  to  individual  success.  Mr.  Shriver  was  born  in 
Williams  county,  Ohio,  August  8,  1866,  a  son  of  Robert  S.  and  Fannie  (Neighs- 
wander)  Shriver,  who  were  farming  people  of  Goshen,  Indiana.  The  father  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  crops  until  the  time  of  the  Civil  war, 
when  he  put  aside  all  business  and  personal  considerations  and  joined  the  army, 
serving  for  two  years.  Robert  S.  Shriver  is  still  living  at  Goshen  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five,  enjoying  excellent  health,  but  the  mother  passed  away  in  Septem- 
ber, 1916. 

Charles  Ellsworth  Shriver  obtained  his  education  in  the  grammar  and  normal 
schools  of  Indiana,  accompanying  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  that  state  from 
Ohio  when  but  a  child.  He  became  an  expert  penman  and  accepted  a  position  as 
a  teacher  of  penmanship,  devoting  ten  years  to  that  calling.  Attracted  by  the 
opportunities  of  the  west,  he  made  his  way  to  California  and  spent  two  years 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1888  he  arrived  in  Boise  and  at  that  time  his  cash  capital 
was  less  than  a  dollar.  He  possessed  energy  and  industry,  however,  and  these 
qualities  stood  him  instead  of  fortune.  He  sought  and  won  employment  in  the 
Overland  Hotel,  where  he  remained  for  five  years  and  then  entered  into  active  con- 
nection with  the  planing  mill  business,  associated  with  Fred  C.  Henry  and  M.  H. 
Goodwin.  Industrious,  faithful  and  reliable,  he  soon  won  advancement  and  suc- 
cessive promotions  brought  him  to  the  position  of  manager  of  the  mills.  In  1895 
he  determined  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  established  a  modern 
planing  mill  and  sash  and 'door  factory.  From  the  beginning  the  new  enterprise 
prospered  and  has  enjoyed  steady  and  continuous  growth.  Although  in  1908  the 
mills  were  completely  destroyed  by  fire,  they  rose,  phoenix-like,  from  the  ashes, 
however,  owing  to  the  enterprise  and  determination  of  Mr.  Shriver,  who  rebuilt 
the  plant  on  a  more  extensive  scale  than  before.  The  business  has  continuously 
grown  and  in  addition  to  a  fully  equipped  planing  mill  and  sash  and  door  factory 
Mr.  Shriver  maintains  a  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  bee  supplies,  the  only  one 
of  the  kind  in  the  northwest.  This  branch  of  his  business  has  proven  very  profit- 
able and  within  recent  years  the  plant  has  been  greatly  enlarged,  its  capacity 
being  more  than  doubled.  He  makes  shipment  of  bee  hives  and  bee  supplies 
throughout  Idaho,  Montana,  Oregon,  Washington,  Wyoming,  Utah  and  various 
points  in  Colorado  and  this  branch  of  his  business  is  now  very  profitable.  Mr. 
Shriver  is  also  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate  in  Boise  and  Idaho. 

Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Hoo  Hoos.  His  political  allegiance 
is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  from  1906  until  1908  he  served  as  alderman 
of  Boise  but  is  not  ambitious  to  hold  office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts 


604  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs.  Steadily  he  has  progressed  in  this  con- 
nection and  today  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  important  productive  industries  of 
the  capital  city. 


CLYDE  M.  GRAY. 

Clyde  M.  Gray,  deputy  internal  revenue  collector  for  the  Boise  district,  which 
embraces  ten  Idaho  counties,  was  born  in  Gunnison,  Colorado,  August  23,  1886, 
and  is  the  only  son  of  the  Hon.  Charles  W.  and  Lulu  M.  (Long)  Gray.  His  father 
was  a  well  known  citizen  and  real  estate  man  of  Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  at  one  time 
was  called  upon  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  legislature.  He  was  born 
in  Illinois  and  his  wife  in  Kansas,  and  for  a  considerable  period  they  resided  in 
the  west.  The  father  was  in  early  life  a  railroad  man,  devoting  many  years  to 
that  service  as  a  passenger  conductor  on  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande.  Later  he 
became  foreman  of  the  shops  at  Lima,  Montana.  In  1893  the  family  removed  from 
Colorado  to  Lima  and  in  1900  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Pocatello. 

Clyde  M.  Gray  on  attaining  school  age  became  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools 
of  Colorado,  afterward  continued  his  studies  in  Montana  and  in  Idaho  and  com- 
pleted his  course  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  at  Logan,  Utah.  For  several 
years  after  leaving  college  he  was  associated  in  business  with  his  father  at  Poca- 
tello but  during  1911  and  1912  was  in  the  service  of  the  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles 
&  Salt  Lake  Railroad  at  Las  Vegas,  Nevada,  acting  as  voucher  clerk. 

On  the  llth  of  June,  1913,  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  Mr.  Gray  was  married  to 
Miss  Grace  E.  Benning,  a  daughter  of  William  Benning,  a  contractor  of  Ptieblo. 
After  his  marriage  and  until  the  fall  of  1913  Mr.  Gray  was  associated  with  his 
father  at  Pocatello  and  during  the  time  there  spent  was  superintendent  of  the 
Fairview  waterworks  in  North  Pocatello,  of  which  his  father  is  a  large  stock- 
holder. In  the  fall  of  1914  Clyde  M.  Gray  began  the  business  of  raising  chickens 
at  Pocatello,  establishing  a  large  white  Leghorn  plant,  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
northwest,  having  as  high  as  three  thousand  hens  at  a  time.  When  the  country 
entered  the  European  war  the  price  to  which  chicken  feed  went  made  his  busi- 
ness less  profitable,  so  he  sold  out.  On  the  13th  of  November,  1917,  he  passed  a 
civil  service  examination  at  Pocatello  and  on  the  12th  of  April,  1918,  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  as  deputy  internal  revenue  collector  for  the  Boise  district, 
serving  under  W.  C.  Whaley,  the  collector,  at  Helena,  Montana.  Later  was 
appointed  as  chief  of  the  income  tax  division  in  the  office  of  Collector  Lewis  Wil- 
liams of  the  new  district  of  Idaho  at  Boise. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray  have  become  parents  of  a  son,  Charles  W.  Gray  (III), 
who  was  born  September  11,  1914,  being  the  third  in  line  to  bear  the  name  of 
Charles  Wesley  Gray. 

Mr.  Gray  is  an  Elk  and  belongs  to  Pocatello  Lodge,  No.  674.  He  is  fond  of 
fishing  and  hunting  but  perhaps  finds  his  greatest  recreation  in  reading,  particu- 
larly along  mechanical  and  philosophical  lines.  He  was  one  of  the  first  students 
to  enroll  in  the  Academy  of  Idaho  at  Pocatello,  now  the  Idaho  Technical  Insti- 
tute, and  throughout  his  later  years  he  has  continued  his  reading  and  study  along 
mechanical  and  scientific  lines,  thus  constantly  broadening  his  knowledge  and 
promoting  his  efficiency  for  the  practical  and  responsible  duties  of  life. 


SAMUEL  P.  OLDHAM. 

Samuel  P.  Oldham,  county  clerk,  recorder  and  auditor  of  Madison  county  and 
a  resident  of  Rexburg,  was  born  at  Paradise,  Utah,  April  6,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  J.  (Price)  Oldham,  who  were  natives  of  England  and  of  Utah 
respectively.  The  father  came  to  America  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Utah  in  1866, 
accompanying  his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  the  new  world.  The  family  home 
was  established  in  the  Cache  valley,  where  Samuel  Oldham,  Sr.,  spent  his  boy- 
hood days.  He  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  many 
years,  becoming  county  superintendent  of  Cache  county,  which  office  he  filled  for 
two  terms.  He  also  represented  his  district  in  the  state  legislature  for  two  terms 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  605 

and  was  thus  prominently  connected  with  public  interests.  To  some  extent  he 
engaged  in  farming  but  is  now  retired,  still  making  his  home  at  Paradise,  Utah. 
The  mother  of  Samuel  P.  Oldham  passed  away,  however,  on  the  15th  of  December, 
1892. 

Samuel  P.  Oldham  was  reared  and  educated  in  Cache  county  and  completed 
a  normal  course  at  Brigham  Young  College  in  Logan,  Utah.  He,  too,  took  up 
the  profession  of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  was  called  on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  spent  three  years  in  South  Carolina.  He  then  returned  to  Utah  and  again 
engaged  in  teaching  for  three  years.  He  next  entered  the  railway  mail  service 
in  Utah,  Idaho  and  Nevada,  traveling  out  of  Ogden  and  Salt  Lake  City,  and  was 
thus  busily  engaged  for  seven  years.  Later  he  devoted  one  year  to  soliciting  insur- 
ance and  in  1910  he  removed  to  Sunny  dell,  Madison  county,  Idaho,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health.  He  purchased  land  there  which  he  improved  and  cultivated  for 
four  years  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  came  to  Rexburg  as  deputy  auditor 
and  recorder  under  John  Hegsted,  thus  serving  until  April,  1918,  when  he  resigned 
and  established  an  abstract  business,  which  he  is  still  conducting  under  the  firm 
name  of  the  Rexburg  Abstract  &  Title  Company.  In  November  of  the  same  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  auditor  and  recorder  of  Madison  county  and  has 
since  served  in  that  capacity,  his  previous  service  as  deputy  well  qualifying  him 
for  the  prompt  and  capable  discharge  of  the  duties  that  now  devolve  upon  him. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1894,  Mr.  Oldham  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Schow 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Phyllis,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Roy  Stoddard,  of  Rexburg,  Idaho;  Mildred  E.,  who  manages  the  abstract 
business  of  her  father;  S.  Reuel,  who  is  attending  high  school;  Lucille,  Volney  Lee, 
Rhea  and  Mary  Annetta,  who  are  also  in  school;  and  John  Royal,  who  passed  away 
on  the  13th  of  January,  1914. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Oldham  is  a  republican  and  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  but  does  not  seek  nor  desire  political  prefer- 
ment. His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  he  is  first  counselor  to  Bishop  H.  J.  Flamm  of  the  second  ward  of  Rexburg. 
He  has  always  been  a  resident  of  the  west,  possesses  the  enterprising  spirit  which 
has  been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country  and 
has  always  borne  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  general  progress  and  improvement. 


ALFRED   RICKS. 

Alfred  Ricks  is  closely  associated  with  business  enterprises  at  Sugar,  where 
he  is  the  manager  of  the  Sugar  City  Mercantile  Company.  That  he  is  not  neglect- 
ful of  his  duties  in  other  connections  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  is  a  bishop 
in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  E. 
and  Ellen  M.  (Yallop)  Ricks,  the  latter  now  living  at  Sugar.  Extended  mention 
of  Thomas  E.  Ricks  is  made  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his  son  and  name- 
sake, Thomas  E.  Ricks,  of  Rexburg,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Born  in  Logan,  Utah,  on  the  28th  of  November,  1870,  Alfred  Ricks  was 
there  reared  and  educated  and  in  1883,  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  came  to  Madi- 
son county,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of  Oneida  county.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty,  when  he  took  up  a  homestead  in  Madison  county  which 
he  has  since  improved  and  cultivated,  transforming  it  into  an  excellent  farm 
property.  In  1904  he  came  to  Sugar  and  erected  his  present  fine  residence,  at 
the  same  time  purchasing  an  interest  in  the  Sugar  City  Mercantile  Company  and 
also  an  interest  in  another  store  which  was  not  being  conducted  along  very  remun- 
erative lines.  It  was  owned  by  a  stock  company  whose  losses  had  amounted 
to  about  thirty-two  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Ricks  took  charge  of  these  business 
interests,  consolidating  the  two  stores,  and  within  three  years  had  paid  off  all 
indebtedness.  He  has  since  had  charge  of  the  business  and  has  made  it  a  very 
profitable  and  growing  concern.  Prior  to  the  time  when  he  became  manager  he 
had  served  as  collector  of  Zion's  Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution  at  the  branch 
at  Rexburg  for  a  period  of  three  years.  This  had  given  him  an  experience  which 
proved  of  worth  in  the  financial  management  of  the  business  at  Sugar.  He  still 
devotes  about  half  of  his  time  to  his  farm  and  he  is  also  the  vice  president  of  the 


606  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Fremont  County  Bank  of  Sugar,  is  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors  and  passes 
on  much  of  its  commercial  paper.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Farmers' 
&  Merchants'  Bank  of  Rexburg,  of  which  he  is  the  president,  and  thus  his  business 
interests  are  extensive  and  important.  What  he  has  accomplished  has  not  only 
constituted  a  valuable  contribution  to  his  individual  fortunes  but  has  also  been 
an  element  in  the  growth  and  continuous  development  of  the  community  along 
commercial  and  financial  lines.  In  addition  to  his  other  interests  he  is  extensively 
engaged  in  sheep  raising.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Sugar  City  Milling  Com- 
pany, which  he  managed  for  a  year,  is  the  manager  of  the  Ricks  Investment 
Company  of  Rexburg. and  is  identified  with  various  other  enterprises.  For  twenty 
years  he  was  president  of  the  Teton  Island  Canal  Company,  managing  a  project 
valued  at  one  million  dollars,  and  he  is  serving  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Teton  Island  Feeder  Canal. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1890,  Mr.  Ricks  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Roberts,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  who  died  at  birth.  The  wife 
and  mother  passed  away  about  1892  and  about  1894  Mr.  Ricks  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Winifred  L.  Roberts,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife 
and  a  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Adeline  (Ensign)  Roberts,  who  became  pioneer 
settlers  of  Madison  county  and  still  reside  upon  a  farm  within  its  borders.  To 
Alfred  and  Winifred  Ricks  have  been  born  eight  children,  namely:  Mary  A.; 
Alfred,  Jr.;  Ellen  and  Lee,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away;  Georgianna;  Lorin; 
Fontella;  and  Margie. 

Mr.  Ricks  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  and  in  1905  was  made  bishop  of  Sugar  ward,  prior  to  which  time  he  had 
served  in  the  bishopric  at  Salem  and  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
for  several  years.  He  has  always  voted  with  the  republican  party  and  for  two 
terms  served  on  nie  board  of  county  commissioners,  while  his  prominence  in  the 
public  life  of  Sugar  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  filled  the  office  of  mayor 
altogether  for  fourteen  years.  No  higher  testimonial  of  his  capability  could  be 
given  than  the  fact  that  he  has  so  long  continued  in  this  position  through  the 
vote  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  have  thus  expressed  their  confidence  in  his 
ability  and  fidelity.  His  life  record  indeed  constitutes  an  integral  chapter  in  the 
history  of  Sugar  and  this  section  of  the  state. 


JOHN  M.  EVANS. 

John  M.  Evans,  deceased,  a  broad-minded  business  man  and  citizen  of  marked 
initiative  whose  labors  constituted  an  important  element  in  the  development  and 
growth  of  the  district  in  which  he  lived,  as  well  as  a  source  of  individual  success, 
came  to  Idaho  from  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Woburn,  Bond  county,  May 
7,  1862.  His  father,  Morris  Jones  Evans,  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  when  a  youth 
of  seventeen  years  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Illinois  where  he 
afterward  engaged  in  buying  stock  and  in  farming.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil 
war  he  purchased  horses  for  the  government.  He  was  of  English  lineage.  His  father, 
Edward  Evans,  was  a  native  of  Wales.  He  lived  in  Indiana  for  some  years  and  after- 
ward removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  The  mother 
of  John  M.  Evans  was  prior  to  her  marriage  Artimissa  Jette,  of  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morris  Jones  Evans  were  born  two  children,  the  daughter  being  Mary  E.,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Sephus  Elam,  and  after  his  death  married  Robert  Glenn,  by  whom 
she  had  one  child,  Evert.  It  was  in  the  year  1881  that  Morris  Jones  Evans  removed 
with  his  family  to  South  Dakota,  first  settling  at  Aberdeen  and  later  -going  west  to 
the  unsurveyed  country  near  Ipswich,  where  they  exercised  their  homestead,  preemp- 
tion and  tree  claim  rights  to  the  extent  of  each  securing  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land. 

John  M.  Evans  had  been  reared  to  farm  life,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the 
duties  and  labors  incident  to  the  cultivation  and  development  of  the  fields,  and  after 
the  removal  to  South  Dakota  he  with  the  others  became  owner  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land.  On  the  13th  of  December,  1885,  he  married  Clara  S.  Houghton, 
a  native  of  Lyons,  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Anna 
(Randall)  Houghton.  Her  father  was  born  in  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  November  18, 
1803,  and  in  1840  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  secured  a  homestead,  devoting  his 


JOHN  M.  EVANS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  609 

remaining  days  to  its  cultivation  and  improvement.  He  there  passed  away  April  14, 
1864.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Boston  Spa,  New  York,  went  to  Wisconsin  with  her  parents 
in  1844  and  there  on  the  5th  of  January,  1847,  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Houghton.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children:  George,  Maria  L.,  Albert,  Lou  A.,  Edgar  and  Clara  S. 
The  ancestry  of  the  Houghton  family  is  traced  back  to  James  and  Henry  Houghton, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  from  England  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  settled  in  Connecticut,  Henry  becoming  the  founder  of  the  branch  of  the 
family  to  which  Mrs.  Evans  belongs.  In  young  womanhood  Mrs.  Evans  and  her  sister 
Lou  went  to  South  Dakota,  where  the  latter  acted  as  housekeeper  for  their  brothers, 
while  Clara  S.  Houghton  engaged  in  teaching  school  until  the  time  of  her  marriage 
to  John  M.  Evans. 

Following  the  marriage  Mr.  Evans  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  cattle  and  in 
farming  for  thirteen  years,  his  wife  proving  a  most  able  assistant  to  him.  He  then 
left  South  Dakota  for  Grass  Valley,  Oregon,  where  he  arrived  on  the  21st  of  June, 
1895.  His  means  were  exhausted  by  the  time  he  reached  his  destination  ana  for  tho 
first  time  in  his  life  he  found  it  necessary  to  work  for  someone  else.  He  received  but 
twenty  dollars  per  month  for  his  labor  and  there  was  only  one  person  in  that  section 
who  could  afford  to  pay  even  that  sum.  Mr.  Evans  was  joined  by  his  wife  about  a 
month  after  he  reached  Oregon.  She  arrived  at  Grants  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  the  wind  was  blowing  such  a  gale  and  the  dust  was  so  dense  that  it  was  impossible 
to  cross  the  road.  At  eight  in  the  morning  s"he  accompanied  her  husband  across  the 
prairie  sand  a  distance  of  forty-five  miles,  where  he  had  already  located  on  a  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  had  there  built  a  cabin.  Their  capital  was  just  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three  dollars  and  all  around  them  was  a  desolate  country.  They 
at  that  time  had  two  children.  Mr.  Evans  had  dug  a  well,  but  unfortunately  it  went 
dry,  leaving  them  without  water.  Previous  to  this  time  Mr.  Evans  had  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  buying  thirteen  yearlings,  a  cow  and  a  calf  and  a  hog.  He  asked  his  wife 
if  she  could  care  for  the  stock  while  he  worked  for  the  twenty  dollars  per  montb 
previously  referred  to,  and  when  the  well  went  dry  she  found  it  necessary  to  ride  a 
distance  of  more  than  five  miles  and  draw  water  from  wells  with  a  rope.  She  took 
one  of  the  children  behind  her  on  the  horse  and  in  order  to  get  water  had  to  lower  her 
boy,  Emmett,  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  well  that  he  might  dip  up  the  last  drop  of 
water  which  it  was  possible  to  get.  Her  labor,  however,  saved  the  stock,  which  in  time 
were  fattened  and  sold  by  Mr.  Evans.  At  night  she  would  drive  the  cattle  behind  the 
cabin  and  watch  them  until  they  laid  down  for  the  night.  When  dawn  broke,  she 
arose,  cooked  breakfast  and  was  away  after  the  cattle  to  keep  them  from  straying. 
Wher.  three  years  had  passed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  sold  their  place  in  Oregon  and  by 
that  time  had  not  only  a  thousand  dollars  in  gold  but  also  a  fine  team,  a  covered  wagon 
and  two  ponies  for  the  boys.  Thus  equipped  they  started  for  Idaho.  They  had  driven 
their  cattle  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  where  they  received  their  money  in  gold.  They 
were  shadowed  night  and  day  from  the  time  they  left  The  Dalles  until  they  reached 
Notus,  Idaho.  There  were  a  number  of  cattle  rustlers  who  delegated  one  of  their 
party  to  accompany  Mr.  Evans  and  his  family  to  Idaho  as  a  friend  who  wanted  to  see 
the  state,  and  the  only  way  the  family  escaped  being  robbed  and  probably  murdered, 
was  by  convincing  this  man  that  they  had  left  their  money  in  the  bank  at  The  Dalles. 
The  coin,  however,  was  in  a  trunk  on  -their  wagon.  They  experienced  great  difficulty 
in  driving  their  cattle  to  The  Dalles  and  on  going  through  the  Deschutes  canyon  the 
roads  were  so  bad  that  one  of  the  cows  fell  off  the  grade  and  rolled  two  hundred 
feet  down  an  embankment,  from  which  position  it  was  rescued  after  two  hours  of 
strenuous  elfort.  Mrs.  Evans  saved  the  whole  herd  from  stampeding  by  throwing  rocks 
at  them  when  on  one  of  these  grades  and  on  that  occasion  she  would  probably  have 
been  trampled  to  death  had  the  cattle  stampeded.  It  was  on  one  such  grade  that  the 
horses  took  fright  at  a  large  white  rock  in  the  river  and  were  checked  in  their  mad 
run  with  great  difficulty. 

„  He  was  the  pioneer  in  the  cattle  feeding  industry  in  the  Boise  valley.  He  began 
feeding  cattle  in  1904,  when  hay  was  selling  at  three  dollars  per  ton.  He  met  with  a 
great  deal  of  opposition  from  the  sheepmen,  who  practically  had  things  their  own  way 
up  to  that  time,  but  he  was  successful  in  this  enterprise  and  became  prominent  in  the 
cattle-feeding  industry,  which  was  the  beginning  of  the  Boise  Valley  Packing  Company. 
On  the  6th  of  July,  1898,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  and  their  children  reached  Notus, 
Idaho,  and  rented  the  ranch  belonging  to  his  brother-in-law,  R.  E.  Glenn.  Mr.  Evans' 
father,  who  was  then  an  invalid,  also  became  a  member  of  their  household  and  re- 
mained with  them  until  his  death.  On  the  9th  of  February,  1900,  the  Evans  family 

Vol.  11—39 


610  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

took  up  their  abode  upon  their  present  place  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  Here 
Mr.  Evans  built  a  fine  home  and  carried  on  general  farming  and  also  bought  and  fat- 
tened cattle  for  the  market.  When  he  took  over  this  land  it  was  enclosed  with  just 
two  wires  for  a  fence  and  the  sod  was  unbroken,  but  he  converted  it  into  a  most  val- 
uable and  attractive  place.  Moreover,  he  not  only  successfully  conducted  important 
business  interests  but  did  much  to  develop  and  improve  the  region  in  which  he  lived. 
He  was  one  of  the  three  men  most  active  in  promoting  the  Enterprise  school  district 
No.  12  and  bringing  about  the  building  of  the  schoolhouse,  which  later  was  found 
too  small  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number  of  pupils,  and  he  put  up  a  hard  fight 
for  the  erection  of  the  present  school  building,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state. 
Mr.  Evans  likewise  built  a  mile  and  three  quarters  of  road  west  from  Eagle  for  half 
price.  In  this  he  was  assisted  by  the  farmers,  who  charged  only  two  dollars  and  a 
half  per  day  for  themselves  and  their  teams.  This  was  accomplished  while  Mr.  Evans 
was  serving  as  road  commissioner.  Ever  an  untiring  worker  for  clean  morals,  it  was 
through  his  efforts  that  Eagle  was  made  one  of  the  cleanest  towns  morally  in  the  state. 

With  the  material  development  of  the  community  Mr.  Evans  was  also  actively 
associated.  He  was  the  pioneer  in  the  cattle  feeding  industry  in  the  Boise  valley.  He 
began  feeding  cattle  in  1904,  when  hay  was  selling  at  three  dollars  per  ton.  He  met 
with  a  great  deal  of  opposition  from  the  sheepmen,  who  practically  had  things  their 
own  way  up  to  that  time,  but  he  was  successful  in  this  enterprise  and  became  prominent 
in  the  cattle-feeding  industry,  which  was  the  beginning  of  the  Boise  Valley  Packing 
Company.  He  was  connected  with  Frank  Gardner  in  establishing  the  Bank  of  Eagle, 
of  which  he  became  a  stockholder.  He  also  promoted  the  Eagle  Creamery,  now  the 
Eagle  Cheese  Factory,  and  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Boise  Valley  Packing 
Company,  under  United  States  inspection  and  now  turning  out  some  of  the  best  prod- 
ucts in  their  line  in  the  state.  The  enterprise  has  assumed  extensive  proportions  and 
has  been  a  most  valuable  adjunct  to  the  business  interests  of  the  valley.  The  com- 
pany was  capitalized  for  fifty  thousand  dollars,  all  of  its  stockholders  being  land- 
owners of  this  part  of  the  state.  They  began  the  curing  and  packing  of  meat,  pur- 
chasing from  the  farmers  on  an  average  of  one  hundred  hogs  each  week  and  beef  in 
proportionate  quantity.  This  stock  was  killed  and  packed  by  the  company  and  found 
a  ready  market,  so  that  the  business  of  the  company  rapidly  increased  and  the  indus- 
try became  a  boon  to  the  stock  raisers  of  Ada  county.  The  plant  has  been  developed 
along  the  most  progressive  and  complete  lines,  with  every  modern  facility  for  the 
conduct  of  the  business,  and  the  products  placed  upon  the  market  are  equal  to  any. 
Mr.  Evans  was  the  largest  stockholder  in  the  business1  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  September  7,  1916,  and  he  was  also  the  president  of  the  company.  Another 
feature  of  his  public-spirited  devotion  to  Ada  county  was  found  in  his  intercession 
with  Senator  Borah  at  Washington  that  the  postoffice  and  rural  route  headquarters 
should  be  maintained  at  Eagle  instead  of  being  transferred  to  Star. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  became  the  parents  of  three  sons.  Emmett  A.,  thirty-two 
years  of  age,  a  prominent  farmer  and  cattle  man,  is  the  president  of  the  Boise  Val- 
ley Packing  Company  and  one  of  its  largest  stockholders.  Stephen  E.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  left  a  widow  and  one  child,  Ruth.  John  C.  H.,  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  is  living  with  his  mother. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Evans  was  the  occasion  of  the  most  deep  and  widespread  regret. 
He  was  killed  in  a  collision  of  the  interurban  cars  with  his  automobile  at  Yost  station, 
living  but  five  hours  after  the  accident  occurred.  His  remains  were  interred  in  Morris 
Hill  cemetery  at  Boise  and  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  uniformly  held  was 
indicated  in  his  funeral,  which  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  held  in  the  capital  city. 
In  politics  he  was  always  an  earnest  republican  and  had  been  approached  by  both 
parties  as  a  candidate  for  governor  but  had  steadily  refused.  He  fought  untiringly  for 
clean  politics  but  never  sought  or  desired  office,  yet  there  was  no  position  within  the 
gift  of  his  fellow  townsmen  in  Idaho  that  he  could  not  have  had  for  the  asking. 
Throughout  Idaho  he  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  admiration  and  respect.  His  life  was  so 
varied  in  its  activity,  so  honorable  in  its  purpose,  so  far-reaching  and  beneficial  in  its 
effects  that  it  became  an  integral  part  of  the  history  of  Ada  county  and  of  the  annals 
of  the  state.  In  no  sense  a  man  in  public  life,  he  nevertheless  exerted  an  immeasur- 
able influence  on  the  place  of  his  residence — in  business  life  as  a  promoter  of  extensive 
industrial,  commercial  and  agricultural  interests;  in  social  circles  by  reason  of  a 
charming  personality  and  unfeigned  cordiality;  and  in  politics  by  reason  of  his  public 
spirit  and  devotion  to  the  general  good  as  well  as  by  his  comprehensive  understanding 
of  the  questions  affecting  state  and  national  welfare.  It  is  the  enterprise  and  char- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  611 

acter  of  the  citizen  that  enrich  and  ennoble  the  commonwealth,  and  this  the  life  of 
Mr.  Evans  did  for  Idaho.  His  career  was  marked  by  the  achievement  of  honorable 
purposes  and  the  accomplishment  of  important  projects  for  the  benefit  of  the  common- 
wealth as  well  as  for  the  promotion  of  his  individual  fortunes. 


MISS  ESTHER  J.  SWANN. 

Miss  Esther  J.  Swann  is  one  of  the  successful  business  women  of  Nampa,  at 
present  holding  the  position  of  treasurer  of  the  Nampa  and  Meridian  irrigation  dis- 
trict, in  which  position  important  duties  fall  to  her  lot.  Her  father,  P.  M.  Swann, 
is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  is  at  present  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment in  connection  with  road  work  at  Grimes  Pass,  Idaho.  In  the  days  of  hda 
youth  he  was  a  great  traveler  and  has  twice  rounded  the  globe.  For  the  past  thirty 
years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Idaho,  in  which  state  he  has  made  many  friends. 
His  wife,  a  native  of  Marquette,  Michigan,  was  In  her  maidenhood  Jennie  Delia 
Erickson  and  at  the  age  of  four  years  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  Colorado,  where 
she  received  her  education.  In  1889  the  family  removed  to  Rocky  Bar,  Idaho. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swann  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Esther  J.  and  Eric  George, 
the  brother  and  mother  making  their  home  with  our  subject. 

Miss  Swann  was  born  at  Rocky  Bar,  Elmore  county,  Idaho,  and  received  her 
early  education  in  the  graded  schools  of  her  native  county,  after  which  she  attended 
high  school  for  three  years.  In  1913  she  went  to  Boise  and  in  order  to  better 
prepare  herself  for  a  business  career  took  a  course  at  Link's  Business  College.  Be- 
ing thus  well  armed  for  life's  duties,  she  set  out  upon  her  independent  career  and 
became  a  stenographer  for  the  Nampa  and  Meridian  irrigation  district.  It  was  but 
a  year  before  she  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  assistant  secretary  and  so  rap- 
idly did  her  talents  develop  that  in  appreciation  of  her  industry,  faithfulness  and 
trustworthiness  she  was  made  treasurer  of  the  district  in  April,  1918.  She  now 
has  charge  of  all  the  collections,  which  amount  to  upwards  of  four  thousand  from 
that  many  water  users.  This  in  itself  not  only  requires  correct  and  quick  work 
but  also  tact  and  managerial  ability.  Miss  Swann  has  all  these  qualities  and,  more- 
over, is  a  woman  of  winning  personality,  who  has  many  friends  in  Nampa. 


CLARENCE  A.  BANDEL. 

One  of  rising  young  attorneys  of  the  Jefferson  county  bar  is  Clarence  A.  Bandel, 
who  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Rigby  for  the  last  four  years.  He 
was  born  in  Alma,  Kansas,  October  8,  1888,  a  son  of  William  and  Josephine  (Hal- 
ler)  Bandel,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Holland. 

Some  six  years  after  the  liberal  elements  of  the  population  of  Holland  had 
made  a  futile  attempt  to  get  a  democratic  government  there  in  1848,  William 
Bandel,  following  the  example  of  many  of  his  countrymen  who  loved  a  democratic 
form  of  government  and  the  chance  for  equal  opportunity  better  than  they  loved 
their  homeland,  left  Holland  for  the  shores  of  America  and  landed  here  sometime 
in  1854.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he  joined  a  band  of  immi- 
grants, pushed  on  westward  with  them  and  finally  settled  in  Iowa,  where  he  plied 
his  trade  as  tailor,  which  he  had  learned  in  the  old  country.  At  this  time  slavery 
was  the  burning  question  in  this  country  and  the  partisans  of  both  sides  of  the 
question  were  struggling  over  the  possession  of  Kansas.  In  his  tailor  shop  in 
Iowa  William  Bandel  became  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  free-state  men  and  he 
moved  southward  and  established  himself  in  the  town  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  thus 
allying  himself  definitely  and  actively  to  the  cause  of  anti-slavery.  Not  long  after 
he  had  settled  in  Lawrence  the  long  impending  struggle  between  the  north  and 
south  broke  out  in  actual  warfare  with  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter,  and  William 
Bandel,  feeling  that  he  should  do  his  part  for  his  adopted  country,  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  in  1862,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  Appomattox  he  re- 
turned to  Kansas  but  forsook  his  old  trade  of  tailor  and  located  on  a  farm  near 
Alma,  that  state.  Through  good  management  he  was  soon  able  to  purchase  the 
farm,  which  he  improved  and  operated  until  1904.  It  was  in  that  year  that  he 


612  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

sold  the  place  and  removed  to  Wamego,  Kansas,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  which  ended  on  April  20,  1918,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
surviving. 

Clarence  A.  Bandel  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm  near  Alma,  Kansas,  and 
it  was  there  that  he  received  his  elementary  education  but  finished  his  high  school 
course  at  Wamego,  that,  state.  He  then  entered  the  University  of  Kansas,  doing  one 
year  pre-law  work  in  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  the  three  years  following 
in  the  Department  of  Law.  He  graduated  with  the  class  of  1911. 

Following  his  graduation,  Mr.  Bandel  returned  to  his  home  town,  Wamego,  where 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  After  two  years  of  successful  experience, 
in  which  time  he  gained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  for  his 
conscientious  and  careful  work,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  attorney, 
serving  his  two-year  term.  Feeling  that  larger  opportunity  in  his  profession  lay 
farther  west,  he  came  to  Rigby  in  1915  and  here  he  has  achieved  marked  success. 

On  November  30,  1914,  Mr.  Bandel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lillian  M. 
Thompson,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  Burl  W.,  on  July  9,  1918. 
Mr.  Bandel  has  affiliated  himself  with  two  fraternal  orders,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Politically 
he  is  a  republican  and  the  active  part  he  takes  in  local  affairs  betokens  his  keen 
community  interest  and  his  good  citizenship. 


LEWIS  A.  CRITCHFIELD. 

Lewis  A.  Critchfield,  farmer  and  stockman  residing  at  Oakley,  was  born  at  Tooele, 
Utah,  February  17,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  William  A.  and  Orissa  M.  (Bates)  Critchfield. 
He  spent  his  boyhood  to  the  age  of  eleven  years  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  then 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Oakley,  the  family  home  being  established  near  the  present 
farm  of  Lewis  A.  Critchfield,  who  in  his  youthful  days  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Oakley  and  afterward  operated  his  mother's  ranch  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty 
years.  He  then  began  raising  and  dealing  in  horses  and  likewise  carried  on  general 
farming.  He  purchased  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  and  bent  his  energies  to  the  further 
development  of  his  place  and  the  conduct  of  his  business  affairs.  After  a  time  he  sold 
his  hors.es  and  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  cattle  raising,  while  still 
later  he  also  became  interested  in  sheep.  In  February,  1903,  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  fifty  acres  and  is  now  engaged  in  raising  both  sheep  and  cattle.  He  has  added 
to  his  land  from  time  to  time  until  his  possessions  now  include  twenty-five  hundred  acres 
and  he  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful  live  stock  men  of  his  section  of  the  state. 
He  has  closely  studied  the  most  practical  and  the  most  scientific  methods  of  stock 
raising  and  his  efforts  have  been  so  intelligently  directed  that  his  labors  have  been 
attended  with  a  notable  measure  of  success.  As  he  has  prospered  he  has  also  extended 
his  efforts  into  other  fields  and  is  now  the  vice  president  of  the  Oakley  State  Bank  and 
a  director  of  the  Warren  Springs  Water  Company. 

In  the  fall  of  1888  Mr.  Critchfield  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  W.  Wilson,  a  native  of 
North  Ogden,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Blood)  Wilson,  her  parents 
having  been  early  settlers  of  Utah.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Critchfield  have  been  born  eleven 
children:  Viola  P.,  who  for  two  years  was  engaged  in  mission  work  for  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints;  Ethel  J.;  Lewis  R.,  who  for  three  and  a  half  years 
was  connected  with  the  mission  field  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Roland  A.,  who  enlisted 
January  29,  1918,  in  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  Marines  and  after  arriving  in  France  on  the 
8th  of  June  participated  with  the  Second  Division  in  all  of  the  many  important  engage- 
ments in  which  the  American  troops  took  part  in  the  war  for  democracy;  Claud  W.; 
Anna  0.;  Lloyd  C.;  lone,  who  died  in  infancy;  Rodetta  W.  and  Odetta  W.,  twins;  and 
Arnold  C. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  in  the  work  of  which  Mr.  Critchfield  has  always  taken  an  active  and  helpful 
part.  He  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  and  has  been  a  high  official 
in  church  circles.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is 
ably  discharging  the  duties  of  county  commissioner,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in 
the  fall  of  1914.  He  deserves  great  credit  for  what  he  has  aecomplished.  He  started 
out  in  the  business  world  a  poor  boy,  empty-handed,  but  by  persistent  effort  has  worked 
his  way  steadily  upward.  He  early  recognized  the  eternal  principle  that  industry  wins 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  615 

• 

and  he  made  industry  the  beacon  light  of  his  life,  guiding  him  through  all  the  changes 
and  trials  of  a  business  career  and  bringing  him  at  length  to  the  goal  of  prosperity,  for 
he  is  today  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Cassia  county. 


B.    F.   ACKERMAN. 

B.  F.  Ackerman,  agent  for  the  Payette  Mills,  Inc.,  at  New  Plymouth,  is  a 
representative  of  an  old  Swiss  family.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland  on  Sunday 
July  12,  1857,  his  parents  being  Antone  and  May  Ann  Ackerman,  who  came  to 
America  in  1883  and  settled  at  Herman,  Nebraska,  where  the  father  followed  farm- 
ing for  four  years.  The  mother  then  passed  away  and  the  father  afterward  returned 
to  Switzerland,  where  his  death  occurred. 

B.  F.  Ackerman  remained  in  the  Land  of  the  Alps  until  1880,  when,  crossing 
the  Atlantic,  he  established  his  home  in  Nebraska,  being  then  a  young  man  of 
twenty-three  years.  There  he  followed  farming  for  six  years,  after  which  he  took 
up  his  abode  at  Blair,  Nebraska,  and  became  foreman  of  a  horse  collar  factory, 
there  serving  for  fifteen  years.  In  1903  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  New  Plym- 
outh. He  purchased  ten  acres  a  mile  west  of  the  town  and  followed  farming 
for  six  years,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  in  New  Plymouth 
for  a  decade,  when  he  sold  out  and  retired.  But  indolence  and  idleness  are  utterly 
foreign  to  his  nature  and  he  could  not  content  himself  without  some  occupation, 
so  he  accepted  the  agency  for  the  Payette  Mills,  Inc.,  and  is  now  capably  filling 
that  position. 

In  1883  Mr.  Ackerman  married  Miss  Anna  Wachter,  whose  parents  are  resi- 
dents of  Nebraska,  and  to  this  union  eight  children  have  been  born.  Marie  is 
manager  of  the  telephone  office  at  New  Plymouth.  Arnold  J.,  thirty-three  years 
of  age,  has  just  returned  from  France,  where  he  served  as  a  second  lieutenant  in 
Company  D,  Machine  Gun  Battalion,  First  Division,  and  was  in  a  number  of  the 
fiercest  drives.  He  has  been  in  the  United  States  army  for  three  years  and  was 
on  the  Mexican  border.  Florence  is  the  wife  of  E.  F.  Meyer  and  the  mother  of 
four  children,  Ruth,  Phillip,  Edna  and  Paul  Eugene.  Arthur  P.,  twenty-six  years 
of  age,  married  Marilla  Hannigan  and  they  have  one  child,  Betty  Ann.  Gertrude 
is  a  stenographer  and  has  recently  returned  from  Spokane.  Margaret  is  taking 
training  in  nursing.  Louis,  seventeen  years  of  age  is  at  home.  William  is  work- 
ing in  the  elevator  office  with  his  father.  The  family  occupy  an  attractive  residence 
on  West  boulevard  in  New  Plymouth  and  are  most  comfortably  situated. 

Mr.  Ackerman  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  life.  Starting  out  independently  in 
1880,  when  he  severed  home  ties  and  came  to  the  new  world,  he  has  since  been 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources  and  step  by  step  he  has  worked  his  way  upward, 
using  his  opportunities  wisely  and  acquiring  a  handsome  competence  as  the  reward 
of  his  labors  and  judicious  investments. 


JAMES   L.    GROW. 

James  L.  Grow,  manager  of  the  Farmers  Grain  and  Milling  Company  of  Buhl 
and  a  business  man  who  is  winning  success  through  close  application  and  unfal- 
tering enterprise,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  January  30,  1880,  and  is  a 
son  of  Edwin  and  Almira  (Raymond)  Grow.  He  was  but  a  small  boy  when  his 
parents  left  the  Empire  state  and  removed  to  Minnesota,  settling  near  Princeton, 
where  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
life,  early  becoming  familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring 
for  the  crops,  and  after  his  education  was  completed  he  took  up  the  occupation  of 
farming  in  Minnesota,  purchasing  railroad  land,  which  he  cleared  and  improved, 
and  in  fact  the  father  is  still  living  there,  being  now  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 
The  mother,  however,  passed  away  in  1911  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  In 
his  political  views  the  father  has  always  been  a  republican,  and  he  has  lived  the 
life  of  a  substantial  farmer  who  in  matters  of  citizenship  has  always  stood  for 
law,  order  and  progress. 

James  L.  Grow  after  following  farming  in  Minnesota  for  a  number  of  years 


616  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

left  that  state  for  Idaho  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  and  located  at  Kimberly. 
In  1908  he  removed  to  Buhl,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Weder  Lum- 
ber Company,  and  later  began  operating  the  Buhl  Transfer  Company.  In  1912 
he  accepted  his  present  position  with  the  Farmers  Grain  &  Milling  Company, 
having  been  manager  since  its  organization.  That  he  has  done  splendid  work 
in  this  connection  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  always  been  retained  by  the 
company  in  control  of  its  business.  He  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  grain 
trade  and  the  possibilities  for  grain  production  in  this  section  of  the  country 
and  in  the  conduct  of  the  business  has  displayed  marked  enterprise  and  ability. 

In  1908  Mr.  Grow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Millie  Dunken,  a  daughter 
of  Albert  and  Frances  (Ferbey)  Dunken.  Mrs.  Grow  was  born  in  Wisconsin  and 
by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children,  Frances  and  Dorothy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Grow  is  a  democrat,  having  supported  the  party  since  age 
conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  does  not  seek  nor  desire  office, 
for  his  time  is  fully  occupied  by  his  business  affairs,  and  he  is  at  all  times  ready 
to  cooperate  in  any  plan  or  movement  for  the  development  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives  or  the  upbuilding  of  the  state  at  large. 


FARRAR  W.   SKILLERN,   M.   D. 

Dr.  Farrar  W.  Skillern  is  a  retired  physician  who  at  a  recent  date  has  become 
a  resident  of  Boise,  removing  to  this  city  from  Oklahoma.  He  purchased  and  now 
occupies  a  splendid  home  at  No.  420  Bannock  street  and  is  a  welcome  addition 
to  the  citizenship  of  the  capital.  He  is  a  native  of  Hamilton  county,  Tennessee, 
born  July  19,  1851.  His  elder  brother,  John  Skillern  of  Boise,  came  to  Idaho 
from  Tennessee  many  years  ago  and  is  today  one  of  the  most  prominent  sheep 
men  of  the  state,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work,  in  connection  with  whose  sketch 
is  given  information  concerning  the  parents  of  the  brothers  and  their  ancestry. 

Dr.  Skillern  spent  his  boyhood  on  a  farm  in  Hamilton  county,  Tennessee, 
where  he  first  attended  a  country  school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  then  prepared  for  college  in  an  academy  at  Pikeville,  Tennessee,  and  after- 
ward entered  Vanderbilt  University,  in  which  he  not  only  completed  a  medical 
course  but  also  a  literary  and  scientific  course,  thus  becoming  well  qualified  by 
extensive  study  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties.  He  at  once  removed  to 
the  state  of  Texas,  locating  at  Rockdale,  where  he  taught  school  for  two  years. 
He  then  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  there  and  in  1883  he  returned  to 
his  native  state,  where  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  with  excellent  success  for  many  years.  In  the  meantime  he  did  post-gradu- 
ate medical  work  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 
For  a  period  of  twenty  years  he  was  an  active  physician  of  Chattanooga,  Ten- 
nessee. His  brother,  John  Skillern,  was  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Chattanooga 
and  the  two  became  interested  together  in  various  business  enterprises,  but  the 
widespread  financial  panic  of  1893  caused  the  loss  of  almost  everything  they  had. 
Though  both  were  then  past  middle  age — men  in  the  forties — neither  felt  dis- 
couraged but  resolutely  set  out  to  regain  their  lost  fortunes.  Both  have  "come 
back"  far  beyond  their  most  sanguine  hopes  and  expectations.  John,  the  elder 
brother,  removed  to  Idaho  and  within  a  short  period  of  twenty  years  made  a  for- 
tune as  a  sheep  raiser. 

Dr.  F.  W.  Skillern  also  left  Chattanooga  and  went  to  Oklahoma  and  to  Texas, 
becoming  a  large  operator  in  the  oil  fields  of  both  states.  He  still  has  extensive 
oil  properties  in  the  two  states,  and  thus  the  brothers  have  not  only  retrieved  their 
lost  possessions  but  have  passed  beyond  the  point  of  success  which  they  had  previously 
reached  when  financial  disaster  overtook  them.  While  they  traveled  widely  different 
routes,  both  reached  the  goal  of  success— the  one  through  sheep  raising  and  the 
other  through  operations  in  the  oil  fields  of  the  southwest.  Both  are  now  finan- 
cially independent  and  they  are  united  as  fellow  residents  of  Boise,  occupying 
two  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  of  the  city.  John  Skillern  came  to  Boise  many 
years  ago,  but  the  Doctor  did  not  take  up  his  permanent  abode  in  this  city  until  a 
recent  period.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  had  made  frequent  visits  to  his 
brother  John  and  his  family  and  the  wonderful  Boise  climate  and  other  attrac- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  617 

tions  of  the  city  made  strong  appeal  to  him,  so  that  he  has  established  his  home 
here  and  expects  to  spend  his  remaining  days  in  Idaho. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1874,  in  Belton,  Texas,  Dr.  Skillern  was  married 
to  Miss  Alice  Williams,  a  native  of  Tennessee  but  at  that  time  a  resident  of  the 
Lone  Star  state.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  Williams,  a  Methodist  min- 
ister. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Skillern  have  become  parents  of  two  daughters:  Martha  .!.. 
now  the  wife  of  James  A.  Howard,  a  well  known  ranchman  and  cattleman  of 
Boise;  and  Kathryn,  who  is  still  with  her  parents. 

The  most  tragic  experience  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Skillern  occurred  less  than 
two  years  ago.  While  he  was  spending  the  night  of  September  7,  1918,  at  a  hotel 
in  the  little  town  of  Tishomingo,  Oklahoma,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  he 
was  awakened  by  cries  of  fire  and  not  only  learned  that  the  hotel  was  in  flames 
but  was  doomed.  He  sought  a  way  of  escape  but  found  that  every  avenue  of  escape 
by  stairs  was  cut  off.  He  then  rushed  through  flame  and  smoke  down  a  corridor 
to  a  veranda  and  with  his  clothing  already  on  fire,  he  made  a  thirty-foot  leap 
to  a  stone  pavement  below.  Although  he  escaped  the  horrors  of  death  by  fire, 
it  was  an  awful  leap  for  a  man  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  weight  to 
make.  He  was  picked  up  unconscious  and  so  continued  for  many  hours.  An  X- 
ray  examination  disclosed  that  there  were  eighteen  fractured  bones.  The  attend- 
ing physician  said  that  there  was  no  hope.  However,  he  was  rushed  on  a  stretcher 
to  an  Oklahoma  hospital  thirty  miles  away  and  after  some  weeks  spent  in  the 
hospital,  careful  nursing  by  the  attendants  of  the  institution  and  by  his  wife  and 
daughter,  Mrs.  Howard,  who  in  response  to  a  telegram  hastened  to  his  bedside, 
brought  about  beneficial  changes  and  it  is  believed  that  .within  a  few  months 
Dr.  Skillern  will  be  all  right  again. 

Dr.  Skillern  still  holds  membership  in  the  American  Medical  Association  and 
also  in  the  state  medical  societies  of  Tennessee  and  Oklahoma.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Master  Mason,  loyally  adhering  to  the  teachings  and  purposes  of  the  craft,  and 
is  an  equally  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  His  life  has  been  a  most 
active  and  useful  one.  He  has  made  splendid  use  of  his  time,  his  talents  and  his 
opportunities,  won  for  himself  a  creditable  position  in  medical  circles  and  later 
displayed  the  soundness  of  his  judgment  through  bis  excellent  investments  in 
oil  properties.  As  the  years  passed  he  came  to  the  front  as  an  oil  operator  in 
the  southwest  and  the  fortune  that  he  has  acquired  now  enables  him  to  enjoy  all 
of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
homes  in  Boise.  Already  somewhat  widely  acquainted  in  the  city  before  he  took 
up  his  abode  here,  the  circle  of  his  friends  has  constantly  expanded  and  he  is 
today  one  of  the  valued  residents  of  the  state. 


OSCAR  H.  CUSICK. 

Prompt,  fearless  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  sheriff  of  Fre- 
mont county  and  numbered  among  the  valued  citizens  of  St.  Anthony,  Oscar 
H.  Cusick  was  born  near  Detroit,  Michigan,  January  4,  1865,  a  son  of  Charles 
S.  and  Sylvia  M.  (Hibbard)  Cusick,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter 
of  Massachusetts.  The  father  was  a  sawmill  man  and  farmer,  who  in  1836  left 
the  east  and  went  to  Michigan,  where  he  devoted  his  remaining  days  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  He  died  in  April,  1906,  and  for  several  years  was  survived  by  his 
wife,  who  passed  away  in  December,  1913. 

Oscar  H.  Cusick  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  and  spent  his  youthful  days  upon  the  home  farm  to  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  when  he  began  working  for  the  Buckeye  Machine  Company,  going  upon  the 
road  as  a  traveling  salesman  and  collector.  He  remained  with  that  house  for  two 
and  a  half  years  and  then  became  a  representative  of  the  Waddell  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  who  are  the  most  extensive  manufacturers 
of  wood  ornaments  in  the  world.  He  continued  in  their  employ  for  five  and  a 
half  years,  traveling  over  twenty-five  states  of  the  Union  and  also  throughout 
Ontario,  Canada,  building  up  an  extensive  business  for  the  house.  He  was  obliged 
to  quit,  however,  on  account  of  his  health  and  was  off  the  road  for  two  years.  He 
then  went  into  an  office  at  Rochester,  New  York,  being  connected  with  a  distilling 
and  cattle  feeding  firm  remaining  as  office  manager  for  two  and  a  half  years. 


618  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

His  health  did  not  improve,  however,  and  illness  forced  him  to  put  aside  business 
until  February,  1896,  when  he  came  to  Idaho,  making  his  way  to  St.  Anthony. 
He  has  since  been  connected  with  the  Thompson  Mercantile  Company  and  also 
with  the  Skalet  &  Oilman  Mercantile  Company.  He  likewise  has  a  half  interest 
with  O.  O.  Skalet  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business  and  formerly  was  identified 
with  farming  interests  in  this  section  of  the  state.  In  November,  1918,  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Fremont  county  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position  on 
the  13th  of  October  following.  He  has  made  an  excellent  record  as  a  public  official 
by  the  ready  response  that  he  has  made  to  every  call  of  duty,  and  all  who  know 
him  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  respect  and  regard. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  1897,  in  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  Mr.  Cusick  was  married 
to  Miss  Susan  M.  Miller  and  to  them  were  born  five  children.  Arthur,  who  enlisted 
February  10,  1917,  for  the  World  war,  spent  twenty-two  and  a  half  months  on  the 
Hawaiian  islands,  being  an  observer  at  the  fort  there,  and  was  discharged  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1919,  when  twenty  years  of  age.  O.  Felix,  eighteen  years  of  age,  enlisted 
on  the  25th  of  July,  1918,  and  was  almost  immediately  sent  to  France,  where  he 
remained  on  active  duty  until  the  summer  of  1919,  being  discharged  on  the  26th 
of  July.  Edwin  M.,  seventeen  years  of  age,  is  a  senior  in  high  school.  Sylvia,  aged 
fifteen,  is  a  junior  in  high  school,  Franklin,  twelve  years  of  age,  is  in  the  seventh 
grade  of  the  public  ^chools. 

Politically  Mr.  Cusick  is  a  republican  and  for  one  term  served  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  but  has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  He 
is  well  known  in  fraternal  circles,  having  membership  with  the  Masons,  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  high  and  honorable  principles  characterize  him  at  every  point 
in  his  career. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HOWELL. 

William  Henry  Howell,  owning  and  occupying  one  of  Boise's  finest  residences 
at  No.  1225  Warm  Springs  avenue,  is  widely  known  as  a  prominent  sheepman  and 
wool  grower  of  the  state.  He  is  numbered  among  Idaho's  pioneers,  having  re- 
moved from  Evanston,  Wyoming,  in  1885  and  taken  up  his  abode  in  what  was  then 
the  territory  of  Idaho.  He  was  born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  April  15,  1854,  a 
son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Jones)  Howell,  but  the  mother  passed  away  when  her 
son  William  was  but  three  weeks  old.  The  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  was  a  seafaring  man,  at  one  time  being  second 
mate  on  the  old  ocean  liner  Minnesota,  sailing  between  New  York  and  Liverpool. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  married  again  and  by  that  union  had  a  family 
of  four  children.  The  father  passed  away  in  1876. 

William  H.  Howell,  the  only  child  of  his  father's  first  marriage,  was  reared 
by  his  maternal  grandmother  in  Syracuse,  New  York.  He  quit  school  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  left  home  and  came  west  with  an  uncle,  who  settled  at 
Bannock,  Montana.  This  was  in  the  year  1869.  Mr.  Howell  has  since  been 
identified  with  the  west,  residing  at  different  periods  in  Montana,  Wyoming,  Utah, 
Nevada  and  Idaho.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  took  up  railroad  work  as  a 
brakeman  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  his  headquarters  being  at  Ogden, 
Utah.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  was  a  freight  conductor  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  and  later  he  spent  several  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  and 
for  a  number  of  years  resided  in  Evanston,  Wyoming,  during  which  period  he  was 
connected  with  railroad  service  in  various  capacities  in  the  employ  of  the  Union 
Pacific.  His  railroad  experience  covered  fifteen  years  in  all.  He  was  for  several 
years  a  conductor  on  both  freight  and  passenger  trains. 

Following  his  removal  to  Idaho  in  1885,  Mr.  Howell  turned  his  attention  to 
sheep  raising,  with  which  he  has  since  been  identified,  and  is  now  the  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Butterfield  Live  Stock  Company  of  Weiser,  Idaho,  a  concern  that  is 
extensively  engaged  in  the  handling  of  sheep,  having  many  thousand  head  of  pure 
bred  and  registered  sheep  of  the  Hampshire,  Lincoln  and  Rambouillet  breeds.  At 
the  present  writing  the  Butterfield  Live  Stock  Company  has  about  fifteen  thousand 
registered  pure  bred  sheep,  this  being  thought  to  be  the  largest  flock  of  pure 
bred  sheep  in  the  United  States.  A.  G.  Butterfield,  of  Weiser,  is  the  president  of 


WILLIAM   H.   HOWELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  621 

the  company,  of  which  Mr.  Howell  is  the  vice  president.  The  company  also  owns 
many  thousand  acres  of  valuable  ranch  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Weiser,  most  of  it 
in  Washington  county,  Idaho.  Mr.  Howell  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful sheepmen  of  the  state,  operating  along  this  line  during  the  past  third  of 
a  century,  and  success  in  very  substantial  measure  has  crowned  his  efforts.  He 
has  also  been  identified  with  many  other  activities  of  Idaho  which  have  profited 
by  his  cooperation  and  sound  judgment.  He  was  one  of  the  chief  organizers  of 
the  old  Bank  of  Idaho,  a  state  bank,  which  was  soon  nationalized  and  merged  into 
the  present  Pacific  National  Bank.  He  acted  as  director  of  the  former  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  capacity  in  connection  with  the  latter  until  a  recent  date,  when 
he  sold  his  interests'  in  the  bank.  He  is  now  the  vice  president  of  the  Idaho  Dressed 
Beef  Company. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1879,  in  Ogden,  Utah,  Mr.  Howell  was  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  Rebecca  Staker,  who  was  born  in  Ogden  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
old  Mormon  families  of  that  state.  They  have  three  daughters  living:  Grace, 
now  the  wife  of  A.  L.  Jones,  of  San  Francisco,  California;  Mary  Ann,  at  home;  and 
Ada  Blanch,  the  wife  of  Elwood  Gray,  also  of  San  Francisco.  There  are  also  two 
grandchildren:  Eileen  Howell,  aged  nine,  who  has  been  adopted  by  her  grand' 
parents  and  lives  with  them;  and  Elwood  Gray,  Jr.,  now  about  a  year  old. 

Mr.  Howell  is  a  republican  and  was  twice  elected  to  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioner of  Ada  county.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  and  Knight  Templar  Mason, 
also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  became  a  charter  member  of  El  Korah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in 
Boise  and  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Boise  Consistory,  S.  P.  R.  S.  Masonry  finds 
in  him  a  loyal  follower  and  worthy  exemplar,  and  he  enjoys  the  highest  respect 
of  his  brothers  of  the  fraternity.  In  community  affairs  he  has  always  been  deeply 
and  helpfully  interested,  and  his  cooperation  can  be  counted  upon  to  further  any 
plan  or  project  for  the  public  good.  One  of  his  activities  in  Boise  covered  the 
city  sprinkling  contract,  which  he  held  jointly  with  Edward  Oetner  for  a  period 
of  five  years.  The  execution  of  this  contract  involved  the  expenditure  of  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars  in  equipment.  Later  he  sold  his  Interests  in  this  to  his 
partner.  He  now  occupies  what  is  known  as  the  handsome  Kingsbury  residence  at 
No.  1225  Warm  Springs  avenue,  which  he  purchased  a  few  years  ago.  This  was 
built  of  Idaho  cut  stone  about  sixteen  years  ago  and  is  a  fine  residence  of  sixteen 
rooms,  thoroughly  modern  in  its  equipment  and  appointment.  It  was  built  at  a 
time  when  material  was  cheap  at  a  cost  of  twenty-two  thousand,  five  hundred 
dollars  and  is  worth  much  more  than  that  at  the  present.  It  is  richly  and  tastefully 
furnished,  and  one  of  its  chief  attractions  is  its  warmhearted  hospitality,  which 
the  family  cordially  extend  to  their  many  friends. 


WILLIAM  J.  N.   ADAMS. 

William  J.  N.  Adams,  the  sheriff  of  Jefferson  county  and  now  a  resident  of 
Rigby,  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  white  child  born  in  this  county.  He 
was  born  at  Market  Lake,  now  Jefferson  county,  December  13,  1870,  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam J.  and  Mary  A.  (Morrison)  Adams,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  the  latter  of  Tennessee. 

William  J.  Adams,  the  father,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  what  Is  now  Jefferson 
county,  after  his  removal  here  from  Tennessee  in  1867,  at  which  time  he  took  up 
a  homestead  in  what  was  then  Oneida  county.  As  this  section  grew  and  prospered 
and  more  and  more  home-seekers  established  themselves  here,  new  counties  were 
organized;  hence  the  homestead  was  first  in  Oneida  county,  then  in  Bingham,  later 
in  Fremont  and  finally  in  Jefferson  county.  After  establishing  himself  upon  his 
homestead,  Mr.  Adams,  true  pioneer  that  he  was,  set  about  improving  his  holding 
and  here  he  carried  on  stock  raising  exclusively  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  which 
ended  in  February,  1904,  and  that  of  his  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1902. 

Here  on  his  father's  homestead  William  J.  N.  Adams  grew  to  manhood,  lending 
his  assistance  to  the  task  of  improving  the  place  and  at  the  same  time  laying  the 
foundation  for  his  career  in  the  hard  school  of  experience.  During  his  boyhood 


£22  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

he  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  local  school,  which  training  was  later 
supplemented  in  the  schools  at  Idaho  Falls. 

Like  many  westerners  Mr.  Adams  has  a  liking  for  the  stock  business,  having 
gained  much  valuable  experience  in  this  work  not  only  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
father  but  also  while  he  was  punching  cattle  for  several  cow  outfits  during  his  early 
manhood.  Finally  he  went  into  business  on  his  own  account  at  Roberts,  Idaho, 
operating  a  hotel  and  dealing  in  horses  and  cattle,  at  which  place  he  remained  for 
thirty-five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  came  to  Rigby,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  livery  business  for  five  years.  As  time  has  passed  Mr.  Adams  has  taken  up 
other  interests  besides  that  of  a  stockman,  since  he  now  has  farming  interests  in 
Bonneville  county,  this  state,  and  owns  stock  in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company 
of  Rigby. 

On  January  17,  1894,  Mr.  Adams  was  united  in  marriage  to  Janey  Gilchrist,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  the  following  three  children:  John  N.,  aged  twenty- 
four,  who  is  the  cashier  of  the  Jefferson  County  National  Bank  of  Rigby;  Willard, 
aged  twenty-one,  a  rancher  in  Swan  valley,  Idaho,  and  Mabel,  sixteen  years  old, 
who  is  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Adams  is  a  stanch  democrat,  but  unlike  many  American  cit- 
izens he  is  not  content  with  taking  a  passive  interest  in  the  duties  of  citizenship, 
for  he  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  a  member  of  the  town  board  of  Rigby.  His 
painstaking  care  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  office  so  commended  him  to 
the  people  of  Jefferson  county  that  they  elected  him  sheriff  in  1914,  which  office  he 
has  held  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Adams  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  fraternal 
activities  of  the  community,  being  a  member  of  the  Masons,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Mrs.  Adams  is  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  at  their  home  in  Rigby  they  take 
an  active  part  in  all  movements  which  have  for  their  object  the  moral,  spiritual  and 
social  betterment  of  their  community. 


IRA   BARBOUR. 

Ira  Barbour,  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Grant  Six  Auto  Company  of 
Boise,  a  business  that  was  incorporated  on  the  14th  of  February,  1919,  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  capital  city  since  the  fall  of  1914,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho 
from  Winnipeg,  Manitoba.  For  only  a  year  and  a  half,  however,  had  he  resided 
in  that  place.  He  is  a  native  son  of  the  United  States,  his  birth  having  occurred 
upon  a  farm  near  Madison,  Wisconsin,  June  20,  1877,  his  parents  being  Charles  B. 
and  May  (Johnson)  Barbour,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  They  spent 
the  greater  part  of  their  lives  in  Wisconsin,  their  last  days  being  passed  in  Dane 
county,  where  the  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 

Ira  Barbour,  an  only  son,  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  early  became  familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and 
caring  for  the  crops.  As  his  parents  were  in  comfortable  financial  circumstances, 
they  gave  him  every  advantage  for  the  acquirement  of  a  good  education  and  he 
eagerly  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity.  After  attending  the  country  schools  he 
became  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  which  was  only  'three 
miles  from  his  home,  and  was  there  graduated  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  is 
the  only  living  member  of  his  father's  family,  for  the  two  sisters  died  in  childhood. 
While  still  a  resident  of  the  Mississippi  valley  Mr.  Barbour  was  married  in  Wis- 
consin, in  1897,  to  Miss  May  Jackson,  who  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Dane 
county  and  was  an  acquaintance  of  his  boyhood  days.  For  several  years  after  his 
marriage  he  and  his  wife  traveled  largely  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Being  financially  independent,  they  wisely  decided  that  while  they  were  young  and 
could  enjoy  themselves  they  would  make  the  most  of  their  opportunities  for  travel. 
Many  of  their  trips  were  made  in  a  motor  car,  both  greatly  enjoying  this  meanal 
of  going  from  point  to  point.  They  still  spend  about  three  months  of  every  sum- 
mer on  a  long  motor  trip.  They  finally  decided  to  locate  permanently  in  Boise, 
where  they  took  up  their  abode  in  1914,  and  since  reaching  this  city  Mr.  Barbour 
has  been  identified  with  the  automobile  business  and  has  become  familiar  with 
all  phases  of  it,  both  from  the  mechanical  and  sales  standpoints.  In  February, 
1919,  he  became  the  chief  organizer  of  the  Grant  Six  Auto  Company,  doing  business 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  623 

at  Nos.  206  to  212  South  Tenth  street.  This  company  acts  as  distributors  for  the 
Boise  and  southwestern  Idaho  district  for  the  Grant  motor  cars  and  trucks  and 
already  is  developing  a  very  substantial  and  gratifying  business. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barbour  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  Charles,  Robert 
and  Ethel.  The  first  named  was  at  Camp  Colts,  Pennsylvania,  when  the  armistice 
was  signed  and  has  now  returned  home.  He  is  twenty  years  of  age,  while  Robert 
is  aged  eighteen  and  Ethel  is  a  little  maiden  of  eight  summers.  Mr.  Barbour  be- 
longs to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Boise  Automobile  Association  and 
in  politics  he  is  a  republican  with  firm  belief  in  the  principles  of  the  party  but 
has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  Relieved  largely  of  the  necessity  of  close 
application  to  business,  he  has  made  wise  use  of  his  time  and  opportunities,  gain- 
ing that  broad  culture  and  knowledge  which  is  obtained  through  travel  and  which 
precludes  any  possibility  of  a  narrow  view  of  life. 


HENRY  A.  MUNNS. 

Henry  A.  Munns,  who  has  been  called  to  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Madison  county 
and  who  is  a  valued  resident  of  Rexburg,  was  born  in  England,  March  4,  1871,  his 
parents  being  James  and  Elizabeth  (Collis)  Munns,  who  were  natives  of  that  coun- 
try and  after  emigrating  to  America  made  their  way  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  where 
they  arrived  in  1877.  The  father  soon  afterward  took  up  a  homestead  near  Lehi, 
thirty  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  He  improved  that  place  and  continued  its 
cultivation  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  August,  1912. 
The  mother  survived  until  September,  1915. 

Henry  A.  Munns  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  America 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Utah  county,  Utah,  where  he  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  then  took  up  the  occupation 
of  mining,  which  he  followed  for  several  years.  Purchasing  land  in  Cache  county, 
he  bent  his  energies  to  its  further  development  and  improvement  and  continued  its 
operation  for  eight  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to  Rex- 
burg,  Madison  county,  Idaho,  and  bought  land  thirteen  miles  from  the  town.  Again 
he  concentrated  his  attention  upon  general  agricultural  pursuits  and- has  since  cul- 
tivated this  place,  from  which  he  has  gathered  substantial  harvests  as  the  reward 
of  his  care  and  industry. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  1892,  Mr.  Munns  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Weeks  and 
to  them  have  been  born  ten  children:  Beatrice,  the  wife  of  Henry  Hathcock,  a  hard- 
ware merchant  at  Ririe,  Jefferson  county,  Idaho;  Alvin,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
in  Madison  county;  Lulu,  who  is  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Cook,  of  Rexburg;  Susan;  Ar- 
thur; Myrtle;  Rebecca;  George;  Eva;  and  Mary. 

The  religious  faith  of  Mr.  Munns  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Polit- 
ically he  is  an  earnest  republican  and  for  two  years  he  served  as  city  marshal  at 
Cache  Valley,  Utah.  He  also  served  for  four  years  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Madison 
county,  Idaho,  and  in  November,  1919,  was  elected  to  the  office  of  sheriff,  the  du- 
ties of  which  he  is  discharging  with  marked  promptness  and  fidelity,  making  a  most 
creditable  record  by  his  efficiency  and  his  fearlessness. 


JAMES   J.    CHANDLER. 

James  J.  Chandler,  treasurer  of  Jefferson  county  and  a  resident  of  Rigby, 
where  he  has  been  very  active  in  religious  and  educational  circles  for  the  last 
sixteen  or  eighteen  years,  was  born  July  16,  1849,  in  Eynesbury,  Huntingdonshire, 
England,  and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  ( Jarvis)  Chandler,  also  natives  of  Eng- 
land. The  father,  who  was  a  laborer  in  the  old  country,  became  impressed  by  the 
opportunities  of  the  common  man  in  the  new  world  and  accordingly  emigrated  with 
his  family  to  America  in  1866.  Arriving  on  these  shores,  they  pushed  westward  to 
Willard,  Utah,  where  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  death  of  the 
father  occurring  in  1882  and  that  of  the  mother  in  1896. 

James  J.   Chandler  received  comparatively  little  schooling  in  the  land  of  his 


624  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO     * 

nativity  since  he  was  by  the  force  of  circumstances  compelled  to  go  to  work  at 
the  early  age  of  eight  years.  Although  he  was  a  young  man  of  seventeen  or  eighteen 
years  when  he  settled  with  his  parents  in  Utah,  he  soon  entered  a  neighboring 
district  school,  where  he  completed  his  elementary  education  in  a  comparatively 
short  time.  Not  being  satisfied  with  this",  he  furthered  his  education  by  two  terms 
of  work  in  the  University  of  Utah,  after  which  he  taught  school  in  Utah  for 
twenty-six  years.  Feeling  that  he  could  find  better  opportunities  farther  north,  he 
and  his  family  came  to  Idaho  in  1901  and  located  in  Rigby,  where  he  taught  school 
for  four  years,  He  then  purchased  a  small  farm  one-half  mile  north  of  Rigby,  giving 
its  development  and  cultivation  his  careful  attention  until  1914,  when  he  disposed 
of  it.  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  of  Rigby 
and  also  has  mining  interests  in  Utah. 

He  has  taken  more  than  a  passive  interest  in  the  administration  of  public 
affairs  in  his  community,  and  his  personal  integrity  and  good  judgment  have  caused 
his  neighbors,  who  hold  him  in  high  esteem,  to  confer  upon  him  the  honor  and  respon- 
sibility of  public  office.  He  was  elected  treasurer  of  Jefferson  county  in  1914  and 
is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  He  has  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
has  the  distinction  of  having  been  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  the  village 
of  Rigby  ever  had.  His  administration  of  the  duties  entailed  by  the  public  trusts 
which  he  has  held  has  met  with  the  universal  commendation  of  the  people  of  the*  com- 
munity, because  of  his  strict  attention  to  business  and  courteous  treatment. 

On  October  7,  1874,  Mr.  Chandler  married  Harriet  Cordon  and  to  them  have  been 
born  nine  children:  Emily;  Hattie;  Cora,  the  wife  of  W.  S.  Burton,  superintendent 
of  the  Jefferson  county  schools,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Ada; 
William  J.;  Ruth,  whose  death  occurred  September  19,  1917;  Mabel;  Arthur  R.; 
and  June. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  the  former  is  especially  active  in  church  work  being  ward  clerk,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  high  council  of  the  Rigby  stake,  senior  member  of  the  patriarch  and  super- 
visor of  the  parents'  class  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  has  also  done  valuable  work  in 
spreading  the  teachings  of  his  denomination  to  other  fields,  since  he  for  four  years  did 
missionary  work  among  the  Shoshone  Indians  and  was  absent  in  England  for  two 
years  in  the  same  capacity.  In  politics  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  his 
voice  is  well  known  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 


HON.  WILLIAM  THOMAS  DOUGHERTY. 

Hon.  William  Thomas  Dougherty,  ex-secretary  of  state,  was  born  in  Juniata 
county,  Pennsylvania,  November  25,  1880,  a  son  of  Matthew  Day  and  Mary  Alice 
(Burns)  Dougherty,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  state,  the  former  of  Irish 
descent,  while  the  latter  was  of  Scotch  lineage.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion and  when  his  son,  William  T.,  was  but-  three  years  of  age  removed  with  the 
family  from  Pennsylvania  to  Page  county,  Iowa,  making  the  trip  in  the  year  1883.  He 
there  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  for  many  years  and  the  old  homestead  is  still 
in  possession  of  the  family.  He  died  in  1914,  having  for  many  years  survived  his 
wife,  who  had  passed  away  in  1889. 

William  T.  Dougherty  was  but  nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death 
and  his  father  never  married  again.  He  was  reared,  however,  upon  the  home  farm 
in  Iowa  and  attended  the  country  schools  to  the  age  of  fourteen,  finishing  the  work 
of  the  ninth  grade.  He  afterward  completed  a  four  years'  high  school  course  in  three 
years  at  Coin,  Iowa,  being  but  seventeen  years  of  age  when  graduated  at  the  head 
of  his  class  in  1898,  winning  first  honors  in  a  class  of  more  than  twelve  members,  ifl 
which  he  was  the  only  boy.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  took  up  the  profession  of 
teaching  and  afterward  taught  and  attended  school  alternately  for  eight  years,  within 
which  period  he  completed  a  course  in  the  Western  Normal  College  at  Shenandoah, 
Iowa,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1902.  He  continued  the  work  of  teaching  until 
1906  and  in  the  meantime,  in  1904,  was  graduated  from  the  Lincoln  (Neb.)  Business 
College.  In  the  summer  of  1906  he  did  post-graduate  work  in  the  Quincy  (111.)  Busi- 
ness College  and  through  that  period  of  his  life  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to  expert 
accounting.  During  the  fall  of  1906  and  throughout  the  ensuing  year  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  a  business  college  in  Denver,  Colorado.  In  1908  he  came  to  Idaho  to  accept 


HON.  WILLIAM  T.   DOUGHERTY 


v  i.  n-40 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  627 

the  position  of  auditor  with  the  firm  of  J.  G.  White  ft  Company,  a  New  York  concern, 
which  built  the  irrigation  system  in  the  vicinity  of  Richfield,  Idaho,  the  complete 
system  costing  about  four  and  a  half  millions.  Mr.  Dougherty  was  auditor  for  this 
company  for  two  and  a  half  years.  In  December,  1910,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
hotel  business  at  Richfield  and  also  developed  a  ranch  in  that  vicinity  which  he  still 
owns. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dougherty  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  as  a  supporter  of 
democratic  principles  and  for  two  years,  in  1916  and  1917,  he  served  as  mayor  of 
Richfield.  In  the  fall  of  1916  he  was  elected  secretary  of  state  of  Idaho  on  the  demo- 
cratic ticket,  receiving  a  majority  of  more  than  three  thousand,  and  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1917,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office,  which  he  most  acceptably  filled. 
His  work  was  done  in  a  most  systematic  and  thorough  manner  and  in  every  possible 
way  he  safeguarded  and  promoted  the  interests  of  the  commonwealth.  Since  his 
retirement  from  office  he  has  become  one  of  the  principal  stockholders  and  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Boise  Ice  &  Produce  Company. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1907,  Mr.  Dougherty  was  married  to  Miss  Geneva  Mace, 
of  Stafford,  Kansas,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Winston,  born  June  19,  1908;  and  Wil- 
liam, born  March  22,  1914.  Mr.  Dougherty  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  his  fraternal  relations  connect  him  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks. 
The  elemental  strength  of  his  character  was  displayed  in  the  manner  in  which  he 
acquired  his  education,  utilizing  every  opportunity  for  advancement  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  remained  a  student  not  only  of  books  but 
of  men  and  affairs  and  is  thoroughly  versed  on  many  of  the  sociological,  economic 
and  political  problems  of  the  day  which  are  to  the  thinking  man  of  greatest  import. 


MRS.    EMMA   M.    FOWLER. 

Mrs.  Emma  M.  Fowler,  of  Middleton,  is  one  of  the  well  known  pioneer  women 
of  Idaho.  She  passed  over  the  site  of  Boise  in  1862,  when  there  was  no  vestige 
of  the  present  city,  although  there  were  plenty  of  Indian  tepees.  From  that  period 
to  the  present  she  has  been  a  witness  of  the  wonderful  growth  and  development  of 
this  section  of  the  state.  She  was  born  at  Beaver  Dam,  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin, 
September  10,  1847,  and  there  attended  the  public  schools  to  the  age  of  nine 
years,  when  she  removed  with  her  parents  to  Wilmington,  Kansas,  where  her 
father,  William  Curtis,  carried  on  farming  for  about  four  years.  He  was  a  native 
of  England  and  came  to  the  new  world  after  his  marriage  to  Jane  Swann,  of 
Loughborough,  England.  They  first  settled  at  Rome,  New  York,  where  they  re- 
mained for  a  brief  period  and  then  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  A  little  later 
Mr.  Curtis  began  farming  near  Beaver  Dam,  where  he  continued  to  till  the  soil  for 
several  years  and  then  took  up  his  abode  in  the  town,  where  he  carried  on  mer- 
chandising and  the  lumber  business  for  five  years.  It  was  on  the  expiration  of  that 
period  that  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Kansas,  and  on  leaving  the  Sunflower 
state  they  went  to  Colorado,  where  Mr.  Curtis  engaged  in  merchandising  for  about 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  crossed  the  plains  by  ox  team.  It  was  some- 
times necessary  to  use  cows  which  they  drove  with  them  in  place  of  the  oxen  when 
the  latter  would  become  tired  out.  Almost  three  months  were  consumed  on  the 
journey  from  Colorado  to  Oregon,  on  which  occasion  they  passed  through  the  state 
of  Idaho  but  did  not  remain,  as  there  were  no  inhabitants  in  this  section  of  the 
country  save  Indians.  While  en  route  they  passed  a  place  where  white  people  had 
been  killed  by  the  Indians  the  day  before.  The  oxen  were  very  badly  jaded  and 
the  young  people  had  to  walk  much  of  the  way.  Mrs.  Fowler  was  fifteen  years  of 
age  at  that  time  and  recalls  the  startling  coincidence  that  it  was  on  the  very  spot 
where  they  stopped  to  discuss  the  dangers  confronting  them  that  several  people 
were  killed  on  the  following  day.  There  were  seven  wagons  in  the  train  in  which 
the  family  traveled  and  probably  on  account  of  their  numbers  they  were  immune 
from  Indian  attack.  They  reached  Auburn,  Oregon,  on  the  1st  of  September,  1862, 
and  in  June,  1865,  the  family  returned  to  Idaho.  Mr.  Curtis  passed  through  the 
state  three  years  before  traveling  on  the  back  of  a  mule,  which  was  fouled  by  a 
snag  when  fording  the  Boise  river,  and  his  body  was  never  recovered,  although  they 
searched  all  that  day  and  a  portion  of  the  next  and  would  have  searched  longer 
but  that  the  guides  advised  them  not  to  get  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  train,  as 


628  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  Indians  would  murder  them  if  they  were  left  unprotected.  The  ranch  of  Will 
Fowler  is  located  at  the  point  where  Mr.  Curtis  lost  his  life  August  11,  1862.  His 
widow,  their  two  daughters  and  three  sons  proceeded  on  their  way  to  Oregon  with 
the  rest  of  the  party  and  the  family  experienced  all  the  hardships  and  privations  of 
pioneer  life.  Edwin  C.  Curtis  is  now  residing  with  his  sister  Mrs.  Fowler  and  they 
are  the  only  survivors  of  the  family. 

At  her  mother's  home  in  Auburn,  Oregon,  Emma  M.  Curtis  became  the  wife 
of  Robert  McKenzie,  who  had  been  one  of  their  party  as  they  traveled  over  the 
plains.  It  was  in  1865  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKenzie  returned  to  Idaho,  although 
the  remainder  of  their  original  party  continued  in  Oregon.  They  settled  about 
three  miles  north  of  Caldwell  on  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land  which 
the  wife  still  owns.  Mr.  McKenzie  was  killed  on  the  30th  of  November,  1881,  in  his 
forty-second  year,  when  riding  the  wheel  horse  of  a  six-horse  team.  As  he  was 
descending  a  very  steep  hill  the  brakes  gave  way,  causing  the  accident  that  re- 
sulted in  the  death  of  Mr.  McKenzie.  They  had  traveled  life's  journey  together  for 
a  little  more  than  eighteen  years,  their  marriage  having  been  celebrated  on  the 
30th  of  August,  1863.  After  nineteen  years  of  widowhood  Mrs.  McKenzie  on  the 
20th  of  February,  1900,  became  the  wife  of  M.  F.  Fowler,  a  native  of  Indiana,  the 
wedding  being  celebrated  at  Central  Park,  Idaho.  Mr.  Fowler  passed  away  March 
23,  1903.  Mrs.  Fowrer  has  two  children.  M.  C.  McKenzie,  fifty-five  years  of  age, 
who  married  Anna  Gilagan,  a  native  of  New  York,  resides  at  New  England,  North 
Dakota.  To  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  eight  children:  Margaret  A.,  Mazie, 
John,  Robert,  Martha,  Elizabeth,  Edwin  and  Curtis.  The  daughter  of  Mrs.  Fowler 
is  Alice  E.,  the  wife  of  Byron  Frost,  a  resident  of  Willow,  California.  Mrs.  Fowler 
has  also  reared  three  boys:  Robert  S.  Bixby,  who  is  thirty-seven  years  of  age  and 
was  with  the  army  of  occupation  in  Germany;  Fred  J.  Henricksen,  who  is  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  and  resides  in  Portland,  Oregon;  and  George  H.  Loomis,  who  is 
twenty-two  years  of  age  and  lives  with  Mrs.  Fowler. 

The  Methodist  church  finds  a  consistent  member  in  Mrs.  Fowler,  who  has  long 
been  identified  therewith.  She  has  been  very  active  in  the  work  of  the  church  and 
in  that  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  In  fact  her  aid  and  influence 
have  ever  been  on  the  side  of  right,  reform  and  progress  and  she  has  given  earnest 
cooperation  to  many  interests  making  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  bet- 
terment of  the  community  at  large.  She  has  now  passed  the  seventy-second  mile- 
stone on  life's  journey  and  is  occupying  a  fine  home  at  Middleton,  where  she  enjoys 
all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 


JOHN  BLACKBURN. 

On  the  list  of  county  officials  in  Madison  county  appears  the  name  of  John 
Blackburn,  of  Rexburg,  who  is  serving  as  county  assessor.  Wyoming  claims  him  as 
a  native  son,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Evanston,  that  state,  on  the  18th  of 
March,  1877,  his  parents  being  Alfred  L.  and  Catherine  (Briggs)  Blackburn,  who 
were  natives  of  England  and  on  coming  to  America  made  their  way  westward  to 
Evanston,  Wyoming,  where  the  father  taught  music  and  also  worked  at  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  in  the  railroad  yards,  being  thus  employed  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  afterward  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  followed  railroading  for  a  few 
years,  and  in  1885  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  in  what  was  then  Oneida  county  but  is 
now  Madison  county.  Here  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  merchandising  and 
for  a  long  period  was  actively  and  prominently  identified  with  commercial  inter- 
ests as  proprietor  of  a  well  appointed  store.  He  subsequently  returned  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  he  again  engaged  in  railroading  for  a  time  and  then  once  more  came 
to  Rexburg,  where  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  establishment,  continuing  its 
conduct  with  success  throughout  his  remaining  days,  his  life's  labors  being  ended 
in  death  May  31,  1916.  He  had  long  survived  the  mother  of  John  Blackburn,  who 
passed  away  on  the  7th  of  December,  1902. 

John  Blackburn,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Lyman  and  at  Rexburg.  He  was  but  seven  and  a  half  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  to  this  section  of  the  state  and  under  the  parental  roof  he  re- 
mained until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  He  then  purchased  land  at 
Lyman,  Madison  county,  and  took  up  active  farm  work  on  his  own  account.  Through- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  629 

out  the  intervening  period  he  has  been  connected  with  agricultural  pursuits  and  has 
most  carefully  and  successfully  tilled  his  fields.  In  November,  1918,  he  was  elected 
county  assessor  of  Madison  county  and  is  now  dividing  his  time  between  his  farm- 
ing interests  and  his  official  duties. 

On  the  llth  of  October,  1899,  Mr.  Blackburn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Hannah  Burns,  by  whom  he  has  nine  children,  namely:  John  Elmer,  Hannah  A., 
Catherine  A.,  Charles  A.,  Harold  A.,  Howard,  Demar,  Ralph  and  Keith. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Blackburn  is  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  His  political  endorsement  has  always  been  given  to  the  re- 
publican party  and  he  has  filled  various  local  offices,  ever  discharging  his  official 
duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  He  has  also  made  for  himself  a  place  in  commercial  circles  of 
Rexburg  as  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers'  Implement  Company.  .  His  has  been  an 
active  and  useful  life  and  his  energy  and  unfaltering  industry  have  been  the  basic 
elements  of  his  growing  success. 


WILLIAM  STOEHR. 

William  Stoehr  is  the  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Idaho  Products 
Company,  with  general  offices  at  No.  606%  Main  street  in  Boise.  He  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Bethalto,  Madison  county,  Illinois,  March  22,  1880,  a  son  of  William 
and  Clara  (Meyer)  Stoehr,  who  are  natives  of  Illinois  and  of  Germany  respectively. 
The  father  is  still  living  and  now  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  but  the  mother 
passed  away  January  13,  1920. 

William  Stoehr  of  this  review  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town. 
His  father  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  the  son  worked  in  the  cooper  shop  of  which 
his  father  was  manager,  being  thus  employed  between  the  ages  of  twelve  and  six- 
teen years.  At  the  latter  age  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  for  five  years  was 
employed  in  a  large  brewery  there.  By  this  time  he  had  gained  a  very  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  brewing  business,  but  desiring  to  become  a  master  thereof,  he  later 
completed  a  course  in  the  American  Brewing  Academy  of  Chicago,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1901,  taking  first  honors  in  his  class  of  thirty-six  members.  He 
was  awarded  the  gold  medal  by  the  school  that  year.  Afterward  he  spent  three 
years  in  Seattle,  Washington,  as  brew  master  in  a  large  beer  manufacturing  plant 
of  that  city.  After  coming  to  Boise  in  1904  he  was  manager  of  the  Idaho  Brewing 
&  Malting  Company  for  about  twelve  years  or  until  the  state  voted  dry  in  1916. 
The  Idaho  Brewing  &  Malting  Company  then  went  out  of  business  in  so  far  as 
the  manufacture  of  beer  was  concerned,  but  the  officers  made  haste  to  simply 
change  the  name  of  their  concern  and  the  product  of  their  plant.  It  was  then  that 
the  Idaho  Products  Company  came  into  existence  as  the  successor  of  the  former 
concern.  This  company  acts  as  buyers,  packers  and  carload  shippers  and  jobbers 
of  fruit  and  produce  and  is  als*  engaged  in  the  evaporation  of  fruits  and  vegetables. 
They  likewise  act  as  growers'  marketing  agents.  The  president  of  the  company  is 
Charles  Theis,  of  Spokane,  who  is  also  president  of  the  Boise  Gas  Company.  Its 
secretary  is  William  Huntley,  of  Spokane,  a  banker,  grain  merchant  and  live  stock 
dealer,  while  William  Stoehr  of  this  review  is  the  treasurer  and  manager  of  the 
business.  He  had  become  a  stockholder  in  the  brewing  company  shortly  after  his 
removal  to  Boise  and  naturally  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Idaho  Products  Com- 
pany in  1916.  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  principal  officers  residing  In  Boise,  so  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  business  management  and  development  devolves  upon  him. 
He  largely  organized  the  new  concern  and  adjusted  its  property  and  machinery  to 
the  new  conditions  brought  about  through  the  change  in  the  business  While  the 
Idaho  Products  Company  has  been  in  existence  for  only  three  years,  it  has  already 
taken  its  place  as  one  of  Boise's  successful  and  firmly  established  corporations,  and 
Mr.  Stoehr  as  sole  manager  deserves  much  credit  for  building  up  the  new  industry 
to  its  present  profitable  proportions.  It  has  two  evaporating  and  packing  plants, 
one  at  Meridian  and  the  other  at  Payette.  It  has  also  packing  houses  at  Fruitland, 
Idaho,  and  Brogan,  Oregon.  During  the  years  1918  and  1919  the  Idaho  Products 
Company  executed  a  large  war  contract  for  the  United  States  government,  involving 
the  production  of  five  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  dehydrated  potatoes  for  export 
to  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  in  France.  The  armistice  was  signed,  how- 


630  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ever,  before  the  contract  had  been  completed.  Aside  from  his  connection  with  the 
Idaho  Products  Company  as  treasurer  and  manager,  Mr.  Stoehr  is  also  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  Boise  Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company.  In  all  business  affairs, 
he  has  displayed  ready  adaptability  and  initiative  and  his  enterprise  and  energy 
have  enabled  him  to  adjust  himself  to  new  conditions  and  to  rapidly  establish  and 
develop  an  enterprise  that  is  of  great  benefit  to  the  city,  and  to  the  various  districts 
in  which  its  operations  are  carried  on. 

On  the  llth  of  July,  1904,  Mr.  Stoehr  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Anna 
Bodendieck,  also  a  native  of  Madison  county,  Illinois,  and  an  acquaintance  of  his 
boyhood.  Four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  have  been  born  to  them, 
namely:  Clara  Marie,  Wilma,  Carl  Frank  and  Henry  George,  all  pupils  in  the  public 
schools  of  Boise. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Stoehr  is  an  Elk  and  also  has  membership  with  the  Order  of 
Eagles.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  preferring 
to  devote  his  time  and  energies  to  his  business  affairs.  When  leisure  permits  he 
greatly  enjoys  a  hunting  or  fishing  trip  and  thus  utilizes  his  vacation  periods.  He 
has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  since  starting  out  in  business  life  on  his  own 
account  when  a  youth  in  his  teens  in  his  father's  cooper  shop  and  through  the 
intervening  years  he  has  wisely  utilized  his  time  and  opportunities  until  he  is  now 
a  prominent  factor  in  commercial  circles  in  the  northwest. 


DUDLEY  H.  VAN  DEUSEN. 

Resourcefulness  and  enterprise  in  business  have  brought  to  Dudley  H.  Van 
Deusen,  a  substantial  measure  of  success  and  he  is  now  well»  known  as  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  ,the  Van  Deusen  Brothers  Company,  having  large  ranching 
and  live  stock  interests  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  where  he  is  also  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Emmett.  The  story  of  his  life  is  the  story  of  earnest  effort  and  endeavor  in- 
telligently directed.  He  had  no  special  advantages  in  his  youth  but  soon  recog- 
nized the  value  of  industry  and  determination  as  factors  in  the  attainment  of 
success. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Pekin*  in  Tazewell  connty,  Illinois,  November 
11,  1869,  being  the  eldest  of  the  four  living  sons  of  James  T.  Van  Deusen,  who 
still  survives  and  lives  with  his  four  sons  on  the  home  ranch  of  the  Van  Deusen 
Brothers  Company  ten  miles  north  of  Emmett,  Idaho,  a  ranch  which  embraces 
several  thousand  acres  of  land.  The  father's  birth  occurred  at  Hudson,  New 
York,  and  he  was  once  in  the  employ  of  A.  T.  Stewart,  a  former  merchant  prince 
of  New  York  city.  In  young  manhood  he  removed  to  the  Mississippi  valley,  set- 
tling in  Illinois,  and  was  there  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Gulick,  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  who  passed  away  November  12,  1916,  in  Boise,  where  she  and  her 
husband  lived  for  several  years  prior  to  her  death.  Soon  after  losing  his  wife 
Mr.  Van  Deusen  came  to  live  with  his  four  sons  upon  the  ranch.  Before  coming 
to  the  northwest,  however,  the  family  home  was  established  in  Pottawatomie 
county,  Kansas,  the  parents  removing  with  their  four  children  from  Illinois  to 
the  Sunflower  state  when  Dudley  H.  Van  Deusen  was  a  young  lad  of  eight  years. 

Upon  -a  farm  in  Kansas  he  was  reared,  obtaining  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  place,  while  later  he  pursued  a  business  course  in  Lincoln, 
Nebraska.  About  1895  he  entered  the  employ  of  A.  J.  Knollin  &  Company,  a 
large  packing  concern  of  Chicago,  with  which  he  remained  for  seven  years.  He 
first  served  merely  as  a  sheep  feeder  in  their  stock  yards  at  St.  Marys,  Kansas, 
but  later  the  firm  sent  him  to  Casper,  Wyoming,  to  take  charge  of  tha  trailing  of 
large  flocks  of  western  sheep  which  they  owned  and  which  were  brought  to 
Kansas.  For  several  years  he  thus  served  the  company  and  it  was  on  a  mission 
of  this  kind  that  he  first  came  to  Idaho  in  1898.  Recognizing  the  possibilities 
for  sheep  raising  in  this  state,  he  resigned  his  position  with  the  Chicago  firm  and 
embarked  in  sheep  raising  on  his  own  account.  It  was  not  long  afterward  that 
his  brother,  John  E.,  came  to  Idaho  and  became  .interested  with  him  in  sheep 
raising  in  Gem  county.  The  two  brothers,  Dudley  H.  and  John  E.,  started  in  the 
business  in  a  small  way,  leasing  a  bunch  of  sheep  from  the  firm  of  Bullard  & 
Johnson.  They  finally  purchased  the  sheep  and  also  the  ranch  from  the  former 
owners,  C.  J.  Bullard  and  John  Johnson,  both  of  whom  are  now  in  Boise.  After 


DUDLEY   H.   VAN   DEUSEN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  633 

a  time  two  other  brothers.  Frederick  G.  and  Albert  M.,  Joined  the  original  firm 
and  today  theirs  is  one  of  the  largest  sheep  and  cattle  concerns  in  Idaho  or  the 
northwest.  They  give  more  attention  to  sheep  than  to  cattle  raising,  having  ex- 
tensive flocks,  numbering  thousands  of  sheep.  They  also  have  hundreds  of  head 
of  cattle  and  many  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Payette,  Valley.  Gem  and  Boise 
counties.  Their  interests  have  been  gradually  developed  and  the  business  is  now 
one  of  gratifying  proportions. 

Dudley  H.  Van  Deusen  is  the  only  one  of  the  four  brothers  who  is  married. 
On  the  23d  of  September,  1901,  at  St.  Marys,  Kansas,  he  we'dded  Elmina  Hayslip, 
who  was  born  in  McLean  county,  Illinois,  February  21,  1873.  They  have  two 
children:  Mary  Eva,  born  December  1,  1902;  and  Dudley  Howard,  Jr.,  born  July 
9,  1904.  Mrs.  Van  Deusen  was  reared  in  McLean  county,  Illinois,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Illinois  State  Normal  School  and  previous  to  her 
marriage  taught  for  several  years  in  her  native  state.  She  is  the  youngest  of 
three  children  whose  father,  Thomas  Brown  Hayslip,  was  a  farmer  of  Illinois  and 
a  veteran  of  the  Union  army.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1830  and  his  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Baker,  was  born  in  Germany.  Both  are  now 
deceased. 

Mr.  Van  Deusen  is  a  Mason  and  in  his  political  views  is  a  republican  but  does 
not  seek  to  figure  prominently  in  political  circles.  He  belongs  to  the  National 
Wool  Growers  Association,  and  his  interests  and  activity  centers  in  an  important 
and  rapidly  developing  business  which  has  made  him  one  of  the  foremost  stock- 
men of  the  northwest. 


CHARLES  H.  ROBERTS. 

Charles  H.  Roberts  is  a  wide-awake  and  alert  business  man  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  furniture  trade  in  Boise  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Roberts  Brothers, 
composed  of  Charles  H.,  William  O.  and  J.  Cyrus  Roberts,  together  with  their  father, 
William  T.  Roberts.  They  own  a  large  furniture  store  at  Nos.  909-911  Idaho  street 
and  have  developed  a  trade  of  very  gratifying  proportions.  Charles  H.  Roberts 
has  made  his  home  in  Boise  since  the  10th  of  September,  1899.  Previous  to  that 
time  he  had  spent  twenty  years  in  the  state  of  Colorado  but  is  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Winchester  on  the  7th  of  October,  1866.  His  father, 
William  T.  Roberts,  was  also  born  in  Kentucky,  his  natal  day  being  August  20,  1842. 
He  lived  in  that  state  continuously  until  1879,  when  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Denver,  Colorado.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  in  the  United 
States  mail  service.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Herriott  Green,  who  was  born  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1843.  Both  the  father  and  mother  are  still  in  excellent  health  and  on  the  15th 
of  March,  1915  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  To  them  were  born  seven 
children,  three  sons  -and  four  daughters,  of  whom  Charles  H.  was  the  eldest.  Six 
of  the  number  are  yet  living  and  all  are  residents  of  Boise  with  the  exception  of  a 
sistej,  Mrs.  Florence  Whittle,  who  makes  her  home  at  Midway,  Canyon  county, 
Idaho. 

Charles  H.  Roberts  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Boise.  As  stated, 
he  arrived  in  1899  and  the  following  year  was  joined  by  his  parents.  The  other 
members  of  the  family  who  have  since  come  to  this  state  are  William  O.,  Mrs.  Alice 
H.  Clements,  J.  Cyrus,  Mrs.  Florence  R.  Whittle  and  Mrs.  Margaret  H.  Whittle. 
The  former  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  A.  Whittle  and  her  sister  married  his  brother, 
Oliver  J.  Whittle.  Two  of  the  Roberts  brothers  also  married  sisters,  Charles  H.  of 
this  review  having  wedded  Lottie  E.  Swope,  while  J.  Cyrus  Roberts  married  Martha 
Alice  Swope.  The  Whittle  brothers  removed  from  Illinois  to  Colorado  and  thence 
came  to  Idaho.  The  Swope  sisters  removed  from  Iowa  to  Colorado  and  its  was  in 
the  latter  state,  on  the  7th  of  December,  1892,  that  Charles  H.  Roberts  wedded 
Lottie  E.  Swope. 

The  removal  of  the  Roberts  family  from  Kentucky  to  Colorado  occurred  in 
1879,  at  which  time  Charles  H.  Roberts  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years.  He  acquired 
a  public  school  education  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  cowboy  of 
Colorado  and  rode  the  range  for  five  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  was 
made  manager  of  a  large  ranch  in  Colorado  and  upon  that  property  the  city  of 


634  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Cripple  Creek  now  stands,  for  the  district  was  used  for  ranching  purposes  before  the 
discovery  of  gold  there.  Mr.  Roberts  left  the  district  before  gold  was  discovered, 
never  dreaming  that  the  mountains  over  which  he  traveled  so  frequently  on  foot 
and  on  horseback  were  full  of  gold.  Within  ten  years  after  the  discovery  was  first 
made  over  one  hundred  million  dollars  in  gold  had  been  taken  from  the  Cripple 
Creek  mines.  Charles  H.  Roberts  was  not  looking  for  gold  in  those  days  but  was 
interested  in  the  cattle  on  the  ranch  in  his  care  and  keeping. 

At  length,  however,  he  turned  his  attention  to  commercial  interests.  In 
October,  1899.  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  small  furniture  store  on  Idaho  street  in 
Boise,  situated  at  Nos.  906-908,  directly  opposite  his  present  establishment.  In 
January,  1901,  he  and  his  father  and  his  brother,  William  O.  Roberts,  purchased 
a  small  second-hand  furniture  stock  on  North  Ninth  street,  less  than  one  hundred 
yards  from  where  he  began  as  a  clerk  and  less  than  a  hundred  yards  from  the  present 
store  of  Roberts  Brothers.  At  the  beginning  Charles  H.  Roberts  adopted  the  name 
of  the  Company  Store.  This  is  today  one  of  the  best  known  furniture  houses  in 
Boise.  It  has  conducted  business  under  the  same  name  for  a  longer  period  than 
any  other  furniture  store  in  the  city.  The  Roberts  Brothers  purchased  the  stock 
at  Nos.  906-908  Idaho  street  in  1903  and  thus  Charles  H.  Roberts  acquired  an 
ownership  in  the  business  in  which  he  had  begun  clerking  in  1899.  In  the  mean- 
time the  brothers  had  moved  their  own  store  to  No.  904  Idaho  street  and  after  the 
purchase  of  their  neighbor's  stock  they  tore  out  the  partition  wall  and  then  occupied 
all  three  numbers  until  March,  1919,  when  they  removed  their  business  to  the 
splendid  four  story  brick  and  concrete  building,  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  feet,  which  they  now  occupy.  This  is  an  entirely  modern  structure  and  has  a 
basement  underneath  the  entire  building.  It  is  supplied  with  both  passenger  and 
freight  elevators,  operated  automatically.  The  main  room  -also  has  a  mezzanine 
floor  and  the  combined  floor  space  is  thirty-four  thousand  square  feet.  They  carry 
an  extensive  stock  of  furniture  and  general  household  goods,  including  stoves, 
carpets,  rugs,  linoleums,  baby  vehicles,  garden  tools,  light  hardware,  queensware, 
kitchen  cabinets,  washers,  etc.  They  have  the  largest  line  of  stove  repair  parts  in 
Boise,  carrying  repair  parts  for  all  the  standard  makes  of  stoves  upon  the  market 
today.  The  partners  in  the  firm  are  the  father  and  the  three  brothers,  Charles  H., 
William  O.  and  J.  Cyrus,  and  while  the  firm  is  known  as  Roberts  Brothers,  the 
store  has  always  been  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Company  Store.  Charles 
H.  Roberts,  the  general  manager  of  the  firm  and  the  buyer  for  the  house,  formerly 
occupied  a  residence  which  stood  on  the  site  of  their  present  store  building. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Roberts  have  been  born  three  daughters:  Florence 
Martha,  now  the  wife  of  Edwin  Jones;  Margaret  Charlotte,  the  wife  of  Elaine  O, 
Starkey;  and  Mary  Elsie,  who  acts  as  bookkeeper  at  the  Overland  National  Bank. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Roberts  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he 
is  a  past  chancellor,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Idaho.  His  religious 
faith  is  indicated  by  his  connection  with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Boise,  and  his  entire  life  has  been  characterized  by  high  and  honorable  principles, 
manifest  in  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen,  in  his  business  career  and  in  his  loyal 
citizenship.  Progress  has  ever  been  his  watchword  and  his  life  has  been  character- 
ized by  a  progress  that  has  as  its  basis  indefatigable  energy  and  straightforward 
dealing. 


CARL   PROUTY. 

Carl  Prouty,  who  has  engaged  in  the  general  contracting  business  in  Boise 
for  the  past  seventeen  years,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  but 
when  he  was  three  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  that  town,  in  which  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  His  father,  Captain  Thomas  J.  Prouty,  was  an  attorney  by 
profession  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  In  early  life  he  removed  to  the  Mississippi 
valley  and  served  throughout  the  Civil  war  with  the  Forty-fifth  Illinois  Regiment, 
winning  promotion  to  the  rank  of  captain  of  Company  B  of  that  command.  He 
was  on  active  duty  altogether  for  forty-seven  months  during  the  progress  of  the 
war.  In  1870  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  a  soldier's  homestead  near  Emmetsburg, 
Iowa.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Laura  Pierce  and  was  a  native  of  Indiana. 
Both  are  now  deceased. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  635 

It  was  on  the  8th  of  September,  1870,  only  a  few  months  after  the  removal 
of  his  parents  to  Iowa,  that  the  birth  of  Carl  Prouty  occurred.  He  has  one  sister 
living,  Miss  Beryl  Prouty,  who  is  now  in  Berkeley,  California.  When  sixteen  years 
of  age  Carl  Prouty  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world,  setting  himself  to  the 
task  of  learning  the  bricklayer's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years,  when  he  began  contracting.  For  eight  years  he  engaged 
in  contracting  and  building  in  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  before  removing  to  Boise,  Idaho, 
which  he  did  in  1902,  and  for  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  been  a  general  con- 
tractor of  this  city,  erecting  many  important  structures  here,  including  the  east 
wing  of  tho  high  school,  the  Bristol  Hotel,  the  Hotel  Grand,  the  Park  school  and 
several  of  the  leading  garages  of  Boise.  He  also  built  the  Mutual  Creamery  build- 
iner,  many  warehouses  and  apartment  houses,  together  with  many  of  Boise's 
most  beautiful  homes,  including  the  residence  of  J.  H.  Oakes  on  Harrison  boule- 
vard. He  was  also  the  builder  of  the  Shriners'  mosque.  In  addition  to  his  industrial 
interests  he  is  engaged  in  fruit  raising  and  one  of  his  farms  has  a  twenty-acre  apple 
and  prune  orchard  upon  it  that  is  in  full  bearing,  having  been  planted  eight  or  ten 
years  ago. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1892,  Mr.  Prouty  was  married  in  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa, 
to  Miss  Emma  Doherty  and  they  have  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Cyril  A. 
and  Frances  Alva,  who  are  graduates  of  the  Boise  high  school.  The  son  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  Boise.  Mr.  Prouty  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing  for  recreation. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  having  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree.  He  has 
prospered  since  coming  to  the  west  and  in  addition  to  his  farm  property  is  the 
owner  of  a  good  home  on  Washington  street,  being  now  most  comfortably  sit- 
uated in  life. 


YOUNG  H.  ABERCROMBIE. 

Young  H.  Abercrombie,  a  general  contractor  in  cement  and  concrete  work  in 
Boise,  came  to  Idaho  in  1882  from  Fort  Laramie,  Wyoming.  Here  he  has  since 
made  his  ho'me,  covering  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years,  and  for  the  past  twenty- 
three  years  he  has  engaged  in  business  as  a  general  contractor  in  cement  and  con- 
crete work,  receiving  a  patronage  of  large  and  gratifying  proportions.  His  per- 
sistency of  purpose,  his  unfaltering  industry  and  determination  and  his  carefully 
directed  labors  have  been  the  salient  features  in  bringing  to  him  the  success  which 
is  now  his. 

Mr.  Abercrombie  was  born  in  Lumpkin  county,  Georgia,  October  3,  1860,  a  son 
of  Clemeth  Abercrombie,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Lumpkin  county  and  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  served  as  an  enrolling  officer  in  the  Confederate  states  army, 
being  too  old  for  active  work  in  the  field.  The  Abercrombie  family  is  an  old  and 
numerous  one  in  Lumpkin  county,  Georgia,  where  many  of  the  name  have  long 
resided.  They  come  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  one  of  Mr.  Abercrombie's  Scotch  fore- 
bears was  a  famous  general  of  the  land  of  hills  and  heather.  His  mother  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Emeline  Jones  and  both  parents  reached  a  ripe  old  age,  both  the 
father  and  mother  being  about  eighty-four  years  of  age  when  called  to  their  final 
rest.  In  1869  they  had  removed  from  Lumpkin  county,  Georgia,  to  Mitchell  county, 
Kansas,  where  both  the  father  and  mother  spent  their  remaining  days  upon  a  farm. 

It  was  there  that  Young  H.  Abercrombie  of  this  review  was  reared.  About  the 
time  that  he  reached  Kansas  his  father  .gave  him  a  six-shooter  and  a  broncho,  al- 
though he  was  but  nine  years  of  age,  and  set  him  to  the  exciting  game  of  "cow 
punching  and  riding  the  range."  The  father  was  the  owner  of  many  cattle  and 
in  his  youth  Mr.  Abercrombie  of  this  review  made  three  different  trips  to  Texas  to 
assist  in  driving  cattle  through  to  the  northern  ranges  in  Wyoming,  South  Dakota 
and  Kansas.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Fort  Laramie,  Wyoming, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and  there  his  business  was  that  of  furnishing 
wood  for  the  government  under  contract.  He  was  also  employed  in  other  ways 
and  in  1882,  when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Boise,  casting  in  his  lot 
with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  territory  of  Idaho.  After  his  arrival  in  the  north- 
west he  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  logger  and  timber  man  in  the  employ  of  the 
late  M.  H.  Goodwin.  Twenty-three  years  have  passed,  however,  since  he  turned 
his  attention  to  cement  and  concrete  work  and  his  success  in  this  field  is  most 


636  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

gratifying.  He  has  been  awarded  many  important  contracts  in  this  line  not  only 
in  Boise  but  in  various  other  places  in  southern  Idaho,  including  Glenns  Ferry, 
Shoshone,  Hailey,  Nampa,  Weiser  and  Council.  He  did  the  foundation  work  for 
various  important  buildings  of  Boise,  including  the  building  of  the  Idaho  Candy 
Company,  of  the  Boise  Milling  Company,  the  Brand  Hotel,  the  Bowers  &  Noble  build- 
ing, the  building  of  the  Idaho  Tent  &  Awning  Company  and  the  annex  to  the  Federal 
building.  He  was  likewise  the  builder  of  the  Saxon  garage  and  of  various  other 
garages  and  he  has  had  the  contract  for  laying  many  miles  of  sidewalks  in  Boise.  He 
had  the  contract  for  the  foundation  work  for  the  Roosevelt  school  in  East  Boise. 
His  work  is  of  such  excellence  and  he  is  so  prompt  and  faithful  in  meeting  the  terms 
of  his  contracts  that,  he  is  accorded  a  very  liberal  clientage  and  his  work  is  returning 
to  him  a  most  gratifying  annual  income. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1885,  Mr.  Abercrombie  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Boise  to  Miss  Alice  Lindsay,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  this  city,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  Lindsay,  one  of  the  pioneer  residents  here.  They  have  become  parents  of 
two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter.  Carlton,  who  is  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  cement  work,  was  born  in  Boise,  November  17,  1886.  He  was  married  May  31, 
1913,  to  Miss  Bertha  Mathias  and  they  have  two  children:  Don  Royal,  aged  four 
years;  and  Doris  Mabel,  aged  two.  The  daughter  of  the  family  is  Mabel,  who  was 
employed  as  a  stenographer  in  France  by  the  United  States  government.  For  sev- 
eral years  she  had  occupied  a  stenographic  position  in  the  law  office  of  Samuel 
H.  Hays.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abercrombie  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  the  city 
in  which  they  have  now  made  their  home  for  thirty-eight  years.  Their  sterling 
worth  is  recognized  by  all  and  their  friends  are  many. 


JAMES  A.   BERRY. 

James  A.  Berry,  probate  judge  of  Madison  county,  was  born  in  Bristol,  England. 
August  6,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  James  B.  and  Julia  E.  (Allen)  Berry,  who  were  natives 
of  England.  The  father  was  foreman  of  a  basket  manufacturing  plant  in  that  country 
and  continued  in  the  business  throughout  his  entire  life,  there  passing  away  Decem- 
ber 25,  1870.  His  wife  died  in  Salt  Lake  City  in  1914. 

James  A.  Berry  was  reared  and  educated  in  England,  but  when  only  nine  years 
of  age  started  out  to  provide  for  his  own  support,  for  his  father  was  in  ill  health 
and  it  was  necessary  that  he  earn  something  and  contribute  to  the  family.  He  came 
to  America  when  a  youth  of  fifteen  years,  in  company  with  his  mother,  four  sisters 
and  brother,  the  family  home  being  established  at  Ogden,  Utah,  where  James  A.  Berry 
took  up  railroad  work.  He  acted  as  foreman  of  construction  and  also  in  the  early 
days  worked  on  the  section.  In  1879  he  came  to  Idaho  and  was  section  foreman  for 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  at  different  places  for  many  years.  He  filed  on  land 
on  which  now  stands  the  town  of  Dubois,  but  on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians 
in  that  section  he  gave  up  the  land  and  removed  to  Rexburg,  filing  on  another  claim, 
which  he  developed  and  improved,  continuing  to  carry  on  that  farm  for  about  thirty-1 
five  years,  ahd  it  is  still  occupied  and  cultivated  by  his  son-. 

In  1914  Mr.  Berry  removed  to  Rexburg  and  was  appointed  by  Governor  Haines 
to  the  position  of  probate  judge  of  Madison  county,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still  ac- 
ceptably serving,  his  duties  being  discharged  with  marked  promptness,  fidelity  and 
ability.  He  is  the  first  and  only  probate  judge  that  Madison  county  has  had.  He  is 
likewise  very  active  in  support  of  irrigation  projects  and  is  the  secretary  of  the  Teton 
Island  Canal  Company,  a  position  which  he  has  filled  for  more  than  twenty  years. 
At  the  same  time  he  has  been  the  incumbent  in  other  offices,  serving  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  as  notary  public  for  a  long  time,  while  at  present  he  is  police  judge 
as  well  as  probate  judge.  In  the  probate  court  he  has  had  twelve  hundred  and  forty- 
four  cases  and  has  also  been  called  upon  to  try  criminal  cases.  He  has  always  sup- 
ported the  republican  party  and  is  a  stalwart  champion  of  its  principles.  Aside  from 
his  active  public  service  he  is  identified  with  business  interests  of  importance  in  his 
community,  being  now  a  stockholder  in  the  Rexburg  Furniture  Company,  also  in  the 
Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  of  Rigby  and  in  the  United  Mercantile  Company  of 
Rexburg.  The  farm  upon  which  he  resided  for  many  years  is  still  in  his  possession. 

Judge  Berry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Doul  and  to  them  were 
born  three  children,  two  of  whom  have  passed  away,  the  living  daughter  being  Jane, 


JAMES   A.   BERRY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  639 

the  wife  of  Robert  Widdeson,  who  follows  farming  near  Newdale,  Idaho.  Mrs.  Berry 
passed  away  In  1874.  and  Judge  Berry  afterward  wedded  Jane  Elizabeth  Christy,  by 
whom  he  has  six  children:  Arthur,  a  resident  farmer  of  Madison  county;  Charles  C., 
who  follows  farming  at  Hibbard,  Idaho;  May,  the  wife  of  Rex  Latham,  living  at 
Herbert,  Idaho;  Ruby  Pearl,  the  wife  of  Ira  O.  Spencer,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah; 
Earl  C.,  who  is  operating  his  father's  farm;  and  Lucille,  at  home. 

In  religious  faith  Judge  Berry  is  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Chris\  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  He  filled  a  two  years'  mission  to  England,  from  1905  until  1907, 
and  is  now  ward  clerk  of  the  second  ward  of  Rexburg  and  is  also  high  priest.  His 
has  been  an  active  life,  contributing  in  marked  measure  to  the  material  development 
and  to  the  political  and  moral  progress  of  the  community  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


OSCAR  H.  ALLEN. 

Mercantile  interests  of  Boise  find  an  able  and  prominent  representative  in 
Oscar  H.  Allen,  secretary-treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Allen-Wright  Fur- 
niture Company.  The  great  volume  of  business  which  this  firm  now  does  is  largely 
the  result  of  the  untiring  labors,  the  progressive  methods  and  the  honorable  policy 
which  Mr.  Allen  has  laid  down  for  the  conduct  of  the  business.  A  native  of  Alton, 
Illinois,  he  was  born  October  19,  1869,  of  the  marriage  of  William  K.  and  Mary 
E.  (Hill)  Allen.  The  father  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  the  mother  in  Blooming- 
dale,  Indiana.  In  1855,  William  K.  Allen,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  attracted 
by  the  gold  discoveries  on  the  Pacific  coast,  crossed  the  continent  to  California,  in 
company  with  an  older  brother,  covering  the  entire  distance  from  Omaha  by  walk- 
ing. During  most  of  his  life,  however,  he  followed  farming  in  Illinois.  His  widow 
is  still  living  and  is  the  mother  of  four  sons  and  a  daughter.  Harry  F.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Twin  Falls,  Idaho;  and  William  G.,  of  Salem,  Oregon,  while  the  sister  Edna 
is  now  the  wife  of  Guy  E.  Metcalf,  of  Wenatchee,  Washington. 

When  he  was  but  five  years  of  age  Oscar  H.  Allen  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  from  Illinois  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  there  he  began  his  edu- 
cation. At  the  age  of  twelve,  however,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Douglas 
county,  Kansas,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm.  There  he  received  a  public  school 
education  and  later  entered  the  University  of  Kansas  at  Lawrence,  also  attending 
Penn  College  at  Oskaloosa.  Iowa,  the  latter  being  a  Quaker  institution.  He  was 
largely  induced  to  enter  this  college  because  of  the  fact  that  his  mother's  people  were 
of  Quaker  origin.  Weighing  his  opportunities  in  the  various  sections  of  this  wide 
land,  he  decided  upon  the  growing  west  as  a  suitable  field  for  his  life's  endeavors 
and  in  1891  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  thirteen  years.  While  in 
Portland  he  was .  connected  with  steamboating,  being  in  positions  from  purser  to 
captain  on  the  Columbia  and  Willamette  rivers.  In  1904  he  came  to  Boise,  where 
he  at  once  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  present  large  mercantile  establish- 
ment known  as  the  Allen-Wright  Furniture  Company.  He  has  been  secretary- 
treasurer  and  general  manager  ever  since  its  organization  and  it  is  now  one  of  the 
largest  as  well  as  oldest  furniture  houses  in  the  state  of  Idaho.  Its  present  officers 
are:  W.  E.  Pierce,  president;  O.  H.  Allen,  secretary-treasurer  and  manager;  and 
L.  H.  Cox,  vice  president.  The  retail  store  of  the  firm  is  located  at  817-819  Ban- 
nock street.  The  Allen-Wright  Furniture  Company  is  one  of  the  widely  known 
and  old  established  mercantile  houses  of  the  city  and  much  of  its  reputation  is 
due  to  Mr.  Allen,  who  has  ever  seen  to  it  that  the  most  reliable  methods  have 
been  followed  in  the  conduct  of  the  enterprise.  A  certain  conservatism  which  is 
the  safeguard  of  any  reliable  business  is  maintained,  and  the  latest  ideas  find  rep- 
resentation in  the  curriculum  of  the  management. 

Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  Boise  to  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Averil,  n6e  Thompson,  a 
native  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan.  There  is  a  step-daughter,  Nellie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Robert  Sproat,  of  Elmore  county,  Idaho. 

Mr.  Allen  belongs  to  the  representative  clubs  of  his  city,  including  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club,  in  whose  projects  he  is  ever  interested,  and  the  Country  Club. 
He  is  prominent  in  Masonry,  being  a  Knight  Templar  and  Shriner  and  is  also  well 
known  as  an  Elk.  The  cares  of  the  business  are  practically  thrown  entirely  upon 
his  shoulders,  as  Earl  Wright  sold  his  interests  several  years  ago,  and  it  may  be 
said  that  Mr.  Allen's  chief  recreation  consists  in  hard  work  and  close  attention  to 


640  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

his  business  affairs.  It  is  therefore  but  natural  that  success  has  attended  his  labors, 
and  none  can  say  that,  his  prosperity,  which  is  expressed  in  the  substantial  business 
firm  of  the  Allen-Wright  Furniture  Company,  is  not  justified. 


W.  P.  ACKERMAN. 

W.  P.%Ackerman,  secretary  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Irrigation  Company 
and  a  resident  of  New  Plymouth,  where  he  also  handles  real  estate,  insurance  and 
loans,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Wisconsin,  September  29,  1857.  His  father,  W. 
H.  Ackerman,  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  in  1856,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Alzina  L.  Amans  and  was  also  a  native  of  New  York, 
went  to  Wisconsin,  making  the  trip  in  the  year  in  which  they  were  married.  Mr. 
Ackerman  there  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  also  spent  some  time  upon 
Lake  Michigan  as  a  sailor.  In  1864  he  sold  his  place  there  and  with  his  family 
moved  back  to  New  York,  where  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army,  parti- 
cipating in  the  Civil  war  until  its  close.  He  then  returned  to  his  farm  in  New  York, 
carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  there  -until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Nebraska 
and  purchased  a  farm  four  miles  from  Hastings.  In  the  meantime  his  old  farm 
property  which  he  had  sold  in  Wisconsin  became  Adams  Center  postoffice.  He  and 
his  wife  died  at  Hastings,  Nebraska,  the  former  in  1898  and  the  latter  in  1896. 

W.  P.  Ackerman  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  New  York.  He  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age  when  he  married  Miss  Hattie  Luther,  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  and  removed  with  his  bride  to  Kearney  county,  Nebraska,  where  he 
carried  on  farming  for  five  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  entered  the 
hardware  business  at  Juniata,  Nebraska,  and  when  two  years  later  a  railroad  was 
built  from  Fairfield  to  Alma,  and  the  town  of  Norman  was  established  on  that  road, 
he  divided  his  hardware  stock  with  his  partner  and  removed  to  the  new  town,  there 
continuing  in  the  hardware  business  until  1898.  He  then  came  west  to  Payette, 
Idaho,  and  soon  afterward  purchased  a  farm  on  the  bench,  which  he  later  traded 
for  a  store  in  Payette,  conducting  his  commercial  interests  for  two  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  entered  the  fruit  business  on  a  commission  basis.  In  1915  he 
took  up  his  abode  at  New  Plymouth,  where  he  is  secretary  of  the  Farmers  Co- 
operative Irrigation  Company.  In  addition  to  his  duties  in  that  connection  he  alsd 
handles  real  estate,  insurance  and  loans. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ackerman  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children,  as  follows: 
Mrs.  W.  A.  James,  of  Baker,  Oregon,  who  has  three  children — Albert  V.,  Harriet 
and  Lillian;  Lillian  L.,  at  home;  and  Paul  A.,  who  is  deceased. 

Politically  Mr.  Ackerman  is  a  republican  and  on  one  occasion  was  offered  the 
nomination  for  sheriff  of  Canyon  county  but  refused  it.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Christian 
Science  church,  his  membership  being  at  Payette.  He  is  much  impressed  with  the 
work  of  the  church  and  its  high  purposes.  In  matters  of  citizenship  he  stands 
loyally  for  progress  and  improvement  arid  was  secretary  of  his  district  for  the 
Council  of  Defense  during  the  period  of  the  World  war  and  was  very  active  in. 
furthering  the  interests  of  the  government  and  in  doing  everything  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers  at  the  front. 


CLARENCE   J.    TAYLOR. 

Clarence  J.  Taylor,  attorney  at  law  successfully  practicing  at  Rexburg,  was 
born  in  Centerville,  Davis  county,  Utah,  November  13,  1893,  his  parents  being 
Peter  and  Margaret  (Cannel)  Taylor,  who  are  natives  of  Scotland  and  of  the  Isle 
of  Man  respectively.  It  was  in  1884  that  Peter  Taylor  arrived  in  the  hew  world, 
making  his  way  across  the  country  to  Utah,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade,  that 
of  iron  molder.  He  had  previously  been  employed  along  that  line  in  Scotland 
and  after  some  time  spent  in  Utah  he  entered  the  service  of  a  railroad  company, 
wfth  which  he  was  connected  for  sixteen  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  in  which  he  engaged  for  two  or  three 
years.  In  1904  he  removed  to  Madison  county,  Idaho,  then  Fremont  county, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  641 

and  purchased  land  three  and  a  half  miles  from  Rexburg.  This  he  improved 
and  has  continued  its  cultivation  to  the  present  time.  His  wife  is  also  living  and  they 
are  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Madison  county. 

Clarence  J.  Taylor  was  reared  in  Utah  and  in  Rexburg,  Idaho,  being  but  ten 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  from  Utah  to  this  state.  He  had  begun 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  former  state  and  continued  his  studies  in  the 
public  schools  of  Rexburg,  while  later  he  attended  Ricks  Academy,  being  gradu- 
ated therefrom  with  the  class  of  1914.  He  afterward  taught  school  through  two 
succeeding  winters  and  took  pre-legal  work  at  the  University  of  Utah  and  then 
entered  the  University  of  Idaho,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with 
the  law  class  of  1919.  While  still  a  university  student  he  enlisted  on  the  5th 
of  November,  1918.  He  had  previously  attempted  to  enlist  in  Seattle  in  1917 
but  was  not  accepted.  When  he  attempted  to  Join  the  army  at  Rexburg  he  was 
put  in  class  3  and  remained  at  home  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm.  Later 
he  was  assigned  to  the  Student  Army  Training  Corps  at  the  university  and  was 
discharged  on  the  20th  of  December,  1918,  after  being  in  the  service  for  only  forty- 
five  days. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  1919,  Mr.  Taylor  opened  a  law  office  in  Idaho  Falls, 
forming  a  partnership  with  Alvin  Denman  under  the  firm  style  of  Taylor  &  Den- 
man,  but  on  the  llth  of  August,  he  removed  to  Rexburg  and  opened  an  office  there. 
The  office  in  Idaho  Falls  is  still  maintained  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Denman. 

Mr.  Taylor  is  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Kappa  Epsilon,  a  fraternity  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Idaho  and  of  the  Phi  Alpha  Delta  Law  Fraternity.  Politically  he  is 
a  democrat  and  in  religious  faith  is  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improve- 
ment Association  and  in  all  things  is  actuated  by  a  progressive  spirit.  While  one 
of  the  younger  representatives  of  the  bar,  he  is  well  qualified  for  the  duties  of 
the  profession  and  is  making  steady  advancement  in  a  calling  where  progress 
depends  entirely  upon  individual  merit  and  ability. 


DUNCAN  S.   LOWRIE. 

Duncan  S.  Lowrie  is  the  well  known  traveling  auditor  of  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  Railroad  and  for  half  a  century  has  been  in  railroad  service,  taking  up 
that  line  of  work  when  be  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  a  Scotch 
lad  of  fourteen  years.  He  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  August  23,  1856, 
a  son  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  (McKellar)  Lowrie,  who  came  with  him  to  the 
United  States  in  1882.  His  ancestors  had  lived  in  Scotland  for  many  generations 
His  father  was  a  railroad  man  and  was  also  for  eighteen  years  in  the  military 
service  of  the  country  as  a  member  of  the  Ninety-first  Regiment  of  Highlanders 
in  the  British  army. 

Duncan  S.  Lowrie  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  when  fourteen  years  of  age  took  up  railroad  life  in  Scotland  as  a  weigh 
clerk  on  the  North  British  Railroad.  This  was  on  the  12th  of  December,  1870, 
and  he  continued  to  serve  as  clerk  and  station  agent  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
He  was  married  in  Scotland  on  the  3d  of  May,  1882,  to  Miss  Sarah  Watson,  a 
native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  but  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  through  the  inter- 
vening period,  covering  thirty-seven  years,  they  have  traveled  life's  Journey  hap- 
pily together,  sharing  with  each  other  its  Joys  and  sorrows,  its  adversity  and 
prosperity.  It  was  Just  two  days  after  their  marriage  that  they  started  for  the 
United  States  accompanied  by  Mr.  Lowrie's  parents.  All  made  their  way  to 
Topeka,  Kansas,  where  they  took  up  their  abode.  At  a  later  period,  however, 
the  father  returned  to  Scotland  and  there  passed  away  in  1885.  The  mother 
while  en  route  for  Scotland,  passed  away  on  a  vessel  in  midocean  in  1901. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  S.  Lowrie  remained  for  some  lime  in  Topeka,  Kansas, 
he  being  employed  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  as  chief  clerk  in  the  bureau  of 
station  accounts.  Later  they  removed  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  until  1897.  He  then  went  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  as  representative  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  in  the  capacity  of  chief  clerk  of 
station  accounts,  there  remaining  until  the  1st  of  September,  1900,  when  he  was 
appointed  agent  at  Kemmerer,  Wyoming.  He  continued  at  the  latter  place  imtil 

Vol.  II— 41 


642  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

1903,  when  he  became  freight  and  passenger  agent  at  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where 
he  remained  until  1907.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  traveling  auditor  and  resided 
at  Pocatello  until  1914,  when  he  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  now  makes  his  home. 
He  and  his  wife  occupy  a  beautiful  residence  at  No.  512  North  Thirteenth  street, 
which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Lowrie  a  year  or  two  ago.  It  is  built  of  cut  stone 
and  is  thoroughly  modern  in  its  equipments. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowrie  have  been  born  two  children:  Annie,  now  the  wife 
of  Dr.  H.  H.  King,  a  practicing  physician  of  Montpelier,  Idaho;  and  Benjamin  Har- 
rison, a  man  of  thirty  years,  who  is  now  a  conductor  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line 
Railroad  and  makes  his  home  at  Pocatello. 

Mr.  Lowrie  is  well  known  in  Masonic  circles.  He  has  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
They  are  a  most  highly  esteemed  Scotch  couple,  exemplifying  the  best  traits  of 
the  Scottish  character,  and  during  the  period  of  their  residence  in  Idaho  they  have 
gained  many  friends  in  the  different  sections  of  the  state  in  which  they  have  lived. 


HON.  HENRY  CHILES  RIGGS. 

With  events  which  have  shaped  the  history  of  Idaho  during  territorial  days  as 
well  as  in  statehood,  Henry  Chiles  Riggs  was  in  many  ways  closely  connected.  Arriv- 
ing here  in  early  pioneer  times,  he  supported  all  plans  and  measures  for  the  general 
good,  aided  in  framing  the  laws  of  Idaho  as  one  of  her  legislators  and  did  whatever 
lay  within  his  power  to  do  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  state. 

He  was  born  in  Mount  Sterling,  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  May  14,  1826,  and 
in  June,  1846,  joined  Company  A,  First  Missouri  Mouted  Volunteers  for  service  in  the 
Mexican  war  under  Colonel  Doniphan,  and  was  mustered  out  in  June,  1847,  at  New 
Orleans.  While  at  the  front  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Brazeto,  in  the  state  of 
New  Mexico,  and  Chihuahua,  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua,  in  old  Mexico.  After  the  latter 
engagement  he  was  exempt  from  duty  in  the  regular  army  but  continued  to  act  as 
scout  during  the  remainder  of  the  war,  being  at  times  as  much  as  two  hundred  miles 
ahead  of  the  regulars.  The  scouts  traveled  by  night  and  seldom  lighted  a  fire  lest  the 
blaze  and  smoke  would  attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  This  was  a  very  trying 
time  for  the  party.  The  trip  was  made  to  Brownsville,  Texas,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Grande  river,  unmolested  and  Mr.  Riggs  deserved  great  credit  for  the  daring  and 
bravery  which  he  displayed  during  that  campaign. 

In  May,  1850,  he  made  his  first  trip  across  the  plains,  starting  from  Independence, 
Missouri,  and  arriving  in  California  in  the  following  September,  having  been  about 
five  months  en  route.  While  in  California  he  conducted  the  Comanche  Hotel  at  Wash- 
ington, just  across  the  river  from  Sacramento.  He  returned  to  the  east  by  way  of 
Cape  Horn,  arriving  at  Independence,  Missouri,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1852,  and  on  the 
same  day  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Lipscomb,  who  was  born  at 
Richmond,  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  23d  of  August,  1834. 

In  company  with  his  wife,  Mr.  Riggs  again  crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1854 
and  upon  once  more  arriving  on  the  Pacific  coast  he  purchased  a  section  of  land  on 
Putah  creek,  in  Yolo  county,  and  began  farming  there.  He  was  a  prominent  and 
influential  resident  of  the  community  and  served  for  two  terms  as  county  commis- 
sioner but  left  California  on  account  of  his  wife's  health  upon  the  expiration  of  his 
second  term  in  office.  He  removed  to  Corvallis,  Oregon,  and  again  his  ability  and 
worth  as  a  citizen  were  recognized  in  his  election  to  the  office  of  mayor  of  the  town  in  1861. 

Upon  learning  of  the  wonderful  gold  discoveries  in  Idaho,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs 
decided  to  remove  to  this  state  and  on  the  6th  of  July,  1863,  he  pitched  the  first  tent 
in  what  is  now  known  as  Boise.  Soon  afterward,  with  others,  he  laid  out  the  city, 
now  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  the  entire  west.  Again  his  fellow  townsmen 
desired  him  to  serve  in  public  office  and  he  was  appointed  county  judge  but  never 
qualified  for  the  position.  In  1864  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives from  Boise  county  and  introduced  the  two  famous  bills  of  that  session. 
The  first  was  a  bill  changing  the  capital  of  the  state  from  Lewiston  to  Boise  and  the 
second  was  a  bill  creating  a  new  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Boise,  with  that  city  as  its 
seat  of  government.  After  a  hard  fight  both  bills  were  passed  and  in  appreciation 
of  the  great  work  he  had  done  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  call  the  new  county  Riggs. 
Not  caring  to  be  thus  honored  himself,  Mr.  Riggs  suggested  to  his  colleague  to  name 


HON.  HENRY  C.   RIGGS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  64f, 

the  county  Ada  for  his  little  daughter.  At  the  time  of  the  marriage  of  this  daughter, 
in  commenting  thereon  one  of  the  local  papers  said  in  regard  to  the  organization  of 
Ada  county:  "Hon.  H.  C.  Riggs  and  a  Mr.  Parkinson  were  but  two  of  Boise  county's 
numerous  delegation  in  that  session.  Mr.  Parkinson,  of  Boise,  and  the  writer  of  this 
sketch,  who  then  represented  the  great  county  of  Shoshone,  occupied  the  same  table 
in  the  hull,  when  the  question  of  naming  the  new  county  came  up.  Several  names  were 
proposed,  those  of  Grant,  Lincoln,  Douglas  being  among  the  number.  Some  good- 
natured  sparring  ensued,  during  which  Mr.  Parkinson  whispered  to  his  deskmate  that 
Ada  was  a  pretty  name,  and  that  as  it  was  the  name  of  his  colleague's  little  daughter, 
he,  Mr.  Parkinson,  would  esteem  it  a  personal  favor  if  his  friend  from  Shoshone  would 
offer  Ada  as  the  name  of  the  new  county.  This  was  done  and  the  motion  carried 
promptly  and  unanimously.  Mr.  Riggs  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Boise  City  and  was 
one  of  the  most  devoted  and  efficient  friends  of  the  city  and  of  the  new  county  during 
the  second  session."  Upon  his  return  home  from  his  second  session  in  the  legislature 
Mr.  Riggs  was  tendered  a  most  enthusiastic  reception.  Thirteen  guns  were  fired  upon 
his  arrival  and  a  reception  was  held  at  the  old  Overland  Hotel.  A  paper,  the  Statesman 
of  January  10,  1865,  commenting  on  this  occasion,  said:  "Assemblyman  Riggs  arrived 
in  town  by  last  evening's  overland  stage  from  Walla  Walla.  His  neighbors  congratulate 
him  upon  his  return  to  his  family  after  a  laborious  session,  and  themselves  on  having 
sent  the  best  man  to  represent  them  at  the  capital.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  other  man 
could  have  accomplished  so  much  for  his  constituents  at  this  session  as  has  Mr.  Riggs. 
No  fraud,  no  trick,  no  device  was  left  untried  to  defeat  the  just  measures  in  behalf  of 
this  portion  of  the  territory,  introduced  by  him  and  fought  to  a  successful  issue.  To 
accomplish  them  under  such  circumstances  requires  not  only  the  highest  order  of  talent, 
but  a  clearness  that  no  attack  can  surprise  and  industry  that  no  opposition  can  tire. 
These  qualities  he  has  exhibited  in  a  good  degree  to  the  great  advantage  and  lasting 
benefit  of  his  constituents,  for  all  which  we  but  express  their  sentiments  when  we 
welcome  him  with,  'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant.'  "  Not  only  did  Mr.  Riggs 
succeed  in  having  Ada  county  organized  by  the  state  legislature  but  also  during  his 
second  term  in  the  general  assembly  he  introduced  a  bill  that  made  Boise  an 
incorporated  village. 

Another  incident  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Riggs  was  written  in  the  Emmett  Index  as  follows: 

INTRODUCED  THE  QUAIL. 

"How  many  of  our  readers  who  enjoy  hunting  know  that  an  Emmett  man  intro- 
duced the  quail  into  Idaho?  And  how  many  know  that  it  was  done  from  purely 
philanthropic  motives  at  a  considerable  outlay  of  money? 

"To  that  grand  old  man,  Henry  C.  Riggs,  now  passing  the  evening  of  his  life  with 
his  children  in  this  city,  the  people  of  Idaho  are  indebted  for  that  valuable  bird, 
the  quail. 

"On  December  26,  1870,  the  first  shipment  was  made  from  Independence,  Missouri, 
and  consisted  of  two  crates,  each  containing  thirty-eight  birds.  They  were  consigned 
to  Mr.  Riggs,  who  then  lived  in  Boise.  At  that  time  the  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific 
was  Kelton,  Utah,  and  express  matter  was  carried  by  stage.  Owing  to  the  severity 
of  the  weather  and  their  exposure  and  long  confinement  many  of  the  birds  died  in  transit. 

"The  consignment  did  not  reach  Kelton  until  January  30th  and  it*  was  nearly 
spring  before  it  reached  Boise.  The  birds  were  distributed  in  different  sections  of 
the  state.  Three  dozen  were  given  their  freedom  on  Dry  creek,  another  dozen  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Payette,  a  numbe*  along  the  Boise  river,  and  the  balance  at  more  remote 
points  of  the  state. 

"Other  shipments -were  made  at  later  dates  from  Missouri,  and  as  an  experiment 
a  dozen  of  what  are  known  as  the  valley  quail  were  shipped  in  from  California.  These, 
however,  were  too  tame  and  soon  fell  a  prey  to  cats  and  wild  animals  and  none  survived. 
The  Missouri  quail  took  kindly  to  Idaho  and  multiplied  rapidly,  and  today  the  descend- 
ants of  those  quail  secured  by  Mr.  Riggs  number  probably  over  a  million  and  may  be 
found  scattered  throughout  this  and  neighboring  states. 

"The  original  receipts  given  by  the  United  States  Express  Company  for  the  trans- 
portation charges  of  the  birds  are  still  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Riggs.  The  express 
charges  from  Omaha  to  Kelton  were  thirty-three  dollars  and  twenty  cents  for  four 
coops,  and  the  total  expense  from  Independence,  Missouri,  to  Boise  was  over  one  hun- 
dred dollars." 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Chiles  Riggs  eight  children  were  born.     Cache,  born  Sep- 


646  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

tember  10,  1854,  at  Cacheville,  Yolo  county,  California,  died  on  the  26th  of  November, 
of  the  same  year.  Ada  Hobbs,  born  April  3,  1856,  at  Davisville,  Yolo  county,  California, 
was  married  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  February  26,  1884,  to  John  Riggs  Coon.  It  was  she 
in  whose  honor  the  county  of  Ada  was  named.  She  passed  away  May  29,  1909,  at  San 
Francisco,  California.  Henry  Chiles,  Jr.,  born  January  5,  1862,  at  Corvallis,  Oregon, 
was  married  August  3,  1910,  to  Mary  Frances  Wilkins  at  Middleton,  Idaho.  Their  first 
child,  a  son,  born  June  8,  1911,  at  Emmett,  Idaho  died  at  birth.  Their  second  child, 
Henry  Chiles  Riggs  (III),  was  born  May  20.,  1913,  at  Emmett  and  their  third  child, 
May  Putnam  Riggs,  was  born  January  26,  1915.  Boise  Green  Riggs,  the  fourth  member 
of  the  family  of  Henry  and  Mary  Ann  (Lipscomb)  Riggs,  was  born  at  Boise,  February 
26,  1865,  and  was  married  March  8,  1888,  at  Falks,  Idaho,  to  Clara  Alice  Jackson. 
Their  children  were  all  born  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  and  are  as  follows:  Clara  Ann,  who 
was  born  March  3,  1889;  Boise  Green,  Jr.,  born  April  14,  1890;  Adlia  Ruth,  November 
26,  1892;  Mona  Lenore,  November  7,  1895;  Hester  Nellie,  July  25,  1897;  Elma  Ada, 
.January  19,  1899;  and  Mollie  Bernice,  June  10,  1900.  Joel  Bennett  Riggs,  the  fifth 
member  of  the  family  of  Henry  Chiles  Riggs,  Sr.,  was  born  at  Boise,  Idaho,  April  16, 
1870,  and  was  married  February  19,  1908,  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  to  Lena  Rebecca  Kesgard. 
Their  children  are:  Bryan  Kern,  born  November  24,  1908,  at  Endicott,  Whitman 
county;  Washington;  Mary  Lena,  September  10,  1910,  at  Emmett,  Idaho;  an  infant  son, 
who  was  born  May  20,  1912,  and  died  on  the  1st  of  June,  following;  and  Samuel  James, 
born  October  31,  1913,  at  Emmett.  Mary  Susan  Riggs,  the  sixth  member  of  the  family 
of  Henry  Chiles  Riggs,  Sr.,  was  born  August  27,  1872,  at  Boise,  and  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1892  at  Emmett  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Lee  Jordan.  She  passed  away  at 
Emmett,  July  15,  1893.  Samuel  Dabney  Riggs,  born  March  31,  1875,  at  Boise,  is  the 
efficient  postmaster  at  Emmett  and  is  mentioned  at  length  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
Idaho  May  Riggs,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  born  on  the  old  homestead  near  Emmett, 
in  Canyon  county,  Idaho,  May  7,  1879,  was  married  on  the  llth  of  August,  1896,  to 
William  Charles  Langroise  and  their  children  are:  Ada  May,  who  was  born  April  26, 
1897;  William  Henry,  born  September  4,  1898;  Norma  Fay,  August  24,  1900;  and  Hazel 
Marguerite,  January  21,  1903,  all  being  natives  of  Emmett.  Of  these  the  eldest  died 
September  24,  1897. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  reared  a  family  of  whom  they  had  every  reason  to  be  proud 
and  who  have  been  an  honor  to  their  name.  The  death  of  Mr.  Riggs  occurred  at  Boise, 
July  3,  1909,  while  his  wife  survived  until  December  14,  1912.  They  were  a  most 
worthy  and  highly  esteemed  couple,  identified  with  Idaho  from  early  pioneer  times. 
During  his  active  life  Mr.  Riggs  was  considered  one  of  the  foremost  residents  of  his 
part  of  the  state  and  was  instrumental  in  many  ways  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  great 
commonwealth  in  which  he  lived.  He  left  to  his  family  the  priceless  heritage  of  an 
untarnished  name  and  a  record  which  should  serve  as  an  inspiration  and  a  source 
of  encouragement  to  all  who  knew  him. 


BISHOP  RICHARD   H.   SMITH. 

Richard  H.  Smith,  a  bishop  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  an  active  factor  in  business  circles  as  the  president  and  manager  of  the  Farm- 
ers Mill  &  Elevator  Company,  of  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  also  the  president  of  the 
Thatcher  Realty  Company,  was  born  in  Macmerry,  Scotland,  January  14,  1863,  his 
parents  being  Richard  and  Helen  (Hogg)  Smith,  who  were  natives  of  the  land  of 
hills  and  heather.  The  father  was  a  coal  miner  in  that  country  and  in  1865  came 
to  America,  making  his  way  first  to  Maryland,  where  he  lived  for  a  year.  In  1866 
he  arrived  in  Utah,  having  driven  across  the  plains  with  ox  teams.  He  located  in 
Logan,  where  he  acquired  land  which  he  improved  and  cultivated  until  1884.  That 
year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho  and  he  took  up  his  abode  in  what  is  now 
Madison  county  but  was  then  Bingham  county.  Here  his  remaining  days  were 
passed,  his  death  occurring  in  October,  1905.  The  mother  died  in  October,  1899. 

Richard  H.  Smith  was  but  two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  emigration  of 
his  parents  to  the  United  States.  He  was  largely  reared  and  educated  iu  Logan, 
Utah,  and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  attained  his  majority.  For  a 
time  he  worked  in  the  timber,  hauling  lumber  until  1884,  when  he  came  to  what 
is  now  Madison  county,  Idaho.  Here  he  filed  on  land  a  mile  from  the  present  site 
of  Rexburg  and  with  characteristic  energy  began  the  cultivation  and  development 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  647 

of  the  place,  which  he  continued  to  further  improve  and  operate  until  1916.  He 
then  rented  the  farm  and  removed  to  Rexburg,  where  he  became  interested  in  sev- 
eral business  enterprises.  He  now  devotes  most  of  his  time  to  the  Farmers  Mill  & 
Elevator  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  bought  one  thousand 
acres  of  dry  farming  land  in  1910.  He  had  leased  it  through  the  previous  eight 
years  and  then  purchased  the  property,  which  he  cultivated  until  the  spring  of  1918, 
when  he  turned  it  over  to  his  son  and  son-in-law,  who  are  still  further  developing 
and  cultivating  the  tract.  Mr.  Smith  is  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Rex- 
burg  State  Bank;  is  the  vice  president  of  the  Jenson-Patterson  department  stores  of 
Rexburg  and  as  a  member  of  that  firm  is  also  interested  in  branch  stores  at  Driggs 
and  Ash  ton,  Idaho;  and  has  also  been  president  and  manager  of  the  Smith  &  Mc- 
Culloch  Sheep  Company  for  the  past  twenty  years. 

In  April,  1890,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  McCulloch  and  to  them 
have  been  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  James  A., 
who  assists  in  the  operation  of  his  father's  dry  farm;  Eva  L.,  the  wife  of  E.  A. 
Arnold,  who  in  conjunction  with  his  brother-in-law  is  engaged  in  operating  the 
farm  owned  by  Mr.  Smith;  Vera  C.,  at  home;  Kenneth  E.,  who  is  nine  years  of  age; 
and  Priscilla  M.,  aged  six.  Agnes,  Orville  and  Richard  all  died  in  infancy. 

Politically  Mr.  Smith  is  a  democrat  and  served  as  probate  judge  of  Fremont 
county  from  1900  until  1902  and  as  county  commissioner  from  1913  until  1916. 
His  religious  belief  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and 
he  is  now  bishop  of  the  Rexburg  third  ward,  an  office  which  he  has  filled  for  the 
past  ten  years.  He  served  on  a  mission  to  England  from  1907  until  1909  and  has 
always  been  an  earnest  supporter  of  and  worker  in  the  church.  At  the  same  time 
he  is  a  most  progressive  and  alert  business  man,  wide-awake  to  every  opportunity 
presented  in  the  natural  ramifications  of  trade,  and  his  straightforward  and  pro- 
gressive business  methods  have  made  him  a  man  of  affluence  in  his  adopted 
country. 


WILBERT   J.    BARBER. 

Wilbert  J.  Barber,  a  general  contractor,  who  came  to  Boise  from  Mankato, 
Minnesota,  in  1896,  was  already  at  that  time  an  expert  workman  in  his  line,  al- 
though but  twenty-three  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Winona,  Minnesota,  July 
23,  1874,  a  son  of  Obadiah  T.  and  Alice  (Wilmot)  Barber,  the  latter  of  whom 
passed  away  in  Boise  in  1904.  Here  the  father  still  makes  his  home  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years. 

Wilbert  J.  Barber  arrived  in  Boise  with  his  parents  in  1896,  the  entire  family, 
consisting  of  father,  mother  and  five  children,  coming  at  that  time.  He  had  largely 
spent  his  youth  at  Mankato,  Minnesota,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  entered  the 
employ  of  a  general  contractor  at  Alexandria,  Minnesota,  under  whom  he  thoroughly 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  Soon  after  reaching  Boise  he  took  up  the  business 
of  contracting  on  his  own  account  and  for  several  years  was  in  partnership  with  his 
uncle,  E.  A.  Wilmot,  under  the  firm  style  of  Wilmot  &  Barber.  Subsequently  Mr. 
Barber  became  a  partner  of  I.  J.  Allen,  with  whom  he  was  associated  for  a  number 
of  years  under  the  style  of  Allen  &  Barber.  For  the  past  ten  years,  however,  he 
has  conducted  business  alone  and  has  been  accorded  a  liberal  patronage,  having 
long  since  demonstrated  his  ability  to  successfully  execute  any  contract  awarded 
him.  He  is  today  numbered  among  the  pioneer  contractors  of  Boise  and,  asso- 
ciated with  his  partners  and  since  operating  independently,  he  has  erected  hun- 
dreds of  the  best  buildings  of  the  city  and  surrounding  district,  including  the  Long- 
fellow school,  the  Garfleld  school,  the  Congregational  church  and  many  of  the  best 
homes  of  the  capital.  Outside  of  Boise  his  building  operations  have  included  the 
Meridian  Bank  and  the  Ustick  schoolhouse.  As  the  years  have  passed  he  has  pros- 
pered in  his  undertakings  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  men  of  affluence  in  the 
capital  city.  He  has  made  wise  investment  in  realty  and  is  the  owner  of  nine  dif- 
ferent houses  in  Boise  besides  his  own  home,  all  being  rented  and  bringing  to  him 
a  good  income.  Six  of  these  are  situated  near  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Union  streets. 

On  the  2d  of  December,  1903,  Mr.  Barber  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Pearl  Davis, 
of  Boise,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  Davis,  and  they  have  two  living  children:  Vera,  aged 
eleven;  and  Alice  H.,  aged  three.  A  daughter,  Ruth,  died  of  influenza  in  December, 


648  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

1918,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  having  been  their  eldest  child.  The  family  oc- 
cupies a  splendid  cut-stone  residence  at  No.  403  O'Farrell  street,  which  Mr.  Barber 
erected  in  1908.  He  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  his  maternal  grandfather, 
Wilbert  F.  Wilmot,  having  been  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army,  and  he  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Through  industry  in  the  prime  of  manhood  he  has  fortified  himself 
against  the  proverbial  rainy  day  and  against  any  exigencies  that  may  arise  in  the 
evening  of  life. 


JOHN   MALONEY. 

John  Maloney  is  the  well  known  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Idaho  Provision 
&  Packing  Company  of  Boise,  wholesale  and  retail  butchers  and  packers,  in  which  con- 
nection an  extensive  business  has  been  developed.  He  arrived  in  this  city  on  the  21st 
of  March,  1890,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  butchering  business,  and  here  he  has  since 
remained,  covering  a  period  of  twenty-nine  years,  throughout  which  time  he  has  been 
continuously  connected  with  the  butchering  and  meat  business.  In  1896  he  became  the 
founder  of  the  Idaho  Dressed  Beef  Company  and  was  its  president  and  manager  until 
1910,  when  it  was  succeeded  by  the  Idaho  Provision  &  Packing  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Maloney  has  since  been  general  manager  and  also  the  treasurer.  He  had  served 
as  president  and  manager  of  the  Idaho  Dressed  Beef  Company  from  1896  until  1910 
and  gained  broad  and  valuable  experience  through  that  period.  The  retail  store  of  the 
Idaho  Provision  &  Packing  Company  is  at  No.  716  Idaho  street,  which  location  has 
thus  been  occupied  since  1906.  The  slaughter  house  and  packing  plant  are  at  the 
west  end  of  Seventeenth  street,  on  the  Foothill  road.  This  is  the  pioneer  concern  of 
the  kind  in  Boise.  The  building  occupied  by  the  retail  plant  is  owned  by  the  com- 
pany. Mr.  Maloney  has  accomplished  much  in  founding  and  building  up  this  interest, 
which  is  today  one  of  Boise's  largest  industries.  The  Idaho  Provision  &  Packing  Com- 
pany, together  with  its  parent  concern,  the  Idaho  Dressed  Beef  Company,  founded 
by  Mr.  Maloney,  has  figured  prominently  in  the  business  life  of  Boise  for  more  than 
twenty  years  and  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Maloney,  more  than  anyone  else,  is  due  the 
upbuilding  of  the  enterprise.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  of  the  kind  of  its  size  in  the  Boise  valley.  It 
is  pleasantly  situated  eleven  miles  from  the  city  and  is  improved  with  every  modern 
convenience  and  equipment.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Ballentine  Ditch  Com- 
pany, an  irrigation  concern. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Maloney  is  a  Catholic,  fraternally  is  an  Elk  and  politically 
a  democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  turns  to  hunting  for 
recreation  when  business  permits  of  leisure.  His  commercial  interests  are  important 
and  extensive,  however,  and  make  continuous  demand  upon  his  time  and  energies. 


SAMUEL  THOMPSON  BROWN. 

Samuel  Thompson  Brown,  residing  in  one  of  the  prettiest  homes  of  South 
Boise,  has  now  reached  the  age  of  eighty-four  years  but  is  still  active,  hale  and 
hearty.  He  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  banks  of  the  Juniata 
river,  February  8,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Eleanor  (McCord)  Brown, 
also  natives  of  the  Keystone  state.  He  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  there 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two 
when  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Illinois,  spending  five  years  in  that  state. 
He  then  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  it  was  during  this  period  of  his  sojourn 
in  his  native  state  that  his  younger  brother,  Alexander  McCord  Brown,  died  of 
typhoid  fever  in  1862,  while  serving  in  the  Union  army.  The  father  went  to 
Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  to  bring  home  his  son's  remains  and  did  so,  but  he  was 
thus  exposed  to  the  disease  and,  becoming  ill,  passed  away  within  a  month. 

In  1865  Samuel  T.  Brown  again  left  Pennsylvania  and  made  his  way  west  to 
Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  where*  he  owned  and  resided  upon  a  large  farm  of  three 
hundced  and  twenty  acres  for  sixteen  years,  successfully  cultivating  his  fields  dur- 
ing that  period.  In  1882  he  sold  the  property  for  forty  dollars  per  acre,  regard- 


JOHN   MALONEY 


, 
HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  .;:,! 

ing  this  as  a  big  price.  Twenty-two  years  later,  however,  he  returned  to  Iowa 
on  a  visit  and  learned  that  the  property  had  since  sold  for  one  .hundred  and  twenty- 
five  dollars  per  acre.  In  1882  Mr.  Brown  left  Iowa  for  Harper  county,  Kansas, 
where  he  purchased  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  for  twenty-two  years  he 
remained  a  resident  of  the  Sunflower  state,  disposing  of  his  lands  there  in  1904, 
at  which  time  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  was  sold  for  fourteen  thousand  dollars. 
He  later  spent  a  winter  in  Houston,  Texas,  and  a  year  in  the  Puget  Sound  section 
of  Washington.  In  1905  he  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  and  located  in  South  Boise, 
where  he  owns  much  valuable  real  estate,  his  possessions  embracing  forty-five  fine 
lots,  largely  planted  to  bearing  fruit  trees.  He  is  an  enthusiast  regarding  Idaho 
and  says  he  would  not  exchange  what  he  has  in  South  Boise  for  all  the  vast  acreage 
he  had  in  Kansas  if  this  necessitated  his  returning  to  that  state  to  live.  Mr.  Brown, 
despite  his  eighty-four  years,  is  a  most  active  and  energetic  man,  seeming  to  pos- 
sess the  strength  and  vigor  of  a  man  twenty  years  his  junior. 

At  the  age  of  thirty-six,  in  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  or  on  the  6th  of  November, 
1871,  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Miss  Margueretta  Elizabeth  McBride  and  they 
have  since  traveled  life's  journey  happily  together,  Mrs.  Brown  being  now  a  well 
preserved  woman  of  seventy-three  years.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  August  13,  1847, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children.  Charles  Sumner,  who  was 
born  in  1875  and  is  a  teacher  by  profession,  being  now  connected  with  the  schools 
of  Vallejo,  California,  is  married  and  has  two  children.  Clarence  F.,  forty-one 
years  of  age,  is  an  interior  decorator  of  much  ability  who  is  now  in  the  employ 
of  Marshall  Field  &  Company  of  Chicago  at  a  salary  of  seventy-five  hundred  dol- 
lars per  year.  He  is  married  but  has  no  family.  Helen  became  the  wife  of  Clark 
D.  Brock,  a  teacher,  and  died  April  1,  1919,  of  tuberculosis,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  thirty-seven  and  leaving  one  son,  Robert.  The  youngest  child  is  Grace  Lyle, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  William  C.  Whimster,  a  physician  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  The 
other  child  of  the  family  was  Robert  Brown,  the  first  born,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  are  most  happily  situated  amid  pleasant  surround- 
ings, with  a  host  of  warm  friends  who  esteem  them  highly  and  find  pleasure  in  their 
companionship. 


JOHN  F.  GROOME. 

The  life  story  of  John  F.  (jfrroome  if  written  in  detail  would  present  a  most 
clear  picture  of  pioneer  life  and  conditions  in  Idaho.  He  was  born  in  Van  Buren 
county,  Iowa,  October  12,  1848.  His  father,  William  Swayze  Groome,  was  a  native 
of  Franklin  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1834  removed  to  Iowa,  which  at  that  time  was 
still  under  territorial  rule.  He  became  a  farmer  of  Van  Buren  county,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Eliza  Jane  Woolweaver,  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio. 

John  F.  Groome  attended  the  common  schools  of  Iowa  until  after  he  attained 
his  majority  and  in  the  spring  of  1870,  attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the 
growing  and  rapidly  developing  west,  he  came  to  Idaho  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Dr.  J.  B.  Wright,  of  Middleton,  for  whom  he  took  some  hogs  to  Camas  Prairie. 
The  following  summer  he  worked  at  dairying  for  James  Harley,  of  Idaho  City,  and 
later  drove  a  butcher's  wagon  for  M.  R.  Jenkins  at  Middleton  for  three  months. 
In  the  spring  of  1873  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Iowa  and  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1874,  married  Olive  Mussetter,  also  a  native  of  Van  Buren  county, 
Iowa. 

In  the  spring  of  that  year  Mr.  Groome  and  his  bride  came  to  Middleton  and 
homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  four  miles  east  of  the  town.  Of  that 
tract  he  still  retains  the  ownership  of  eighty  acres.  He  remained  upon  his  farm 
from  1875  until  1899  and  then  took  up  his  abode  in  Caldwell.  In  1895  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  on  the  state  highway  between  Middleton  and  Boise, 
about  five  miles  east  of  Middleton,  and  of  this  tract  he  has  deeded  his  three  sons, 
C.  W.,  Henry  S.  and  Cleve,  each  twenty  acres.  The  tract  was  homesteaded  by  Rev. 
George  C.  Alleader,  a  Methodist  minister,  who  came  to  Idaho  in  the  early  '70s  and 
built  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  southern  Idaho  in  1875.  The  church 
is  still  standing  near  the  farm.  Mr.  Groome  has  practically  retired  from  farming 


652  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

while  his  sons  carry  on  the  work  of  cultivation  and  in  addition  to  raising  hay  and 
grain  they  feed  beef  cattle  for  the  market. 

Mr.  Groome  and  his  wife  occupy  a  home  in  Caldwell  and  are  among  the 
valued  residents  of  the  city,  where  they  have  now  lived  for  twenty  years.  They 
have  reared  a  family  of  three  sons,  of  whom  C.  W.  married  Florence  Keith,  of 
Star;  Henry  S.  wedded  Ada  Chamberlain,  of  Boise;  and  Cleve  wedded  Grace  Potter 
of  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

There  is  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  with  which  John  F.  Groome  is  not  familiar. 
When  in  1871  he  went  with  hogs  to  Camas  Prairie  for  Dr.  Wright  he  was  accom- 
panied by  Will  Montgomery,  who  was  to  look  after  Peter  Moore's  hogs,  and  Jim 
Nelson,  who  was  to  look  after  hogs  belonging  to  William  Montgomery.  The  hogs 
of  the  three  owners  were  to  be  ranged  altogether  and  the  three  men  were  to  live 
together,  so  that  each  would  have  company.  Everything  went  well  for  the  first 
few  weeks  after  their  arrival  at  their  destination  and  then  the  Indians  began  to 
come  to  Camas  Prairie,  which  was  a  great  resort  for  the  red  men  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  but  Mr.  Groome  and  his  companions  were  not  aware  of  that.  Soon 
fifteen  hundred  Indians  of  seven  different  tribes  were  gathered  there  and  began 
their  festivities  of  horse  racing,  gambling  and  feasting.  The  prairie  produced 
the  camas  plant  in  abundance  and  it  was  a  favorite  food  with  the  Indians,  so  they 
gathered  there  each  year  for  the  purpose  of  feasting  upon  it.  The  camas  is  like 
a  large  onion  in  appearance  but  has  none  of  its  onion  flavor.  The  Indian  method 
of  cooking  it  is  to  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground,  line  it  with  hot  rocks  and  then  spread 
grass  over  the  rocks,  after  which  they  lay  the  camas  on  the  grass  and  cover  them 
with  grass  and  earth  in  quantities  ranging  from  five  to  twenty-five  bushels.  After 
several  hours  it  is  removed  and  the  camas  are  delicately  and  deliciously  cooked, 
white  men  as  well  as  Indians  proclaiming  them  most  palatable.  The  hogs  were 
as  fond  of  the  camas  as  the  Indians  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  until  the  red 
men  made  complaint  to  the  men  in  charge  of  the  hogs,  saying  that  the  animals 
were  eating  all  of  their  camas.  The  Indians  soon  began  setting  their  dogs  on  the 
hogs  and  followed  this  by  an  ultimatum  that  the  men  would  have  to  get  their 
hogs  off  the  prairie  or  there  would  be  trouble.  This  threat  was  met  by  Will  Mont- 
gomery, who  was  a  fearless  man  and  acted  as  spokesman  for  his  two  companions, 
who  were  "tenderfeet,"  while  he  knew  the  Indian  nature  well.  Procuring  a  large 
club,  which  he  soaked  in  water  over  night  until  it  was  like  a  steel  bar,  he  used 
this  to  knock  down  a  horse  upon  which  one  of  the  braves  rode  up  to  him,  telling 
him  that  he  must  go  at  once.  This  left  the  Indian  dismounted.  The  Indians 
therefore  believed  Montgomery  to  be  a  brave  man  and  thereafter  showed  much 
respect  for  him.  The  three  white  men  were  living  on  an  island  which  was 
completely  hedged  in  by  willows  except  for  the  old  emigrant  road  across  it.  A 
small  pathway  led  through  the  willows  and  over  a  small  bridge  constructed  by 
them  across  a  stream  too  deep  for  the  hogs  to  ford.  The  hogs  were  taken  over 
this  bridge  each  night  and  held  on  the  island  for  shelter  and  safety.  Seven  chiefs 
charged  this  bridge  on  horseback  in  single  file  with  the  hope  of  destroying  it  and 
scattering  the  hogs.  Just  as  they  were  nearing  the  bridge  Mr.  Montgomery 
brought  his  double-barreled  shotgun,  loaded  with  seventeen  buckshot  in  each 
barrel,  to  bear  on  the  Indians,  who  knew  their  man  too  well  to  proceed  any 
farther.  A  fellow  tribesman  signalled  the  chiefs  to  retreat,  which  they  did  with- 
out delay.  That  evening,  however,  they  held  another  war  council,  arrayed  them- 
selves in  their  war  paint  and  delivered  their  ultimatum  to  the  white  men,  telling 
them  to  be  on  the  move  by  sunrise  the  next  morning.  They  were  promptly  told 
that  the  hogs  were  not  the  property  of  the  three  white  men  and  that  they  had 
been  sent  to  take  care  of  the  animals,  that  they  only  represented  the  owners, 
whose  orders  were  that  the  hogs  were  to  remain  there  and  that  the  United  States 
government  would  back  them  in  their  undertaking.  After  dark  that  evening  the 
Indians  ranged  about  the  hills  in  a  circle,  surrounding  the  camp  of  the  white  men 
and  made  night  hideous  with  their  blood-curdling  war  whoops,  which  sounded 
to  the  white  men  as  though  they  were  closing  in  upon  them,  and  they  expected 
every  moment  to  be  set  upon  and  massacred.  Mr.  Montgomery  counseled  with 
his  companions  about  the  best  method  to  pursue  and  told  them,  while  he  was 
familiar  with  the  Indians,  one  could  never  tell  just  what  they  might  do,  but  that 
in  his  judgment  it  would  be  better  for  one  of  the  white  men  to  go  to  Boise  for 
help.  He  said  that  he  would  remain  with  the  other  and  face  the  worst,  should 
it  be  their  fate,  but  that  the  other  two  should  draw  straws  to  see  which  should  go 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  653 

to  Boise.  He  told  them  that  the  trip  would  be  fraught  with  every  danger  and 
that  he  who  went,  if  caught  by  the  Indians,  would  meet  death.  It  fell  to  the  lot 
of  Mr.  Groome  to  make  the  trip  and  he  accordingly  started  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  with  his  horse's  feet  muffled  and  with  Montgomery's  admonition  to 
proceed  with  all  caution  till  out  of  hearing  of  the  Indians.  He  made  a  Paul 
Revere  ride  that  night,  the  memory  of  which  he  will  always  retain.  He  reached 
Boise  the  next  evening,  having  covered  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  miles  in  sixteen  hours.  Acting  Governor  Curtis  and  several  men  from  the 
United  States  army  camp  in  Boise  came  to  the  scene  of  the  prospective  trouble 
and  their  presence  among1  the  Indians  effectually  quelled  any  further  trouble. 
So  ended  what  might  have  been  a  serious  Indian  outbreak  had  Mr.  Groome  and 
his  friends  not  proceeded  in  the  manner  which  they  followed.  Such  and  similar 
conditions  did  the  frontiersmen  at  all  times  face.  The  difficulties  and  privations 
which  he  endured  were  also  humorous  and  it  was  only  men  of  courage  and  deter- 
mination who  faced  these  conditions  and  upon  the  wild  western  frontier  wrested 
fortune  from  the  hands  of  fate.  Mr.  Groome  is  one  of  the  men  that  never  quails 
before  pioneer  conditions  and  he  has  lived  to  see  remarkable  changes  as  the  work 
of  transformation  and  improvement  has  been  carried  steadily  forward. 


THEODORE   KROEGER,   D.   D.   S. 

Dr.  Theodore  Kroeger  is  a  dentist  by  profession  but  throughout  almost  the 
entire  period  of  his  residence  in  Boise  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  subdivision 
and  sale  of  real  estate.  He  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  today  occupies 
one  of  the  beautiful  suburban  homes  of  the  capital  city.  He  was  born  in  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  Germany,  May  16.  1857,  a  son  of  Gustave  Kroeger,  who  was  a  tanner 
by  trade.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  country  to  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  and 
in  his  youth  learned  the  tanning  business  with  his  father.  In  1880  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  settling  first  in  Nebraska,  where  he  gave  his  attention  to  various 
business  pursuits  until  1895.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry  and  in  1897 
was  graduated  from  the  Omaha  Dental  College,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Hooper  and  at  Dodge,  Nebraska,  until  1903. 

In  that  year  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Boise,  having  removed  from  Fremont, 
Nebraska,  to  this  state.  He  opened  an  office  at  Boise  and  continued  in  the  practice 
of  dentistry  for  a  year,  after  which  he  purchased  what  is  known  as  the  old  Fenton 
farm  south  of  the  city  on  South  Broadway,  embracing  one  hundred  and  ten  acres, 
for  which  he  paid  about  twelve  thousand  dollars.  He  has  since  platted  and  sub- 
divided this  property  and  has  sold  lots  to  the  amount  of  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  has  also  disposed  of  acreage  tracts  but  still  retains  more  than  one-half 
of  the  original  property,  which  is  today  worth  perhaps  four  times  what  he  paid 
for  the  entire  place.  Nine  acres  of  the  original  purchase  adjacent  to  and  in-eluding 
the  original  home  site  has  been  set  apart  by  the  Doctor  for  his  own  homestead,  and 
upon  the  tract  stands  not  only  his  own  residence  but  also  the  residence  of  his  only 
child,  Gustave  Kroeger,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  an  attractive  dwelling  about 
twenty  rods  from  his  father's  place.  The  nine-acre  tract  is  devoted  almost  wholly 
to  orchards  and  gardens  and  shaded  lawns.  There  are  also  the  various  outbuildings 
that  go  to  make  up  a  well  appointed  suburban  home  and  the  place  is  in  every  way 
most  attractive.  The  original  dwelling  on  the  place,  formerly  occupied  by  Dr. 
Kroeger  and  his  wife,  was  recently  destroyed  by  fire,  after  which  the  Doctor  erected 
on  the  same  site  one  of  the  handsomest  suburban  homes  in  all  Boise  or  vicinity. 
It  is  a  beautiful  dwelling  of  white  pressed  brick,  of  attractive  design,  erected  at  a 
cost  of  several  thousand  dollars. 

It  was  on  the  1st  of  November,  1886,  that  Dr.  Kroeger  was  married  at  Hooper, 
Nebraska,  to  Miss  Pauline  Quast,  who  was  also  born  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  the 
Kroeger  and  Quast  families  residing  in  the  same  neighborhood  in  Germany.  Mrs. 
Kroeger  came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States  long  before  her  future  husband 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  she  being  but  ten  years  of  age  when  she  made  the  voyage. 
Dr.  Kroeger  had  known  her  as  a  little  girl  in  Germany  and  the  acquaintance  was 
renewed  in  the  United  States.  They  have  had  but  one  child,  Gustave,  now  thirty 
years  of  age,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Idaho,  where  he  specialized 
in  bacteriology.  He  is  a  Mason  of  high  rank,  having  attained  the  thirty-second 


654  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

degree  in  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
was  married  in  1917  to  Miss  Stella  Campbell  and  they  have  one  son,.  Robert,  born 
in  1919. 

Dr.  Kroeger  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  a  Unitarian  in  religious  faith 
and  a  republican  in  his  political  views.  His  progressiveness  in  citizenship  has  been 
manifested  in  many  ways,  particularly  in  his  active  support  of  all  the  plans  and 
projects  which  he  has  deemed  of  worth  in  the  advancement  and  upbuilding  of  the 
community  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 


RAY  C.  KIMBALL. 

Ray  C.  Kimball  is  the  vice  president  of  the  First  National  bank  of  Driggs  and  is 
also  engaged  in  stock  raising  about  two  miles  north  of  the  town.  Born  in  Salt  Lake 
City  on  the  22d  of  August,  1869,  he  is  a  son  of  Heber  P.  and  Phoebe  (Judd)  Kimball, 
who  were  natives  of  New  York  and  Canada  respectively.  The  father  devoted  his  life 
to  farming  and  stock  raising  and  was  among  the  first  representatives  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  to  cross  the  plains  and  take  up  the  work  of  coloniz- 
ing Utah.  He  arrived  in  that  state  in  1847,  after  making  the  journey  westward  with 
ox  teams,  the  first  trip  being  in  company  with  his  parents.  Later  he  made  various 
trips  across  the  plains,  for  he  followed  freighting  for  a  number  of  years..  He  afterward 
concentrated  his  efforts  and  energies  upon  cattle  raising  near  Salt  Lake  and  later  he 
engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  in  Nevada.  He  then  returned  to  Utah,  where  he 
once  more  devoted  his  attention  to  cattle  raising  and  was  thus  engaged  to  the- time  of 
his  death.  For  one  year  he  filled  a  mission  for  the  church  in  New  York.  He  passed 
away  in  February,  1885.  and  was  long  survived  by  the  mother,  who  died  in  July,  1912. 

Ray  C.  Kimball  was  reared  and  educated  in  Salt  Lake  City.  He  continued  with 
his  parents  to  the  age  of  twenty  years  and  in  1889  removed  to  the  Teton  basin  of  Idaho, 
settling  in  what  was  then  Bingham  county  and  is  now  Teton  county.  He  filed  on  land 
and  also  purchased  farm  property,  which  he  developed  and  improved.  His  homestead 
was  situated  eight  miles  from  Driggs  and  he  continued  its  cultivation  until  1918,  when 
he  sold  the  property.  He  is  now  engaged  in  operating  a  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  two  miles  north  and  a  half  mile  west  of  Driggs.  Here  he  raises  sheep  and  cattle 
and  has  successfully  continued  the  business  to  the  present  time.  He  made  a  specialty 
of  Ayrshire  cattle,  having  the  only  herd  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  but  is  not  now 
engaged  in  raising  that  breed.  Since  the  organization  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Driggs  he  has  been  one  of  its  stockholders  and  directors  and  is  now  its  vice  president. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1896,  Mr.  Kimball  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Seymour  and 
to  them  were  born  five  children:  Chase,  Judd,  Edith,  Cora  and  Lois.  Chase  is  attend- 
ing the  Agricultural  College  at  Logan,  Utah,  while  the  other  children  are  in  school 
at  Driggs. 

Mr.  Kimball's  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  democratic  party.  His  has-  been 
a  life  of  diligence,  actuated  by  laudable  ambition.  Each  successful  move  that  he  has 
made  has  stimulated  him  for  larger  activities  and  his  energies  have  brought  him 
prominently  to  the  front  in  connection  with  public  interests  and  the  material  develop- 
ment of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


E.  M.  SMALL. 

E.  M.  Small,  a  general  merchant  of  Wilder  now  conducting  a  profitable  busi- 
ness, was  born  in  Ohio  on  the  17th  of  October,  1865.  His  father,  S.  S.  Small,  was 
a  native  of  the  south  and  of  Norwegian  parentage.  He  was  a  repair  lineman  on 
the  railroad  and  also  acted  as  lineman  during  the  Civil  war,  serving  throughout  the 
entire  time  in  which  the  north  and  south  were  engaged  in  hostilities.  His  wife, 
Mrs.  T.  T.  Small,  was  also  of  southern  birth,  but  both  are  now  deceased. 

E.  M.  Small  went  to  sea  when  a  mere  lad,  shipping  before  the  mast,  and  made 
fourteen  voyages  around  Cape  Horn  on  the  oldtime  sailing  vessels  known  as  "wind- 
jammers." He  has  been  in  every  seaport  of  any  importance  in  the  world,  has 
cruised  upon  the  Nile  and  went  up  the  Amazon  when  all  of  the  crew  on  his  ship  died 
of  smallpox  save  himself  and  two  other  white  men.  He  stood  by  and  saw  his  dead 


RAY  C.  KIMBALL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  657 

shipmates  thrown  over  the  side  and  devoured  by  alligators  and  crocodiles  and 
wondered  whether  he  would  be  the  next  one  to  fill  their  hungry  maws.  His  trip  to 
various  parts  of  the  globe  if  written  in  detail  would  present  many  a  thrilling  and 
interesting  picture. 

At  the  present  time,  however,  Mr.  Small  is  pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  his  way 
as  a  progressive  and  enterprising  merchant  of  Wilder.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1903 
and  worked  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad.  In  1905  he  removed  to  Parma  as 
operator  and  agent  and  there  remained  until  1912,  in  which  year  he  became  a  res- 
ident of  Wilder  and  erected  the  first  building  where  the  town  is  now  located.  At 
that  time  no  townsite  had  been  laid  out  and  he  built  in  eighty  acres  of  sagebrush. 
He  opened  a  small  store  but  has  increased  his  stock  from  time  to  time  to  meet  the 
growing  demands  of  his  trade  until  he  now  carries  a  stock  valued  at  about  forty 
thousand  dollars  and  occupies  a  substantial  store  building  fifty  by  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  and  two  stories  in  height.  The  interurban  line  had  not  been  built 
at  the  time  he  located  at  Wilder  and  there  was  little  indication  of  future  rapid 
growth,  yet  Mr.  Small  saw  the  possibilities  of  the  district  and  from  the  beginning 
has  been  identified  with  its  development.  He  conducts  a  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness and  his  interests  make  constant  demands  upon  his  time  and  energies.  He  has 
three  trucks  and  does  a  general  trucking  business  in  connection  with  the  conduct 
of  the  store,  in  which  he  carries  the  most  complete  stock  of  goods  in  Wilder,  while 
the  integrity  and  enterprise  of  his  business  methods  have  brought  to  him  most  sub- 
stantial success. 

In  1910  Mr.  Small  was  married  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  to  Miss  Lillian  A. 
Ramsey,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  to  his  wife  Mr.  Small  attributes  much  of  his 
success.  She  is  a  most  intelligent  woman,  capable,  energetic  and  persistent,  and 
her  labors  and  judgment  have  ably  supplemented  the  efforts  of  her  husband.  Mr. 
Small  is  a  versatile  man  who  always  looks  on  the  bright  side  of  life  and  has  a 
smile  for  every  situation  and  for  every  person  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


FRED  J.  HEATH. 

The  progressive  spirit  which  dominates  the  business  circles  of  Sugar  finds 
expression  in  the  life  work  and  activity  of  Fred  J.  Heath,  a  general  merchant,  who 
was  born  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  September  1,  1883.  He  is  a  son  of  Fred  G.  and 
Henrietta  (Haigh)  Heath,  the  former  a  native  of  Utah,  while  the  latter  was  born 
in  England,  being  brought  to  America  when  ten  years  of  age  by  her  parents.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Frederick  Heath,  was  one  of  the  earliest  Mormon  settlers  of 
Utah,  where  he  arrived  in  1847.  Fred  G.  Heath  was  reared  and  educated  in  that 
state  and  in  young  'manhood  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  but  for  the  past 
thirty  or  forty  years  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  The  mother  of  Fred  J.  Heath  is  also  living. 

It  was  in  the  capital  city  of  Utah  that  Fred  J.  Heath  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth.  In  the  acquirement  of  his  education  he  passed  through  con- 
secutive grades  in  the  public  schools,  also  attended  the  high  school  and  the  evening 
class  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  University,  but  had  to  leave  school  when  about  the 
age  of  sixteen  to  help  earn  his  living.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  attained 
his  majority  and  then  went  to  work  in  the  general  passenger  office  of  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  Railroad,  thus  serving  for  four  years.  He  was  afterward  called  on 
a  mission  to  the  southern  states  for  the  Mormon  church  and  served  for  two  years. 
In  1905  he  removed  to  Sugar,  where  he  became  an  office  man  in  the  employ  of  the 
Utah-Idaho  Sugar  Company,  with  which  he  continued  for  a  year.  He  was  next 
made  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Sugar  City  Mercantile  Company,  with  which  he 
continued  for  four  years  and  then  entered  into  partnership  with  J.  W.  West  for 
the  conduct  of  a  general  merchandise  business.  The  partnership  was  maintained 
for  about  five  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  West  disposed  of  his  interests 
to  A.  W.  Kartchner,  who  was  a  partner  of  Mr.  Heath  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Heath,  who  has  since  carried  on  the  business 
alone  and  not  only  owns  an  extensive  stock  of  general  merchandise  but  also  the 
building  which  the  store  occupies  and  a  part  of  which  is  utilized  as  the  Hotel  Heath. 
He  has  one  of  the  leading  commercial  interests  of  Sugar,  his  store  containing  a 
large  and  varied  stock,  while  his  patronage  is  extensive  and  gratifying. 

Vol.  H— 42 


658  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1906,  Mr.  Heath  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Emma  Cahoon,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children,  namely:  John,  Donald,  Leon, 
Harold,  Dora,  Richard  and  Paul. 

Mr.  Heath  votes  with  the  republican  party  and  for  twelve  years  he  served  as 
village  clerk,  while  in  April,  1919,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  town  board. 
He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  to 
which  he  has  always  adhered,  and  he  is  one  of  the  presidents  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Seventy-seventh  Quorum  of  Seventy.  He  has  held  various  other  offices  in  the 
church,  doing  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and  extend  its  influence. 


THOMAS  D.  JONES. 

Thomas  D.  Jones,  conducting  business  under  the  name  of  the  Pioneer  Furni- 
ture Company  at  706  Main  street  in  Boise,  has  been  identified  with  the  house  since 
1913,  when  he  purchased  a  half  interest  from  W.  G.  Smitherman.  In  March,  1918, 
he  took  over  Mr.  Smitherman's  interest  and  has  since  practically  been  sole  proprie- 
tor, he  and  his  wife  holding  all  of  the  stock  save  one  share.  Mr.  Jones  came  to 
Boise  ten  years  ago  from  McAlester,  Oklahoma,  but  is  numbered  among  the  native 
sons  of  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Pomeroy,  that  state,  November  16,  1871. 
His  father,  Peter  Jones,  was  a  coal  miner  of  Wales  who  left  that  little  rock-ribbed 
country  in  1861  to  try  his  fortune  in  America.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Anne  Lloyd,  was  also  a  native  of  Wales,  in  which  country  they  were  married, 
and  their  two  eldest  children  were  born  ere  their  emigration  to  the  new  world. 

Thomas  D.  Jones  was  reared  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  at  Pomeroy,  Meigs 
county,  Ohio,  and  then  left  home,  going  to  McAlester,  Oklahoma,  where  his  elder 
brother,  Evan  R.  Jones,  already  resided.  The  younger  brother  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmithing  and  continued  to  live  in  Oklahoma  until  1909,  when  he  came  to 
Boise.  In  this  city  he  opened  a  smithy  and  continuously  followed  his  trade  until  1913, 
when  he  became  identified  with  commercial  interests  by  purchasing  stock  in  the 
Pioneer  Furniture  Company.  This  is  one  of  the  well  known  houses  of  Boise,  having 
been  in  existence  for  many .  years.  The  first  location  was  on  South  Ninth  street, 
whence  a  removal  was  later  made  to  1112  Main  street  and  afterward  to  1108  and 
1110  Main  street.  The  next  removal  brought  the  business  to  No.  909  Idaho  street, 
while  in  March,  1917,  it  was  established  at  Nos.  822  and  824  Idaho  street,  and  at 
this  writing  is  located  706  Main. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1896,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Jones  and 
Miss  Lillie  M.  Jones,  who  though  of  the  same  name  was  not  a  relative.  She  was 
born  in  Iowa  but  was  reared  in  the  state  of  New  York.  They  have  become  parents 
of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Gladys,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Boise  high  school  and  now  follows  the  profession  of  teaching  in  Ada  county;  Mar- 
jiella;  Thelma,  Thomas  Carl;  and  Cecil  Irwin. 

Mr.  Jones  votes  with  the  republican  party  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  or 
a  candidate  for  political  office.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  his 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  city  is  therein  manifest,  as  well  as  by 
active  support  of  many  measures  for  the  general  good.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  also  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  his  religious  faith  is 
that  of  the  Christian  church,  to  the  teachings  of  which  he  loyally  adheres. 


B.  FRANK  NEAL. 

B.  Frank  Neal,  a  member  of  the  Boise  bar  for  sixteen  years,  his  practice  being 
of  distinctively  representative  character,  comes  to  the  northwest  from  Nebraska, 
where  he  was  born  on  the  24th  of  February,  1864,  the  place  of  his  nativity  being 
Nemaha  county.  His  parents,  James  E.  and  Mary  (Nincehelser)  Neal,  were  natives 
of  Ohio,  where  their  respective  parents  had  settled  in  pioneer  times  and  where  the 
father  and  mother  were  reared  and  married.  In  1863  they  removed  to  Nebraska, 
becoming  early  residents  of  the  southeastern  section  of  that  state,  where  they  met 
all  of  the  experiences  and  hardships  incident  to  life  on  the  frontier.  Mr.  Neal, 
however,  developed  a  good  farm,  and  won  substantial  success  in  the  cultivation 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  659 

of  the  soil  and  in  stock  raising.  In  1902  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  Nebraska  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  after 
which  Mr.  Neal  became  a  resident  of  Boise.  Their  family  numbered  seven  children, 
six  sons  and  a  daughter. 

B.  Frank  Neal,  who  was  the  third  of  the  family,  supplemented  his  early  edu- 
cational training  by  study  in  the  Nebraska  State  Normal  School  at  Peru,  where  he 
completed  his  course  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1890.  A  review  of  the  broad 
field  of  human  activity  led  him  to  the  determination  to  make  the  practice  of  law 
his  life  work  and  with  that  end  in  view  he  entered  the  University  of  Nebraska  at 
Lincoln  and  was  graduated  with  the  Bachelor  of  Laws  degree  in  1893.  For  a  year 
thereafter  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Lincoln.  He  afterward 
practiced  for  some  time  at  Auburn,  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  and  then  removed  to 
the  northwest,  arriving  in  Boise  in  1903.  Through  the  intervening  period  he  has 
continuously  practiced  in  the  courts  of  this  state,  enjoying  a  large  and  distinctively 
representative  clientage  owing  to  the  thoroughness  and  capability  with  which  he 
prepares  his  cases  and  the  clear  and  cogent*  manner  in  which  he  presents  his  evi- 
dence. For  a  time  he  was  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Neal  &  Kinyon,  his  asso- 
ciate being  Frank  B.  Kinyon,  but  since  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  he  has 
practiced  alone.  He  belongs  to  the  Ada  County  Bar  Association  and  the  Idaho 
State  Bar  Association  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation. 

Mr.  Neal  was  married  June  30,  1897,  to  Miss  May  Harman,  also  a  native  of 
Nebraska  and  a  daughter  of  Elias  G.  Harman,  of  Auburn,  that  state.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Neal  have  three  children:  Edgar  H.,  born  December  29,  1899;  James  H.,  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1901;  and  Franklin,  April  13,  1904. 

Mr.  Neal  indulges  in  hunting  and  fishing  when  professional  duties  permit  of 
leisure  and  Idaho  furnishes  splendid  opportunity  for  enjoyment  of  those  sports.  He 
and  his  wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  is 
an  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  belonging  to  lodge  and 
chapter  in  Boise.  He  is  also  a.  stalwart  advocate  of  republican  principles  and 
maintains  a  public-spirited  attitude  in  regard  to  civic  affairs. 


WILLIAM  ROBISON. 

As  district  superintendent  of  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New 
York,  with  headquarters  in  Boise,  William  Robison  represents  important  insur- 
ance interests  in  this  state.  A  native  of  the  west,  he  has  ever  been  moved  by  that 
western  spirit  of  restlessness  and  enterprise  that  has  characterized  so  many  western 
men.  He  was  born  at  Morgan,  Utah,  October  27,  1867,  a  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Smith)  Robison,  both  now  deceased.  They  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  both  were  reared  in  the  Keystone  state,  where  their  marriage  also  occurred. 
In  1860,  however,  they  undertook  the  arduous  task  of  removal  to  the  west,  pulling 
a  handcart  across  the  plains  and  thus  making  their  way  to  Utah,  in  which  state 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father  was  successful  as  a  farmer 
and  died  in  1897,  while  his  son  William  was  on  a  mission  in  Australia.  He  was 
survived  by  his  widow  for  about  fifteen  years,  the  latter  passing  away  in  1912. 
Both  were  loyal  adherents  to  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  of  which  Mr.  Robison  of  this  review  is  also  a  communicant. 

William  Robison  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are 
living.  He  was  reared  and  educated  at  Morgan,  graduating  from  the  Morgan  City 
Academy.  He  then  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and  engaged  in  farming, 
so  continuing  until  the  age  of  twenty-nine.  At  that  period  in  his  life  he  was  sent 
as  a  Mormon  missionary  to  Australia  and  Tasmania  and  he  spent  three  years  in 
those  countries  in  missionary  work,  from  January  1,  1897,  to  1900.  In  that  year 
he  returned  to  Morgan,  Utah,  and  in  the  fall  was  elected  county  clerk  of  Morgan 
county  on  the  democratic  ticket.  So  well  and  faithfully  did  he  perform  his  duties 
that  he  was  reelected  in  1902,  again  in  1904,  in  1906  and  in  1908,  thus  serving 
five  consecutive  terms.  This  statement  clearly  indicates  the  faithfulness  and  ability 
which  he  displayed  in  his  position  and  which  assured  him  of  continued  reelections 
to  the  office,  as  he  was  never  defeated  when  he  was  a  candidate.  In  1910,  however, 
he  declined  renomination,  refusing  to  serve  any  longer,  his  service  as  county  clerk 


660  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

having  extended  from  1901  until  1911.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York  as  field  man  and 
solicitor  and  was  very  successful  in  getting  insurance  for  his  company,  proving 
himself  an  alert  promoter  and  salesman  from  the  beginning.  By  1916  he  was 
writing  over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  insurance  a  year  and  he  wrote  that 
sum  in  1916  and  1917.  He  has  charge  of  the  district  of  southern  Idaho,  with  offices 
in  the  Empire  building  in  Boise,  and  while  he  came  into  this  territory  in  1918  a 
total  stranger,  he  has  at  this  writing,  in  the  spring  of  1920,  twelve  active  agents, 
whom  he  has  appointed.  They  will  write  during  this  field  club  year  over  a  million 
dollars'  worth  of  business,  while  he  has  himself  produced  during  the  field  elub 
year  (May,  1918,  to  May,  1919)  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  thereby  qualifying 
for  field  club  honors,  which  entitled  him  to  attend  the  field  club  convention  held  at 
Quebec,  Canada,  August  28  and  29,  1919.  From  May,  1919,  to  May,  1920,  he  will 
write  business  amounting  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  in  order  to  make  the 
big  field  club  honors.  In  contests  he  has  won  two  gold  watches  which  were  offered 
as  prizes  by  the  Mutual  Company  and  he  proudly  wears  the  $200,000  Club  gold 
badge.  His  able  work  was  fully  recognized  and  appreciated  by  the  company  when 
he  was  transferred  to  Boise,  Idaho,  as  district  superintendent  for  southern  Idaho, 
a  distinct  promotion.  He  is  thoroughly  versed  in  insurance  matters,  clearly  un- 
derstanding any  form  of  policy,  and,  moreover,  has  the  gift  of  demonstrating  the 
value  of  the  policies  to  prospective  customers,  thus  by  his  logic  and  salesmanship 
easily  closing  deals.  He,  however,  always  sees  to  it  that  anyone  making  a  contract 
with  him  fully  understands  the  conditions  of  the  policy,  so  that  no  misconceptions 
may  exist.  His  reputation  as  well  as  his  ability  as  a  salesman  are  therefore  the 
underlying  factors  in  his  success. 

On  August  7,  1901,  Mr.  Robison  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  L.  Robinson,  of 
Farmington,  Utah,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  six  sons  and  a  daughter, 
namely:  William  La  Von,  Theron  O.,  Wanda,  Clayne,  Paul  J.,  Grant  Y.  and  Bruce  K. 
The  family  residence  is  at  No.  1302  North  Eighteenth  street  in  Boise,  which  Mr. 
Robison  purchased  and  which  was  formerly  the  Judge  Savidge  home.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robison  have  many  friends  in  the  city  and  both  enjoy  the  high  regard  of 
those  who  have  the  honor  of  their  closer  acquaintanceship. 


FLOYD   COREY   WHITE. 

Floyd  Corey  White  has  since  1912  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Boise  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  city  since  1909,  or  for  an  entire  decade.  He  was  born  in 
Traverse  City,  Michigan,  April  24,  1878,  the  younger  of  the  two  sons  of  John  M.  and 
Phoebe  J.  (Spencer)  White.  The  father  was  of  Welsh  descent,  while  the  mother  is 
of  English  lineage.  The  former  was  born  in  Prince  Edward  county,  Ontario,  Canada, 
and  died  at  Picton,  Ontario,  in  1903,  when  about  seventy  years  of  age.  Though  his 
birth  and  death  occurred  in  Ontario,  he  was  for  many  years  or  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  active  business  career  a  resident  of  Maryland,  New  Jersey,  Michigan  and 
North  Dakota  and  was  extensively  engaged  in  business  as  a  cattle  man.  His  widow 
survives  and  is  now  living  in  Boise.  Fred  White,  who  is  four  years  older  than  his 
brother,  Floyd  C.,  is  successfully  engaged  in  business  as  a  druggist  of  Donnybrook, 
North  Dakota. 

Floyd  Corey  White  was  chiefly  reared  on  a  North  Dakota  cattle  ranch  near  Bis- 
marck, his  father  owning  extensive  landed  interests  there  and  in  addition  making 
use  of  the  open  ranges,  upon  which  he  herded  his  hundreds  of  cattle.  The  parents 
employed  a  tutor  on  the  ranch  to  teach  their  two  sons,  Fred  and  Floyd,  for  there 
were  no  school  facilities  offered  in  the  district  in  which  they  made  their  home,  which 
was  a  frontier  region.  Later,  however,  Floyd  C.  White  attended  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Bismarck,  North  Dakota,  and  then,  having  determined  upon  the  practice 
of  law  as  a  life  work,  he  spent  the  scholastic  year  of  1896-7  as  a  student  in  the  law 
department  of  the  Valparaiso  University  of  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  He  completed  his 
professional  course  in  the  Chicago  Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
June,  1898.  The  following  year  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, in  which  he  continued  until  1904,  spending  nearly  three  years  of  that  time  in 
the  Philippine  Islands.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  government  service  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1904,  and  from  1905  until  1909  he  occupied  the  position  of  post- 


I 


FLOYD   C.  WHITE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  663 

master  at  Donnybrook,  North  Dakota.  In  the  latter  year  he  removed  westward  to 
Boise  and  for  three  years  was  connected  with  the  government  reclamation  service  In 
this  section  of  the  state.  Since  1912,  however,  he  has  been  practicing  law  and  has 
secured  a  good  clientage,  confining  his  attention  particularly  to  irrigation  law,  in 
which  branch  of  jurisprudence  he  has  become  exceptionally  well  informed.  He  has 
made  a  close  study  of  irrigation  problems  and  of  the  law  applicable  thereto  and 
has  been  connected  with  various  noted  cases  of  that  kind. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  1905,  Mr.  White  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  C.  Neal,  of 
Seattle,  Washington,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Florence  T.,  who  was  born  August 
27,  1906. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  White  is  a  republican  but  has  never  held  office  aside 
from  the  position  of  postmaster  save  for  a  year  and  five  months  when  he  served  as 
Justice  of  the  peace.  He  belongs  to  the  local  and  state  bar  associations  and  fraternally 
he  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  an  Elk.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Following  America's  entrance  into  the  great  World  war 
he  joined  the  Idaho  Home  Guard  and  won  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  and  he  be- 
longs to  the  order  called  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars,  his  membership  being  by  reason 
of  his  active  service  in  the  Philippines. 


BRADLEY    SHEPPARD. 

The  firm  of  Sheppard  &  Falk  represents  important  insurance  interests  in 
Boise,  doing  a  large  business  as  general  agents  of  various  eastern  insurance,  surety 
and  casualty  companies.  The  senior  member,  Bradley  Sheppard,  was  born  in  Penn 
Yan,  New  York,  June  17,  1869,  and  is  descended  from  old  New  York  families,  in 
fact  in  both  lines  of  his  ancestry  Revolutionary  stock  is  represented  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

His  father,  Captain  Morris  F.  Sheppard,  who  held  that  rank  in  the  Sixteenth 
New  York  Artillery  during  the  Civil  war  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  followed  banking 
in  New  York  state  and  later  also  had  railroad  and  steamboat  interests.  He  was  a 
republican  in  politics  and  a  close  friend  and  warm  supporter  of  Senator  Thomas 
Platt.  In  the  state  republican  politics  of  New  York  he  was  powerful  and  was  one 
of  three  hundred  and  six  delegates  at  the  republican  national  convention  in  1880 
who  stood  for  the  renomination  of  U.  S.  Grant  for  the  presidency,  Roscoe  Conkling 
being  chairman  of  the  New  York  delegation.  Sheppard  was  well  educated,  having 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College  of  Clinton,  New  York.  He  died  in  1917.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Louise  Ogden,  of  a  well  known  and  distinguished  New  York 
family.  Darius  A.  Ogden,  her  father,  was  a  prominent  democrat,  very  influential  in 
New  York  state  democratic  politics  and  a  close  friend  of  Grover  Cleveland.  To 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Sheppard  three  sons  were  born,  the  two  brothers  of  our  subject 
passing  away  when  they  were  quite  young.  Bradley  Sheppard  is  now  the  only  living 
member  of  the  family,  his  mother  having  died  when  he  was  a  child  of  but  four  years. 

Mr.  Sheppard  of  this  review  was  reared  to  manhood  in  western  New  York, 
receiving  his  early  education  in  Penn  Yan.  Subsequently  he  attended  Hamilton 
College,  the  same  institution  of  which  his  father  had  been  a  student  and  which 
nearly  all  the  members  of  the  family  attended,  and  he  was  there  graduated  in  1891 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  When  the  Klondike  gold  discoveries  excited  old  and 
young  Mr.  Sheppard  also  decided  to  take  a  northwestward  course  and  in  1897  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Klondike,  where  he  remained  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
in  1902,  he  came  to  Boise  and  has  since  continued  a  resident  of  the  capital  city. 
For  many  years  his  insurance  business  was  conducted  under  the  name  of  Bradley 
Sheppard  but  lately  a  partnership  has  been  formed  and  the  firm  of  Sheppard  & 
Falk  has  been  established.  Harry  N.  Falk  is  a  son  of  the  late  Nathan  Falk,  one  of 
Boise's  most  prominent  merchants  and  builders.  The  offices  of  the  firm  are  in  the 
Owyhee  Hotel. 

In  1902  Mr.  Sheppard  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Wyman,  who  also  was  born  and 
reared  in  Penn  Yan,  New  York.  To  this  union  has  been  born  a  son,  Ralph  Wyman, 
whose  birth  occurred  on  the  6th  of  April,  1905.  Mrs.  Sheppard  is  prominent  socially 
and  was  the  first  regent  of  the  Boise  Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  being  of  Revolutionary  descent.  Mr.  Sheppard  is  a  valued  member  of 
the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  in  whose  projects  he  is  ever  deeply  interested.  He  has 


664 

not  only  gained  individual  prosperity  but  has  greatly  contributed  toward  the  growth 
and  upbuilding  of  his  community,  in  the  welfare  of  which  he  has  ever  been 
deeply  concerned. 


VIRGIL  R.  LAIRD. 

One  of  the  progressive  business  enterprises  of  Buhl  is  that  conducted  by  the 
Idaho  Mercantile  Company,  of  which  Virgil  R.  Laird  is  manager.  He  is  a  progres- 
sive, alert  and  enterprising  young  man  whose  business  advancement  is  the  direct 
outcome  of  his  energy  and  persistency  of  purpose.  He  was  born  in  Eugene,  Oregon, 
on  the  2d  of  July,  1882,  and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Laird.  His 
boyhood  was  passed  in  Whitman  county,  Washington,  where  he  pursued  his  educa- 
tion as  a  public  school  pupil.  He  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  the  northwest.  His  father  was  born  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  and  with  his 
parents  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  teams  to  California.  They  had  the  usual  experi- 
ences of  the  frontiersmen  of  that  period,  seeing  many  Indians  while  en  route  and 
sharing  in  all  the  hardships  of  travel  in  those  days.  It  was  the  discovery  of  gold 
that  led  the  family  to  seek  a  home  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Later  they  removed  north- 
ward to  Lane  county,  Oregon,  where  the  grandparents  of  Virgil  R.  Laird  engaged 
in  farming.  It  was  there  that  John  W.  Laird  grew  to  manhood  amid  the  scenes  and 
environment  of  pioneer  life.  After  reaching  manhood  he  became  a  construction 
miner  and  subsequently  he  traded  his  interest  in  the  mines  for  land  in  Whitman 
county,  Washington.  There  he  carried  on  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  of 
Farmington  for  some  time  but  eventually  sold  his  property  and  became  connected 
with  his  brother  Samuel  in  a  mercantile  business  at  Garfield,  Washington.  At  a 
still  later  period,  however,  he  resumed  ranching  in  the  same  locality  and  there  he 
still  resides  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  while  his  wife  has  reached  the  age  of 
fifty-five.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  the  democratic  party.  From  his  early  boy- 
hood he  has  been  identified  with  the  west,  has  witnessed  much  of  the  development 
of  the  Pacific  coast  country  and  in  considerable  measure  has  contributed  to  the 
progress  and  improvement  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives. 

It  was  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Garfield  county  that  Virgil  R.  Laird 
was  reared,  dividing  his  time  between  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom,  the  pleasures 
of  the  playground  and  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  came  to  Buhl  in  1916,  wishing 
to  enter  commercial  pursuits,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  the  Idaho  Mercan- 
tile Company.  Purchasing  a  lot,  he  erected  thereon  a  store  building  that  he  now 
occupies,  and  he  carries  a  large  and  attractive  line  of  general  merchandise,  the 
store  of  the  Idaho  Mercantile  Company  being  one  of  the  finest  in  this  section  of 
Twin  Falls  county.  Mr.  Laird  is  the  president  of  the  company,  with  J.  K.  Huston  as 
vice  president,  and  Mrs.  Laird  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  From  the  beginning  the 
firm  has  ever  recognized  the  fact  that  satisfied  patrons  are  the  best  advertisement 
and  they  have  put  forth  every  effort  to  please  their  customers,  while  the  integrity 
of  their  business  methods  is  recognized  by  all. 

In  1911  Mr.  Laird  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sina  M.  Miller,  a  native  of 
Missouri  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Rose  Miller.  Mr.  Laird  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
having  attained  high  rank  in  the  order,  and  he  is  also  a  Mystic  Shriner.  He  like- 
wise belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  ever  faithful  to  any  cause  which  he 
espouses.  He  is  not  only  a  leading  merchant  but  also  a  progressive  citizen  of  Buhl 
whose  cooperation  and  aid  can  at  all  times  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  plan 
or  project  that  looks  to  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  the  district  in  which  he  makes 
his  home. 


WILLIAM  B.  LYMAN,  M.  D. 

For  nearly  fourteen  years  Dr.  William  B.  Lyman  has  been  engaged  in  medical 
work  in*  Boise,  enjoying  a  large  practice  as  his  high  reputation  warrants.  To  his 
duties  he  brings  an  exhaustive  experience,  and  profound  study  has  made  him 
highly  efficient.  He  was  born  in  Lansing,  Iowa,  May  8,  1855,  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Timothy  Lyman,  a  Congregational  minister,  whose  father  and  grandfather  also  were 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  665 

clergymen  in  New  England.  Rev.  Timothy  Lyman  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and 
there  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife  died  when  our  subject 
was  but  two  years  old.  Her  maiden  name  was  Vallie  Van  Reed  Rinehart  and  she 
was  born  near  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  being  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  On  the 
paternal  side  Dr.  Lyman  of  this  review  is  of  English  lineage.  He  has  one  brother 
living.  Dr.  John  Van  Reed  Lyman,  of  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin. 

William  B.  Lyman  was  reared  at  the  home  of  his  maternal  grandparents  in 
Port  Madison,  Iowa,  after  the  death  of  his  mother  and  there  attended  the  Fort 
Madison  Academy.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  however,  he  went  to  Menomonie,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  clerked  in  a  general  store  until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Aspiring 
to  higher  things  in  life,  he  then  decided  upon  a  professional  career  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two  took  up  the  study  of  medicine.  He  spent  one  year  in  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College  and  for  two  years  he  was  a  student  at  Rush  Medical  College,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1880  with  the  M.  D.  degree.  For  the  follow- 
ing two  years,  or  until  1882,  he  practiced  medicine  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and 
subsequently  was  for  twenty  years  connected  with  the  medical  profession  in  the 
state  of  Wisconsin.  During  that  time  he  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Wisconsin 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  for  six  years,  an  appointment  which  came  to  him  in 
recognition  of  his  ability.  This  institution  is  located  in  Dane  county,  seven  miles 
west  of  Madison.  From  1903  until  1905  he  was  engaged  in  medical  work  in  the 
Black  Hills  but  since  1905  he  has  practiced  in  Boise.  He  specializes  in  diseases  of 
women  and  has  been  very  successful  in  this  line.  For  the  past  ten  years  his  has 
been  entirely  office  practice.  He  ever  keeps  in  touch  with  the  latest  methods  and 
discoveries  in  the  medical  world,  gaining  valuable  knowledge  through  his  member- 
ship in  the  American  Medical  Association,  in  the  proceedings  of  which  organization 
he  is  greatly  interested. 

In  1881,  at  Cordova,  Illinois,  Dr.  Lyman  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  A.  Terry, 
and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  sons,  Walter  K.  and  Irvine  R.,  the  former  of 
whom  is  married  and  resides  in  San  Francisco,  California.  Irvine  R.  Lyman  was 
with  the  Eighty-first  Field  Artillery  in  the  United  States  army,  having  volunteered 
at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years  although  he  was  exempt  from  the  first  draft. 

Dr.  Lyman  is  prominently  connected  with  the  Masons,  being  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  and  the  Knights  Templar  Commandery.  He  is  also  an  Elk. 
He  finds  his  chief  recreation  and  pleasure  in  travel  and  has  seen  many  parts  of 
this  country.  Dr.  Lyman  is  of  striking  personal  appearance,  standing  six  feet  four, 
and  in  his  dignified  manner  shows  the  professional  man  although  it  would  be 
difficult  for  anyone  to  tell  if  he  was  doctor,  jurist,  theologian  or  statesman.  He 
has  succeeded  in  his  career  through  a  combination  of  natural  ability  and  an  applica- 
tion of  iron  energy  which  has  ever  driven  him  to  closely  apply  himself  to  any 
subject  in  hand. 


OLIVER   F.   CROWLEY. 

Oliver  F.  Crowley,  county  assessor  of  Power  county  and  a  resident  of  Amer- 
ican Falls,  was  born  in  Modoc  county,  California,  November  22,  1883,  and  is  a  son 
of  Randolph  and  Sarah  (Oakes)  Crowley,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois,  while  the 
latter  was  born  in  Missouri.  The  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  crossed  the  plains 
to  California  with  ox  teams  at  a  very  early  day  and  took  up  land  in  Modoc  county. 
He  bent  every  energy  to  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  place,  continuing 
its  cultivation  for  about  fifteen  years.  He  next  went  to  Sonoma  county,  California, 
where  he  purchased  land,  and  there  resided  for  several  years,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Washington.  In  1910  he  came  to  Power  county,  Idaho,  settling  at  Rock- 
land,  and  made  his  home  among  his  children,  spending  his  remaining  days  here.  He 
passed  away  in  May,  1912,  and  the  mother  is  now  living  at  Buhl,  Idaho. 

Oliver  F.  Crowley  was  reared  and  educated  in  California,  completing  his 
studies  by  a  course  at  Sweet's  Business  College  at  Santa  Rosa,  California.  He 
likewise  attended  the  Blair  Business  College  at  Spokane  and  took  up  the  work  of 
bookkeeping.  He  became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Odessa  Mercantile  Com- 
pany of  Odessa,  Washington,  there  remaining  for  three  years,  and  in  1908  he  re- 
moved to  Idaho,  filing  on  land  in  that  section  of  Oneida  county  which  is  now  Power 
county,  his  place  being  near  Rockland.  He  at  once  began  the  arduous  task  of 


666  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

breaking  the  sod  and  developing  the  fields  and  continued  the  further  cultivation 
of  the  farm  until  1913,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  came  to  American  Falls. 
Here  he  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with  the  Leader  Hardware  Company 
and  so  continued  until  1914,  when  he  was  appointed  county  assessor  of  Power 
county,  to  which  office  he  has  been  reelected  at  each  succeeding  election  since  that 
time.  While  the  incumbent  in  this  position  he  also  served  for  four  years  as  city 
clerk  and  police  judge  and  is  now  the  city  treasurer.  His  official  duties  have  been 
discharged  with  notable  promptness  and  efficiency,  and  his  worth  as  a  public  official 
is  widely  acknowledged. 

In  June,  1907,  Mr.  Crowley  was  married  to  Miss  Alma  Wheeler  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  children:  Harold,  who  was  born  July  17,  1909;  and 
Margaret,  born  March  1,  1917.  Mr.  Crowley  ift  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  while  his  religious  faith  is  that 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  his  political  belief  that  of  the  republican 
party.  Aside  from  the  political  offices  which  he  is  filling  he  is  now  conducting  the 
Auditorium  Theater  at  American  Falls,  of  which  he  took  charge  in  October,  1917. 
He  allows  nothing  to  interfere  with  the  faithful  performance  of  his  official  duties 
and  his  excellent  record  in  office  is  indicated  by  his  frequent  reelections.  Abraham 
Lincoln  said:  "You  can  fool  all  of  the  people  some  of  the  time,  some  of  the  people 
all  of  the  time,  but  you  cannot  fool  all  of  the  people  all  of  the  time."  This  is 
always  evidenced  in  public  office,  where  political  advancement  is  achieved  by  pop- 
ular suffrage.  An  incompetent  man  may  gain  office  but  he  cannot  retain  his  posi- 
tion when  he  has  to  depend  upon  the  voice  of  the  people,  and  frequent  reelections 
therefore  are  indicative  of  splendid  service. 


ALFRED  EOFF. 

*  •  - 

For  more  than  two  decades  Alfred  Eoff  was  an  outstanding  figure  in  the  banking 
and  business  circles  of  Boise  and  previous  to  this  he  had  become  widely  known  through- 
out the  west  as  a  representative  of  the  Wells  Fargo  &  Company  express  agency  and 
its  predecessor,  the  Ben  Holladay  Company.  Stationed  at  various  points  in  the  west, 
he  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  history  of  this  section  of  the  country  and 
his  support  of  all  progressive  measures  made  him  a  potent  factor  in  the  development 
of  the  districts  in  which  he  lived. 

Illinois  claimed  Alfred  Eoff  as  a  native  son.  He  was  born  at  White  Hall,  Greene 
county,  that  state,  on  the  llth  of  January,  1845,  his  parents  being  James  L.  and  Jane 
(Ayres)  Eoff.  The  family  is  of  Holland  lineage  and  was  founded  in  Virginia  at  an 
early  period  in  the  colonial  history  of  the  country.  The  removal  of  the  grandparents 
of  Alfred  Eoff  to  Illinois  connected  the  family  with  that  section  of  the  country  and 
there  his  parents  were  married.  They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  three 
died  in  infancy,  while  one  son,  Jacob  Henry,  passed  away  at  Colorado  Springs  in  1887, 
Alfred  Eoff  being  the  last  survivor  of  the  family.  For  many  years  the  father  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  and  at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  the  Pacific 
coast  country  went  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  there  passed 
away  in  1885. 

Alfred  Eoff  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  and 
afterward  went  to  live  with  his  aunt  and  uncle,  Enos  and  Jane  Ayres,  in  Chicago,  the 
former  being  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  that  day.  The  environment  of  his  youth 
had  much  to  do  with  molding  the  splendid  character  of  Alfred  Eoff.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Chicago  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  then,  attracted  by  the 
discovery  of  gold  at  Pike's  Peak,  Colorado,  he  made  his  way  to  that  state.  Not  long 
afterward  he  enlisted  under  Colonel  George  L.  Shoup  and  was  detailed  to  the  medical 
department.  He  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  received 
an  honorable  discharge,  being  at  the  time  but  twenty  years  of  age.  For  a  brief  period 
he  remained  in  the  east  following  the  close  of  his  military  experience  and  then  returned 
westward  to  Colorado,  where  he  became  an  employe  of  the  Ben  Holladay  Mail  Over- 
land Express  Company.  Acting  as  special  agent,  he  was  entrusted  with  the  duty  of 
taking  out  supplies  with  which  to  equip  the  office  of  the  corporation  and  in  a  special 
coach  started  from  Atchison,  Kansas,  on  the  Missouri  river,  and  outfitted  every  sta- 
tion as  far  as  Denver  and  from  Denver  westward  to  Salt  Lake  and  northward  through 
Idaho  to  the  Boise  basin.  It  was  on  the  10th  of  July,  1866,  that  he  arrived  in  Boise, 


ALFRED  EOFF 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  669 

and  establishing  the  office  at  Idaho  City,  he  remained  in  charge  of  the  Idaho  business 
with  that  place  as  his  headquarters  until  the  fall  of  the  year.  When  Wells  Fargo  A 
Company  in  October,  1866,  purchased  the  Holladay  line,  Mr.  Eoff  was  appointed  pay- 
master on  the  line  between  Salt  Lake  and  Denver  and  made  monthly  trips  over  that 
route,  occupying  the  position  until  the  railway  reached  Cheyenne  early  in  1868,  at 
which  time  he  was  made  terminus  agent  for  the  same  company.  When  the  railroad 
was  completed  he  was  appointed  agent  at  the  Western  terminus,  so  serving  for  a 
short  time  before  the  road  was  extended  to  San  Francisco.  In  the  latter  city  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  banking  department  of  Wells  Fargo  &  Company  and  thus 
received  his  initial  experience  in  the  banking  business,  in  which  he  was  later  to  figure 
most  prominently  in  Boise.  For  a  year,  beginning  in  1870,  he  was  associated  with  Hugo 
Richards,  of  Prescott,  Arizona,  in  supplying  an  Indian  contract,  and  following  his 
return  to  San  Francisco  he  was  again  connected  with  the  banking  department  of  Wells 
Fargo  &  Company  as  bookkeeper  and  later  was  sent  to  Salt  Lake  as  cashier  in  the 
company's  bank  at  that  point.  In  1878  he  was  again  transferred  to  San  Francisco  as 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Wells  Fargo  Bank  but  in  1884  left  the  employ  of  that  company 
to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  E.  A.  Hawley 
and  at  Prescott,  Arizona,  organized  the  First  National  Bank,  but  the  high  altitude  of 
the  city  seriously  affected  his  health  and  he  returned  to  San  Francisco.  He  was  there 
advised  by  old  friends — Mr.  Wadsworth,  H.  B.  Eastman  and  A.  H.  Boomer — of  the  need 
of  a  second  banking  institution  in  Boise,  Idaho,  and  they  volunteered  to  assist  him 
in  the  establishment  of  a  bank  there  by  becoming  stockholders.  In  the  fall  of  1885 
Mr.  Eoff  visited  Boise  and  decided  that  he  would  open  a  bank,  which  he  accordingly 
did  on  the  3d  of  March,  1886,  thus  establishing  the  Boise  City  National  Bank,  one  of 
the  strongest  financial  institutions  of  the  northwest.  In  1892  a  removal  was  made  to 
larger  quarters  and  the  capital  stock  increased  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  During 
the  twenty  years  in  which  Mr.  Eoff  continued  as  cashier  and  manager  the  bank  paid 
an  annual  dividend  of  ten  per  cent  and  added  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the 
value  of  its  property.  Not  only  was  Mr.  Eoff  instrumental  in  the  successful  management 
of  the  bank  but  was  also  closely  associated  with  the  promotion  of  the  townsite  of  Weiser. 
He  retired  from  business  on  the  1st  of  July,  1906,  selling  his  interest  in  the  bank,  and 
his  remaining  days  were  spent  in  well  earned  rest  save  for  the  attention  which  he  gave 
to  his  invested  interests. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  1881,  in  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Eoff  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Victoria  Louise  Marsh,  a  native  of  Canada  and  a  daughter  of  George  F.  and 
Mary  (Elrod)  Marsh.  After  retiring  from  the  banking  business  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eoff 
spent  two  years  in  travel  and  then  returned  to  their  Boise  home,  where  he  passed 
away  on  the  29th  of  June,  1908.  At  all  times  he  manifested  the  keenest  interest  in 
the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  city,  contributing  to  its  commercial,  intellectual  and 
moral  progress.  In  politics  he  maintained  an  independent  course  but  was  never  remiss 
in  the  duties  of  citizenship.  In  fact  he  was  a  leader  in  many  movements  which  resulted 
beneficially  to  Boise  and  his  aid  and  support  could  at  all  times  be  counted  upon  to 
further  any  plan  for  the  city's  upbuilding  and  development.  A  feeling  of  the  deepest 
regret  spread  throughout  Boise  when  the  news  of  his  demise  was  received.  Of  him 
the  Daily  Statesman  wrote:  "There  are  few  men  here  who  stand  in  such 
a  peculiarly  high  position  as  that  which  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Eoff.  He  was  strong  in 
counsel,  forceful  in  action,  tender  in  the  feelings  of  all  of  every  station  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  and  so  lovable  in  his  social  relations  that  the  most  exacting  critic, 
coming  to  know  him,  could  not  fail  to  set  the  seal  of  approval  upon  him.  He  was  true 
as  the  steel  of  Damascus,  loyal  as  the  sun  itself,  and  of  such  exalted  character  that  he 
may  well  be  selected  as  a  pattern  for  every  man  who  is  actuated  by  a  desire  to  win 
and  retain  the  confidence  and  the  love  of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated  and  the 
community  in  which  he  lives. 

"In  business  Mr.  Eoff  was  a  power  for  the  welfare  of  the  city.  He  had  rare  judg- 
ment and  men  learned  to  lean  upon  him  with  the  confidence  that  those  alone  can  com- 
mand who  have  proved  that  they  possess  great  wisdom  and  that  uprightness  of  purpose 
which  is  the  handmaiden  of  wisdom  in  accomplishing  results  that  are  lastingly  bene- 
ficial and  beneficent  After  having  been  associated  with  the  business  affairs  of  various 
western  communities,  he  selected  Boise  as  the  place  that  seemed  to  offer  the  best  oppor- 
tunities for  a  career  that  should  be  profitable,  creditable  and  most  useful  and  measured 
by  the  highest  standards.  He  took  hold  with  that  broad  grasp  that  was  such  a  strong 
feature  of  his  mental  equipment,  and  soon  won  a  commanding  position  which  he 
retained  throughout  his  business  career,  and  which  he  still  held  up  to  the  time  he  was 
stricken,  though  his  active  connection  with  business  management  had  ceased. 


670  <  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

"Not  only  in  business,  but  in  public  affairs  also  he  was  a  tower  of  strength.  There 
was  nothing  of  value  to  the  city  that  he  did  not  stand  ready  to  champion  and  assist, 
and  to  him  Boise  owes  more,  perhaps,  than  to  any  other  single  man  the  development 
of  its  commercial  energy,  its  municipal  strength  and  progressiveness,  its  moral  tone 
and  its  culture  that  have  characterized  its  well  balanced  progress.  The  city  can  illy 
afford  to  lose  him,  for  he  was  one  of  those  upon  whom  it  could  lean  without  fear  of 
having  its  standards  lowered. 

"No  man  had  more  friends  than  Alfred  Eoff;  few  can  hope  to  have  as  many. 
He  was  always  quietly  genial,  whether  in  the  casual  meeting  on  the  street  or  within 
the  portals  of  his  attractive  home.  Words  fail  when  attempt  is  made  to  speak  of  the 
social  side  of  this  nobleman  of  nature.  He  was  always  the  same  and  that  means  he 
was  always  perfect.  As  tender  of  the  feelings  of  those  by  whom  he  was  surrounded 
as  he  would  be  of  those  of  a  child,  he  never  caused  pain,  but  always  shed  sunshine 
about  the  pathways  of  others  wherever  he  moved.  He  was  so  considerate,  so  steadfast, 
so  true,  so  loyal,  that  even  so  much  as  an  appearance  of  neglect  or  coldness  was  alto- 
gether foreign  to  him — totally  absent  from  the  memories  of  all  those  who  have  known 
him.  His  home  life  was  faultless;  it  was  ideal.  Nothing  more  can  be  said;  but,  as 
those  that  knew  that  home  reflect  upon  the  awful  sundering  of  ties  that  has  occurred, 
their  hearts  go  out  in  unspeakable  sympathy  to  her  who  has  been  left  desolate  by  the 
inexplicable  blow  that  has  fallen." 

Mrs.  Eoff  still  makes  her  home  in  Boise  and  is  very  prominent  in  the  social  circles 
of  the  city.  While  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  she  was  chiefly  reared  and  educated  in 
San  Francisco,  California,  and  she  is  a  recognized  leader  in  the  church,  club  and  social 
circles  of  Boise,  becoming  the  organizer  and  the  first  president  of  the  Columbian  Club, 
one  of  the  leading  clubs  of  the  capital.  She  also  took  a  very  helpful  and  active  part  in 
war  work,  including  the  Red  Cross  activities,  and  her  cooperation  is  never  sought  in 
vain  where  the  interests  of  the  unfortunate  are  concerned. 


EDWIN   HERRINGTON. 

One  of  the  most  important  positions  in  regard  to  the  municipal  government 
of  Boise  was  that  held  by  Edwin  Herrington,  who  was  commissioner  of  accounts 
and  finances.  For  ten  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city,  while  for  thirty- 
nine  years  he  has  made  his  home  in  this  state.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  June  4,  1862,  the  only  child  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Martin)  Herring- 
ton,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  father  was  an  agriculturist  and  was 
also  quite  successful  as  a  stock  breeder  and  dealer.  He  passed  away  when  his 
son  Edwin  was  but  four  years  of  age  and  his  widow  died  a  few  years  later. 

Edwin  Herrington  was  reared  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  set  out  from  that  city  for  the  west  making  his  way  to  Denver, 
Colorado,  where  he  spent  a  few  years.  Having  been  trained  to  farm  work,  he 
continued  along  that  line  and  was  also  connected  with  the  ice  business.  In  1881, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  made  his  way  from  Denver  to  Idaho,  hoping  to  find  better 
opportunities  in  a  newer  country.  During  the  first  summer  he  assisted  in  building 
the  Ketchum  smelters  and  then  for  several  months  was  employed  in  a  gold  mine 
at  Vienna,  Idaho.  Upon  his  return  to  Ketchum  he  was  engaged  in  hauling  water 
for  five  years,  thus  supplying  the  town  from  a  near-by  creek.  He  then  went  to 
Hailey,  Idaho,  where,  in  partnership  with  another  gentleman,  he  opened  a  meat 
market,  conducting  that  establishment  from  1887  until  1889.  He  then  bought 
a  ranch,  upon  which  he  located  and  where  he  raised  horses  until  1892,  in  which 
year  he  sold  out.  For  many  succeeding  years  he  did  contract  work  and  owned 
and  operated  a  wagon  freight  line  first  in  Payette  and  later  in  Owyhee  county. 
Having  carefully  husbanded  his  earnings,  he  had  in  the  meantime  become  the 
owner  of  considerable  ranch  property  in  Canyon  county,  about  midway  between 
Caldwell  and  Nampa.  On  one  of  these  ranches  he  located,  raising  sheep  and 
also  hay,  for  which  he  found  a  favorable  market.  He  continued  in  ranching  and  the 
sheep  business  until  1910  when  he  came  to  Boise.  His  business  ability  being 
recognized,  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  accounts  and  finances  in  1912.  That 
he  discharged  his  duties  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  twice  reelected  and  filled  the  position  for  about  eight 
years,  making  a  most  creditable  record.  He  is  a  republican  as  far  as  national 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  671 

politics  is  concerned  but  was  elected  on  a  nonpartisan  ticket,  having  received 
generous  support  from  both  parties.  In  1915  Mr.  Herrington  was  elected  for  a  term 
of  four  years  and  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  office  in  1919,  his  past  performance 
well  entitling  him  to  continuance  in  the  position  which  he  so  ably  administered. 

Mr.  Herrington  has  one  son,  Curtis,  who  at  the  age  of  seventeen  joined  Com- 
pany H,  Second  Idaho  Volunteers,  April  17,  1917,  and  on  November  23,  1917,  his 
eighteenth  birthday,  he  sailed  at  New  York  for  over-seas  duty  with  his  regiment. 
He  had  been  in  France  for  over  a  year  and  a  half  when  the  armistice  was  signed, 
and  held  the  rank  of  corporal  in  the  Sixteenth  United  States  Engineers. 

Mr.  Herrington  of  this  review  was  connected  with  war  activities,  thus  doing 
his  share  in  supporting  the  country's  democracy,  and  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
local  draft  board.  There  is  great  credit  due  him  for  what  he  has  achieved  in  life, 
as  he  started  out  without  special  advantages  as  a  miner  and  cowpuncher  in  Idaho. 


CLARENCE  O.  BALLOU. 

Clarence  O.  Ballou,  well  known  in  the  commercial  circles  of  Boise  as  the 
president  of  the  Ballou-Latimer  Company,  Limited,  owners  of  a  large  retail  drug 
store  at  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Idaho  streets,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Cook  county, 
Illinois,  just  west  of  Chicago,  January  18,  1866,  his  parents  being  Orlando  R. 
and  Elizabeth  (Boyd)  Ballou.  The  father,  who  was  of  French  Huguenot  descent, 
traced  his  ancestry  back  to  one  who  came  to  America  with  Roger  Williams.  Orlando 
R.  Ballou  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  December  19,  1833,  and  died  in  1910 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Throughout  his  active  business  career  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  and  although  he  was  not  physically  fit  for  active  fighting 
service  in  the  Civil  war  he  did  valuable  work  for  the  country  as  a  master  of  trans- 
portation in  the  Union  army.  Three  of  his  brothers  were  on  the  firing  line,  one  of 
these  being  Major  Sylvester  Ballou.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ballou  still  survives  her 
husband  and  now  resides  with  a  daughter  in  Umatilla  county,  Oregon. 

Clarence  O.  Ballou  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  residing  in  Idaho.  At  the 
age  of  six  years,  or  in  1872,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Sonoma  county,  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  1878  a  removal  was  made  to  Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  where  the 
father  spent  his  remaining  days.  The  son  passed  his  youth  there  and  acquired  a 
public  school  education  in  California  and  Oregon,  while  later  he  continued  his 
studies  at  Whitman  College  of  Walla  Walla,  Washington.  When  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  began  learning  the  drug  business  in  a  store  in  Walla  Walla  and  has  since 
followed  that  pursuit,  covering  a  period  of  about  thirty-six  years.  He  remained 
with  the  same  firm  in  Walla  Walla  for  thirteen  years,  or  from  1883  until  1896,  a 
fact  indicative  of  %is  thorough  reliability  as  well  as  capability.  In  the  latter  year, 
however,  he  came  to  Boise  and  for  four  years  continued  to  act  as  a  drug  clerk  in 
the  store  of  Northrup  &  Joy,  thus  spending  seventeen  years  with  two  houses.  On 
the  18th  of  March,  1901,  he  joined  with  the  late  James  B.  Latimer  in  the  purchase 
of  the  stock  of  drugs  formerly  owned  by  W.  S.  Galbraith  on  Eighth  street  in  the 
old  Odd  Fellows  building.  The  two  men  then  organized  and  incorporated  what 
became  known  as  the  Ballou-Latimer  Company,  Limited,  of  which  Mr.  Ballou  has 
since  been  the  president.  Mr.  Latimer  became  the  vice  president  and  so  continued 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1911,  while  W.  H.  Puckett  was  the  secretary  and 
treasurer,  remaining  as  such  until  his  death  a  few  years  ago.  Mrs.  James  B. 
Latimer  is  now  vice  president,  while  Mrs.  Teresa  Puckett  is  the  secretary  and 
treasurer.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1913,  the  Ballou-Latimer  Company  removed 
their  drug  store  to  the  present  quarters  in  the  McCarty  building  at  the  corner  of 
Ninth  and  Idaho  streets  and  today  they  have  one  of  the  best  establishments  of  the 
kind  not  only  in  Boise  but  throughout  Idaho.  Mr.  Ballou  is  thoroughly  familiar 
with  every  phase  of  the  business  and  with  every  detail  as  well  as  its  principle 
features  and  at  all  times  has  been  actuated  by  a  progressive  spirit  in  the  conduct 
of  his  interests.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Board  of  Pharmacy 
for  nine  years,  having  been  first  appointed  by  Governor  Gooding  and  reappointed 
by  Governor  James  H.  Hawley. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1917,  Mr.  Ballou  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Baillie, 
of  Denvej,  Colorado.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart  champion  of 
republican  principles  but  never  an  office  seeker.  He  is  a  past  noble  grand  of  the 


672  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

local  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks 
and  also  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  Alert  and  energetic,  he  has  readily  recog- 
nized his  opportunities,  which  he  has  utilized  to  good  advantage,  and  along  the 
legitimate  lines  of  trade  he  has  reached  his  present  creditable  and  enviable  posi- 
tion in  the  commercial  circles  of  Idaho's  capital. 


FRANKLIN   A.   MILLER. 

Franklin  A.  Miller,  occupying  the  position  of  postmaster  at  St.  Anthony,  was  born 
at  St.  George,  Utah,  September  3rd,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  Arnold  D.  and  Mary  J.  (Laub) 
Miller.  The  father  was  born  in  Iowa,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Utah,  to 
which  state  Mr.  Miller  removed  in  1852.  He  settled  at  St.  George  and  took  up  rail- 
roading, which  he  followed  for  many  years,  during  which  time  he  laid  out  many 
places  along  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande,  including  the  station  grounds  at  Canon  City 
and  Pueblo.  He  was  likewise  connected  with  the  building  of  the  Southern  Pacific  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroads,  but  eventually  retired  from  railroad  work  and  started  for  Can- 
ada. On  reaching  what  is  now  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  however,  he  was  so  well  pleased 
with  the  country,  its  conditions  and  its  prospects  that  he  remained  in  that  locality. 
He  took  up  land  near  by  and  at  once  began  to  till  the  soil  and  improve  his  place.  He 
was  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  and  contributed  to  the  development  and  up- 
building of  the  region  in  many  ways.  He  assisted  in  digging  the  first  canal  and  was 
a  member  of  the  board '  of  directors  of  the  first  canal  company  that  was  organized. 
He  continued  to  engage  in  farming  until  1909  and  was  then  made  field  superintendent 
for  the  Utah-Idaho  Sugar  Company,  in  which  responsible  position  he  continued  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  is  now  retired  from  business  and  at  present  is  serving  on  a 
mission  for  the  Mormon  church  in  Australia,  where  he  has  been  made  president  of 
the  mission.  For  three  years  he  has  continued  his  church  work  in  that  country  but 
regards  St.  Anthony  as  his  home. 

Franklin  A.  Miller  was  reared  in  St.  Anthony,  attending  its  public  schools,  and 
afterward  became  a  student  in  the  Brigham  Young  University  at  Provo,  Utah.  When 
his  education  was  completed  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  abstract  business  in  partner- 
ship with  W.  H.  Carbine,  of  St.  Anthony,  and  was  thus  engaged  from  1901  until  1913. 
In  the  meantime  he  was  graduated  from  the  university  on  the  completion  of  the  law 
course,  and  he  also  read  law  under  the  direction  of  Phil  Averitt,  now  of  Rigby  but 
then  of  St.  Anthony.  In  1912  Mr.  Miller  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  supreme 
court  and  for  two  years  continued  in  the  practice  of  law,  after  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  June,  1913,  to  the  position  of  postmaster  of  St.  Anthony,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  since  served.  He  is  very  capable,  prompt  and  obliging  in  tfre  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  the  office  and  has  therefore  made  a  popular  official.  He  was  also  manager 
for  the  Fremont  Abstract  Company  for  about  seven  years  and  has  extensive  farming 
interests  in  Fremont  county,  where  he  is  conducting  a  cattle  business  on  a  large  scale. 
His  farm  property  embraces  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  St.  Anthony. 

In  May,  1900,  Mr.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  A.  Flint,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  six  children:  Franklin  A.,  William  R.,  Eva  Maude,  Arnold 
W.,  Rulon  G.  and  Verna  May.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  October,  1915, 
after  a  short  illness,  and  in  January,  1918,  Mr.  Miller  wedded  Bettie  M.  Hunter. 

Mr.  Miller  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  has  held 
offices  therein,  serving  for  nine  or  ten  years  as  general  superintendent  of  Sunday 
schools  of  the  state.  He  votes  with  the  democratic  party  and  for  fifteen  or  twenty 
years  has  been  actively  interested  in  politics. 


EUGENE  B.  SHERMAN. 

An  orderly  progression  has  brought  Eugene  B.  Sherman  through  successive 
steps  in  the  educational  field  to  a  point  where  he  is  now  a  dominant  factor  in  the 
commercial  circles  of  Boise  as  the  vice  president  of  the  C.  R.  Shaw  Wholesale 
Lumber  Company.  A  native  son  of  Iowa,  he  was  born  in  Clarksville,  December  25, 
1872,  his  parents  being  Rev.  Eugene  L.  and  Harriet  (Sheffer)  Sherman,  the  former 


Vol.  11—48 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  675 

a  Congregational  minister  who  passed  away  in  Fairfield,  Nebraska,  in  1896  at  the 
age  of  fifty-one  years.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  University  of  Chicago 
and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  was  active  in  the  Congregational  ministry  in  Illinois, 
Towa  and  Nebraska.  His  widow  survives  and  is  now  living  in  Boise  with  Eugene  B. 
Sherman,  her  only  son.  The  only  daughter  of  the  family  is  Mrs.  Carol  Doubrava, 
living  in  Brogan,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Sherman  has  reached  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 

Eugene  B.  Sherman  was  educated  in  the  Northwestern  University  of  Chicago 
and  the  University  of  Nebraska  at  Lincoln,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  insti- 
tution in  1895  with  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.  In  early  manhood  he  took  up 
the  profession  of  teaching,  beginning  at  the  age  tof  nineteen  and  devoting  twelve 
years  to  that  work  in  Nebraska.  He  was  during  that  period  superintendent  of 
schools  in  various  Nebraska  cities,  including  Fairfield,  North  Bend,  Schuyler  and 
Columbus,  and  for  two  years  filled  the  responsible  position  of  superintendent  of  the 
Nebraska  State  Reform  School  for  Boys  at  Kearney.  In  1909  he  withdrew  from  the 
profession  of  teaching  to  turn  his  attention  to  commercial  pursuits,  which  he 
believed  offered  a  more  lucrative  outlook.  Removing  to  Boise,  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  in  this  city  since  1910,  when  he  became  associated  with 
C.  R.  Shaw  and  is  now  the  vice  president  of  the  C.  R.  Shaw  Wholesale  Lumber 
Company,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  in  1912,  and  thus  has  voice  in  the 
active  management  of  one  of  the  important  lumber  interests  of  the  state. 

In  1896  Mr.  Sherman  was  married  to  Miss  Maud  Shaw,  a  niece  of  C.  R.  Shaw, 
his  partner  in  the  business.  She  was  born  in  Missouri,  was  educated  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Nebraska  and  became  a  member  of  Kappa  Kappa  Gamma,  while  Mr.  Sherman 
is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Tau  Delta  and  Phi  Betta  Kappa  fraternities.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sherman  have  been  born  three  sons,  Eugene  P.,  Theodore  A.  and  Frederick, 
aged  respectively  twenty-one,  seventeen  and  fourteen  years.  The  eldest  is  now  a 
midshipman  in  the  United  States  navy  and  is  manifesting  the  spirit  of  an  ancestry 
ever  characterized  by  patriotism  and  loyal  devotion  to  country. 

Mr.  Sherman  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and  is  a 
direct  descendant  of  Roger  Sherman,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party,  but  while  recog- 
nizing the  duties  and  obligations  as  well  as  the  privileges  of  citizenship,  he  has  never 
sought  nor  desired  office  as  a  reward  for  party  fealty.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club  and  also  to  the  Rotary  Club.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally  he  is  an  Elk  and  a  Mason.  He  has  served  as 
master  of  three  different  lodges  and  has  ever  been  a  loyal  exemplar  of  the  teachings 
and  purposes  of  the  craft. 


WILLIAM  W.  PARISH. 

William  W.  Parish,  county  commissioner  of  the  second  district  of  Twin  Falls 
county  and  actively  identified  with  farming  interests  in  that  locality,  was  born  at 
Fincastle,  Ohio,  October  17,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  John  T.  and  Sarah  C.  (Melvin) 
Parish.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1838  and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in 
Winchester7  that  state.  They  were  married  at  Winchester,  Ohio,  where  John  T. 
Parish  followed  farming  throughout  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1917  at 
the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  He  was  always  a  stanch  republican  in  his  political 
views  and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry 
and  served  for  more  than  four  years  with  the  Union  army,  participating  in  the 
battles  of  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  Cumberland  Gap  and  Chickamauga, 
where  he  was  wounded,  while  his  brother  Robert  was  killed  in  that  battle.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  John  T.  Parish  was  mustered  out  in  Ohio.  In  1890  he  served  as 
census  enumerator  at  Fincastle,  Ohio,  and  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  there. 

William  W.  Parish  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the  Buckeye  state,  pursuing  his 
education  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  in  1892  he  removed  to  Piatt  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand.  He  also  attended  school  in  that 
county  and  also  the  Normal  University  at  Normal,  Illinois,  and  later  taught  school  at 
Bellfiower,  Illinois,  for  two  years  and  for  three  years  at  Cisco  in  the  same  state. 
He  afterward  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  machinery  business  at  Cisco  for  eight 
years  and  in  1905  he  came  to  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  purchasing  a  farm  on  Sucker  Flat. 
He  became  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land  which  he  developed  and  improved. 


676  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

erecting  buildings  thereon,  and  later  he  bought  and  sold  several  farms.  In  June, 
1919,  he  disposed  of  his  first  eighty-acre  tract.  In  1916  he  had  purchased  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  which  he  cultivated,  bringing  the  place  to  a  high  state  of 
development,  and  he  is  still  owner  of  that  property.  He  likewise  has  a  fine  home 
near  Twin  Falls,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  tract  of  eleven  and  a  half  acres,  and 
there  he  now  resides. 

In  1900  Mr.  Parish  was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  E.  McCartney,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  H.  and  Cynthia  A.  (Madden)  McCartney  and  a  native  of  Cisco,  Illinois, 
where  her  parents  are  farming  people.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parish  have  five  children: 
Velma,  Wilma,  Wayne,  Helen  and  Evelyn. 

Mr.  Parish  is  identified  with  the  Masons  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He 
is  serving  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Twin  Palls  and  is  representing  the 
second  district  of  Twin  Falls  county  on  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  His 
public  duties  have  ever  been  faithfully  discharged,  whether  in  office  or  out  of  it, 
and  he  is  most  loyal  to  the  best  interests  and  welfare  of  the  community  in  which 
he  makes  his  home. 


WILLIAM   L.  ATHAY. 

William  L.  Athay,  proprietor  of  the  Owyhee  Pharmacy,  in  the  Owyhee  Hotel 
block  of  Boise,  is  a  native  son  of  Idaho  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Bear  Lake 
county,  December  25,  1888.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Emma  (Smith)  Athay, 
who  now  resides  in  Utah.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Idaho 
and  Utah,  and  he  became  a  resident  of  Boise  in  1903.  Throughout  practically  his 
entire  life  he  has  been  identified  with  the  drug  trade  and  is  a  registered  pharmacist. 
In  May,  1915,  he  founded  the  Owyhee  Pharmacy,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  Boise. 
The  store  is  well  appointed  and  carries  an  excellent  line  of  drugs  and  druggists' 
sundries,  while  the  business  methods  of  the  house  commend  it  to  a  liberal  patronage. 

Mr.  Athay  was  married  to  Miss  Ruth  Davies  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have 
two  sons.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  the  Episcopal  church,  and 
Mr.  Athay  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  also  with 
the  Boise  Commercial  Club. 


D.  D.  CAMPBELL. 

D.  D.  Campbell,  street  commissioner  of  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Kent  county, 
Ontario,  Canada,  September  16,  1855,  and  in  1869,  when  a  youth  of  fourteen  years, 
went  to  Iowa  in  company  with  his  parents,  Duncan  and  Mary  (McCall)  Campbell, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Scotland.  From  Iowa  they  removed  to  South  Dakota, 
where  the  father  followed  farming  until  his  death  on  the  24th  of  January,  1903. 
The  mother  passed  away  two  days  later  and  thus  a  double  funeral  was  held. 

D.  D.  Campbell,  spending  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Iowa,  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  that  state  and  on  the  8th  of  September,  1878,  when  a  young 
man  of  twenty-three  years,  left  home  and  made  his  way  to  Nebraska  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  up  a  homestead.  After  traveling  quite  extensively  through  that  state  and 
Kansas  and  recognizing  the  fact  that  the  settlers  had  prospered  very  slightly,  he 
became  discouraged  and  made  his  way  to  Idaho,  arriving  at  Weiser  in  May,  1879. 
He  then  went  to  work  for  Woodson  Jeffreys,  a  farmer,  but  remained  with  him  only 
a  brief  period,  when  the  trend  of  his  life  was  changed  through  an  accident  which 
occurred  to  his  friend,  Fred  Woods,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Campbell  from 
Minneapolis,  Kansas,  and  who  had  secured  work  at  splitting  rails  in  the  hills  north 
of  Weiser.  Mr.  Woods  had  his  hand  badly  bruised  and  Mr.  Campbell  accompanied 
him  to  Boise  to  see  a  physician.  They  traveled  by  stage  and  when  they  reached 
their  destination  they  had  but  seventy-five  cents.  Mr.  Woods  secured  work  as 
waiter  in  the  hotel  for  his  board  until  his  hand  was  healed  and  then  in  a  short 
time  returned  to  Kansas.  Mr.  Campbell,  however,  obtained  employment  in  a  saw- 
mill above  Boise,  called  the  Clark  Mill,  but  as  he  could  not  obtain  his  pay  he  left 
that  position  and  entered  the  employ  of  J.  P.  Wilson,  a  farmer,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  five  years.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Caldwell 
and  established  a  livery  business,  which  he  conducted  for  a  quarter'  of  a  century. 


HISTORY  ()!'  IDAHO  677 

Success  attended  him  in  this  venture  and  the  liberal  patronage  which  was  accorded 
him  made  him  one  of  the  prosperous  men  of  the  community.  He  also  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Western  National  Bank  of  Caldwell,  and  further  extending  his  bankinp 
interests,  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Middleton  State  Bank.  While  thus 
engaged  in  banking  he  disposed  of  his  livery  business.  Because  of  failing  health 
he  afterward  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  ranch,  located  near  Caldwell,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  He  devoted  two  years  to  farming  but  contracted  rheumatism  and 
returned  to  Caldwell.  In  1913  he  entered  upon  active  work  for  the  city  and  has 
since  occupied  civic  positions,  being  the  present  road  commissioner.  He  has  also 
served  for  two  terms  as  sheriff  of  Canyon  county  and  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council  for  nine  years,  while  for  twelve  years  he  served  on  the  school  board. 

In  1887  Mr.  Campbell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Basheba  Moudy,  who  was 
born  in  Illinois  and  came  to  Idaho  with  her  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Moudy, 
in  1864.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  now  have  five  children:  Viola,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Miller,  of  La  Grande,  Oregon;  and  Enos,  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  Goldie,  Eldora 
and  Catherine,  all  at  home.  Mr.  Campbell  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know 
him  and  is  a  very  genial  and  companionable  man  whose  sterling  worth  has  gained 
for  him  warm  friendship. 


R.  G.  HITCHCOCK. 

R.  G.  Hitchcock  has  been  engaged  in  the  jewelry  trade  in  Boise  since  Septem- 
ber, 1911,  and  is  numbered  among  the  progressive  young  business  men  of  the 
city.  He  was  born  in  Oberlin,  Kansas,  March  15,  1886,  the  youngest  of  the 
six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter,  who  were  born  to  John  B.  and  Julia 
(Wendall)  Hitchcock.  The  paternal  grandfather  came  from  England  and  set- 
tled first  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  John  B.  Hitchcock  was  born  and  reared. 
Removing  to  Kansas,  he  settled  at  Oberlin,  where  he  engaged  in  the  banking 
business,  being  president  of  what  is  now  the  Farmers  National  Bank  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  his  son,  R.  G.  Hitchcock,  was  but  five 
years  of  age.  The  mother,  who  is  of  Scotch  and  German  descent,  is  now  living 
at  Courtland,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  Mr.  Hitchcock  was  not 
only  well  known  as  a  banker  but  also  as  a  breeder  of  fine  race  horses,  of  which 
he  owned  forty-eight  head  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

R.  G.  Hitchcock  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  city  but  left  school 
when  fifteen  years  of  age  and  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  jeweler's 
trade.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  pursued  a  course  in  watch  making  in 
Kansas  City  and  on  attaining  his  majority  became  proprietor  of  a  store  of  his 
own  in  Oberlin,  Kansas,  since  which  time  he  has  carried  on  business  on  his  own 
account,  first  in  Oberlin  and  later  in  Kimball  and  at  Sturgis,  South  Dakota, 
while  finally,  in  1911,  he  came  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  conducted  one  of 
the  fine  jewelry  stores  of  the  state. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1910,  Mr.  Hitchcock  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lulu  Metcalf,  of  Oberlin,  Kansas,  a  former  schoolmate,  and  they  have  one  daugh- 
ter, Harriet,  born  February  4,  1913.  He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  also  to  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  interested  in 
all  that  has  to  do  with  the  progress  and  development  of  the  city.  In  politics 
he  maintains  an  independent  course  and  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office, 
but  his  aid  and  cooperation  can  at  all  times  be  counted  upon  to  further  plans 
and  measures  for  the  general  good,  for  in  matters  of  citizenship,  as  in  his  pri- 
vate business  affairs,  he  is  actuated  by  an  undaunted  spirit  of  progressiveness  and 
enterprise. 


LEWIS  H.  NEAL. 

Lewis  Neal,  cashier  of  the  St.  Anthony  Bank  &  Trust  Company  at  St.  An- 
thony, Fremont  county,  is  a  wide-awake  and  progressive  business  man  and  citizen 
whose  worth  in  financial  circles  in  his  section  of  the  state  is  widely  acknowledged. 
He  was  born  in  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  October  11,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  S.  L.  and 
Sarah  E.  (Harbour)  Neal,  who  are  natites  of  Ohio.  The  father  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Kansas,  taking  up  his  abode  near  Fort  Scott  when 


678  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  work  of  development  and  improvement  had  scarcely  been  begun  in  that 
section.  There  he  engaged  in  farming  and  and  stock  raising  and  has  since 
continued  the  cultivation  of  his  place.  His  wife  is  also  living. 

Upon  the  homestead  farm  in  Bourbon  county,  Kansas,  Lewis  H.  Neal  spent 
his  youthful  days  and  the  district  schools  afforded  him  his  educational  oppor- 
tunities. During  vacation  periods  he  worked  in  the  fields  and  remained  with 
his  parents  until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  after  which  he  spent  eight  months 
in  traveling  around  the  country  looking  for  a'  suitable  location.  He  finally  pur- 
chased land  near  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  and  there  kept  "bachelor's  hall"  for  three 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was  offered  a  position  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Blackfoot  and  accepted  same,  leaving  his  brother  to  operate 
the  ranch.  He  started  in  the  bank  in  a  minor  position  at  a  salary  of  but  thirty- 
five  dollars  per  month,  but  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  became  assist- 
ant cashier  and  a  director.  He  was  with  that  bank  until  August,  1914,  when 
he  came  to  St.  Anthony  to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  with  the  St. 
Anthony  Bank  &  Trust  Company.  He  was  not  long  in  demonstrating  his  ability 
and  his  faithfulness  and  after  six  months  was  made  cashier.  He  is  also  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  bank  and  still  retains  his  financial  interest  in  the  First 
National  Bank  at  Blackfoot.  His  fellow  officers  in  the  St.  Anthony  Bank  & 
Trust  Company  are:  M.  J.  Gray,  president;  and  James  G.  Gwinn,  vice  president. 
The  bank  is  capitalized  for  thirty  thousand  dollars,  has  a  surplus  of  equal  amount 
and  deposits  amounting  to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  bank  was  or- 
ganized on  the  26th  of  February,  1907,  and  has  enjoyed  a  prosperous  existence 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Neal  is  not  only  connected  with  the  St.  Anthony  institution  but  is  also 
the  president  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Drummond,  Idaho,  and  is  the  treasurer 
of  the  Ashton-St.  Anthony  Power  Company,  which  is  the  largest  independent  com- 
pany in  the  state.  He  likewise  has  farming  interests  in  Fremont  county.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  democrat  but  not  an  office  seeker.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  his  life  has  at  all  times  measured  up  to  high 
standards  of  manhood  and  citizenship. 


ALBERT   K.   STEUNENBERG. 

Albert  K.  Steunenberg,  or  "A.  K.,"  as  he  was  generally  known  among  his  friends, 
came  of  sturdy  Dutch  stock,  his  father  and  mother  being  natives  of  Holland,  his 
father  emigrating  to  America  in  the  year  1843  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  first  settling  at 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  but  later  moving  to  Knoxville,  where  A.  K.  was  born  September  11,  1862. 
His  father,  Benardus  Steunenberg,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  served  his  adopted  coun- 
try in  the  Mexican  war  and  showed  his  native  force  by  educating  himself  through  study 
in  the  intervals  of  his  work.  It  is  said  that  his  proficiency  in  the  English  language 
was  attained  through  careful  study  of  the  English  Bible  in  connection  with  the  text 
in  his  native  language.  The  Bible  he  used  for  this  purpose  is  still  a  treasured  heirloom 
in  the  family.  He  died  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  in  April,  1907.  This  sturdy  Dutch  couple 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  moved  to 
the  west.  Of  these  John,  Will,  Frank,  A.  K.  and  Charles  made  their  homes  in  Cald- 
well, as  did  all  of  the  sisters,  Mrs.  Delia  Brobst,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Van  Wyngarden,  Mrs.  Grace 
Crookham,  and  Josephine.  George  is  a  major  in  the  United  States  Army. 

A.  K.  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Knoxville,  Iowa,  and  then  served  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship  to  the  printer's  trade.  He  early  displayed  literary  tastes  which 
developed  into  love  of  books  and  a  remarkable  ability  in  the  use  of  the  English  lan- 
guage. Deciding  to  branch  out,  he  came  west  and  landed  in  Caldwell  in  the  year  1886 
without  money  but  with  native  force,  ambition  and  aggressiveness  that  soon  won 
him  a  place  in  the  new  location.  His  genuine  kindliness  and  keen  sense  of  humor 
made  him  many  friends.  He  used  to  like  to  tell  that  in  his  early  days  in  Caldwell 
he  slept  under  the  band  stand  that  was  built  on  a  vacant  lot  where  the  Saratoga  Hotel 
was  afterward  built. 

His  brother  Frank,  afterward  Governor  Steunenberg,  came  out  about  this  time  and 
was  associated  with  A.  K.  in  the  ownership  and  publishing  of  the  Caldwell  Tribune 
that  he  purchased  and  edited  for  about  seven  years,  and  which  was  afterward  sold  to 
R.  H.  Davis.  A.  K.  became  prominent  in  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge,  edited  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternal  paper,  and  perhaps  during  his  life  did  more  than  any  other  one  man  for  the  up- 


ALBERT   K.   STEUNENBERG 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  681 

building  of  the  order  in  the  state.  He  filled  in  succession  all  the  important  offices  and 
was  signally  honored  in  every  way  by  the  lodge. 

One  of  the  pleasant  things  in  his  life  was  the  close  relationship  and  mutual  depend- 
ence that  existed  between  A.  K.  and  Frank,  although  their  tastes  and  abilities  differed. 
Frank  went  into  politics  and  won  a  place  both  in  the  state  and  the  nation  because  of 
his  fearless  stand  for  law  and  order,  but  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  went  to  A.  K.  for 
advice  and  counsel,  as  did  A.  K.  to  him. 

After  the  yale  of  the  Tribune  Mr.  Steunenberg,  in  the  year  1895,  in  company  with 
J<  hn  C.  Rice,  Sam  Chaney,  Robert  Aikman,  Jacob  Plowhead,  James  Ballantyne  and 
others  started  the  Caldwell  Commercial  Bank,  of  which  he  became  cashier  and  the 
moving  spirit.  He  threw  the  force  cf  his  ability  and  capacity  for  work  into  this  new 
line  and  the  little  b-mk  under  his  direction  grew  steadily  and  its  cashier  soon  became 
known  as  a  safe,  careful  but  thoroughly  aggressive  and  resourceful  financier.  The 
bank  soon  outerew  its  quarters  and  was  reincorporated  with  larger  capital  and  a*  new 
building  erected  in  1903.  About  this  time  he  planned  the  establishment  of  a  chain  of 
banks  throughout  the  state  and  was  successful  in  this  because  of  his  keen  insight 
into  business  opportunities.  He  established  the  first  bank  at  St.  Anthony,  one  at  Paris 
and  one  at  Glenns  Ferry  in  Idaho,  and  banks  at  Wallowa  and  Vale  in  Oregon.  He 
was  a  student,  thoroughly  mastering  financial  problems,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death — 
March  17,  1907 — he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  bankers  in  the  northwest. 

In  the  community  Mr.  Steunenberg  was  always  a  leader  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  everything  that  tended  to  its  betterment.  He  was  clerk  of  the  school  board  for 
many  years  and  mayor  of  Caldwell  in  1902-1903.  He  was  a  keen  thinker  along  political, 
social  and  industrial  lines,  a  student,  but  also  a  man  of  quick,  decisive  action  and 
sound  judgment. 

With  his  many  duties  and  interests,  Mr.  Steunenberg  never  lacked  time  to  devote 
to  his  home  and  his  family,  and  it  was  in  the  home  that  his  life  centered.  It  was  in 
1890  that  he  married  Miss  Carrie  M.  Coulter,  of  Knoxville,  Iowa,  bringing  his  bride 
to  Caldwell.  To  these  parents  were  born  three  children,  Bess,  Ancil  and  Tom.  With 
the  increase  of  income  their  home  became  more  spacious  and  modern,  but  it  never 
lost  the  homely  feeling  of  simplicity  and  genuine  hospitality. 


GEORGE  W.  SMITH. 

George  W.  Smith,  general  manager  of  the  Smith-Veatch  Realty  Company  of 
Boise,  is  a  native  son  of  Iowa,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Dewitt.  October  8,  1878. 
His  parents  were  Luther  M.  and  Miranda  L.  (Burroughs)  Smith,  both  of  whom 
have  passed  away.  They  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Vermont  and  on  leaving 
New  England  took  up  their  abode  in  New  York  state,  whence  they  removed  to  Iowa 
in  1877.  Their  last  years  were  passed  in  Nebraska,  where  the  father  had  conducted 
business  as  a  hardware  merchant.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  while  the  mother 
was  of  Scotch  lineage.  The  Burroughs  family  has  long  been  represented  in  the 
United  States,  having  been  founded  in  the  new  world  by  a  Scotchman  who  came  on 
the  first  ship  that  followed  the  Mayflower. 

George  W.  Smith  was  largely  reared  in  the  town  of  Ulysses,  Butler  county, 
Nebraska,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  its  public  schools.  When  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  secured  a  teacher's  license  but  never  followed  the  profession  of 
teaching.  In  his  youth  when  not  in  school  he  devoted  his  time  to  clerking  in  stores 
after  reaching  the  age  of  twelve  and  thus  acquainted  himself  with  the  grocery  and 
hardware  trades  but  never  followed  those  pursuits  on  his  own  account.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  private  in  Company  L.  Second 
Nebraska  Regiment,  for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war  and  with  his  com- 
mand was  sent  to  Chickamauga  Park  but  did  not  reach  the  firing  line.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  became  manager  of  a  lumberyard  in  Nebraska  and  from 
1899  until  1903  was  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  California,  where  he  occupied  the 
position  of  cashier  with  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company.  Later  he  was 
transferred  by  that  company  to  Boise,  where  he  continued  to  act  as  cashier  until 
1906,  when  he  was  sent  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  after  serving  as  cashier  in  that 
city  for  a  year  he  resigned  and  returned  t,o  Boise.  Since  1908  he  has  been  promi- 
nently and  successfully  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  in  1910  became 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Wilson-Smith  Realty  Company,  of  which  he  was 


682  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

elected  secretary.  He  purchased  the  Wilson  interest  in  the  business  in  1914  and 
was  the  sole  owner  until  July,  1919,  when  John  W.  Veatch  became  associated  with 
him  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Smith-Veatch  Realty  Company.  They  have  built 
up  an  extensive  realty  business,  negotiating  many  important  property  transfers,  and 
are  thoroughly  well  versed  concerning  realty  values  throughout  the  city. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Mary  H.  Colby,  of  Boise,  and  their  son,  John  Baker 
Smith,  is  now  seven  years  of  age.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Spanish  War 
Veterans  and  is  also  eligible,  through  the  maternal  line,  to  membership  in  the 
Society  of  American  Wars.  He  has  been  dependent  upon  his  own  resources  largely 
from  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  through  the  steps  of  an  orderly  progression  has 
reached  a  creditable  place  among  the  business  men  of  his  adopted  city. 


JOHN  L.   BALLIP,   JB. 

John  L.  Ballif,  Jr.,  whose  close  connection  with  the  interests  of  Rexburg  is 
indicated  in  the  statement  that  he'  is  the  proprietor  of  one  of  its  leading  mer- 
cantile establishments  and  is  also  mayor  of  the  city,  was  born  in  Logan,  Utah, 
August  9,  1887.  He  is  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Emma  (Smith)  Ballif,  also 
natives  of  Utah.  The  father  worked  for  a  clothing  firm  at  Logan,  Utah,  for  seven- 
teen years  and  in  1900  came  to  Rexburg,  where  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Flamm  department  store,  with  which  he  was  thus  connected  until  1905.  He  then 
established  business  on  his  own  account  as  a  dealer  in  ladies'  and  men's  furnishing 
goods  under  the  firm  style  of  Ballif  &  Thatcher.  This  association  was  maintained 
until  1911,  at  which  time  a  change  in  the  personnel  of  the  house  occurred  and  the 
firm  name  of  J.  L.  Ballif  &  Sons  was  assumed. 

John  L.  Ballif,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  pursuing  the  work  to 
the  eighth  grade  in  Logan,  while  later  he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  the 
Agricultural  College  there  and  for  one  year  was  a  pupil  in  the  Ricks  Normal  Col- 
lege at  Rexburg.  In  1908  he  was  called  on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  served  until  1911  in  Switzerland  and  France.  He 
there  learned  the  French  language.  Upon  his  return  in  1911  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  store,  being  recognized 
as  one  of  the  progressive  young  merchants  of  Rexburg.  He  closely  studies  trade 
conditions,  has  displayed  a  most  progressive  spirit  in  the  conduct  of  his  business 
affairs,  and  through  indefatigable  energy  and  unfaltering  effort  has  contributed  in 
marked  measure  to  the  success  of  the  business. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1912,  Mr.  Ballif  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  Hansen  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  one  child,  Marsha,  who  was  born  June  19,  1919. 
Mr.  Ballif  has  held  various  offices  in  the  church  and  has  always  been  keenly  inter- 
ested in  the  moral  progress  of  his  community.  His  political  endorsement  is  given 
to  the  democratic  party  and  on  the  27th  of  April,  1919,  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Rexburg.  In  this  connection  he  is  giving  to  the  city  a  businesslike  and  progressive 
administration,  characterized  by  various  needed  reforms  and  improvements.  He 
also  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  commercial  circles  and  is  now  the  president 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  United  Mercantile  Company  of  Rexburg.  He  ex- 
emplifies in  his  life  the  spirit  of  western  progress  and  improvement  and  a  spirit 
of  modern  enterprise  which  is  constantly  reaching  out  along  broadening  lines  in 
connection  with  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country.  At  the  same  time 
he  has  promoted  his  individual  interests  along  well  defined  lines  that  have  led  to 
gratifying  results. 


HARRY  F.  WOOD. 

For  more  than  a  decade  Harry  F.  Wood  has  been  a  resident  of  Nampa  and 
throughout  this  period  has  so  directed  his  efforts  that  success  in  a  business  way 
has  come  to  him  and  at  the  same  time  has  has  commanded  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  all  by  reason  of  straightforward  methods  and  undaunted  industry. 
Mr.  Wood  was  born  at  Cobden,  Illinois,  July  16,  1873,  and  there  attended  the 
graded  and  high  schools,  while  later  he  pursued  a  three  years'  course  in  the  Beloit 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  683 

College  of  Beloit,  Wisconsin.  Upon  his  return  to  his  native  state  he  entered  the 
fruit  package  manufacturing  house  of  H.  A.  Du  Bois  and  working  his  way  upward, 
became  manager,  his  duties  in  connection  with  the  business  extending  from  the 
buying  of  the  lumber  in  the  tree  to  the  selling  of  the  finished  product  of  the 
factory.  His  efficiency  and  reliability  are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  remained 
for  eleven  years  with  that  company,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  as  traveling 
representative  of  the  Morrison-Ricker  Manufacturing  Company  of  Grinnell,  Iowa, 
and  was  the  first  man  to  introduce  the  ventilated  gauntlet  automobile  glove  made 
by  that  house. 

In  the  spring  of  1909  Mr.  Wood  arrived  in  Nampa,  Idaho,  and  became  book- 
keeper and  credit  man  with  the  Robb  Clothing  Company,  with  which  he  remained 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Robb  in  1913,  when  he  was  made  business  manager  of 
the  company's  stores  at  Nampa  and  at  Weiser,  thus  continuing  until  the  business 
was  closed  out  by  Mr.  Robb's  widow.  On  the  1st  of  September,  1917,  Mr.  Wood 
entered  into  partnership  with  E.  B.  O'Donnell  for  the  conduct  of  a  real  estate 
agency  under  the  firm  style  of  O'Donnell  &  Wood.  They  handle  both  city  and 
farm  property  and  have  enjoyed  large  sales.  Aside  from  this  undertaking  they 
are  identified  with  mining  interests  and  Mr.  Wood  is  the  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Golden  Sickle  mine,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  since  the  ogranization 
of  the  company  in  July,  1916.  He  is  also  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors  and 
he  likewise  owns  a  farm  property  situated  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Nampa,  while 
his  real  estate  investments  also  include  city  property. 

In  February,  1898,  Mr.  Wood  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ethel  Anson,  of 
Centralia,  Illinois,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children.  George 
Frederick  nineteen  years  of  age,  was  in  the  service  of  his  country  as  a  member 
of  the  Oil  and  Gas  Unit  in  France,  having  enlisted  on  the  10th  of  July,  1918,  and 
landing  at  Brest,  France,  on  the  13th  of  October  after  having  received  a  thorough 
course  consisting  of  thirty  lectures  in  the  scientific  handling  of  gas  and  lubricants 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  Norman  W.,  sixteen  years  of  age,  is  a  junior  in  the  Nampa 
high  school.  Harry  Anson,  twelve  years  of  age,  is  also  a  high  school  pupil.  John 
Scott,  ten  years  of  age,  is  yet  in  the  grades. 

Mr.  Wood,  while  an  active  and  representative  business  man  of  Nampa,  has 
also  found  time  to  assist  in  promoting  community  interests  and  served  for  one 
term  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  at  the  present  writing  is  a  member  of 
the  library  board.  He  recognizes  the  opportunities  and  obligations  in  matters 
of  citizenship  and  fully  meets  the  latter  just  as  truly  as  he  utilizes  the  former. 


DONALD   S.   WHITEHEAD. 

Donald  S.  Whitehead  is  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Whitehead  Drug  Store, 
owned  entirely  by  himself  and  father,  the  latter  establishing  the  business  in  1888. 
so  that  it  is  now  the  pioneer  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  city  continuously 
conducted.  William  S.  Whitehead,  the  father,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1866  and  came  to  Boise  from  Three  Oaks,  Michigan.  The  son  was  born 
in  Three  Oaks,  October  10,  1888,  and  was  therefore  but  three  months  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Boise  in  December  of  that  year.  Both  parents  are  still 
living.  The  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Louise  M.  Strehle  and  she,  too,  was 
born  in  Three  Oaks,  Michigan.  She  became  the  mother  of  but  two  children,  the 
daughter  being  Alice,  now  the  wife  of  Ernest  Lang,  of  Detroit. 

Passing  through  consecutive  grades  in  the  public  schools  of  Boise,  Donald 
S.  Whitehead  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  and 
completed  a  course  in  the  University  of  Idaho  at  Moscow  in  1907,  winning  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  Since  1908  he  has  been  a  partner  of  his  father 
in  the  Whitehead  Drug  Store,  owning  a  half  interest.  He  learned  the  drug  busi- 
ness in  his  father's  establishment  and  brought  to  its  conduct  a  progressive  spirit 
and  well  formulated  ideas  which  have  been  of  practical  worth  in  the  development 
of  the  trade.  An  extensive  line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries  is  carried  and 
the  reliable  business  methods  of  the  house  also  constitute  a  basis  upon  which  has 
been  built  the  continued  success  of  the  firm.  Donald  S.  Whitehead  is  a  member  of  the 
Idaho  State  Pharmaceutical  Association  and  his  standing  in  trade  circles  is  indi- 


684  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

cated  in  the  fact  that  he  was  elected  its  secretary  in  1914  and  reelection  continued 
him   in   the   office    for   three   years. 

Mr.  Whitehead  has  always  voted  with  the  republican  party.  While  in  the 
university  he  became  a  member  of  Beta  Theta  Pi,  and  his  religious  faith  is  evi- 
denced in  his  membership  in  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  he  served  as 
treasurer.  His  chief  recreation  is  motoring.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  is  interested  in  all  of  its  plans  and  projects  for  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  the  extension  of  its  trade  relations.  He  also  has 
membership  in  the  Boise  Rotary  Club  and  in  Masonry  has  attained  high  rank.  He 
is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  Consistory  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1909,  Mr.  Whitehead  was  married  to  Miss  Muriel, 
Gertrude  Shaw,  who  was  born  in  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Boise  high  school.  They  have  one  daughter,  Elizabeth,  whose  birth  occurred  De- 
cember 6,  1912.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitehead  are  well  known  in  the  social  circles 
of  Boise,  where  the  number  of  their  friends  is  almost  coextensive  with  the  number 
of  their  acquaintances. 


JOHN   FRANKLIN   NESBITT. 

John  Franklin  Nesbitt  has  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  Payette  and  his  section  of  the  state  through  the  important  part 
which  he  has  played  in  banking  circles  and  in  the  development  of  agricultural  and 
irrigation  interests.  He  was  born  in  Greensboro,  Vermont,  February  4,  1852,  and  is 
a  son  of  J.  F.  and  Jennetta  (Taylor)  Nesbitt.  They  came  to  America  in  1830,  having 
been  married  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  two  years  previously.  The  father  followed  shoe- 
making  in  his  native  country  but  immediately  on  his  arrival  in  the  new  world  took 
up  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was  at  that  time  thirty  years  of  age.  He  passed 
away  in  Greensboro,  Vermont,  in  1862,  while  the  mother,  long  surviving  him,  departed 
thif  life  in  1883. 

John  F.  Nesbitt  attended  the  graded  schools  of  his  native  city,  from  which  in 
due  course  of  time  he  was  graduated.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  went,  to  Maple- 
ton,  Kansas,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  seven  years.  In  the  spring  of  1874 
he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  near  Mountain  Home,  where  he  was  employed  at  farm  work 
for  two  years  and  was  then  put  in  charge  of  J.  B.  Emery's  freighting  outfit  and  en- 
gaged in  teaming  between  Kelton,  Utah,  the  nearest  railroad  point,  and  Idaho  City. 

Mr.  Nesbitt  dates  his  residence  in  Payette  from  1880,  at  which  time  he  pur- 
chased a  squatter's  right  to  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  of  land.  He  concen- 
trated his  attention  upon  farming  and  stock  raising  and,  meeting  with  success  in  his 
undertakings,  added  to  his  property  from  time  to  time  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
four  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land.  Extending  his  efforts  into  other  fields, 
he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce  at  Payette  and  in  connec- 
tion with  A.  J.  McFarland  he  built  an  irrigating  ditch  which  supplies  water  to  their 
respective  places,  which  are  adjoining  properties.  He  was  also  the  organizer  of  the 
Payette  National  Bank  and  for  many  years  its  vice  president.  His  judgment  is  sound, 
his  sagacity  keen  and  his  enterprise  unfaltering.  These  qualities  constitute  a  broad 
basis  upon  which  to  build  success,  and  as  the  years  have  passed  Mr.  Nesbitt  has  pros- 
pered in  his  undertakings. 

In  August,  1882,  Mr.  Nesbitt  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Stuart,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Jane  (Scott)  Stuart,  who  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  came  to  America 
in  1846. '  The  father  was  a  mechanic  and  farmer  who  settled  at  Pittsfield,  Illinois, 
where  the  daughter  Mary  Jane  was  born.  She  came  to  Idaho  in  1880,  making  her 
way  direct  to  Falk,  where  she  lived  with  her  uncle,  William  S.  Stuart,  an  early  settler 
and  respected  pioneer  of  that  district.  She  taught  school  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  for  two 
years  prior  to  her  marriage  and  since  that  important  event  she  has  presided  with 
gracious  hospitality  over  their  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbitt  have  been  born  the 
following  named.  John  W,,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  residing  in  the  Pahsimari 
valley  of  Idaho,  married  Martha  Beach,  a  native  daughter  of  this  state,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Frank,  Joseph  and  Comfort  Gladys.  George  F.,  who  follows  farming 
and  stock  raising  at  Big  Willow,  Idaho,  married  Miss  Priscilla  Higgenbottom  and 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  687 

is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Milton  S.  is  also  represented  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  Oscar  died  in  infancy.  Elmer  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  married  lo  Kenward,  a  native  of  Provo,  Utah,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Kenward  and  David.  Iva  M.  is  teaching  school  at  New  Plymouth,  Idaho,  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Idaho  State  Normal  School.  Clarence  S.,  a  teacher  at  Eagle, 
Idaho,  was  graduated  from  the  Agricultural  College  at  Corvallis,  Oregon. 

In  political  views  Mr.  Nesbitt  has  always  been  a  stalwart  republican  .and  served 
as  county  commiesioner  of  Canyon  county  in  1900-2.  He  was  also  for  some  years 
chairman  of  school  district  No.  20  near  Falk,  Idaho.  Throughout  his  life  he  has 
been  actuated  by  a  progressive  spirit  that  has  recognized  and  utilized  each  oppor- 
tunity. His  labors  have  been  wisely  directed,  and  step  by  step  he  has  advanced  toward 
the  goal  of  prosperity.  Winning  a  handsome  competence  through  his  farming  opera- 
tions, he  then  turned  his  attention  to  banking  and  again  has  made  for  himself  an 
honored  name  and  place  in  business  circles. 


WILLIAM    F.    BEE. 

William  F.  Bee,  proprietor  of  the  Overland  Pharmacy  of  Boise,  was  born 
in  Provo,  Utah,  April  15,  1881,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Lillian  (Clive)  Bee.  The 
father,  a  native  of  England,  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when 
a  little  lad.  He  was  a  son  of  Samuel  B.  and  Grace  Bee,  who  were  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Utah.  Robert  Bee,  the  father,  is  still  living  at  Provo,  Utah, 
and  is  enjoying  good  health  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  is  now  living 
retired  after  long  connection  with  mercantile  interests  and  is  also  a  director 
of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank.  His  wife  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City  and 
passed  away  several  years  ago.  Their  family  numbered  six  children,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters. 

Wilkam  F.  Bee  was  graduated  from  the  Proctor  Academy  of  Provo,  Utah, 
with  the  class  of  1910  and  afterward  spent  two  years  in  a  drug  store  at  Salt 
Lake  City.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy,  in  which  he  pursued  his  studies  for  three  years,  winning  the  Doctor 
of  Pharmacy  degree  upon  his  graduation  with  the  class  of  1904.  Returning 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  he  then  spent  two  years  in  the  drug  store  of  Druehl  &  Franken, 
whose  establishment  is  the  leading  one  of  the  kind  in  Salt  Lake,  afterwards 
becoming  a  member  of  the  firm.  In  1906  he  removed  to  Boise  where  they  pur- 
chased the'  Overland  Pharmacy.  Mr.  Bee  later  purchased  the  interests  of  his 
Salt  Lake  associates  and  is  now  president  and  manager  of  the  concern,  having 
today  the  leading  drug  store  of  the  state.  Neat,  tasteful  and  attractive  in  its 
arrangement,  the  stock  includes  everything  known  to  the  drug  trade,  and  the 
progressive  methods  of  the  house  and  the  thorough  reliability  of  the  proprietor 
are  strong  elements  in  the  continued  growth  of  the  business.  Mr.  Bee's  stand- 
ing in  trade  circles  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  been  honored  with  the 
presidency  of  the  Idaho  State  Pharmaceutical  Association. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1905,  Mr.  Bee  was  married  to  Mi?»s  Marjoiie  Ivie, 
of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  they  have  one  son,  William  F.,  Jr.,  born  December  25, 
1912.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  CongregatioiH.1  church. 

Mr.  Bee  during  his  college  days  became  a  member  of  Phi  Theta  Sigma.  He 
is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  is  a  member 
of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  and  in  his  political  views  is  a  republican,  giving 
stanch  support  to  the  party  yet  never  seeking  or  desiring  office.  He  is  particu- 
larly fond  of  the  arts,  is  well  known  in  local  musical  circles  and  for  the  past 
five  years  has  been  the  president,  of  the  Boise  Symphony  Orchestra. 


JOHN  W.   HENRY. 

John  W.  Henry,  one  of  the  partners  in  the  house  furnishing  goods  store  of 
John  Henry  &  Sons  at  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  in  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1897,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  A.  (Blackburn)  Henry,  who  are  natives 
of  England.  They  came  to  America  soon  after  the  Civil  war  and  for  a  time  resided 


688  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  after  which  they  returned  to  England.  Mr.  Henry 
made  seven  trips  back  and  forth  between  America  and  his  native  land  and  in  1872 
finally  took  up  his  abode  in  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming,  where  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  He  continued  with  that  corporation  in  Wyoming 
and  with  the  Utah  Northern  until  1893,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  Falls  and  engaged 
in  the  house  furnishing  goods  business,  continuing  active  in  the  management  and 
control  of  the  store  until  1907,  when  he  sold  the  business  to  his  two  sons,  John  W. 
and  Dwight.  Since  that  time  the  father  has  made  his  home  in  California  and  the 
mother  is  also  living.  While  a  resident  of  Idaho  Mr.  Henry  was  a  most  prominent 
and  active  factor  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state. 
He  put  up  the  first  lawful  fence  in  the  country  and  was  one  of  the  original  builders 
of  the  Anderson  canals.  He  homesteaded  and  engaged  in  ranching  for  nine  years 
prior  to  his  withdrawal  from  the  furniture  business  and  his  activities  along  these 
various  lines  constituted  an  important  element  in  the  substantial  development  of 
the  section  in  which  he  made  his  home. 

John  W.  Henry  attended  the  public  schools  of  Idaho  Falls  and  his  business 
training  was  received  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  for  when  his  textbooks 
were  put  aside  he  entered  the  store.  He  has  since  been  very  active  in  the  business 
and  not  a  little  of  the  continued  success  of  the  firm  is  attributable  to  his  efforts. 
They  carry  a  large  line  of  house  furnishings,  in  fact  have  the  largest  stock  in  their 
part  of  the  state.  John  W.  Henry  erected  their  present  building  in  1901.  It  is  a 
two  story  and  basement  structure  forty-four  by  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
feet,  and  they  occupy  the  entire  building  besides  renting  other  space  for  storage. 
Something  of  the  volume  of  their  trade  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  they  now  have 
sixteen  employes. 

In  November,  1904,  Mr.  Henry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lottie  Ward, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  a  son,-Darold  John,  who  was  born  February 
12,  1911.  Mr.  Henry  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  Masonry  he  has  taken 
the  degrees  of  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  and  he  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  wife  has  membership  in  the  Baptist  church  and  'they  are 
both  highly  esteemed  people,  occupying  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles.  In 
politics  Mr.  Henry  is  a  democrat  but  not  an  office  seeker,  his  attention  and  energy 
being  concentrated  upon  his  business  affairs.  He  is  bending  his  energies  largely 
to  organization,  to  constructive  effort  and  administrative  direction.  He  possesses 
tireless  energy,  keen  perception,  honesty  of  purpose  and  a  genius  for  devising  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time,  joined  to  everyday  common  sense. 


GEORGE    O.    BUHN. 

George  O.  Buhn,  who  since  1910  has  been  identified  with  commercial  inter- 
ests in  Boise  as  owner  of  a  well  appointed  jewelry  store,  dates  his  active  con- 
nection with  the  jewelry  trade  from  1900,  when  he  opened  a  store  in  Redlands, 
California.  At  a  later  period  he  was  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  in 
Washington  and  thence  removed  to  Idaho,  where  for  almost  a  decade  he  has 
figured  as  one  of  the  wide-a^ake  and  enterprising  merchants  of  the  capital  city. 
He  was  born  in  Prescott,  Wisconsin,  October  3,  1880,  a  son  of  George  O.  and 
Julia  M.  (Johnston)  Buhn,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Christiania,  Norway. 
They  were  married,  however,  in  the  United  States.  The  father  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years — a  retired  blacksmith  who  is  now  visiting  his 
son  in  Boise,  but  the  mother  passed  away  in  1907.  George  O.  Buhn,  Jr.,  has 
a  brother,  Edward  H.,  who  is  also  a  jeweler,  conducting  business  at  Portland, 
Oregon.  The  only  sister  is  Mrs.  Cora  C.  MacMillan,  of  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  early  boyhood  George  O.  Buhn  went  from  Wisconsin  to  Illinois  and  learned 
the  jewelry  business  in  the  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute  of  Peoria  between  the 
ages  of  seventeen  and  twenty  years.  He  served  a  three  years'  apprenticeship 
to  the  trade  and  he  has  never  sought  to  change  his  occupation,  finding  in  the 
jewelry  business  a  congenial  and  profitable  pursuit.  With  his  removal  to  the 
west  he  located  in  Redlands,  California,  where  he  established  and  conducted  a 
store  for  five  years.  He  afterward  spent  a  similar  period  in  the  state  of  Wash- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  689 

ington.  For*  two  years  prior  to  1910  he  was  proprietor  of  a  jewelry  store  in 
Bellingham.  Previous  to  and  also  during  that  period  he  was  the  owner  of 
Jewelry  stores  at  Sedro  Woolley  and  at  Elaine,  Washington,  conducting  all  three 
establishments  at  the  same  time.  In  1910  he  removed  from  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington to  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Boise,  where  he  established  his  present 
store,  which  he  has  since  conducted  with  profit,  carrying  a  large  and  attractive 
line  of  goods  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  sale. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1911,  Mr.  Buhn  was  married  to  Miss  Mina  M. 
Clark,  of  Boise,  a  cultured  and  highly  educated  business  woman.  She  is  a 
native  of  Burr  Oak,  Iowa.  Mr.  Buhn  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree  and  he  and 
his  wife  belong  to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  has  become  a  Knight 
Templar  in  the  York  Rite  and  a  Consistory  Mason  in  the  Scottish  Rite  and 
is  also  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No. 
60,  A.  P.  &  A.  M.;  a  past  high  priest  of  Boise  Chapter,  No.  3,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
generalissimo  of  Idaho  Commandery,  No.  1,  K.  T.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  chief  recreation  comes  from  hunting  and  fishing. 
In  politics  he  maintains  an  independent  course,  voting  for  the  candidate  whom 
he  regards  as  best  qualified  for  office  without  considering  party  ties.  He  has 
an  interesting  military  record,  having  formerly  belonged  to  Company  G  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  of  the  California  National  Guard,  and  he  is  the  proud  pos- 
sessor of  two  sharpshooter  medals  which  were  won  in  rifle  contests  during  his 
young  manhood  in  California.  He  belongs  to  both  the  Idaho  S^tate  Jewelers' 
Association  and  the  National  Jewelers'  Association. 


WARREN  A.    LINDSEY. 

Warren  A.  Lindsey,  lawyer  and  government  land  expert  whose  practice  is 
largely  before  the  United  States  land  office  in  Boise,  is  also  identified  with  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  city  as  proprietor  of  a  paint  store  at  709  Bannock 
street.  He  was  born  in  Centerburg,  Knox  county,  Ohio,  July  29,  1846,  and  is  the 
only  living  child  of  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  and  Maria  (Houk)  Lindsey,  the  former  a 
minister  of  the  Methodist  church.  The  father  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
and  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Knox  county  of  the  same  state.  He  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Ella  Lindsey,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland,  while  the  latter  was  born 
in  Denmark.  The  great-grandfather  of  Warren  A.  Lindsey  In  the  paternal  line 
came  to  America  from  Scotland  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war  and  served 
with  the  French  troops  who  were  giving  aid  to  the  colonies.  Throughout  the  in- 
tervening period  down  to  the  present  representatives  of  the  family  have  ever  been 
loyal  and  devoted  citizens  of  the  republic,  contributing  to  the  progress  and  im- 
provement of  the  various  communities  in  which  they  have  lived.  The  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Lindsey  spent  his  entire  life  in  Ohio  as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  faith  and  did 
much  to  further  the  moral  development  of  the  state. 

Warren  A.  Lindsey  was  reared  in  Knox,  Defiance  and  Williams  counties  of 
Ohio,  as  the  family  removed  from  place  to  place  according  to  the  itinerant  custom 
of  the  Methodist  ministry  at  that  time.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools  and  he  afterward  attended  Oberlin  College.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  in  the  quartermaster's  department,  though  but  a  boy  in  years,  and  it  was 
after  the  close  of  hostilities  that  he  pursued  his  college  course,  covering  three 
years.  He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Grant  and  Colfax  at  Rome  City,  Noble 
county,  Indiana,  in  the  year  1868. 

It  was  in  1869  that  Mr.  Lindsey  became  proprietor  of  a  drug  store  at  Brim- 
field,  Noble  county,  Indiana,  and  he  remained  in  the  drug  business  at  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  from  1869  until  1871.  In  the  latter  year  he  established  a  drug  store  in 
Licking  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1878.  He  then  made  his  way  west- 
ward to  Kansas,  where  he  lived  until  1899,  occupying  a  clerkship  in  the  govern- 
ment land  office  at  Kirwin,  that  state,  for  twenty-one  years.  He  likewise  became 
proprietor  of  a  drug  store  at  Kirwin,  which  was  conducted  by  his  younger  brother. 
In  1899  Mr.  Lindsey  of  this  review  removed  to  Boise.  He  had  previously  studied 
law  at  Kirwin  and  was  admitted  to  the  Kansas  bar  in' 1893.  Since  establishing  his 
home  in  Boise  he  has  practiced  his  profession  largely  before  the  United  States  land 

Yd.    II       II 


690  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

office  and  is  recognized  as  an  expert  in  land  matters.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
practice  of  this  class  and  he  has  been  accorded  a  large  clientage  of  this  character. 
He  is  likewise  proprietor  of  a  paint  store  at  709  Bannock  street  and  his  commercial 
interests  are  also  proving  to  him  a  source  of  gratifying  income. 

Mr.  Lindsey  is  married  and  has  three  children.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican, 
having  continuously  supported  the  party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right 
of  franchise,  or  for  a  period  of  more  than  a  half  century.  He  has  throughout  his 
entire  life  manifested  a  loyalty  and  public-spirited  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his 
country. 


V.   D.  HANNAH. 

The  thoroughness  which  has  characterized  the  life  work  of  V.  D.  Hannah,  his 
comprehensive  study  of  everything  bearing  upon  farming  and  stock  raising,  his»lauda- 
ble  ambition  and  his  indefatigable  energy  have  brought  him  to  a  point  not  of  second- 
ary prominence  but  of  actual  leadership  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  in  the  country. 
He  has  been  honored  with  many  positions  which  are  tangible  evidences  of  the  prom- 
inence to  which  he  has  attained  and  it  is  said  that  he  has  won  more  prizes  for  stock 
and  farm  products  than  any  other  resident  of  Idaho.  He  is  still  active  in  the  man- 
agement of  important  agricultural  interests,  although  he  has  now  passed  the  seventy- 
seventh  milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  county,  Indiana,  June  15, 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Meribah  (Baricklow)  Hannah,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  When  a  small  boy  the  father  removed  to  Indiana,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death  in  1879.  His  widow  survived  him  for  a  decade, 
passing  away  in  Indiana  in  1889. 

It  was  in  the  common  schools  of  the  Hoosier  state  that  V.  D.  Hannah  acquired 
his  early  education,  which  was  supplemented  by  study  in  Moores  Hill  College  and  two 
winter  courses  at  the  Greencastle  Agricultural  College,  now  known  as  the  famous 
Purdue  University,  where  he  specialized  in  scientific  methods  of  growing  corn  and 
raising  hogs.  These  courses,  however,  were  given  in  the  crudest  imaginable  manner 
as  compared  with  the  advanced  work  of  the  agricultural  colleges  of  the  present  day. 
When  his  school  training  was  completed  Mr.  Hannah  took  up  farming  in  connection 
with  his  father  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1862,  when  his  patriotic  spirit  dominated 
every  other  interest  in  his  life  and  he  joined  the  Second  Indiana  Light  Artillery.  He 
carries  a  Minie  ball  in  his  abdomen  as  a  memento  of  his  service  at  Pea  Ridge,  where 
General  Curtis  with  a  force  of  but  twelve  thousand  men  defeated  Generals  Price  and 
Van  Dorn,  who  had  a  combined  strength  of  twenty-five  thousand  Conferedate  troops. 
Following  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Hannah  received  an  honorable  discharge  on  the 
7th  of  July,  1865. 

Returning  to  his  home  with  a  most  creditable  military  record,  Mr.  Hannah  re- 
mained in  Indiana  until  1869,  when  he  started  west  on  the  Central  Pacific,  which  took 
him  as  far  as  Kelton,  Utah.  Prom  that  point  to  Union,  Oregon,  he  rode  and  walked 
alternately  until  his  destination  was  reached  in  the  month  of  October.  For  one  year 
he  was  employed  in  a  store  there,  after  which  he  removed  to  Boise,  Idaho,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  W.  B.  Carne  fruit  ranch,  in  which  he 
purchased  an  interest.  He  raised  fruit  for  two  years  and  then  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  business  and  made  investment  in  ten  acres  in  the  Arnold  addition  to 
Boise.  After  selling  that  property  he  removed  to  Mann  Creek  in  Washington  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  the  raising  of  registered  and  graded  cattle,  horses 
and  hogs.  He  also  raised  sheep  but  they  were  not  of  registered  stock.  Actuated  at 
all  times  by  the  most  progressive  spirit,  he  brought  the  first  pure  bred  poultry  into 
the  state  in  1875.  In  1900  he  sold  liis  ranch  in  Washington  county,  together  with  ten 
thousand  head  of  sheep,  and  purchased  his  present  place,  consisting  of  four  hundred 
acres,  considered  one  of  the  prize  ranches  of  the  Boise  valley.  Here  he  has  continued 
his  farming  and  the  raising  of  pure  bred  stock,  including  shorthorn  cattle,  Ram- 
bouillet  sheep,  Poland  China  hogs  and  several  fine  varieties  of  turkeys,  geese  and 
chickens.  It  is  like  attending  a  fine  stock  fair  to  visit  his  farm  and  see  the  splendid 
animals  and  poultry  that  he  has  produced.  He  spent  the  years  1917  and  1918  in  the 
interests  of  the  state,  appraising  land  which  was  being  offered  as  security  for  state 
loans,  and  proved  himself  eminently  qualified  to  fill  that  position.  At  different  periods 
Mr.  Hannah  has  been  called  upon  to  do  important  service  in  connection  with  agri- 


V.  D.  HANNAH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  693 

cultural  and  horticultural  development  in  the  United  States.  For  two  terms  he  served 
as  president  of  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Ohio  and  Switzerland  counties,  Indiana, 
being  the  first  president  elected  to  succeed  himself,  for  previous  to  this  time  each 
county  had  been  entitled  to  a  president  for  one  term  only  according  to  the  by-laws 
and  regulations.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Indiana  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  a 
director  of  the  Middle  District  State  Board  of  Horticulture,  a  member  of  the  Idaho 
State  Board  of  Horticulture,  commissioner  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  for 
Idaho  and  chief  of  the  department  of  agriculture  there  for  this  state,  president  of  the 
Canyon  County  Fair  Association,  chief  of  the  department  of  agriculture  at  the  Trans- 
Mississippi  Exposition,  chief  of  the  department  of  agriculture  and  horticulture  at  the 
Lewis  and  Clark  Centennial  Exposition  for  Idaho  and  still  other  positions  which  indi- 
cate the  high  standing  that  he  has  as  an  agriculturist  and  horticulturist,  his  opinions 
being  accepted  as  authority  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  on  many 
questions  relative  to  both  farming  and  fruit  raising.  He  has  ever  held  to  the  highest 
standards.  He  has  a  nature  that  could  never  be  content  with  mediocrity  nor  satisfied 
with  the  second  best.  He  has  followed  the  most  practical  and  scientific  lines  in  the 
cultivation  of  his  fields  and  the  development  of  his  herds  and  flocks  and  he  has  taken 
more  prizes  for  stock  and  farm  products  than  any  other  Idaho  resident. 

In  1869  Mr.  Hannah  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Hunter,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  schoolmate  of  her  future  husband.  They  have 
become  parents  of  eight  children:  Lloyd  N.,  forty-six  years  of  age,  who  is  farming 
with  his  father;  Thomas  W.,  deceased;  Meribah,  the  wife  of  Charles  A.  Hall,  who  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  at  Nampa;  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  D.  C.  Good- 
loe,  a  farmer  living  east  of  Caldwell;  Henry,  thirty-six  years  of  age,  who  married 
Jessie  Bayless,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  is  living  at  Wilder;  Eugene,  aged  thirty-four, 
who  married  Louvilla  Miller,  a  native  of  Idaho,  and  spends  most  of  his  time  in  travel 
as  an  expert  millwright;  Cora  B.,  living  at  home;  and  Leland  M.,  twenty-nine  years  of 
age.  also  at  home. 

Mr.  Hannah  is  a  man  six  feet  six  inches  in  height  and  as  straight  as  a  soldier. 
He  has  recently  erected  a  modern  nine-room  residence  beside  the  old  house  which  had 
done  service  since  he  located  upon  his  four  hundred  acre  farm.  His  present  fine  resi- 
dence is  so  located  that  it  commands  a  splendid  view  of  the  surrounding  valley  and 
his  own  farm,  with  its  excellent  improvements,  its  highly  cultivated  fields,  its  well 
kept,  orchards  and  its  high  grade  stock  constitutes  a  scene  of  beauty  for  all  who  have 
interest  in  agricultural  progress.  There  is  no  one  in  Idaho  more  conversant  with  its 
history  than  Mr.  Hannah.  He  now  has  in  his  possession  the  muzzle-loading  gun 
carried  by  the  Indian,  Big  Foot,  when  he  was  killed  by  Wheeler. 


H.  W.  ROBINSON. 

H.  W.  Robinson  is  numbered  among  those  men  whose  success  in  previous  years 
now  enables  them  to  live  retired.  He  is  thus  spending  the  evening  of  life  in  a  pleas- 
ant home  in  Caldwell,  Idaho.  He  has  passed  the  seventy-second  milestone  on  life's 
journey  but  is  still  alert  and  enterprising,  keeping  in  touch  with  the  leading  ques- 
tions and  issues  of  the  day.  For  a  long  period  he  was  identified  with  farming  and 
was  also  identified  with  contract  work  and  irrigation  projects.  A  native  of  Minne- 
sota, he  was  born  in  Goodhue  county  about  twelve  miles  from  Rochester,  September 
24,  1847,  his  parents,  William  S.  and  Rebecca  (Clark)  Robinson,  being  natives 
of  the  state  of  New  York.  Both  passed  away  in  Minnesota,  the  former  in  1892  and 
the  latter  in  1895. 

H.  W.  Robinson  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  manifested  his  patriotism  by  enlisting  December  4,  1863, 
in  Company  D,  Bracketts  Minnesota  Battalion,  and  he  remained  in  the  service 
until  May,  1866,  when  he  was  mustered  out.  Later  he  went  upon  the  road  as  a  com- 
mercial traveler  for  C.  Aultman,  of  Canton,  Ohio,  whom  he  thus  represented  for 
ten  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Russell  &  Company  of  Massillon,  Ohio, 
manufacturers  and  distributors  of  threshing  machinery,  which  Mr.  Robinson  han- 
dled for  them  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  He  next  entered  the  employ  of  the 
J.  I.  Case  Threshing  Machine  Company,  with  which  he  continued  for  six  years,  when 
he  became  connected  with  Kingman  &  Company  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  handling  farm 
implements  of  every  kind.  He  traveled  out  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  covered 


694  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

northern  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota  and  a  part  of  Manitoba,  Canada.  He  was 
in  the  employ  of  that  company  when  he  came  to  Idaho  in  1897.  Pleased  with  the 
country,  he  located  on  twenty  acres  of  raw  sagebrush  land  on  the  Roswell  bench  in 
Canyon  county.  This  land  he  at  once  cleared  and  brought  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  later  he  purchased  an  additional  eighteen  and  a  third  acres,  which  he 
continued  to  farm  until  the  fall  of  1918,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  bought  a  home 
in  Caldwell  at  1802  Dearborn  street.  Here  he  has  since  lived  retired  from  active 
business  life,  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest.  He  and  his  sons,  who  are  capable  busi- 
ness men,  did  a  large  amount  of  contract  work  on  the  irrigation  projects  and  thus 
through  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  Mr.  Robinson  has  been  active  in  the 
further  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state. 

In  1885  Mr.  Robinson  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Maxfield,  a  native  of  Man- 
hato,  Minnesota,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  sons.  Willard,  thirty- 
one  years  of  age,  was  educated  in  California,  where  he  pursued  a  course  in  elec- 
trical engineering.  For  a  year  he  was  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  after  which  he  returned  to  Idaho  and  for  two  years  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Idaho  Light  &  Power  Company,  following  which  he  took  charge  of 
the  Gem  State  irrigation  district  in  the  capacity  of  electrical  engineer  and  superin- 
tendent and  has  thus  been  in  business  for  the  past  six  years.  In  1912  he  married 
Rachel  Smith,  of  Minnesota,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Marianna. 
Kinsey,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  the  second  son  of  the  family,  is  local  manager  at 
Parma,  Idaho,  of  the  Idaho  Light  &  Power  Company  and  is  a  capable  young  busi- 
ness man.  J.  Reid,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  is  still  in  school. 

When  Mr.  Robinson  first  settled  on  the  Roswell  bench  a  short  distance  across 
the  river  from  Parma  there  was  no  bridge  at  that  place  and  it  was  necessary  to 
ford  the  river  although  the  water  frequently  ran  into  the  wagon  bed.  The  country 
was  wild  and  undeveloped  and  it  was  generally  believed  that  the  section  never 
would  amount  to  anything  but  today  it  is  one  of  the  garden  spots  of  Idaho.  There 
was  no  depot,  it  being  just  a  flag  station.  With  the  work  of  development  and  im- 
provement Mr.  Robinson  was  closely  associated  and  has  contributed  to  the  remark- 
able results  which  have  been  achieved  in  the  reclamation  of  the  district.  He  and 
his  wife,  a  lady  of  pleasing  manner  and  refinement,  are  held  in  high  esteem  and 
their  home  is  the  abode  of  warm-hearted  hospitality  which  is  greatly  enjoyed  by 
their  many  friends.  The  life  experiences  of  Mr.  Robinson  are  varied,  as  he  has 
traveled  over  the  country  in  the  interests  of  various  commercial  concerns  and  he  is 
a  man  possessed  of  that  broad  and  liberal  culture  which  travel  brings. 


JAMES  L.   DENMAN. 

James  L.  Denman  is  the  manager  of  the  Ada  Realty  Company  of  Boise,  where 
he  has  made  his  home  since  1912.  He  still  remains  active  in  business,  although 
he  has  passed  the  seventy-third  milestone  on  life's  journey,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  February  6,  1846.  The  Denman  family  has  long 
been  established  in  America.  They  come  of  good  English  stock  and  were  possessors 
of  a  coat  of  arms.  The  branch  that  was  planted  on  American  soil  in  colonial  days, 
however,  espoused  the  cause  of  liberty  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  being 
represented  by  active  service  with  the  American  troops. 

James  L.  Denman  is  the  only  living  child  of  Jacob  S.  and  Salina  (Lion)  Den- 
man, both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  He  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in  Minnesota, 
the  family  having  removed  to  that  state  in  1852,  when  he  was  a  little  lad  of  but  six 
summers.  Following  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  joined  the  Union  army  as  a 
private  of  a  Minnesota  regiment  and  valiantly  defended  the  interests  of  the  federal 
government  on  the  battlefields  of  the  south.  When  the  country  no  longer  needed 
his  military  aid  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  and  for  twenty-eight  years 
was  upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman,  and  for  ten  years  was  a  merchant  in  the 
Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota.  With  his  arrival  in  Boise  in  1912  he  became  interested 
in  the  real  estate  business  and  for  three  years  was  associated  with  Edward  Stein.  In 
May,  1918,  he  and  his  son-in-law,  George  A.  Jones,  purchased  the  Ada  Realty  Company, 
of  which  Mr.  Denman  has  since  been  the  manager,  with  Mr.  Jones  as  the  secretary. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  695 

The  company  has  promoted  and  controlled  large  real  estate  Interests  and  activities  in 
Boise,  resulting  in  the  attainment  of  gratifying  success. 

Mr.  Denman  was  married  in  Minnesota,  July  16,  1872,  to  Miss  Emma  A. 
Phelps,  who  passed  away  in  Boise,  May  2,  1917,  after  forty-five  years  of  happy 
wedded  ffe.  Mr.  Denman  has  but  one  living  child,  Charlotte  Lozier,  now  the  wife 
of  George  A.  Jones,  and  their  marriage,  celebrated  in  1908,  was  blessed  with  one 
child,  Georgene  Denman  Jones,  born  December  31,  1910. 

Mr.  Denman  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and  maintains 
pleasant  relations  with  his  old  military  comrades  through  connection  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  For  six  years,  while  in  South  Dakota,  he  was  quar- 
termaster in  the  Battle  Mountain  Sanitarium,  N.  H.  D.  V.  S.,  with  the  rank  of 
captain  and  he  has  long  been  deeply  interested  in  anything  that  concerns  the 
welfare  of  the  "boys  in  blue."  In  matters  of  citizenship  he  has  always  been  as 
true  and  loyal  to  his  country  as  when  he  followed  the  nation's  starry  banner  on  the 
battlefields  of  the  south.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


HARRY   L.   FISHER. 

Harry  L.  Fisher,  member  of  the  Boise  bar  since  1907  and  a  recognized  leader 
in  republican  ranks  in  Ada  county,  was  born  January  20,  1873,  on  a  farm  in 
Daviess  county,  Missouri,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (King)  Fisher,  who  were  natives 
of  Ohio  and  of  Pennsylvania  respectively.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Fisher, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  war,  going  to  the  front  with  an  Ohio 
regiment,  and  the  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  King,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  joined  the  "boys  in  blue"  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment.  Following  the  close 
of  the  war  the  latter  removed  with  his  family  to  Missouri,  his  daughter  Mary 
being  then  in  girlhood.  John  Fisher  spent  the  period  of  his  minority  in  the  Buck- 
eye state,  where  he  represented  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families,  and  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war  he  became  a  resident  of  Missouri,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing for  many  years,  residing  in  Daviess  county.  In  1898  he  removed  to  Idaho, 
settling  on  an  improved  ranch  about  four  miles  distant  from  Boise,  and  there 
his  wife  passed  away  in  1904.  John  Fisher  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

The  youthful  experiences  of  Harry  L.  Fisher  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years  were 
those  of  the  farm-bred  boy,  his  time  being  passed  on  the  old  homestead  in  Mis- 
souri. He  attended  the  public  schools  and  afterward  entered  the  Kidder  Institute 
of  Kidder,  Missouri.  In  early  manhood  he  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching, 
which  he  followed  first  in  his  native  state  and  afterward  in  Ada  county,  Idaho, 
subsequent  to  his  removal  to  this  state  in  1891.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  the 
mines  at  Idaho  City,  but  his  inclination  was  toward  a  professional  career  and  with 
this  end  in  view  he  entered  the  Leland  Stanford  University  of  California,  where 
he  pursued  a  thorough  course  in  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Idaho  bar  in  1896, 
upon  examination  before  the  supreme  court,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898  he  entered 
upon  the  active  work  of  his  profession  in  Idaho  City.  Advancement  in  the  law  is 
proverbially  slow  and  yet  Mr.  Fisher  made  steady  progress,  proving  his  ability  in 
the  capable  manner  in  which  he  prepared  and  conducted  his  cases.  For  two  terms 
he  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Boise  county,  being  elected  first  in  1902  and 
again  in  1904.  In  this  connection  a  local  paper  eaid:  "Mr.  Fisher's  work  as  pros- 
ecuting attorney  has  been  most  thorough  and  satisfactory.  He  has  made  it  a 
practice  to  attend  personally  all  prosecutions  and  examinations  in  the  justices' 
courts,  and  as  a  result  there  has  not  been  one  case  dismissed  because  of  irregular- 
ities and  informalities  in  the  papers,  the  while  every  case  prosecuted  has  resulted 
in  a  conviction,  with  one  exception.  Again,  the  fines  imposed  in  these  courts  dur- 
ing Mr.  Fisher's  term  have  been  sufficient  to  pay  all  expenses  incurred  in  them, 
while  heretofore  they  have  been  a  source  of  great  expense  to  the  county.  The 
costs  in  the  St.  Cyr  murder  case  were  necessarily  heavy,  because  of  the  distance 
traveled  by  the  witnesses,  but  were  materially  reduced  because  of  the  fact  that  the 
county  attorney  went  in  person  to  interview  the  witnesses,  thereby  saving  the  ex- 
pense of  calling  many  whose  testimony  would  have  been  immaterial.  The  St.  Cyr 
murder  trial  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  exciting  ever  tried  in  the  county. 
There  was  but  one  eye-witness  to  the  murder,  and  soon  after  the  tragedy  an  effort 


696  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

was  made  to  spirit  this  witness  out  of  the  state.  But  this  action  was  thwarted  by 
the  prompt  action  of  the  county  attorney  and  sheriff.  Mr.  Fisher  did  not  have 
assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  this  case,  and  it  was  evident  to  all  who  crowded 
the  courtroom  during  the  trial  that  he  did  not  need  any,  although  pitted  against 
James  H.  Hawley,  the  ablest  criminal  lawyer  in  the  state.  It  was  expAted  that 
Mr.  Fisher  would  vigorously  prosecute  the  case  and  acquit  himself  in  a  creditable 
manner,  but  it  was  not  anticipated  that  he  would  cope  on  equal  terms  with  such 
an  experienced  and  able  lawyer  as  Mr.  Hawley,  and  even  force  the  latter  to  the  wall, 
as  was  done  many  times  during  this  stubborn  contest."  The  Worrt,  in  commenting 
on  this  trial  at  the  time,  said: 

"County  Attorney  Fisher's  argument  in  the  St.  Cyr  case  is  pronounced  by  all 
who  heard  it  as  being  second  to  none  in  point  of  clear  reasoning  and  incisive  logic 
they  ever  listened  to  in  a  courtroom  in  Idaho  City.  The  way  he  has  carried  this  case 
all  through  entitles  him  to  great  credit  and  the  hearty  congratulations  of  every 
good  citizen  in  the  county.  The  neatness  and  dispatch  with  which  he  obliterated 
testimony  for  the  defense  in  cross  examinations,  illustrated  the  keenness  and  quick- 
ness of  his  intellect.  Every  detail  of  the  theory  of  the  defense  fell  flat." 

Mr.  Fisher  again  became  a  candidate  for  office  in  the  spring  of  1904,  when  he 
was  nominated  for  membership  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  Idaho  City.  The  Idaho 
Weekly  World  wrote:  "The  tieket  upon  which  he  ran  was  pledged  to  certain  re- 
forms in  event,  of  election.  The  opposition  singled  out  Mr.  Fisher  and  made  a  per- 
sonal and  bitter  fight  against  him  because,  as  they  alleged,  he  was  in  favor  of 
moving  the  county  seat.  One  of  his  opponents  became  faint-hearted  and  told  the 
others  that  'There  is  no  use  fighting  Fisher.  The  people  will  vote  for  him  even  if 
he  threatens  to  burn  the  town  the  next  minute.'  The  people  did  vote  for  him  and 
elected  him  by  a  vote  of  more  than  three  to  one;  what  is  more,  the  pledges  of  the 
campaign  have  already  been  carried  out." 

Mr.  Fisher  remained  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Idaho  City  until 
1907,  when  he  sought  the  broader  field  offered  in  Boise  and  became  a  resident  of 
the  capital.  In  the  intervening  period  of  twelve  years  he  has  secured  a  clientage 
that  is  large  and  distinctively  representative  in  character,  connecting  him  with  much 
important  litigation  heard  in  the  courts  of  £he  district.  In  addition  to  his  law 
practice  he  has  mining  and  irrigation  interests. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1897,  Mr.  Fisher  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Anna  Ott,  a 
native  of  Ada  county  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  Ott,  a  well  known  ranchman  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  have  one  daughter,  Doris  W.,  eighteen 
years  of  age,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school  with  the  class  of  1918. 
Mrs.  Fisher  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Fisher  belongs  to  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  along  strictly  professional  lines  his  connection  is  with  the 
Ada  County  Bar  Assoication  and  the  Idaho  State  Bar  Association.  Certain  char- 
acteristics stand  out  as  salient  qualities  in  his  career,  including  loyalty  and  pro- 
gressiveness  in  citizenship  and  faithfulness  to  any  cause  which  he  espouses,  while 
his  devotion  to  his  clients'  interests  has  become  proverbial. 


BENJAMIN  H.  READ. 

Benjamin  H.  Read,  president  of  the  Post  Company,  publishers  of  the  Idaho  Falls 
Daily  Post,  of  which  he  is  the  editor,  and  a  most  progressive  resident  of  Idaho  Falls, 
was  born  in  Kansas,  October  18,  1888,  a  son  of  Wallace  and  Gertrude  (Garrison)  Read, 
who  were  natives  of  Iowa.  The  father  followed  merchandising  for  many  years,  being 
a  pioneer  merchant  of  Rooks  county,  Kansas,  and  he  was  later  engaged  in  the  same 
business  in  Ames,  Iowa.  He  and  his  wife  now  make  their  home  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  business. 

Benjamin  H.  Read  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Iowa,  where  he 
pursued  his  education,  being  graduated  from  Grinnell  College  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  with 
the  class  of  1910.  He  afterwards  took  up  newspaper  work  at  Ames,  being  employed 
on  the  Ames  Times,  and  in  1912  he  became  a  partner  in  the  ownership  of  the  plant. 
In  1914  he  took  over  the  entire  management  of  the  business  and  in  the  same  year 
established  a  daily  paper,  becoming  the  youngest  publisher  of  a  daily  paper  in  the 
state  of  Iowa.  He  also  had  one  of  the  largest  job  printing  plants  in  the  state,  conducting 
a  business  of  extensive  and  gratifying  proportions. 


BENJAMIN  H.  READ 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  699 

Attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  growing  west,  however,  Mr.  Read  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  Iowa  in  1917  and  removed  to  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  controlling  interest  in  the  Idaho  Falls  Daily  Post.  He  has  since  con- 
ducted this  paper  with  good  success.  He  has  enlarged  the  plant  to  a  considerable 
extent  and  through  his  enterprising  efforts  the  circulation  of  the  paper  has  been 
almost  doubled.  He  now  issues  more  than  three  thousand  copies,  wjiich  are  sent  out 
to  more  farm  homes  than  any  other  newspaper  in  this  section  of  the  state.  During 
the  period  of  the  World  war  he  kept  in  close  touch  witto  the  news  so  vital  to  the 
country  and  almost  every  day  had  calls  for  news  from  towns  covering  a  radius  of 
seventy-five  miles.  At  the  same  time  the  company  of  which  he  is  president  is  con- 
ducting a  large  job  printing  business  and  the  work  turned  out  is  of  most  excellent 
character.  Mr.  Read  purchased  one  of  the  Goss  Comet  perfecting  presses  in  the 
intermountain  west  and  in  every  particular  his  plant  is  thoroughly  modern  in  its 
equipment  and  in  the  methods  of  business.  The  Post  is  recognized  as  the  official  city 
paper  of  Idaho  Falls,  and  in  addition  to  his  connection  therewith  Mr.  Read  has  become 
the  owner  of  city  property  at  Ames,  Iowa. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1913,  Mr.  Read  was  married  to  Miss  Leone  Graves  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Wynn  Garrison,  born  November  25,  1914;  and 
Janet  Virginia,  born  December  29,  1916. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Read  has  ever  manifested  a  deep  interest  and  became 
a  member  of  the  city  council  to  fill  out  ait  unexpired  term.  He  was  also  secretary  of 
the  Commercial  Club  of  Ames,  Iowa,  and  secretary  of  the  Ames  Improvement  Com- 
pany, associations  which  indicate  the  progressive  spirit  that  has  ever  actuated  him. 
He  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  his  political  belief  is  that 
of  the  republican  party,  while  in  religious  faith  he  is  connected  with  the  Methodist 
church.  A  spirit  of  advancement  has  been  the  dominant  force  in  his  life.  Each  for- 
ward step  which  he  has  taken  has  brought  him  a  broader  outlook  and  wider  oppor- 
tunities, and  he  has  made  continuous  progress,  being  now  closely  associated  with  the 
development  of  his  adopted  city  as  one  of  the  representative  business  men  and  as  a 
leading  journalist  of  Idaho. 


ANDRE  G.  MARION. 

Andre  G.  Marion  is  closely  associated  with  commercial  and  industrial  inter- 
ests of  Boise  as  the  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Boise  "Lumber  Com- 
pany and  as  owner  of  a  sawmill  in  the  eastern  part  of  .the  city.  He  was  born 
in  Paris.  France.  April  10,  1878,  the  youngest  child  of  Edmund  P.  and  Maria 
(Rankin)  Marion,  the  former  of  French  descent,  while  the  latter  was  of  Scotch 
lineage.  Both  passed  away  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  The  father  came  to  the 
new  world  in  1848  and  for  a  term  taught  school  in  Kentucky.  In  1850  he 
went  to  California  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
on  the  trip  was  accompanied  by  his  younger  brother,  Paul.  They  made  the 
journey  across  the  hot  stretches  of  sand  and  over  the  mountain  passes  on  the 
back  of  mules.  Paul  Marion  later  served  in  the  Civil  war.  Edmund  P.  Marion 
returned  to  Paris,  France,  his  native  city,  and  he  and  his  wife  resided  there  for 
several  years  before  again  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1883.  Edmund  P. 
Marion  had  wedded  Maria  Rankin  in  Illinois,  during  the  period  of  his  first  sojourn 
in  the  United  States,  and  their  son,  Andre  G.  was  a  lad  of  five  years  when  they 
again  came  to  the  new  world  in  1883,  the  family  home  being  established  in  .Elgin, 
Illinois. 

It  was  there  that  Andre  G.  Marion  was  reared  and  in  the  acquirement  of  his 
education  he  was  graduated  from  the  Elgin  Academy  and  later  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  won  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
in  1899.  He  afterward  pursued  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago and  thus  liberal  educational  training  well  qualified  him  for  life's  practical 
and  responsible  duties.  For  a  few  years  he  was  employed  at  Elgin 'and  Chicago 
as  a  chemist,  having  specialized  in  his  studies  in  both  colleges  along  that  line. 
In  1903  he  removed  to  the  west,  with  Boise  as  his  destination,  and  has  since 
been  identified  with  the  lumber  trade  of  this  city  as  a  manufacturer  and  sales- 
man of  lumber.  When  he  first  came  to  Boise  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Page  &  Mott  Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  was  chosen  vice  president.  In 


700  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

1909  this  was  merged  into  the  present  Boise  Lumber  Company  and  of  the  new 
concern  Mr.  Marion  became  the  president  and  general  manager,  with  C.  W. 
Quinlan  as  vice  president  and  T.  A.  Mott  as  secretary-treasurer.  The  yards 
and  office  are  located  on  South  Sixth  and  Railroad  streets  and  the  mill  is  on 
Warm  Springs  avenue  in  East  Boise.  It  was  established  there  in  the  late  '60s 
by  a  Mr.  Clark  and  has  been  in  continuous  operation  since  that  day.  It  is  the 
oldest  sawmill  in  Boise  and  has  a  capacity  of  thirty  thousand  feet  of  lumber 
per  day.  A  large  amount  of  the  lumber  used  in  the  buildings  of  Boise  has 
been  supplied  by  this  mill  and  the  company  now  enjoys  an  extensive  trade,  mak- 
ing their  business  one  of  the  important  industrial  and  commercial  interests  of 
the  city.  The  firm  belongs  to  the  Retail  Lumber  Dealers'  Association  of  the 
Pacific  Coast. 

In  April,  1902,  Mr.  Marion  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Chassee,  of  Elgin, 
Illinois,  who  was  born  in  that  state  and  is  of  French  descent.  They  have  a 
daughter  Marie,  who  was  born  February  28,  1903,  and  is  now  a  sophomore  in 
the  Boise  high  school.  Mr.  Marion  belongs  to  the  Boise  Golf  Club,  which  indi- 
cates''^^ chief  source  of  recreation,  as  he  greatly  enjoys  a  game  on  the  green. 
He  does  not  allow  this,  however,  to  interfere  with  his  business  affairs.  In  the 
lumber  trade  he  found  a  congenial  occupation  and  by  the  careful  direction  of 
his  interests  and  thoroughly  progressive  and  reliable  business  methods  he  has 
built  up  a  concern  that  is  now  of  large  and  profitable  proportions. 


GEORGE    B.    RICHES. 

George  B.  Riches,  filling  the  office  of  city  clerk  at  Idaho  Falls,  was  born 
in  Bonneville  county,  Idaho,  April  2,  1888,  and  is  a  son  of  George  B.  and  Mary 
E.  (Mann)  Riches,  who  were  natives  of  Utah.  The  father  followed  farming 
in  that  state  and  in  1880  went,  to  Wyoming,  where  he  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing until  1883.  In  the  latter  year  he  arrived  in  Bonneville  county,  Idaho,  and 
purchased  land  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Idaho  Falls.  This  he  at  once  began 
to  cultivate  and  improve  and  was  actively  engaged  in  farming  that  land  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  accidentally  drowned  in  May,  1888,  when  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  and  the  mother  is  still  living,  making  her  home  at  Idaho  Falls. 

George  B.  Riches  spent  his  youthful  days  in  Idaho  Falls  and  after  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  was  made  deputy  county  clerk  of  what  was 
then  Bingham  county.  He  so  served  until  the  county  was  divided  in  1911,  when 
he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  Bonneville  county  and  occupied  that  position 
until  May,  1915,  under  his  brother-in-law.  He  afterward  served  as  deputy 
assessor  until  October  1,  1915,  when  he  was  appointed  city  clerk  and  has  twice 
been  elected  to  the  position,  a  fact  indicative  of  his  capability  and  fidelity  in 
office.  In  addition  to  his  public  service  he  is  maintaining  an  insurance  agency 
and  writes  a  considerable  amount  of  insurance  each  year. 

On  the  24th  of  December  1910,  Mr.  Riches  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy 
Seedall  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children:  Helen  M.,  who  was 
born  September  10,  1914;  and  Russell  R.,  born  November  29,  1915.  The  religious 
faith  of  Mr.  Riches  is  that  of  the.  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
Politically  he  is  a  republican  and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  Bonneville  county, 
and  that  his  record  ha's  ever  been  an  honorable  one  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that 
many  of  his  stanchest  friends  are  those  who  have  known  him  from  his  boyhood 
days  to  the  present. 


JOHN   L.    CHILD. 

John  L.  Child,  conducting  business  under  the  name  of  the  Hyde  Park  Phar- 
macy, has  been  identified  with  the  drug  trade  of  Boise  since  1914,  when  he 
came  to  this  city  from,  Ogden,  Utah.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the 
Overland  Pharmacy  for  about  four  months  and  later  for  nearly  three  years  was 
a  clerk  in  the  Owyhee  Pharmacy.  On  the  17th  of  July,  1917  he  purchased  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  701 

Hyde  Park  Pharmacy  on  North  Thirteenth  street  as  a  partner  of  W.  L.  Athay, 
his  former  employer  in  the  Owyhee  Pharmacy,  but  in  1918  he  bought  his  part- 
ner's interest  and  became  sole  owner. 

Before  removing  to  Boise,  Mr.  Child  had  always  been  a  resident  of  Ogden, 
where  his  birth  occurred  June  12,  1882.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  U.  and  Atelia 
(Thompson)  Child.  The  mother  passed  away  July  7,  1914,  but  the  father  still 
makes  his  home  in  Ogden.  He  was  formerly  a  railroad  man  but  later  took  up 
the  business  of  contracting.  He  was  born  in  Weber  county,  Utah,  about  four 
miles  from  Ogden,  and  is  a  son  of  John  L.  Child,  who  removed  to  Utah  from 
the  state  of  New  York  in  the  early  days  of  the  development  of  the  territory  of 
Utah. 

John  L.  Child  of  this  review  was  named  for  his  grandfather.  He  was 
reared  in  Ogden  and  pursued  his  education  in  its  public  schools.  When  a  lad 
of  seventeen  years  he  began  learning  the  drug  trade,  with  which  he  has  since  been 
connected,  acquainting  himself  with  the  business  through  work  behind  the  counter. 
He  has  been  a  registered  pharmacist  since  1905  and  is  now  thoroughly  familiar 
with  every  phase  of .  the  drug  trade.  He  carries  a  large  and  carefully  selected 
stock  of  standard  made  goods  and  his  establishment  is  rapidly  finding  favor  with 
the  public,  winning  a  liberal  patronage. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1903,  Mr.  Child  was  married  in  Rexburg,  Idaho, 
to  Miss  Lenore  Dwight  and  they  have  two  children:  Francelle,  born  May  25, 
1905;  and  Bill,  born  October  3,  1906.  Mr.  Child  is  an  Elk.  He  finds  recrea- 
tion in  fishing  and  hunting  and  is  also  much  interested  in  athletics.  He  is  an 
alert,  energetic  and  enterprising  young  business  man  who  is  making  substantial 
advance  toward  the  goal  of  prosperity. 


CLARENCE  H.  WAYMIRE. 

Clarence  H.  Waymire  is  proprietor  of  a  large  retail  grocery  and  general  sup- 
ply store  at  No.  1521  North  Thirteenth  street  in  Boise.  His  place  is  situated  in 
that  part  of  the  city  known  as  Hyde  Park  and  he  owns  more  than  one-half  of  the 
business  property  in  that  district.  He  has  resided  continuously  in  the  capital  since 
1884,  coming  to  Idaho  in  that  year  from  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born 
upon  a  farm  March  27,  1862.  His  parents,  Horace  C.  and  Helen  M.  (Hunt)  Way- 
mire,  were  natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  born  in  Cleveland  and  the  latter  in  Tiffin. 
They  were  married  in  the  Buckeye  state  but  prior  to  the  Civil  war  removed  to 
Decatur  county,.  Iowa,  making  the  trip  in  a  covered  wagon  and  casting  !n  their  lot 
with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  section.  The  father  followed  farming  throughout 
his  entire  life  save  for  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  responded  to  the  coun- 
try's call  for  troops,  enlisting  in  defense  of  the  Union  cause.  He  and  his  wife  re- 
moved to  Boise  in  1902  in  order  to  be  near  their  son,  Clarence  H.  Waymire,  and 
here  on  the  12th  of  March.  1907,  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  their  mar- 
riage having  occurred  fifty  years  before  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  They  were  permitted 
to  travel  life's  journey  together  for  seven  years  longer,  the  death  of  the  father 
occurring  June  27,  1914,  while  the  mother  passed  away  October  1,  1915,  both 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  On  the  occasion  of  their  golden  wedding 
celebration  al!  of  their  children  were  present  and  a  most  interesting  picture  of 
the  family  group  was  made.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  Ella,  the  wife  of  O.  B.  Slater;  Eva,  the  wife  of  S.  G 
Caldwell;  Clarence  H.;  Lee  H. ;  and  Sidney  Ralph.  All  of  the  brothers  and  sisters 
reside  in  Idaho,  the  three  sons  being  in  Boise,  while  the  daughters  are  residents  of 
Elmore  county. 

Clarence  H.  Waymire  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  situated  Just  outside 
the  corporation  limits  of  Garden  Grove,  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  and  he  obtained  his 
early  education  in  the  schools  of  that  town.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age,  or  in 
1884,  he  came  to  Idaho  and  has  since  lived  in  Boise  and  vicinity.  He  was  first 
employed  at  farm  work  for  a  few  years  and  "pitched  hay  in  fields  that  are  now  a 
part  of  the  city."  He  first  embarked  in  business  independently  as  owner  of  a 
dairy,  purchasing  the  old  Tom  Gess  dairy,  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  which  was 
forty-eight  cows,  in  1891.  After  conducting  the  business  for  five  years  he  sold  out 
in  1896  and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in  driving  wells,  having  his  own  ma- 


702  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

chinery  and  outfit.  Scores  of  the  Waymire  wells  are  still  in  use  in  Boise  and 
throughout  the  district.  In  1901  he  purchased  a  vacant  business  lot  at  the  corner 
of  North  Thirteenth  and  Eastman  streets  and  thereon  erected  a  small  frame  build- 
ing and  opened  a  little  grocery  store.  At  that  period  all  that  portion  of  Boise  now 
known  as  Hyde  Park,  and  of  which  the  Waymire  establishment  is  the  center,  was 
practically  commons.  Mr.  Waymire  with  the  able  assistance  of  his  wife  has  con- 
ducted a  most  profitable  mercantile  business  on  this  corner  and  in  1909  moved  the 
little  frame  store  to  the  rear  end  of  the  lot  and  erected  a  splendid  two-story  con- 
crete business  block,  thirty  by  eighty  feet,  in  front,  with  basement  under  the 
entire  building.  The  second  story  consists  of  three  apartments  of  fourteen  rooms 
and  one  of  these  'apartments  was  fitted  up  as  his  own  home,  while  the  other  two  are 
rented.  As  the  years  have  passed  Mr.  Waymire  has  not  only  developed  an  exten- 
sive and  gratifying  trade  but  has  also  made  large  investments  in  property  in  this 
district  of  the  city.  He  has  added  to  his  original  holdings  until  the  Waymire  prop- 
erties cover  almost  the  entire  block  on  the  west  side  of  North  Thirteenth  street  be- 
tween Eastman  and  Alturas  streets.  All  of  the  lots  in  the  block  have  been  built 
upon  by  Mr.  Waymire  and  the  buildings  now  accommodate  nine  different  lines  of 
business.  His  property  holdings  constitute  a  most  profitable  source  of  revenue  and 
stand  as  monuments  to  his  enterprise  and  sound  business  judgment. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Waymire  was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  E. 
Cox,  the  ceremony  being  performed  at  Leon,  Iowa.  They  had  become  acquainted  in 
their  childhood  days.  They  have  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Donald 
C.;  Carmi  C.;  and  Helen,  now  the  wife  of  C.  J.  Rathman,  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota. 
The  sons  were  in  the  military  service,  Donald  being  in  France,  while  Carmi  was  at 
Camp  Lewis.  There  is  also  one  grandson  and  a  granddaughter,  Darvin  Rathman, 
now  in  his  third  year,  and  Phyllis  May. 

Mr.  Waymire  is  a  republican  in  politics  but  not  an  aspirant  for  office.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow.  His  time  and  energies,  however,  have 
largely  been  concentrated  upon  his  business  affairs  and  the  wise  conduct  of  his 
interests  has  made  him  one  of  the  most  substantial  residents  of  his  section  of  the 
city.  He  is  today  numbered  among  Boise's  pioneers,  having  lived  here  for  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century,  and  his  business  advancement  has  been  commensurate 
with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  capital. 


HON.  EDWARD  HEDDEN. 

Hon.  Edward  Hedden,  as  United  States  surveyor  general  for  the  state  of  Idaho, 
occupies  a  position  of  importance,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharges  with  ability, 
faithfulness  and  tact.  He  now  makes  his  home  in  Boise  but  formerly  resided  in 
Caldwell,  Idaho.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  November 
12,  18G4,  and  was  an  only  child,  his  parents  being  Aaron  C.  and  Agnes  Estella  (Terry) 
Hedden,  both  descendants  of  old  New  York  families,  members  of  which  participated 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  One  of  the  great-grandfathers  of  our  subject  on  the  pa- 
ternal side  was  a  captain  in  that  conflict,  serving  on  the  Colonial  side.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Aaron  C.  Hedden  have  now  passed  away,  the  mother  dying  in  Rochester,  Minnesota, 
when  her  son  Edward  was  but  three  years  of  age.  The  family  had  removed  from 
New  York  state  to  Rochester  in  1865,  there  settling  amid  pioneer  conditions.  The 
father  subsequently  married  Martha  A.  Ganoung  and  to  that  union  were  born  a  son 
and  a  daughter:  Ray  G.,  of  Caldwell,  Idaho;  and  Mrs.  Emma  Agnes  Penny,  of  Yonkers, 
New  York.  Aaron  C.  Hedden  later  in  life  took  up  his  abode  in  Idaho  and  died  in 
Caldwell  a  few  years  ago  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  being  survived  by  his  widow, 
who  now  resides  in  New  York  state. 

After  his  mother's  death  Edward  Hedden  and  his  father  returned  to  Tompkins 
county,  New  York,  where  the  son  was  reared  on  a  farm.  He  acquired  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  subsequently  took  up  civil  engineering,  being  graduated 
from  the  department  of  civil  engineerng  of  Cornell  University  in  1887.  He  at  once 
entered  upon  his  profession,  which  he  continued  to  follow  from  1887  to  the  time  of  his 
appointment  as  surveyor  general  of  Idaho  by  President  Wilson  in  1916.  For  many 
years  he  was  engaged  in  railway  construction  supervision  in  the  service  of  the  Northern 
Pacific,  the  Burlington  and  the  Union  Pacific.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1891  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  and  located  at  Caldwell.  During  his  residence  there 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  705 

he  served  for  three  terms  as  surveyor  of  Canyon  county  and  was  city  engineer  of 
Caldwell  for  some  time.  During  this  period  he  was  also  engaged  in  private  engineer- 
ing work,  being  particularly  connected  with  irrigation  projects.  He  was  chief  engineer 
of  construction  on  the  Farmers  Union  ditch  in  Ada  and  Canyon  counties  and  was  em- 
ployed in  a  similar  capacity  on  other  irrigation  work.  For  four  years  he  was  con- 
struction engineer  for  the  reclamation  service  of  the  government  in  Idaho.  His  presi- 
dential appointment  as  surveyor  general  of  the  state  came  to  him  on  the  29th  of 
August,  1916,  his  new  duties  making  necessary  his  removal  to  Boise. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1897,  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  Mr.  Hedden  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Kittle  Lee  Callaway,  a  native  of  that  city  and  a  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Abner 
Early  Callaway,  who  as  one  of  the  famous  '49ers  went  from  Missouri  to  California  and 
came  to  Idaho  from  the  Golden  state  during  early  pioneer  days  in  this  district.  He 
was  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war  and  was  prominent  and  powerful  in 
democratic  circles,  serving  for  several  terms  in  the  legislature. 

Mr.  Hedden  is  prominent  in  the  Masons,  having  attained  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree in  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  is  also  a  Shriner.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Mount  Moriah 
Lodge,  No.  39,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  'Caldwell,  Idaho.  His  faith  in  the  future  of  the  state 
is  indicated  by  investments  which  he  has  made  in  agricultural  property  and  he  now 
owns  a  valuable  eighty-acre  ranch  near  Caldwell,  devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa, 
and  there  he  spends  his  vacation  periods,  in  fact  he  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  farm- 
ing, taking  a  great  interest  in  that  occupation,  and  when  upon  his  farm  participates 
in  the  actual  work,  assisting  the  hay  hands,  thus  finding  recuperation  and  the  neces- 
sary stimulation  for  the  arduous  duties  which  fall  to  his  lot  in  his  official  position. 
He  is  very  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  his  work,  which  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  the  state  and  its  inhabitants,  and  he  is  well  liked  by  all  who  have  come 
in  contact  with  him  in  private  or  official  life  because  of  his  pleasant  and  genial  wavs. 


GEORGE   H.   LOWE. 

George  H.  Lowe,  attorney  at  law  of  St.  Anthony,  was  born  at  Willard,  Utah, 
September  28,  1883,  his  parents  being  Peter  and  Martha  (Summers)  Lowe,  who 
were  natives  of  England  and  of  Utah  respectively.  The  father  came  to  America  in 
1863,  locating  at  Willard,  Utah,  at  a  time  when  the  Indians  of  that  region  far 
outnumbered  the  white  settlers.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  became  a 
capitalist,  winning  substantial  success  by  carefully  directed  business  methods.  He 
was  also  prominent  in  the  political  circles  of  his  locality  but  devoted  the  greater 
part  of  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  continued  a  resident  of  Willard 
until  called  to  his  final  rest  in  August,  1914.  The  mother  still  resides  at  Willard. 

George  H.  Lowe  was  reared  at  Willard,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
while  later  he  became  a  student  in  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  at  Logan.  He 
next  entered  the  University  of  Utah  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  was  graduated  there  with  the 
class  of  1906.  He  afterward  removed  to  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  took  up  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching,  being  made  the  head  of  the  English  department  in  Ricks  Acad- 
emy, with  which  he  was  thus  connected  for  two  years.  He  then  entered  the 
University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  as  a  law  student  and  completed  his  course  with 
the  class  of  1911.  In  the  same  year  he  located  at  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  where  he  has 
since  practiced  his  profession.  He  is  regarded  as  an  able  lawyer  and  Is  most 
careful  and  thorough  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases,  while  in  the  application  of 
legal  principles  he  is  seldom,  if  eVer,  at  fault.  His  devotion  to  his  clients'  interests 
is  proverbial  yet  he  never  forgets  that  he  owes  a  still  higher  allegiance  to  the  maj- 
esty of  the  law.  For  two  years  he  served  as  county  attorney  of  Fremont  county  and 
he  has  acted  as  village  attorney  for  Newdale,  Dubois,  Parker,  Teton  and  Marysvllle. 
He  has  likewise  filled  the  office  of  city  clerk  in  St.  Anthony,  occupying  that  post- 
tian  in  1913.  Aside  from  his  professional  connections  he  has  extensive  farming 
interests,  owning  four  farms  in  Fremont  county. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  1911,  Mr.  Lowe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alta 
Kerr  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children:  George  H.,  Jr.,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  May,  1916;  and  Ralph  J.,  who  was  born  in  June,  1918. 

Mr.  Lowe  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and 
is  now  serving  as  chairman  of  the  republican  county  central  committee.  He  does 

Vol.  II— 45 


706  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his  party 
and  he  is  equally  loyal  as  a  supporter  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  He  has  been  stake  superintendent  of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement 
Association  of  the  Yellowstone  stake,  chairman  of  the  stake  amusement  committee 
and  a  member  of  the  stake  educational  committee.  During  the  period  of  the  war 
he  did  active  work  in  support  of  those  measures  which  were  of  most  vital  impor- 
itance  to  the  government'.  He  was  the  first  vice  chairman  of  the  County  Council 
of  Defense,  was  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Red  Cross,  was  chair- 
man of  the  third  Red  Cross  roll  call,  was  county  chairman  of  the  war  savings  com- 
mittee and  filled  various  other  positions  that  contributed  to  the  welfare  of  the 
country  and  the  support  of  the  troops  in  the  field. 


ELI   L.   LARSON. 

Eli  L.  Larson,  president  and  founder  of  the  Boise  Ice  &  Produce  Company, 
who  since  1899  has  been  a  resident  of  the  capital  city,  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  August  1,  1867.  His  parents,  John  and  Caroline  (Ramstrong)  Larson,  were 
both  natives  of  Sweden  and  the  latter  is  a  representative  of  a  very  prominent  fam- 
ily of  that  country.  They  became  acquainted,  however,  in  the  new  world  and 
were  married  in  Salt  Lake  City.  John  Larson  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850  and 
at  once  made  his  way  to  the  west,  spending  his  remaining  days  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  live  stock  business,  his  death  occurring 
there  about  twenty-five  years  ago.  His  widow  survives  and  now  makes  her  home 
with  a  married  daughter  in  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Eli  L.  Larson  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  acquired  a  high 
school  education  there,  being  graduated  with  the  class  of  1885.  He  at  once  went 
to  Butte,  Montana,  where  he  spent  about  sixteen  years  in  the  grocery  business,  first 
as  a  clerk  for  several  years  and  later  as  owner  of  a  store.  He  removed  from  Butte 
to  Boise  in  1899  and  established  a  retail  grocery  house  in  this  city,  continuing  in 
the  trade  successfully  until  1912,  when  he  sold  out.  In  the  meantime,  or  in  1910, 
he  had  organized  and  incorporated  the  Boise  Ice  &  Produce  Company  and  began 
business  at  the  corner  of  South  Ninth  and  Myrtle  streets.  He  has  since  continued 
active  in  this  line  as  president  and  manager  of  the  business  and  throughout  the  in- 
tervening period  has  practically  given  his  entire  attention  to  its  development  and 
upbuilding,  closing  out  his  grocery  interests  in  1912.  The  Boise  Ice  &  Produce 
Company  is  now  one  of  the  city's  leading  wholesale  and  manufacturing  concerns, 
capitalized  for  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  from  the  beginning  the  trade  has  steadily 
increased.  Associated  with  Mr.  Larson  in  the  undertaking  is  E.  J.  Davis,  who  is 
the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  company.  The  ice  plant,  built  in  1910,  has  a  daily 
capacity  of  thirty-five  tons.  The  building  occupied  by  the  company  is  a  two-story 
brick  and  basement  structure,  sixty-five  by  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  and  its 
equipment  is  thoroughly  modern  and  splendidly  qualified  for  the  conduct  of  the 
interests  of  the  house. 

On  the  16th  of  November,  1894,  Mr.  Larson  was  married  in  Butte,  Montana, 
to  Miss  Isabelle  Grimm,  who  passed  away  in  Boise  in  1909,  leaving  two  sons,  both 
now  in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  in  France.  The  elder,  Carol,  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age,  is  a  machinist  in  the  aviation  department,  and  Leonard,  a  youth 
of  nineteen,  is  now  serving  with  the  rank  of  corporal  in  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment, both  sons  having  volunteered  for  service  with  the  colors.  On  the  12th  of 
January,  1912,  Mr.  Larson  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Maude  Dickinson,  of  Boise,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Robena,  born  December 
18,  1917. 

Mr.  Larson  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  is  interested  in  all 
of  the  plans  and  purposes  of  that  organization  in  connection  with  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  the  city,  with  the  extension  of  its  trade  relations  and  the  up- 
holding of  its  civic  standards.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican 
party  where  national  issues  and  questions  are  involved,  but  at  local  elections  he 
casts  an  independent  ballot  nor  has  he  ever  been  a  candidate  for  office.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  his  life  accords  with  the  teachings  of  those  societies. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  707 

In  fact  his  entire  career  measures  up  to  high  standards  of  manhood  and  citizenship, 
while  his  business  record  indicates  what  can  be  accomplished  through  individual 
effort  intelligently  directed. 


ALBERT  L.  SPRINGER. 

Albert  L.  Springer  is  the  secretary -treasurer  of  the  Springer  Hardware  Company 
of  Boise  and  thus  a  well  known  figure  in  the  commercial  circles  of  the  city.  He  was 
born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  October  19,  1873,  and  was  reared  upon  a  Canadian  farm. 
He  acquired  a  good  high  school  and  business  college  education  and  in  early  life 
learned  bookkeeping,  becoming  familiar  with  that  'branch  before  attaining  his 
majority.  Wbile  still  a  youth  in  his  teens  he  arrived  in  Boise,  where  his  elder 
brother,  Dr.  W.  D.  Springer,  was  then  residing.  He  was  a  well  known  physician  of 
the  capital  who  passed  away  October  19,  1909.  It  was  the  year  1892  that  witnessed 
the  first  arrival  of  Albert  L.  Springer  in  Boise  and  since  that  time  he  has  made 
his  home  either  in  this  city  or  in  Nampa  and  has  continuously  been  identified  with 
the  hardware  trade.  He  first  became  familiar  with  the  business  as  an  employe  of 
the  firm  of  Loree  &  Franz  and  remained  with  the  house  through  successive  changes 
in  ownership,  as  indicated  by  the  firm  styles  of  Loree  &  Swain,  J.  K.  Loree  &  Son 
and  Loree,  Eastman  &  Teller.  After  twelve  years'  residence  in  Nampa  as  manager 
of  the  branch  hardware  store  of  Loree  &  Swain  he  came  to  Boise  in  1910. 

The  Springer  Hardware  Company  came  into  existence  on  the  23rd  of  January, 
1917,  as  the  successors  of  the  S.  M.  Coffin  Hardware  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Springer 
had  been  the  secretary  and  treasurer  for  three  years  prior  to  January,  1917.  The 
S.  M.  Coffin  Hardware  Company  had  succeeded  to  the  business  of  J.  K.  Loree  & 
Son,  who  had  founded  the  establishment  many  years  before.  It  is  really  one  of  the 
old  commercial  concerns  of  Boise.  The  present  officers  of  the  Springer  Hardware 
Company  are  Dr.  J.  S.  Springer,  president,  and  Albert  L.  Springer,  secretary-treas- 
urer and  general  manager.  The  business  has  assumed  large  proportions  under  the 
careful  direction  of  Mr.  Springer,  whose  long  experience  in  commercial  circles  has 
made  him  well  aware  of  the  value  of  close  application,  indefatigable  energy  and 
enterprise. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1903,  Mr.  Springer  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  McKee,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  a  daughter  and  a  son, 
Margaret  and  Edwin,  aged  respectively  fourteen  and  ten  years  and  both  are  pupils 
in  the  public  schools  of  Boise,  the  daughter  being  now  a  sophomore  in  the  high 
school. 

Mr.  Springer  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics  he  maintains 
an  independent  course.  While  at  Narapa  he  served  for  three  years  as  city  clerk  but 
has  never  sought  nor  held  other  political  office.  He  has  always  preferred  to  give 
undivided  time  and  attention  to  his  business  affairs  and  step  by  step  through  an 
orderly  progression  he  has  reached  a  most  creditable  position  as  a  representative  of 
mercantile  interests  in  Boise. 


HOWARD  E.  CAMPBELL. 

Howard  E.  Campbell,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Union  Seed  &  Fuel  Company 
of  Boise,  came  to  Idaho  with  his  parents  from  Oregon  in  1878,  when  a  lad  of  but 
nine  years.  The  width  of  the  continent,  however,  separates  him  fr6m  his  birthplace, 
for  he  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  October  8,  1869.  His  parents  were 
William  O.  and  Clara  (Little)  Campbell.  His  father  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  January  11,  1831,  and  was  descended  from  those  Scotch  people  who  lived  in 
the  north  of  Ireland.  He  was  a  cabinet  maker  and  wagon  maker  by  trade.  He  came 
to  Idaho  in  1878  and  was  in  charge  of  the  government  Indian  schools  at  Kamiah 
and  Lapwai,  Idaho,  for  five  years.  In  1893  he  removed  from  Moscow  to  Boise  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  capital  city.  Under  two  administrations  of 
Governor  McConnell  he  served  for  four  years  as  custodian  of  the  Idaho  state  house. 
He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Governor  McConnell,  who  was  also  from  Moscow, 


708  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Idaho.  The  death  of  Mr.  Campbell  occurred  June  26,  1916.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Clara  Little,  still  resides  in  Boise,  where  she  is  most  widely  and 
favorably  known.  She  was  one  of  the  first  three  women  who  served  in  the  Idaho 
legislature.  She  is  descended  in  the  maternal  line  from  an  old  American  family 
represented  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Woodard 
and  the  original  ancestor  of  that  family  in  America  came  over  in  the  second  ship 
to  reach  the  New  England  shores,  this  being  the  first  vessel  that  reached  an  American 
harbor  after  the  Mayflower. 

Howard  E.  Campbell,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  three  sons.  He  spent  five  years  of  his  youth  on  the 
Nez  Perce  Indian  reservation,  during  which  time  his  father  was  in  charge 
of  the  government  school.  He  has  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  practically 
throughout  his  entire  life.  He  made  his  initial  step  in  that  direction  as  a  clerk  in  the 
McConnell-McGuire  Company's  store  at  Moscow  in  1892  and  after  his  removal  to 
Boise  in  1894  became  associated  with  the  Falk  Mercantile  Company,  having  charge 
of  their  wholesale  warehouse.  Later  he  clerked  in  the  grocery  department  of  that 
firm  and  in  1899  he  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account  as  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  Buckeye  Grocery  Company  but  sold  his  interest  in  that  undertaking  in  1901. 
He  afterward  spent  a  few  years  in  eastern  Idaho  and  a  few  more  in  the  vicinity  of 
Moscow,  where  his  attention  was  devoted  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  Later  he 
clerked  for  the  David  &  Ely  Company,  general  merchants  of  Moscow,  and  in  1911  he 
returned  to  Boise,  where  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Union  Seed  &  Fuel  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  has  since  been  the  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  has  become  an 
important  business  enterprise  of  the  city  and  Mr.  Campbell  by  close  application, 
sound  judgment  and  enterprise  has  contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  trade.  ' 

On  the  5th  of  November,  1893,  Mr.  Campbell  was  married  to  Miss  Myrtle  A. 
Rawson,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Harlan  C.,  who  is  a  photographer  and  is  married  and  has  one  child,  Raymond  Laddie 
Campbell;  Gladys  R.;  Donald  L.;  and  Helen. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order,  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  while  his  religious  faith  is  indicated 
by  his  membership  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  one  of 
the  trustees.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  yet  votes  for  men  and  measures  rather 
than  party.  He  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  prohibition  principles,  which  he  has  sup- 
ported throughout  his  entire  life,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Idaho  Anti-Saloon  League,  which  is  now  witnessing  the  fulfillment  of  its 
fondest  dreams — nation-wide  prohibition.  The  aid  and  influence  of  Mr.  Campbell 
have  ever  been  given  on  the  side  of  progress  and  improvement  and  in  support  of 
those  things  which  make  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  betterment  of  the 
community  at  large. 


HON.  CARL  J.  MILLER. 

Hon.  Carl  J.  Miller,  well  known  as  a  representative  farmer  and  wool  grower,  mak- 
ing his  home  at  Castleford,  Idaho,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  Pacific  northwest, 
his  birth  having  occurred  at  Joseph,  Wallowa  county,  Oregon,  October  28,  1888.  His 
parents  were  Peter  J.  and  Elsa  (Jensen)  Miller,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The  mother 
died  in  1890  when  her  son,  Carl  J.,  was  but  two  years  of  age.  The  father,  who  Was 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Oregon,  died  in  Spokane,  Washington,  in  1919,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years.  For  an  extended  period  he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
occupation  of  farming  but  afterward  lived  retired. 

Carl  J.  Miller  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Oregon  and  in  Wash- 
ington and  after  completing  a  high  school  course  he  attended  Whitman  College  at 
Walla  Walla.  In  early  manhood  he  was  employed  in  the  Walla  Walla  postoffice  for  a 
period  of  four  years,  occupying  various  positions  in  that  connection.  In  1910  he  came 
to  Idaho,  settling  in  Twin  Falls  county,  and  through  the  intervening  period  he  has 
made  steady  progress  in  a  business  way  as  a  wheat  and  sheep  raiser  and  general 
farmer.  He  is  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  and  annually  produces 
large  crops  of  wheat  and  hay,  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  and  profitable  sale.  He- is 
likewise  one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  the  sheep  industry  in  this  section  of  the 


CARL  J.  MILLER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  711 

state.  He  has  at  the  present  writing  ten  thousand  sheep.  There  is  no  phase  of  the 
business  with  which  he  is  not  thoroughly  familiar  and  his  affairs  are  most  wisely  and 
carefully  conducted,  so  that  he  is  now  reaping  the  rewards  of  earnest,  persistent  and 
intelligently  directed  effort. 

On  the  18th  of  September,  1912,  in  Buhl,  Idaho,  Mr.  Miller  was  Joined  in  wedlock 
to  Miss  Mary  Margaret  Stewart,  a  native  of  Washington.  They  have  two  children: 
Marjorie,  who  was  born  August  18,  1914;  and  Stewart,  born  in  1920.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  Mason  and  Shriner,  belonging  to  El  Karah  Temple,  of  Boise,  and  he  Is 
also  a  member  of  the  Elks.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  republican,  having  stanchly 
supported  the  party  since  reaching  adult  age.  His  first  activity  as  an  office  seeker, 
however,  was  put  forth  in  the  fall  of  1918,  when  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  house 
of  representatives  on  the  republican  ticket.  He  was  elected  by  a  good  majority  and 
as  a  member  of  the  legislature  is  serving  on  the  appropriations,  irrigation  and  reclam- 
ation committees.  He  is  thus  concerned  with  important  measures  having  much  to  do 
with  the  development,  upbuilding  and  substantial  prosperity  of  the  state. 


HARRY  J.   SYMS. 

Harry  J.  Syms,  president  of  the  Syms-York  Company,  Incorporated,  conduct- 
ing a  large  printing  establishment  and  bindery  in  Boise,  has  made  his  home  in 
Idaho  since  1889,  when  he  removed  from  San  Francisco  to  this  state.  He  was 
born  in  New  Zealand,  July  6,  1866,  a  son  of  Henry  J.  and  Mary  (Kenny)  Syms. 
who  were  natives  of  England  and  of  Ireland  respectively.  They  were  married 
in  Australia,  becoming  residents  of  New  Zealand  in  1860.  The  father  was  a 
steamboat  pilot  and  died  in  New  Zealand  in  1910,  while  the  mother  survived 
until  June,  1917.  Both  were  in  the  seventies  when  called  to  their  final  rest. 

Harry  J.  Syms  is  the  only  son  of  the  family  and  its  only  representative  in 
the  United  States.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  New  Zealand,  pursuing  a  high 
school  course,  after  which  he  learned  the  printer's  trade,  and  becoming  a  Journey- 
man, was  thus  employed  for  several  years,  during  which  time  he  visited  various 
sections  of  the  world,  including  the  Fiji  Islands,  thV  Hawaiian  Islands,  Australia 
and  various  other  points.  In  1888  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  San 
Francisco,  where  he  spent  a  year  as  an  employe  on  the  San  Francisco  Call.  In 
1889  he  removed  to  Idaho  and  for  five  years  resided  at  Shoshone,  where  he  pur- 
chased and  conducted  the  Shoshone  Journal,  a  weekly  paper.  He  then  removed 
to  Caldwell,  Idaho,  where  he  was  associated  with  the  late  Reese  Davis  on  the 
Caldwell  Tribune  as  city  editor.  He  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  when  he  volunteered  for  active  service 
and  became  a  first  lieutenant  of  Company  A  of  the  First  Idaho  Regiment,  with 
which  he  served  for  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  Philippines,  being  honorably  dis- ' 
charged  in  1899. 

Mr.  Syms  then  returned  to  this  state  and  for  a  year  lived  in  Boise,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Mountain  Home,  where  he  owned  and  conducted  the  Moun- 
tain Home  Republican.  He  returned  to  Boise,  however,  to  become  register  of 
the  United  States  land  office,  through  appointment  of  President  Theodore  Roose- 
velt, and  continued  to  serve  for  four  years.  In  1906  he  became  one  of  the 
founders  and  incorporators  of  the  Syms-York  Company,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  the  president.  This  company  has  the  largest  printing  and  binding, establish- 
ment in  the  state  of  Idaho  and  conducts  a  general  printing  and  bindery  business, 
the  plant  occupying  the  greater  portion  of  the  five-story  Elks  Temple.  Its  equip- 
ment is  modern  to  the  last  detail.  A  large  part  of  its  patronage  comes  from  out- 
side Boise.  The  company  supplies  offices,  banks,  railroads  and  business  concerns 
of  every  kind  with  all  sorts  of  printed  matter,  forms  and  blanks  and  its  line  also 
embraces  steel  filing  cabinets  arid  various  other  office  fixtures  and  equipment. 
Mr.  Syms  and  his  associates  in  business  have  closely  studied  the  demands  of  the 
trade  and  by  progressive  methods  have  been  able  to  supply  every  need  of  their 
patrons. 

In  1892,  at  Shoshone,  Idaho,  Mr.  Syms  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Annis 
Brown,  the  only  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  J.  C.  Brown,  of  that  place.  They 
have  become  parents  of  two  daughters,  Florence  Erma  and  Dorothy  Annis,  aged 
respectively  twenty-two  and  eleven  years. 


712  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mr.  Syms  is  an  exemplary  representative  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
past  commander  of  Idaho  Commandery,  No.  1,  Knights  of  Templar,  and  he  is  a 
Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  .Elks.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  (Club,  the  Boise  Rotary  Club  and 
the  Country  Club  and  he  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  golf.  He  is  likewise  a 
member  of  the  Spanish-American  War  Veterans  and  in  politics  he  is  a  republican. 
It  is. well  known  that  he  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  any  c.ause  which  he  espouses,  that 
he  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  a  progressive  and  resourceful  business  man  and 
one  whose  life  in  all  relations  measures  up  to  high  standards.  His  religious 
faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Episcopal  church. 


ROSCOE  L.  BIGLER. 

Roscoe  L.  Bigler,  a  druggist  of  Rexburg,  where  he  is  conducting  a  substantial 
business,  was  born  June  2,  1889,  in  the  city  where  he  still  resides,  his  parents  being 
Henry  J.  and  Harriet  A.  (Lemon)  Bigler,  who  are  natives  of  Utah.  The  father  was 
a  dealer  in  horses  in  Utah  and  in  1885  removed  to  Rexburg,  purchasing  land  near 
the  city.  This  he  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  he  also  developed 
and  improved  other  farms  for  several  years.  He  afterward  devoted  ten  years  to 
the  livery  business  in  Rexburg  and  then  again  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming, 
cultivating  land  at  the  present  time  in  Fremont  county,  where  he  and  his  wife  reside. 

Roscoe  L.  Bigler  was  reared  and  educated  in  Rexburg,  attending  the  Ricks 
Academy,  in  which  he  pursued  a  commercial  course.  He  started  out  in  his  business 
career  as  an  employe  of  the  Rexburg  Drug  Company,  with  which  he  remained  for 
seven  years,  while  later  he  spent  three  years  in  the  employ  of  the  City  Drug  Company. 
In  January,  1915,  he  opened  a  modern  drug  store  in  Rexburg  and  has  since  con- 
ducted it.  He  carries  a  large  and  well  selected  line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries 
and  is  accorded  a  liberal  patronage.  His  store  is  neatly  and  tastefully  arranged 
and  he  puts  forth  every  effort  to  please  his  patrons. 

In  April,  1909,  Mr.  Bigler  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie  V.  Dewsnup  and  to  them 
has  been  born  a  daughter,  Eva,  whose  birth  occurred  July  4,  1912.  The  religious 
faith  of  the  parents  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
Politically  Mr.  Bigler  is  a  republican. 


ED  M.  McGUFFIN. 

Ed  M.  McGuffin,  vice  president  of  the  Central  Coal  &  Seed  Company  of  Boise, 
born  in  Claysville,  Pennsylvania,  April  13,  1867,  the  youngest  child  of  Joseph 
and  Rebecca  (Craig)  McGuffin,  who  were  of  Irish  and  Scotch  descent  respectively, 
the  mother  being  a  member  of  the  Craig  family  that  numbers  many  prominent 
representatives  throughout  the  United  States,  including  Hon.  John  Craig,  congress- 
man from  Keokuk,  Iowa,  for  many  years. 

Ed  M.  McGuffin  was  reared  in  Illinois  and  Iowa  from  the  age  of  two  years,  for  at 
that  time  his  parents  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois  and  seven  years  later 
established  their  home  in  Creston,  Iowa.  He  has  lived  in  Idaho  since  February, 
1898,  when  he  removed  from  Creston  to  Boise  and  throughout  the  intervening 
period,  covering  twenty-one  years,  he  has  made  his  home  in  Ada  county.  For  several 
years  he  lived  on  the  old  McCarty  Mill  ranch,  at  what  is  now  called  Strawberry  Glen, 
five  miles  west  of  Boise,  but  since  1907  has  continuously  made  his  home  in  the 
capital  city  at  No.  1810  West  State  street.  From  1898  until  1915  he  was  engaged 
in  the  live  stock  business  and  in  ranching,  conducting  his  IJve  stock  dealings  on  an 
extensive  and  profitable  scale.  For  many  years  he  also  owned  and  conducted  a 
large  sale  stable  at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Grove  streets  in  Boise,  doing  a 
business  of  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  He  dealt  in  horses 
and  cattle  and  made  extensive  shipments  of  cattle  to  eastern  markets  and  of  horses 
to  southern  markets.  He  finally  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Central  Coal  &  Seed 
Company  in  1915  and  has  since  been  its  vice  president.  This  concern  is  the  successor 
of  two  former  Boise  business  enterprises,  namely,  the  Central  Commission  Company 
and  the  Boise  Commission  Company,  the  two  being  combined  and  incorporated  into 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  713 

the  Central  Coal  &  Seed  Company  on  the  1st  of  January,  1916.  Mr.  McGuffin  bought 
out  the  Boise  Commission  Company  from  James  Hanley  in  September,  1915,  and 
at  the  same  time  his  brother,  W.  H.  McGuffin,  was  the  owner  of  the  Central  Com- 
mission Company  of  Boise.  The  two  brothers  therefore  combined  their  interests 
under  the  name  of  the  Central  Coal  &  Seed  Company  on  the  date  mentioned,  at 
which  time  W.  H.  McGuffln  became  president  and  Ed  M.  McGuffin  vice  president, 
while  the  latter's  eldest  son,  Donald  E.,  became  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
company.  He  afterward  retired,  however,  and  was  succeeded  by  George  Hulbert, 
who  now  occupies  that  office.  This  concern  handles  all  kinds  of  feed,  seed  and  fuel. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  1888,  Mr.  McGuffin  was  married  in  Creston,  Iowa,  to  Miss 
Iza  Spear  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Letha 
Gene,  now  the  wife  of  R.  C.  Havird,  of  Ada  county;  Donald  E.,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  Portland,  Oregon;  Myrtle  Marie;  Eugene  Joseph;  and  Iza  Rebecca. 

Mr.  McGuffin  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  but 
he  has  never  sought  or  held  office.  His  activity  has  been  directed  along  business 
lines  for  many  years  in  Ada  county  and  personal  effort  and  merit  have  brought 
him  to  his  present  enviable  position. 


HARRY    E.    DALTON. 

Harry  E.  Dalton,  general  manager  of  the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Company, 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  in  April,  1868,  the  place  of  his 
nativity  being  London,  Middlesex  county.  He  is  descended  in  both  the  paternal 
and  maternal  lines  from  English  ancestry,  although  both  families  were  founded 
in  Canada  at  an  early  day  and  have  been  prominently  represented  in  connection 
with  civil,  military  and  public  affairs  of  the  Dominion.  His  father,  Henry  Dalton, 
was  connected  with  the  postal  service  of  Canada  for  a  number  of  years  and  passed 
away  in  London,  where  he  had  long  resided,  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  forty-six. 
He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  as  was  his  wife,  who  sur- 
vived him  for  a  number  of  years,  passing  away  in  1901,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight. 
The  latter  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emma  Summers. 

Harry  E.  Dalton  began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  hi?  native  city 
and  afterward  attended  an  academy  there,  from  which  he  was  graduated  m-  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1886.  He  started  upon  his  business  career  in  a  clerical 
position  in  the  offices  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  at  London,  Ontario.  Industry 
and  fidelity  won  him  promotion  from  time  to  time  during  the  seven  years'  period 
in  which  he  remained  with  that  corporation.  He  left  .the  service  of  the  Grand 
Trunk  in  1893  and  removed  to  Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  secured  employment  with 
an  electric  railway  company,  assisting  in  the  construction  of  the  lines  of  that 
corporation  and  remaining  in  its  employ  for  eight  years.  This  period  served  to 
give  him  broad  and  practical  knowledge  concerning  the  building  and  operation 
of  electric  lines  and  thereafter  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
electric  railway  systems  in  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  including  the  Georgetown  & 
Lexington  Traction  Company,  the  Louisville  &  Southern  Indiana  Traction  Com- 
pany, the  Georgetown  &  Portsmouth  Traction  Company  and  the  Indianapolis  & 
Louisville  Traction  Company.  In  March,  1908,  he  came  to  Boise  and  entered 
upon  his  present  position  as  general  manager  of  the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Com- 
pany. To  this  position  he  brought  broad  experience  and  most  intimate  knowledge  of 
every  feature  of  the  business  and  he  has  since  bent  his  energies  to  administrative 
direction  and  executive  control.  He  has  made  the  service  indeed  a  "public  utility," 
putting  forth  every  possible  effort  to  make  the  system  serve  the  public  needs, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  carefully  safeguards  the  interests  of  the  stockholders 
in  the  organization,  maintaining  that  even  balance  between  public  and  private 
interests  which  ie  one  of  the  foundation  stones  of  honorable  business  success.  Mr.  Dalton 
has  also  made  Judicious  investments  in  real  estate  in  Boise  and  vicinity  and  from 
his  property  holdings  derives  a  substantial  annual  income. 

In  October,  1889,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Dalton  and  Miss  Caroline 
C.  Bradford,  a  native  of  London,  Ontario.  Their  beautiful  home  is  the  center 
of  warm-hearted  hospitality  that  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  their  many  friends.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalton  are  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  he  also 


714  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  loyally  adhering 
to  the  teachings  of  these  different  organizations,  which  constitute  his  guide  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  His  plan  of  life  has  been  based  upon  a  true  recognition 
of  the  value  of  industry,  perseverance  and  reliability  and  the  utilization  of  con- 
tinued study  along  the  specific  line  in  which  he  has  directed  his  activities. 


HON.  ALBERT  HEATH. 

While  death  has  called  Hon.  Albert  Heath,  there  are  many  who  attest  his  useful- 
ness while  he  was  still  an  active  factor  in  the  world's  work,  and  his  demise,  which 
occurred  March  31,  1919,  was  the  occasion  of  deep  and  widespread  regret  among  his 
large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Heath  was  a  native  of  South  Wales.  He  was  born  May  8, 
1863,  his  parents  being  George  and  Hannah  (Gleed)  Heath,  who  were  natives  of  Wilt- 
shire, England,  and  of  Scotland,  respectively,  the  former  born  January  21,  1832,  and 
the  latter  May  4,  1835.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  England  to  the  time  when  he 
emigrated  to  America  on  the  21st  of  January,  1877.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1879  and 
took  up  land  near  Oxford,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  and  improve  throughout 
his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  December,  1907.  For  more  than  twelve 
years  he  had  survived  his  wife,  who  died  April  7,  1895. 

Albert  Heath  was  reared  and  educated  in  Cardiff,  Wales,  and  after  Veaching  the 
new  world  he  completed  his  education  at  Oxford,  Idaho,  attending  the  New  West 
Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1885.  He  then  took  up  the 
work  of  teaching  school  and  was  thus  engaged  in  connection  with  farming  in  Idaho 
and  Utah  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  In  1896  he  arrived  in  Fremont  county  and 
purchased  land  near  Rexburg,  in  that  section  which  is  now  included  within  Madison 
county.  For  more  than  a  decade  thereafter  he  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention 
upon  farm  work  and  in  1907  he  was  made  field  superintendent  of  the  Utah-Idaho 
Sugar  Company  at  Rexburg.  The  duties  of  that  responsible  position  he  discharged 
most  creditably  and  acceptably  for  many  years,  and  following  his  retirement  he  was 
appointed  city  clerk  and  also  engaged  in  writing  insurance.  He  met  with  an  accident 
whereby  his  right  arm  was  injured  and  therefore  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  a  part 
of  his  work.  He  remained  active  in  the  insurance  business  throughout  the  residue 
of  his  days  and  he  was  also  well  known  in  public  office,  serving  as  county  clerk  and 
also  as  police  judge,  being  the  incumbent  in  the  latter  position  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  very  suddenly  on  the  31st  of  March,  1919.  He  had  previously 
demonstrated  his  ability  and  trustworthiness  in  other  offices.  In  1904  he  had  been 
called  to  the  position  of  county  treasurer  of  Fremont  county  and  so  continued  until 
1910.  He  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  serving  during  the  seventh  session  of  the 
Idaho  general  assembly,  and  at  all  times  he  was  loyal  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him, 
whether  of  a  public  or  private  nature.  In  addition  to  his  service  as  a  public  official 
he  was  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rexburg.  He  became 
a  recognized  leader  in  political  circles  and  was  chairman  of  the  republican  county 
central  committee  at  the  time  of  his  demise. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1897,  Mr.  Heath  was  married  to  Martha  J.  Davenport,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  (Petty)  Davenport,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  the  latter  of  Iowa.  The  father  went  to  Utah  with  his  parents  in  his  boyhood 
days  and  afterward  became  a  farmer  at  Richmond,  in  the  Cache  valley,  devoting  his 
remaining  days  to  general  agricultural  pursuits.  His  death  occurred  in  July,  1902, 
while  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Heath  afterward  removed  to  Rexburg,  Idaho,  and  later  to 
Newdale,  where  she  is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heath  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children  but  were  unfortunate  enough  to  lose  all  in  infancy.  By  her  former  mar- 
riage, Mrs.  Heath  has  a  son,  William  E.,  who  is  now  with  the  Utah  Power  &  Light 
Company  at  Idaho  Falls.  Mr.  Heath  had  also  been  married  twice,  his  first  union  being 
with  Mary  P.  Hillman,  whom  he  wedded  in  1889  and  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
Albert  R.,  a  resident  of  Rexburg.  His  first  wife  died  in  June,  1895. 

Mr.  Heath  was  a  loyal  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  was  ordained  a  bishop  of  Plaino  ward  July  29,  1903.  He  was  also  counselor  to 
President  Thomas  A.  Bassett  and  later  was  appointed  first  counselor  to  President  Mark 
Austin,  serving  in  that  office  until  his  death.  At  various  periods  he  held  different  offices 
in  the  church  and  thus  contributed  to  its  development  and  the  extension  of  its  in- 
fluence. He  was  one  of  the  board  of  Ricks  Academy  at  Rexburg  for  many  years,  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  717 

cause  of  education  finding  in  him  a  stalwart  champion.  He  always  voted  with  the 
republican  party,  and  it  was  a  recognized  fact  that  his  position  upon  any  vital  ques- 
tion was  never  an  equivocal  one.  At  all  times  he  stood  loyally  for  what  he  believed 
to  be  right,  and  his  interest  in  community  affairs  was  manifest  in  many  tangible  ways. 


EDWIN  B.  ATKINSON. 

Edwin  B.  Atkinson,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Intermountain  Glass  Company  of 
Boise,  where  be  has  lived  since  1904,  was  born  in  Freeport,  Pennsylvania,  April  22, 
1882,  a  son  of  Milton  B.  and  Sarah  M.  Atkinson,  who  are  now  living  upon  a  ranch  in 
the  Boise  valley,  five  and  a  half  miles  from  the  capital  city.  It  was  during  the 
infancy  of  Edwin  B.  Atkinson  that  his  parents  removed  to  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  and 
when  he  was  a  youth  of  fourteen  the  family  home  was  established  in  Colorado 
Springs,  Colorado.  In  1904  he  came  to  Boise  with  his  parents.  In  the  meantime 
he  had  graduated  from  the  Colorado  Springs  high  school  with  the  class  of  1902  and 
after  his  removal  to  the  northwest  he  was  employed  for  several  years  by  the  Coast 
Lumber  Company  and  subsequently  worked  for  the  Idaho  Glass  &  Paint  Company 
on  Front  street,  there  thoroughly  learning  the  glass  business.  In  1914  he  joined 
Harry  M.  Hawthorne  in  organizing  the  Intermountain  Glass  Company  and  through 
the  intervening  period  they  have  built  up  a  business  of  large  and  satisfactory  pro- 
portions, their  trade  today  being  such  as  to  make  the  house  the  principal  plate  glass 
concern  in  Idaho.  They  take  contracts  for  building  almost  everything  that  is  con- 
structed chiefly  out  of  glass.  The  company  can  furnish  on  short  notice  heavy  plate 
glass  in  all  sizes  for  window  construction,  glass  doors,  etc.  It  also  constructs  on  order 
stained  glass  windows  and  transoms  in  handsome  design  for  churches.  Its  plant  is 
fully  equipped  with  modern  polishing  and  beveling  machinery  and  the  company 
is  therefore  fully  prepared  to  build  or  make  anything  in  its  line,  such  as  heavy, 
beveled  plate  glass  doors  and  mirrors. 

In  1905  Mr.  Atkinson  was  married  to  Miss  Luella  Howard  and  they  have  two 
children,  Helen  and  Clinton,  aged  respectively  ten  and  four  years.  In  politics  Mr. 
Atkinson  maintains  an  independent  course,  voting  for  men  and  measures  rather  than 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Emanuel  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  also  has 
membership  with  the  Masonic  order;  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America;  Boise  Lodge 
No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.;  and  with  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce,  indicating  the 
nature  and  breadth  of  his  interests  and  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct.  He 
stands  for  progress  and  improvement  along  all  lines  leading  to  the  material,  intel- 
lectual, social  and  moral  upbuilding  of  the  community  and  his  cooperation  can  be 
especially  counted  upon  to  further  interests  which  are  a  matter  of  civic  virtue  and 
of  civic  pride. 


SAM   M.   STEWART. 

Sam  M.  Stewart,  founder  and  president  of  the  Stewart  Wholesale  Company 
of  Boise,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Salem,  in  Kenosha  county,  Wisconsin,  April  1, 
1864,  being  the  only  son  of  David  C.  and  Mary  E.  (McCoy)  Stewart,  both  of 
whom  have  now  passed  away.  They  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York  but 
were  married  in  Wisconsin,  where  the  father  long  followed  farming,  thus  pro- 
viding for  his  family. 

Sam  M.  Stewart  was  reared  upon  a  Kenosha  county  farm  and  his  educational 
opportunities  were  those  afforded  by  the  common  schools.  He  took  up  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  five  years  in  his  native  county,  beginning 
when  a  youth  of  eighteen.  The  winter  seasons  were  devoted  to  the  work  of  the 
schoolroom,  while  after  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  gave  his  summer 
seasons  to  farm  work  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-eight.  He  then 
left  Wisconsin  and  removed  to  Ashton,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  for  four  years, 
spending  two  years  of  that  period  in  a  bank  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  in  the 
conduct  of  an  implement  business.  He  afterward  went  to  Brewster,  Minnesota, 
where  he  was  in  business  for  four  years,  conducting  a  bank  and  also  a  lumber- 
yard and  implement  business.  He  likewise  bought  and  shipped  live  stock,  thus 


718  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

being  prominently  and  actively  identified  with  the  financial  and  commercial  in- 
terests of  that  district.  On  leaving  Brewster  he  went  to  Worthington,  Minnesota, 
where  he  again  engaged  in  the  banking  business,  owning  a  controlling  interest 
in  the  Citizens  National  Bank  for  several  years.  In  1909  he  came  to  Boise,  where 
he  has  now  lived  for  a  dejcade,  but  even  before  taking  up  his  abode  here  he  had 
become  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  northwest  as  the  owner  of  several 
ranches  in  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  which  are  still  in  his  possession.  He  like- 
wise has  farming  interests  in  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Idaho.  In  1916  he  became 
the  founder  of  the  Stewart  Wholesale  Company,  for. he  has  also  ever  found  delight 
as  well  as  profit  in  commercial  undertakings.  Of  this  company  he  is  the  president 
and  manager,  with  Mrs.  Stewart  as  the  vice  president  and  George  W.  Voak  as 
the  secretary  and  treasurer.  This  concern  does  an  exclusive  wholesale  business 
in  handling  Federal  tires,  woven  and  barb  wire,  nails,  oils  and  accessories,  roofing  and 
building  material,  paints  and  power  washers.  The  house  is  represented  on  the 
road  by  several  traveling  salesmen,  who  cover  the  territory  adjacent  to  Boise  in 
Idaho,  Oregon  and  Utah.  In  founding  and  developing  the  business  Mr.  Stewart 
has  displayed  excellent  powers  of  organization,  has  thoroughly  systematized  his 
interests  and  studied  the  situation  from  every  possible  standpoint,  giving  due 
attention  to  detail  as  well  as  to  the  principal  features  of  the  trade. 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1891,  Mr.  Stewart  was  married  in  Salem,  Wisconsin, 
to  Miss  Ida  M.  Patterson,  an  acquaintance  of  his  boyhood.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club  and  to  the  Boise  Country  Club  and  in  politics  maintains  an  in- 
dependent course.  Fraternally  he  is  a 'Mason  of  high  rank,  having  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  while  with  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  he  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  he  finds  pleasant  associations  with  the 
members  of  these  societies,  while  his  social  nature  makes  for  personal  popularity 
among  those  who  know  him. 


C.  REDMAN  MOON. 

C.  Redman  Moon,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  St.  Anthony,  was  born  at 
Shellsburg,  Iowa,  July  16,  1883,  and  is  a  son  of  Carlos  H.  and  Sarah  A.  (Cowell) 
Moon,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio  respectively.  The  father  went  to 
Illinois  when  fourteen  years  of  age  and  later  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of  Illinois 
volunteer  infantry,  for  active  service  in  the  Civil  war.  He  was  on  duty  with  that 
command  throughout  the  entire  period  of  hostilities,  having  reenlisted  at  the  close 
of  his  first  three  years'  term.  He  was  wounded  at  Atlanta  and  his  injuries  occasioned 
the  loss  of  four  inches  of  one  of  his  legs.  After  the  war  he  removed  to  Linn  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  live  stock.  He  also  bought  land 
there  and  continued  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  for  twenty-two  years.  Later  he 
went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  for  two  or  three  years,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1887  he  came  to  St.  Anthony,  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  where  he  filed  on  the  land 
that  now  constitutes  the  site  of  the  town.  He  immediately  platted  and  founded  the 
town  and  he  also  filed  on  other  land,  at  the  same  time  securing  a  preemption  and 
desert  claim.  He  improved  his  property  and  continued  the  cultivation  of  his  land 
throughout  his  remaining  days,  making  his  home  continuously  at  St.  Anthony.  At 
the  time  of  his  demise  he  was  the  owner  of  nine  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valu- 
able farm  property.  He  passed  away  in  March,  1910,  while  his  wife  survived  only 
until  November,  1911. 

C.  Redman  Moon  was  about  four  years  of  age  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Idaho  and  began  his  education  at  St.  Anthony.  He  received  his  preparatory  training 
in  the  College  of  Idaho  at  Caldwell  and  the  Academy  of  Idaho  at  Pocatello,  in  which 
he  was  a  student  in  1906.  The  following  year  he  matriculated  in  the  University  of 
Michigan  as  a  law  student  and  was  there  graduated  with  the  class  of  1910.  Re- 
turning home,  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  being  admitted  to  the 
Idaho  bar  in  the  same  year.  He  has  always  been  most  careful  and  thorough  in  the 
preparation  of -his  cases  and  displays  marked  strength  in  argument,  while  his  deduc- 
tions are  always  clear  and  logical.  He  was  formerly  identified  with  farming  in  this 
locality  but  has  now  disposed  of  his  agricultural  interests. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1912,  Mr.  Moon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elsa  H, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  719 

Haass  and  they  have  become  parents  of  two  children:  Charles  Redman,  Jr.,  who  was 
born  in  November,  1913;  and  Marie  Elizabeth,  whose  birth  occurred  July  10,  1918. 
In  politics  Mr.  Moon  is  a  democrat  and  in  1917  and  1918  he  served  as  county 
attorney  of  Fremont  county,  while  for  one  year  he  occupied  the  position  of  city 
clerk  of  St.  Anthony.  He  has  ever  discharged  his  duties  with  marked  capability, 
promptness  and  fidelity.  He  belongs  to  the  Phi  Alpha  Delta,  a  law  fraternity,  and 
his  religious  faith  is  manifest  in  his  membership  in  the  Union  church.  His  life  has 
been  characterized  by  high  and  honorable  principles  and  prompted  by  a  laudable 
ambition,  and  his  many  sterling  traits  have  gained  for  him  the  respect,  confidence 
and  goodwill  of  his  fellowmen. 


JOHN  C.  BOWMAN. 

John  C.  Bowman,  of  the  John  C.  Bowman  Land  Company  of  Boise,  dealers  in 
real  estate,  was  born  in  the  Boise  valley,  about  thirty  miles  west  of  the  capital, 
September  26,  1867.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  the  valley  but  he  did  not 
take  up  his  abode  in  the  city  until  1912.  His  father,  John  M.  Bowman,  is  yet  an 
honored  resident  of  the  state.  He  came  to  the  Boise  valley  from  Sullivan  county, 
Missouri,  in  1864  and  is  now  living  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  still  hale  and  hearty.  He  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Tennessee,  and  served 
in  the  Confederate  army  with  the  rank  of  captain  during  the  Civil  war  or  until  1864, 
when  he  removed  to  the  northwest.  He  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  Boise 
valley  and  is  still  a  very  vigorous  man,  as  is  indicated  by  a  little  incident  which 
occurred  recently,  when  despite  his  more  than  four  score  years  he  gave  a  big,  burly 
member  of  the  I.  W.  W.  a  good  caning  for  his  treatment  of  a  young  United  States 
recruiting  officer.  Captain  Bowman  wore  out  his  cane  in  the  encounter,  but  the 
citizens  of  Caldwell  and  Nampa  soon  raised  over  one  hundred  dollars  and  bought 
him  a  new  one — a  gold-headed  cane  appropriately  engraved.  The  mother  of  John 
C.  Bowman  of  this  review  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Ireland,  was  a  native  of 
Missouri  and  passed  away  in  the  year  1875. 

John  C.  Bowman  was  reared  upon  the  old  home  ranch  and  continued  to  devote 
his  attention  to  ranching  until  1912,  when  he  came  to  Boise  and  turned  his  attention 
to  the  real  estate  business.  He  is  the  founder  of  the  John  C.  Bowman  Land  Com- 
pany and  deals  in  land  for  the  public  and  at  the  same  time  handles  much  of  his  own 
real  estate,  wisely  utilizing  his  opportunities  to  make  judicious  investments  in 
property,  which  he  holds  until  he  has  a  chance  for  a  profitable  sale.  He  is  thoroughly 
informed  concerning  realty  values  in  this  section  and  has  secured  a  large  clientage. 

Mr.  BoWman  was  married  in  Oregon  City,  Oregon,  to  Miss  Emma  D.  Brown  and 
they  have  become  parents  of  a  son  and  two  daughters:  Luther  Ison,  now  deceased; 
Lola  Ada,  the  wife  of  Floyd  A.  Davidson,  of  North  Bend,  Oregon;  and  May  Irene, 
fourteen  years  of  age. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bowman  is  a  democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial 
Club  and  when  leisure  permits  takes  his  gun  into  the  open  for  the  pleasure  of  a 
hunting  trip  and  is  familiar  with  many  of  the  sections  in  the  northwest  where  the 
best  hunting  can  be  enjoyed.  As  a  representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
the  state  he  has  witnessed  much  of  the  growth,  development  and  progress  of  Idaho 
and  has  ever  been  deeply  interested  in  its  advancement. 


HARRY  M.  HAWTHORNE. 

Harry  M.  Hawthorne,  one  of  the  founders  and  promoters  of  the  Intermountain 
Glass  Company  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Denver,  Colorado,  March  2,  1891,  a  son  of 
John  A.  and  Mary  Hawthorne,  who  are  still  living.  The  father,  a  brick  mason  by 
trade,  was  born  in  Ireland,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Illinois.  They 
removed  to  the  west,  however,  and  their  son,  Harry  M.,  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Colorado,  attending  the  schools  of  Denver  and  of  Leadville.  He  became  identified 
with  the  paint  business  when  a  lad  of  but  thirteen  years,  securing  employment  along 
that  line  at  Leadville,  and  when  a  youth  of  fourteen  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Boise.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Builders'  Supply 


720  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Company  and  was  at  the  head  of  its  glass  department  for  some  time.  In  1914  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  Edwin  B.  Atkinson  in  founding  the  Intermountain 
Glass  Company.  They  conduct  a  general  jobbing  business  in  all  kinds  of  glass  and 
under  contract  build  almost  everything  that  is  made  chiefly  out  of  plate  glass.  On 
short  notice  the  company  can  furnish  plate  glass  in  all  sizes  for  window  construction, 
for  glass  doors,  etc.  In  fact  they  handle  more  plate  glass  than  any  other  firm  in 
the  state.  They  also  take  orders  for  stained  glass  windows  and  transoms  in  hand- 
some design  for  churches.  Their  plant  is  splendidly  equipped  with  modern  polishing 
and  beveling  machinery  and  they  are  prepared  to  take  care  in  every  way  of  the 
plate  glass  trade,  especially  in  furnishing  heavy  beveled  plate  glass  doors  and 
mirrors.  From  the  beginning  the  firm  has  enjoyed  continuous  success  and  has  built 
up  its  business  to  gratifying  proportions. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1910,  Mr.  Hawthorne  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Ethel 
M.  Kinsey,  who  was  at  that  time  living  in  the  capital  but  is  a  native  of  Kansas.  Mr. 
Hawthorne  has  one  brother  and  one  sister  younger  than  himself  who  are  living  in 
Boise,  these  being  Emmett  W.  and  Ethel  M.,  the  former  now  married.  Mr.  Haw- 
thorne belongs  to  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  interested  in  all  the  plans 
of  that  organization  for  the  upbuilding  and  benefit  of  the  city.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order  and  Boise  Lodge  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  enjoys  fishing  and 
baseball  and  formerly  played  the  national  game.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
republican  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise  but  has  never  taken 
active  part  in  politics,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  time  and  efforts  upon  his  business 
affairs,  which  have  gradually  grown  and  developed  in  extent  and  in  importance. 


FRED  W.  CRICHFIELD,  D.  D.  S. 

The  dental  profession  of  Boise,  which  includes  the  highest  type  of  modern  and 
progressive  dental  practitioner,  is  typically  represented  by  Dr.  Fred  W.  Crichfield,  whose 
parlors  are  located  in  the  Overland  building.  He  has  been  located  in  Boise  since  1911 
and  as  his  reputation  has  spread  his  clientage  has  increased  from  year  to  year.  He 
is  now  considered  one  of  the  leading  dentists  of  the  capital,  having  made  his  way  to 
the  front  rank  within  the  comparatively  short  space  of  nine  years.  Dr.  Crichfield  is 
yet  a  young  man,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Weldon,  Iowa,  July  9,  1886.  He  is  a 
son  of  Robert  J.  and  Matilda  A.  (Jordan)  Crichfield,  both  now  residents  of  Boise, 
having  come  to  this  city  a  few  years  ago  in  order  to  be  near  their  son  Fred.  The 
father  for  many  years  was  prominently  connected  with  newspaper  work  and  also  was 
successful  as  a  lawyer  but  is  now  retired.  He  was  born  in  Mills  county,  Ohio,  while 
his  wife  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  coming  of  a  long  line  of  distinguished  American  ancestry, 
members  of  her  family  having  participated  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Both  parents 
are  in  the  best  of  health  and  take  an  active  interest  in  the  day's  doings,  fully  appre- 
ciating the  advantages  of  the  progressive  city  in  which  they  now  reside. 

Fred  W.  Crichfield  was  reared  in  Weldon,  Iowa,  and  there  attended  the  common 
schools,  subsequently  continuing  his  education  in  the  Des  Moines  high  school.  In 
1905  he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  Iowa,  devoting  three  years 
to  his  professional  studies  and  being  graduated  with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  in  1908.  He 
then  practiced  for  two  years  in  South  Dakota  and  later  was  for  one  year  located  in 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  being  during  this  period  associated  in  dental  practice  with  Dr.  Frank 
T.  Breen,  dean  of  the  dental  department  of  Iowa  State  University.  In  1911  Dr.  Crich- 
field came  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  built  up  a  gratifying  practice,  being  not  only 
well  versed  in  all  the  scientific  phases  of  his  profession  but  also  having  acquired  that 
mechanical  skill  so  necessary  in  order  to  perform  successful  dental  work. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1907,  Dr.  Crichfield  married  Gertrude  V.  Luce,  a  native 
of  Iowa  and  a  boyhood  acquaintance  and  schoolmate.  Both  are  very  popular  in  the 
social  circles  of  the  capital,  where  they  have  many  friends. 

Dr.  Crichfield  is  a  member  and  formerly  was  secretary  of  the  Idaho  Dental  Society. 
While  at  the  university  he  was  prominent  in  his  college,  being  a  well  liked  fraternity 
man,  and  he  also  was  tenor  in  the  University  Glee  Club.  He  is  deeply  and  helpfully 
interested  in  the  upbuilding  of  Boise  and  participates  in  all  movements  undertaken 
for  that  purpose  by  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  valued  member.  He 
also  is  on  the  roster  of  the  Boise  Country  Club,  the  Boise  University  Club  and  the 
Elks  Club.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  hunting  and  fishing,  being  a  good  shot  of 


DR.  FRED  W.  CRICHFIELD 


v,,i.  ir-  40 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  723 

small  as  well  as  big  game.  Visible  evidence  of  his  prosperity  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
he  owns  a  valuable  one  hundred  sixty  acre  alfalfa  ranch  in  Owyhee  county,  near 
Homedale.  Mrs.  Crichfleld  gives  much  of  her  time  to  charitable  work  and  participates 
eagerly  in  movements  for  moral  and  intellectual  upbuilding.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Boise  Columbian  Club.  There  is  great  credit  due  Dr.  Crichfleld  for  what  he  has 
achieved  along  professional  lines,  as  he  made  possible  his  professional  training  by 
waiting  on  table,  thus  earning  the  means  to  complete  his  college  education.  The  energy 
that  prompted  him  to  steadfastly  pursue  his  course  to  the  final  goal  has  never  left 
him  and  he  has  continually  improved  in  the  profession  for  which  his  tastes  and  in- 
clinations seem  to  have  particularly  destined  him. 


JOHN  O.   DOERR. 

John  G.  Doerr,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  C.  R.  Shaw  Wholesale  Company, 
one  of  the  foremost  lumber  concerns  of  southern  Idaho,  with  extensive  wholesale 
yards  at  Boise,  was  born  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  May  27,  1879.  He  is  a  son  of  John  G. 
and  Elizabeth  (Tishbein)  Doerr,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  Both  were 
born  in  Germany  and  were  reared  and  married  there.  The  father  was  a  cooper 
by  trade. 

John  G.  Doerr  spent  his  youthful  days  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  since  attaining 
his  majority  he  has  been  identified  with  the  lumber  business.  He  came  to  Boise  in 
1907  and  through  the  intervening  period  has  been  associated  with  C.  R.  Shaw  in 
the  wholesale  lumber  trade.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  C.  R.  Shaw  Wholesale 
Company  in  1911  he  was  made  the  secretary  and  treasurer  and  has  since  occupied 
that  official  position.  The  concern  is  too  well  known  to  need  comment.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  important  lumber  companies  of  the  northwest  and  has  long  maintained 
this  position,  while  the  reputation  of  the  house  for  enterprise  and  reliability  also 
maintains  it  in  the  front  rank  among  the  leading,  lumber  companies  of  the  northwest. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1908,  Mr.  Doerr  was  married  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Maud  Mueller,  an  acquaintance  of  his  boyhood  days.  They  have  four  living  children* 
two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Maurice  J.,  Elizabeth  Margaret,  John  G.,  and  Agnes 
Josephine. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Doerr 
are  communicants  of  St.  John's  Cathedral  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  also  has  membership  with  the  Elks  Club 
of  Boise  and  with  the  Boise  Commercial  Club.  As  an  enterprising  business  man  he 
has  made  for  himself  a  most  creditable  position.  Starting  out  in  life  without  special 
advantages  or  without  the  aid  of  wealthy  or  influential  friends,  he  has  steadily 
progressed,  overcoming  all  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  his  path  and  working  his 
way  steadily  upward  to  a  most  enviable  position  in  trade  circles. 


ALBERT  L.  BUSH. 

Albert  L.  Bush,  president  of  the  Capital  Lumber  Company  of  Boise,  was  born  in 
Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  December  21,  1864,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Professor  Alva 
Bush,  who  for  many  years  was  president  of  the  Cedar  Valley  Seminary  at  Osage, 
Iowa,  which  school  he  founded,  remaining  at  its  head  until  his  death  in  1880.  The 
father  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  and  after  reaching  manhood 
wedded  Eliza  J.  Moore  in  the  Empire  state.  They  afterward  removed  to  Fayette, 
Iowa,  living  there  for  several  years  before  going  to  Osage.  Mrs.  Bush  survived  her 
husband  until  a  few  years  ago.  They  had  but  one  son,  Albert  L.  of  this  review,  but 
there  were  five  daughters  in  the  family,  two  of  whom  are  let  living,  one  in  Iowa  and 
the  other  in  South  Dakota.  The  school  founded  by  the  father,  Professor  Alva  Bush, 
— the  Cedar  Valley  Seminary — is  still  in  flourishing  condition. 

It  was  in  that  institution  that  Albert  L.  Bush  acquired  his  early  education,  but 
he  put  aside  his  textbooks  when  eighteen  years  of  age  and  started  upon  his  business 
career  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  at  Osage,  Iowa,  his  native  town.  When  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  had  become  part  owner  of  the  store  and  when  he  was  twenty  years 


724  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  age  he  and  his  partner  established  a  branch  store  at  Riceville,  Iowa,  twenty  miles 
from  Osage,  of  which  he  took  charge,  acting  as  manager  at  that  point  for  three  years. 

It  was  during  that  period,  on  the  25th  of  January,  1887,  that  Mr.  Bush  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Kate  L.  Smith.  In  1889  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  two  stores  and  removed  to  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  after  which  he  spent  three  years 
as  a  traveling  salesman,  handling  creamery  supplies.  He  next  removed  to  Emmets- 
burg,  Iowa,  and  during  a  period  of  twelve  years'  residence  there  he  was  traveling 
for  a  grocery  house  of  Waterloo,  Iowa.  On  leaving  Emmetsburg  he  removed  to 
Boise  in  1904  and  in  connection  with  William  and  John  A.  Ketchen,  represented 
elsewhere  in  this  work,  he  founded  the  Capital  Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  the  president.  This  company  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the  old  Randall 
Lumber  Company  and  has  prospered  from  the  beginning.  In  addition  to  conducting 
a  large  retail  lumber  trade,  and  their  business  along  this  line  has  reached  very 
gratifying  proportions,  they  build  the  Tulsa  silos  and  have  erected  many  throughout 
this  section  of  the  state. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bush  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children  who  are  yet  living. 
Alva,  who  is  married  and  makes  his  home  in  Boise,  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
•Doscher  Lumber  Company,  Marguerite  is  a  successful  teacher  at  Middleton,  Canyon 
county.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  at  Lewiston,  Idaho.  Loren 
S.,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  in  the  United  States  Army  in  France,  being  a 
member  of  Company  B  of  the  Fifth  Engineers  of  the  United  States  Regulars,  with 
the  rank  of  sergeant,  and  is  now  a  student  of  the  Leland  Stanford  University. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bush  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church  and  Mr.  Bush 
is  a  Master  Mason  and  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  chapter.  He  likewise 
has  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  but 
has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office  and  at  local  elections,  where  no  issue  ia 
involved,  he  casts  his  ballot  regardless  of  party  ties.  His  business  record  has  been 
marked  by  that  steady  progress  which  is  the  outcome  of  close  application,  persistency 
of  purpose  and  a  ready  utilization  as  well  as  recognition  of  opportunities. 


BENARDIS  JUDD  HETHERINGTON. 

Benardis  Judd  Hetherington,  of  Boise,  conducting  business  as  a  dealer  in 
electrical  supplies  at  305  North  Eighth  street,  under  the  firm  style  of  B.  J.  Hether- 
ington &  Company,  removed  from  Minneapolis  to  this  city  in  1906  and  established 
his  present  business  in  1908.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Minnesota,  his  birth  having 
occurred  at  Hastings,  October  28,  1876,  his  parents  being  George  James  and  Anna 
(Judd)  Hetherington,  the  former  a  native  of  Canada  while  the  latter  was  born  in 
Irelarrd.  The  father  was  a  wholesale  meat  dealer  and  packer  and  died  in  Hastings, 
Minnesota,  in  1904,  but  the  mother  is  still  living.  The  only  members  of  the  family 
in  Idaho  are  Benardis  J.  and  Almond  LeRoy,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Emmett. 

The  former  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Hastings,  Minne- 
sota, and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  went  to  Minneapolis,  where  he  at  once  se- 
cured employment  along  the  line  that  fitted  him  for  his  chosen  life  work.  He  first 
spent  a  few  years  in  the  electric  shops  of  the  Twin  City  Rapid  Transit  Company 
and  was  there  initiated  into  electrical  matters.  Later  he  was  with  the  General 
Electric  Company  for  several  years  at  Minneapolis,  and  removed  to  Boise  to  become 
superintendent  of  the  Boise  Valley  Railroad  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
for  two  years.  In  1908  he  established  his  present  business,  conducted  under  the 
name  of  B.  J.  Hetherington  &  Company,  dealers  in  electric  supplies.  .  They  are 
especially  equipped  for  armature  and  motor  repairing  of  all  kinds  and  are  licensed 
contractors  for  all  classes  of  electric  work.  Their  skill  and  ability  have  given 
them  a  place  in  the  front  rank  in  their  line  and  their  business  extends  all  over  Idaho 
and  eastern  Oregon. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1901,  Mr.  Hetherington  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie  Lough- 
ren,  a  native  af  St.  Paul.  They  have  one  son,  Judd  Burton,  born  August  22,  1908. 

Mr.  Hetherington  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  in  Masonry,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  co- 
operates in  all  movements  for  local  progress  and  benefit.  In  politics  he  maintains 
an  independent  course.  He  belongs  to  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church  and  is  inter- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  725 

ested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  welfare  of  the  community  and  of  the  country. 
His  interest  in  war  measures  is  shown  by  his  active  service  as  a  member  of  the 
Ada  County  Council  of  Defense  and  in  this  way  he  has  given  active  cooperation  to 
all  the  movements  for  the  support  of  the  federal  government.  He  is  a  man  of  ster- 
ling worth  and  high  principles  and  the  many  substantial  traits  of  his  character  have 
gained  him  the  warm  regard  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 


MRS.  J.  K.  NICHOLS. 

Mrs.  J.  K.  Nichols  is  one  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Canyon  county,  having 
"arrived  in  Idaho  in  August,  1881.  The  nearest  railroad  at  the  time  was  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  and  with  every  phase  of  frontier  life  and  experi- 
ence she  became  familiar.  She  WAS  born  in  Cedar  county,  Missouri,  and  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Nancy  L.  Edsall.  In  1866  she  became  the  wife  of  J.  K.  Nichols, 
who  was  born  in  Miller  county,  Missouri,  in  1842  and  who  came  to  Idaho  in  August, 
1881,  settling  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  McConnel  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  which  he  purchased  from  Mr.  McConnel.  He  afterward  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining.  Very  little  of  this  land  was  at  that  time 
under  cultivation  and  Mr.  Nichols  cleared  it  and  in  1882  began  raising  cattle 
thereon.  The  present  home  of  Mrs.  Nichols  is  a  part  of  the  original  homestead, 
but  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  their  place  was  sold.  Upon  the  remainder  of 
the  tract  Mrs.  Nichols  and  her  son,  W.  H.  Nichols,  carry  on  farming,  raising  alfalfa, 
grain  and  stock  and  also  conducting  a  dairy  business  on  a  small  scale.  Mr.  Nichols 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  now  resides  at  the  Soldiers  Home  in  Boise. 

At  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  Idaho  this  was  a  wild  frontier  region. 
The  trip  to  the  west  had  been  made  to  Kelton,  Utah,  by  rail  and  thence  with  a  light 
wagon  and  a  good  team.  There  was  no  railroad  in  Idaho  at  the  time  and  all  sup- 
plies had  to  be  hauled  from  Kelton,  Utah,  a  trip  that  required  eleven  days.  Their 
nearest  post  office  was  at  Middleton,  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  and  Mrs.  Nichols 
says  that  the  only  reason  she  remained  and  endured  the  hardships  and  dangers  of 
frontier  life  in  Idaho  at  that  period  was  that  there  was  no  railroad  to  take  her 
away.  Conditions  have  changed  marvelously  since  then  and  what  was  then  all 
sagebrush  between  their  place  and  the  Snake  river  is  now  a  succession  of  beautiful 
alfalfa  fields,  dotted  here  and  there  with  fine  homes. 

Mrs.  Nichols  has  two  children:  Jasper  C.,  fifty-two  years  of  age,  who  mar- 
ried Keturah  Shields  and  is  the  father  of  three  children,  Nancy  A.,  Grace  and 
Dessa;  and  W.  H.  Nichols,  who  married  Viola  D.  York,  a  native  of  Georgia.  They 
have  also  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Jasper  ;Lee,  twelve  years  of  age; 
William  Logan,  aged  seven;  and  Louisa  Pearl,  who  is  the  youngest.  W.  H.  Nichols 
carries  on  the  work  of  the  home  farm  for  his  mother  and  the  family  is  one  well 
known  in  the  section  of  the  country  In  which  they  reside.  For  thirty-nine  years 
they  have  lived  in  this  district  and  are  familiar  with  every  phase  of  early  develop- 
ment as  well  as  with  later  day  progress  and  improvement. 


JAMES   SPIVEY. 

Among  the  industrial  enterprises  of  importance  is  the  Boise  Machine  &  Weld- 
ing Works,  of  which  James  Spivey  is  the  founder  and  proprietor.  His  modern 
plant,  which  is  thoroughly  equipped  in  order  to  turn  out  high  class  work,  is  located 
at  No.  1210-1212  Grove  street,  Boise.  Mr.  Spivey  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county, 
Illinois,  November  11,  1862,  a  son  of  James  R.  Spivey,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Union  army  when  his  son  and  namesake  was  born.  In  fact  he  did  not  see  young 
James  until  the  latter  was  a  year  old.  The  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits 
and  also  was  quite  successful  as  a  dealer  in  live  stock.  He  was  born  in  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana,  in  1840  and  when  but  eight  years  old  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Illinois.  In  1888,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  he  removed  to  Ne- 
braska and  in  that  state  he  died  twenty-six  years  later,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1914. 
He  had  married  Eda  Dusenberry,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  in  1842  and  passed 
away  in  Illinois  in  1874.  The  paternal  grandmother  of  our  subject  was  Mary  Allred 


726  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

before  her  marriage  and  her  father  at  one  time  owned  the  land  upon  which  the 
present  city  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  stands. 

James  Spivey  was  reared  in  Illinois  and  was  connected  with  farming  in  Rock 
Island  and  Henry  counties  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  having  in  the  meantime  ac- 
quired a  common  school  education.  He  did  not  care  for  agricultural  pursuits,  being 
of  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind,  and  in  early  manhood  he  learned  the  jeweler's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  about  fifteen  years vin  Illinois.  In  1903  he  removed  to  Clin- 
ton, Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  business  seven  years,  being 
one  of  the  owners  of  the  Clinton  Spring  Bed  Company.  However,  perceiving  greater 
opportunities  in  the  newer  west,  he  came  to  Boise  in  1910  and  for  several  years 
gave  his  attention  to  the  retail  grocery  business,  having  acquired  considerable  mer- 
cantile experience  in  Illinois  in  his  early  manhood.  From  1910  until  1918  he 
owned  and  managed  the  Hart  Grocery  at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  O'Farrel 
streets  but  recently  sold  out  and  established  the  Boise  Machine  &  Welding  Works 
at  No.  1210-1212  Grove  street.  On  September  23,  1918,  he  had  purchased  the 
plant  of  the  Idaho  Machine  &  Supply  Company,  Inc.,  on  Front  street,  becoming 
owner  of  the  machinery,  equipment  and  complete  stock  of  the  above  concern,  and 
he  then  removed  to  his  present  quarters  on  Grove  street,  it  being  the  nucleus  of  the 
Boise  Machine  &  Welding  Works.  A  successful  future  may  be  prophesied  for  this 
new  enterprise  as  it  is  closely  connected  with  the  automobile  industry — a  line  which 
has  made  rapid  strides  in  the  last  decade  and  which  promises  even  greater  expansion 
in  the  coming  years.  The  Boise  Machine  &  Welding  Works  is  especially  fitted  for 
the  manufacture  and  repair  of  automobile  parts. 

Mr.  Spivey  has  been  married  twice.  On  September  28,  1890,  he  wedded  Miss 
Jennie  Carnahan,  who  passed  away  December  4,  1894.  His  second  union  was  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Carnahan,  a  twin  sister  of  his  first  wife,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed on  the  9th  of  November,  1898.  There  is  a  daughter  of  the  first  marriage, 
Snow,  now  the  wife  of  Mans  Coffin,  of  Boise,  by  whom  she  has  a  daughter,  Eliza- 
beth, who  is  three  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Spivey  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  being  helpfully  active  in 
its  projects  and  movements,  and  fraternally  in  a  Master  Mason.  He  is  independent 
in  politics  but  by  no  means  indifferent.  He  has  voted  at  every  presidential  election 
since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  as  it  is  humanly  natural  to  derive  satis- 
faction from  backing  a  winner,  it  should  be  mentioned  in  this  connection  that  Mr. 
Spivey  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  winning  presidential 
candidate  since  1884.  While  thoroughly  informed  in  regard  to  the  questions  and 
issues  of  the  day,  he  has  never  had  aspirations  along  political  lines  although  in  early 
manhood  he  served  at  one  time  as  councilman  in  New  Windsor,  Illinois. 


DR.   EDWIN   STANTON   OWEN. 

Dr.  Edwin  Stanton  Owen,  an  optometrist  of  wide  reputation,  conducting  business 
under  the  name  of  the  Boise  Optical  Company,  came  to  Boise  in  1909  from  Danville. 
Illinois,  where  during  the  previous  nine  years  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness as  a  member  of  the  Owen  &  Raney  Drug  Company.  Ever  since  he  came  to  Boise, 
however,  he  has  owned  and  conducted  one  of  the  leading  optical  establishments  of 
the  city  at  No.  1003  Main  street.  He  was  born  at  New  Goshen,  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
January  31,  1862,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Green  Berry  and  Cyrena  (Burtner)  Owen, 
both  of  whom  have  passed  away,  the  latter  dying  when  her  son  was  but  thirteen  years 
of  age.  The  father,  who  was  a  wagon  maker  and  blacksmith  by  trade,  followed  mer- 
chandising in  New  Goshen,  Indiana,  where  he  also  served  as  postmaster,  and  his  last 
days  were  spent  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  where  he  passed  away  in  1910.  His  family 
numbered  six  children,  two  daughters  and  four  sons,  and  the  four  sons  are  yet  living. 

Dr.  Edwin  Stanton  Owen,  however,  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  in  Idaho.  He 
was  reared  in  his  native  city  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  when  he  entered  West- 
field  College,  a  United  Brethren  school  in  Clark  county,  Illinois.  There  he  pursued 
his  collegiate  studies  for  two  years  and  while  thus  engaged  he  also  clerked  in  a  drug 
store  of  Westfield  owned  by  an  uncle,  in  whose  home  he  remained  while  a  college 
student  there.  He  afterward  entered  the  Northwestern  University  College  of  Pharmacy 
of  Chicago,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1888,  and  he  has  been  licensed  as  a 
pharmacist  in  the  states  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Idaho.  He  followed  the  drug  busi- 


DR.  EDWIN  S.  OWEN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  729 

ness  for  eighteen  years  in  Wisconsin  and  Illinois  and  while  thus  engaged  took  up  the 
study  of  optometry.  In  1909  he  was  graduated  from  the  Illinois  College  of  Ophthal- 
mology and  Otology  and  utilizes  the  knowledge  of  those  sciences  in  his  work  as  an 
optometrist.  Removing  to  Boise,  he  has  since  here  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  and  is  acknowledged  one  of  the  leading  optometrists  of  the  state.  His 
professional  ability  and  standing  are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  was  elected  secretary 
of  the  Idaho  State  Association  of  Optometrists  in  1910  and  filled  the  position  contin- 
uously until  his  resignation  in  1919.  Although  preferring  to  serve  without  official 
recognition,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  examiners  in  1915  and  filled 
the  position  of  secretary-treasurer  until  his  term  of  office  expired  in  1919.  He  was 
elected  a  vice  president  of  the  American  Optical  Association  in  1915  and  one  of  the 
vice  presidents  of  the  National  Organization  of  Optometry  Boards  in  1916.  At  the 
meeting  of  western  boards  held  in  Portland,  October,  1916,  he  was  chosen  president 
of  the  newly  organized  Intermountain  Association  of  Optometry  Boards,  and  in  1918 
at  the  American  Optical  Association  held  at  St.  Paul  was  selected  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  council.  At  the  Rochester  convention  in  July,  1919,  he  was  made  a  member 
of  the  optometry  fund  commission,  which  position  he  still  holds.  Dr.  Owen  has  also 
enjoyed  that  financial  success  which  should  accompany  intense  activity  and  ability  in 
the  profession. 

In  Westfield,  Illinois,  in  September,  1889,  Dr.  Owen  was  married  to  Miss  Martha 
Emma  Waltrip  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Marjorie  June,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Boise  high  school  and  who  for  five  years  was  the  active  assistant  of  her  father  in 
carrying  on  his  business  in  Boise,  but  who  after  America's  entrance  into  the  war 
went  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  Washington,  D.  ('..  and  accepted  a  position  as  stenographer 
there  in  order  to  render  aid  to  the  government.  She  has  since  returned  home  and  is 
now  filling  the  position  of  office  manager  in  her  father's  business. 

Dr.  Owen  is  a  member  of  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  also  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  served  as  Sunday  school  superintendent  for  six  years, 
and  is  one  of  the  church  elders.  He  gave  freely  of  his  time  and  his  means  to  the 
work  of  the  Council  of  Defense,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  he  was  identified  with 
all  the  war  drives  and'  activities  of  Boise  and  the  state.  His  patriotic  love  of  his 
country,  always  one  of  his  dominant  qualities,  was  manifest  in  many  tangible  ways 
during  the  great  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  nation. 


WILLIAM    R.    WILKERSON. 

Insurance  interests  in  Boise  are  prominently  represented  by  William  R.  Wilker- 
son,  who  is  general  agent  of  the  Mutual  Benefit  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New- 
ark, New  Jersey,  for  southern  Idaho  and  southeastern  Oregon,  and  in  1906  came 
to  this  state  from  Texas.  He  first  located  at  Caldwell,  Idaho,  where  he  resided  for 
a  period  of  ten  years  and  was  engaged  in  the  general  insurance  business,  both  fire 
and  life,  and  there  he  was  also  interested  in  banking,  being  a  director  of  the  West- 
ern National  Bank  of  Caldwell  for  some  time.  In  1907  he  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Vale,  Oregon,  and  remained  as  one  of  its  officers  until 
1914,  when  he  sold  his  interest. 

Mr.  Wilkerson  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Purdy,  in  McNairy  county,  Tennessee, 
July  25,  1875,  a  son  of  Robert  J.  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Peeler)  Wilkerson,  both  natives 
of  North  Carolina.  They  were  married  in  Tennessee  in  1869.  The  father,  who 
throughout  his  life  followed  agricultural  pursuits  to  good  purpose,  passed  away  in 
1914  in  Oklahoma.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  with  the  Confederate  army 
The  mother,  who  is  now  sixty-six  years  of  age  and  enjoys  the  best  of  health,  makes 
her  home  in  Oklahoma. 

William  R.  Wilkerson  spent  his  boyhood  and  early  youth  on  the  home  farm 
in  Tennessee,  receiving  his  primary  education  in  a  country  school  near  his  father's 
place.  In  1893,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  the  family  removed  to  Gray- 
son  county,  Texas,  locating  on  a  farm  near  Sherman,  and  there  Mr.  Wilkerson  com- 
pleted his  studies,  attending  for  four  years  the  Whitesboro  (Tex.)  Normal  College 
and  later  the  North  Texas  Normal  College  at  Denton.  There  is  great  credit  due 
him  for  hie  persistence  in  acquiring  a  good  education,  as  he  made  his  own  way 
through  both  of  these  schools  by  doing  work  of  various  kinds.  At  the  same  time 
he  had  an  interest  in  farming  operations  at  home  and  thus  he  derived  the  means 


730  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

which  enabled  him  to  complete  his  studies.  After  he  left  the  normal  he  taught 
school  for  five  years  during  the  winters  but  in  the  summer  time  he  farmed.  In 
1904,  while  he  was  still  teaching,  in  order  to  augment  his  income,  he  began  to  write 
life  insurance  for  the  Mutual  Benefit  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  since  1905  he  has  devoted  all  of  his  attention  to  the  insurance  and  banking 
business.  Since  1906  he  has  lived  in  the  state  of  Idaho  and  in  1916  the  Mutual 
Benefit  Life  Insurance  Company,  whose  district  agent  he  had  been  at  Caldwell  for 
ten  years,  promoted  him  to  the  position  of  general  agent  of  the  company,  with  head- 
quarters at  Boise.  This  naturally  necessitated  his  removal  to  this  city,  where  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  October,  1916.  Through  long  years  of  experience  he  has 
become  thoroughly  versed  on  all  insurance  matters  and  has  greatly  built  up  the 
business  of  his  company.  He  always  follows  the  most  honorable  methods  and  is 
careful  to  explain  his  policies  to  prospective  customers  so  that  no  misunderstanding 
may  arise  and  no  dissatisfaction  result.  Therefore  he  has  won  the  trust  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  have  had  business  dealings  with  him. 

On  December  5,  1906,  Mr.  Wilkerson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie 
Kimbrough,  of  Bells,  Texas,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Lone  Star  state.  She 
is  a  graduate  of  the  North  Texas  Female  College  (Kid  Key  College)  at  Sherman. 
To  this  union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Doris  Mildred,  who  in  1920  passed  her 
eighth  birthday. 

Although  Mr.  Wilkerson  has  been  a  resident  of  Boise  for  only  a  short  time 
he  has  already  built  for  himself  and  family  a  handsome  home  at  the  corner  of 
Twelfth  and  Alturas  streets  and  thus  has  made  closer  his  relations  with  the  city 
which  he  now  calls  his  home.  His  religious  affiliation  is  that  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Boise,  of  which  he  is  a  valued  member,  and  fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Boise  Lodge  of  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  Anything  that 
pertains  to  the  growth  and  development  of  his  city  is  of  interest  to  him  and  he  can 
always  be  depended  upon  to  assist  in  movements  and  measures  undertaken  for  the 
benefit  of  his  community. 


CAPTAIN  GILBERT  DONALDSON. 

Through  successive  stages  of  business  progress  Captain  Gilbert  Donaldson 
reached  the  point  of  success  that  now  enables  him  to  live  retired,  deriving  a  very 
substantial  income  from  judicious  investments  in  real  estate.  He  has  made  his  home 
in  Idaho  since  1900.  He  was  born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  1849,  at  which  time 
his  father  was  a  customs  officer  at  Londonderry  in  the  employ  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment. The  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage.  His  mother  was  a  grandniece  of 
Lord  Keith  of  Scotland  and  a  woman  of  most  exemplary  Christian  character  who 
exerted  a  marked  influence  upon  the  lives  of  her  children. 

Captain  Donaldson  was  quite  young  when  his  parents  emigrated  with  their 
family  to  the  new  world.  It  has  been  characteristic  of  him  that  he  has  utilized  every 
advantage  that  has  come  his  way  and  along  the  legitimate  lines  of  trade  and  industry 
has  made  steady  advancement.  In  early  manhood  he  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
white  goods  business  in  the  city  of  New  York,  but  turned  his  attention  to  electrical 
interests  in  the  eastern  metropolis  when  thirty  years  of  age  as  an  employe  of  the 
United  States  Electric  Lighting  Company.  He  applied  himself  earnestly  to  the 
mastery  of  the  business,  and  his  efficient  service  and  developing  powers  won  him 
rapid  promotion.  In  1880  he  was  sent  to  Milwaukee,  to  St.  Paul  and  to  Minneapolis 
to  install  electric  light  plants,  taking  the  initial  step  in  that  direction  in  each  city. 
He  resigned  his  position  with  the  United  States  Electric  Lighting  Company  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  the  St.  Paul  Gas  &  Electric  Lighting  Company  and  became 
the  general  manager  and  electrician  of  the  latter.  In  that  position  he  continued 
for  a  number  of  years  but  ultimately  entered  the  manufacturing  field  on  his  own 
account,  devoting  his  attention  to  the  manufacture  of  electrical  generators,  dynamos, 
motors  and  electrical  apparatus,  a  business  which  he  conducted  for  a  period  of 
fifteen  years.  At  length  Captain  Donaldson  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Minnesota 
and  purchased  the  electric  lighting  plant  at  McGregor,  Iowa,  and  there  he  broadened 
the  scope  of  his  activities  to  include  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  and  the  building  and 
ownership  of  a  number  of  boats  and  barges,  which  he  sailed  on  the  river  in  connec- 
tion with  his  other  interests.  In  1900  he  disposed  of  all  of  his  business  investments 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  731 

at  McGregor  and  removed  to  Idaho,  where  he  purchased  a  large  amount  of  real 
estate  and  has  since  lived  practically  retired  save  for  the  supervision  which  he  gives 
to  his  property  interests. 

Captain  Donaldson  has  been  married  twice.  He  first  wedded  Annie  Merriman, 
who  passed  away  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  in  1886,  leaving  five  children,  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  to  whom  Captain  Donaldson  had. to  then  take  the  place  of  both 
father  and  mother.  He  made  their  welfare,  interests  and  education  his  chief  concern 
and  has  lived  to  see  them  reach  an  honored  manhood  and  womanhood.  In  later  life 
Captain  Donaldson  wedded  Dr.  Mary  E.  Johnston  in  Boise  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1912.  Their  life  interests  are  largely  along  the  same  lines,  particularly  their  efforts 
in  behalf  of  benevolent  and  philanthropic  projects,  one  of  which  reached  fruition  In 
the  building  and  establishment  of  the  Donaldson  Home  for  the  Aged.  Well  de- 
scended and  well  bred,  Captain  Donaldson  is  a  man  whom  to  know  is  to  respect  and 
honor  and  with  whom  association  means  expansion  and  elevation. 


PATRICK  HENRY  QUIRK. 

Patrick  Henry  Quirk,  proprietor  of  the  Boston  Grocery  at  No.  1008  Main  street 
in  Boise,  was  born  December  22,  1890,  in  the  city  which  is  still  his  home.  His 
entire  life  has  been  passed  in  Boise  and  he  is  the  only  son  o.f  Patrick  Henry  Quirk, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  capital,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  crossed  the  ocean  when 
but  four  years  of  age  with  his  parents,  Patrick  Henry  and  Mary  (O'Connell) 
Quirk.  The  family  home  was  first  established  at  Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  and 
Patrick  Henry  Quirk  of  this  review  is  of  the  third  generation  in  direct  succession 
to  bear  that  name.  His  father  still  resides  in  Boise,  active  in  business  though 
now  past  eighty-two  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  also  survives.  She  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Pertina  Rock  and  is  also  a  native  of  Ireland.  Patrick  Henry  Quirk  II 
followed  mining  pursuits  and  the  cattle  business  in  his  active  life  and  is  still 
the  owner  of  ranches  although  living  practically  retired.  In  his  young  manhood 
he  went  to  South  America  and  was  in  Ecuador  when  gold  was  discovered  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  hastened  northward  to  that  state  and  later  came  from  California  to 
Idaho  during  the  gold  excitement  here.  It  was  in  Boise  that  he  was  married  and 
to  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  children,  who  are  still  living,  Patrick  Henry 
and  three  daughters,  Mary  A.,  Catherine  E.  and  Violet  B.,  all  of  whom  are  graduates 
of  St.  Theresa's  Academy  of  Boise.  The  daughter  Catherine  is  now  an  X-ray 
operator  in  a  hospital  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  Violet  is  a  graduate  nurse, 
now  in  Boise.  There  was  also  another  son  older  than  our  subject,  Frank  Quirk, 
who  died  March  27,  1915,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  He  was  a  most 
prominent  and  popular  young  man. 

P.  Henry  Quirk,  of  this  review,  spending  his  entire  life  in  Boise  to  the  time 
of  his  entrance  into  the  World  war,  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  the 
city  and  was  much  interested  in  hiirh  school  athletics,  belonging  to  the  football 
and  baseball  teams  and  also  to  the  track  team.  While  still  a  high  school  pupil 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Boston  Grocery,  which  he  now  owns  and  which  was 
then  the  property  of  Vern  Nusbaum,  now  deceased.  Mr.  Quirk  acted  as  clerk  and 
delivery  boy  in  the  evenings  after  school,  on  Saturdays  and  throueh  the  summer 
vacations  throughout  nearly  his  entire  high  school  course.  He  thus  thoroughly 
learned  the  business  in  every  detail  and  after  finishing  his  high  school  course  he 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  Boston  Grocery,  remaining  as  an  employe  for  a 
few  years.  Later,  after  the  death  of  Vern  Nusbaum,  the  latter's  brother,  Walter 
Nusbaum,  became  interested  in  the  store  and  Mr.  Quirk  also  bought  a  half  interest 
in  the  business.  In  January,  1917,  however,  he  -became  sole  proprietor  through 
purchase  of  his  partner's  interest,  and  the  Boston  Grocery  is  today  one  of  Boise's 
leading  grocery  establishments  and  is  accorded  an  extensive  patronage. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  1917,  Mr.  Quirk  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  private  for 
service  in  the  European  war  and  on  the  5th  of  May,  1918,  sailed  for  overseas.  He 
was  a  first  class  sergeant  in  the  Twenty-eighth  Division  and  was  on  active  duty  in 
France. 

During  the  absence  of  Mr.  Quirk  the  entire  management  of  the  Boston  Grocery 
devolved  on  his  sister,  Miss  Mary  A.  Quirk,  who  for  sometime  had  been  bookkeeper 
in  the  store  and  who  most  capably  conducted  the  business  during  the  absence  of 


732  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

her  brother.  Mr.  Quirk  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Boise 
Elks  Club  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  is  possessed  of  good  business  ability 
and  marked  enterprise,  but  personal  considerations  weighed  but  little  with  him 
when  he  felt  that  his  country  needed  his  aid  and,  responding  to  the  call  of  the 
colors,  he  went  to  France  to  assist  in  suppressing  the  military  spirit  which  cast 
gloom,  desolation  and  sorrow  over  the  world  for  four  years,  causing  the  sacrifice 
of  eight  million  young  lives. 


AUGUSTUS  H.  HARVEY. 

Augustus  H.  Harvey,  a  sheep  and  wool  dealer  of  Boise,  who  is  usually  known  as 
"Gus  Harvey,"  can  justly  claim  place  with  Idaho's  pioneers,  having  come  to  the  ter- 
ritory in  1883,  when  a  lad  of  but  fourteen  years,  traveling  by  stage-coach  from  Hailey 
to  Boise,  for  at  that  time  the  capital  city  had  no  railroad.  His  home  at  No.  209  Main 
street  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  beautiful  city  that  has  been  developed.  It  is  built  of 
Idaho  cut  stone  in  an  attractive  style  of  architecture,  and  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Har- 
vey a  few  years  ago  at  a  low  figure  when  real  estate  prices  in  Boise  were  at  an  ebb 
and  since  then  he  has  refused  more  than  double  the  price  which  he  paid  for  it.  He 
thus  came  into  possession  of  one  of  the  lovely  homes  of  the  city  and,  moreover,  it  has 
proven  an  excellent  investment,  for  soon  after  his  purchase  realty  values  took  a  sud- 
den upward  turn  and  are  still  advancing.  As  the  years  have  passed  Mr.  Harvey  has 
successfully  conducted  his  operations  as  a  dealer  in  sheep  and  wool,  and  the  young 
lad  of  fourteen  who  arrived  in  Idaho  practically  empty-handed  is  today  one  of  the 
prosperous  business  men  of  the  city. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Richmond,  Indiana,  February  7,  1868,  a  son  of 
Charles  Harvey,  a  farmer,  who  came  to  Boise  and  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in 
the  home  of  his  son,  passing  away  March  17,  1918.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Margaret  Chapman,  died  when  their  son  Augustus  was  but  nine  years  of  age, 
after  which  the  father  never  married  again.  The  Harvey  family  is  descended  from 
Quaker  ancestry.  Immediately  after  the  mother's  death  Augustus  Harvey  removed 
with  his  father,  brothers  and  sisters  to  the  state  of  Michigan,  their  home  being  estab- 
lished on  a  fruit  farm  in  Oceana  county.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  left  home 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  going  first  to  Iowa,  where  he  attended  school 
for  about  a  year.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  continued  his  westward  travel  to 
Boise  and  was  first  employed  in  this  city  by  Frank  R.  Coffin,  with  whom  he  made  his 
home  for  four  years,  working  for  his  board  and  clothing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coffin  took 
the  place  of  parents  to  him,  shielding  and  guiding  him  and  giving  him  the  privilege 
of  attending  the  public  schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  to 
work  for  wages  in  Mr.  Coffin's  hardware  store.  He  remained  with  his  benefactor  until 
he  attained  his  majority.  For  several  years  afterward  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business,  first  as  a  clerk  and  later  as  proprietor  of  a  store.  For  three  years  he  owned 
and  conducted  the  Royal  grocery  at  Ninth  and  Idaho  streets.  In  1903  he  embarked 
in  the  sheep  business  and  has  devoted  his  attention  thereto  throughout  the  intervening 
period,  dealing  extensively  in  sheep  and  wool.  His  first  venture  m  the  business  was 
an  investment  of  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars  in  sheep.  He  has  become  one  of  the 
largest  operators  in  sheep  and  wool  in  Idaho,  conducting  a  mammoth  business  in 
recent  years,  buying  and  selling  sheep  in  large  numbers  and  handling  immense  quan- 
tities of  wool.  He  buys  and  sells  rather  than  raises  sheep  and  he  now  has  as  an 
associate  in  business  his  eldest  son,  Gerald  H.  Harvey,  a  young  man  of  twenty-six  years, 
who  is  married  and  resides  in  Boise. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1891,  Mr.  Harvey  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Adelaide 
May  Andrews,  who  was  born  in  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  and  was  educated  in  Bingham- 
ton,  New  York.  She  came  to  Idaho  with  her  mother  about  1887.  They  have  two  sons: 
Gerald  H.,  twenty-six  years  of  age;  and  Robert  Ryder,  aged  eight  years,  the  latter  now 
a  public  school  pupil. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  belong  to  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Boise  and 
Mr.  Harvey  is  also  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  with  the  Boise 
Country  Club.  His  chief  recreation  is  duck  hunting  and  he  is  also  fond  of  other  hunt- 
ing, fishing  and  skating.  He  was  formerly  widely  known  in  Idaho  as  an  expert  ice 
and  roller  skater,  being  able  to  do  all  the  fancy  turns  and  movements  that  are  indi- 
cative of  skill  in  that  connection.  Mr.  Harvey  and  his  family  are  most  prominent 


AUGUSTUS  H.  HARVEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  735 

socially  and  their  beautiful  home  is  the  abode  of  a  warm-hearted  hospitality  which  is 
greatly  enjoyed  by  their  many  friends.  Mr.  Harvey  deserves  more  than  passing  notice 
as  a  business  man,  for  his  success  is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors.  Starting 
out  independently  when  a  youth  of  thirteen  years  to  earn  his  own  living,  he  has  stead- 
ily worked  his  way  upward,  making  wise  use  of  his  time  and  opportunities,  and  his 
energies  have  brought  to  him  a  competence  which  places  him  with  Idaho's  men  of  af- 
fluence. Moreover,  the  methods  that  he  has  followed  have  been  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  most  ethical  business  standards,  and  at  no  point  in  his  career  have  his  activi- 
ties ever  sought  or  required  disguise. 


ARTHUR  EUSEBE  ASHLEY. 

Arthur  Eusebe  Ashley,  founder  and  proprietor  of  the  business  conducted  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Ashley  Sign  Company  in  Boise,  was  born  in  Baltic,  Connecticut, 
October  28,  1884,  a  son  of  Eusebe  and  Mary  (Bouchard)  Ashley,  the  former  of 
English  lineage,  while  the  latter  was  a  representative  of  an  old  French  Canadian 
family.  The  mother  died  when  her  son,  Arthur  E..  was  but  four  years  of  age  and 
he  was  left  an  orphan  through  his  father's  death  when  a  lad  of  twelve.  He  was 
reared  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  and  at  sixteen  years  of  age  he  Joined  the 
United  States  Army,  in  which  he  served  a  full  three  years'  term  of  enlistment, 
being  honorably  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  when  nineteen  years  of  age. 
He  at  once  removed  westward  to  Spokane,  Washington,  where  he  remained  from 
1904  until  1910.  He  there  learned  the  sign  painter's  trade,  which  he  followed  as 
a  journeyman,  and  in  1910  he  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  where  he  established  the 
Ashley  Sign  Company  and  has  since  conducted  business  under  that  style.  He  has 
devoted  his  entire  attention  to  sign  painting  since  1905.  His  place  of  business 
is  now  at  No.  219  North  Ninth  street  and  he  has  a  very  liberal  patronage,  for  his 
work  is  of  high  quality  and  his  business  methods  thoroughly  reliable.  During  his 
three  years'  service  in  the  army  his  military  duties  took  him  into  twenty-two  dif- 
ferent states  of  the  Union.  He  belongs  to  the  Spanish  War  Veterans'  Association, 
having  entered  the  army  primarily  for  service  in  the  Philippines,  but  the  govern- 
ment kept  him  in  this  country. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1906,  Mr.  Ashley  was  married  in  Spokane,  Washington, 
to  Miss  Mabel  B.  Maxwell,  a  native  of  Minnesota  but  at  that  time  a  resident  of 
Spokane.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children:  Arthur  Allen,  Esther 
Ruth,  Evelyn  Maxine  and  Prances  Mabel.  Mrs.  Ashley  is  a  daughter  of  William  E. 
and  Emma  Jane  (Nickerson)  Maxwell,  both  of  whom  are  now  residing  near  Spokane, 
Washington.  Her  grandmother  in  the  maternal  line  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age 
of  more  than  ninety  years  and  makes  .her  home  at  Orwell,  Vermont.  Mrs.  Ashley  was 
born  in  Bigstone  county,  Minnesota,  April  30,  1886.  The  birth  of  her  son,  Arthur 
Allen,  occurred  June  22,  1907,  while  Esther  Ruth  was  born  February  12,  1909.  Evelyn 
Maxine  on  the  6th  of  December,  1913,  and  Frances  Mabel  on  the  4th  of  December,  1916. 
•The  family  residence  is  at  No.  1815  North  Eleventh  street  in  Boise,  Mr.  Ashley  having 
purchased  the  property — a  most  comfortable  home — five  years  ago.  The  religious 
faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 


JOHN  KENT. 

Laudable  ambition  to  win  greater  success  than  he  was  achieving  in  his  native 
England  brought  John  Kent  to  the  new  world  and  throughout  the  entire  period 
of  his  residence  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  he  has  made  his  home  in  Boise,  where 
after  a  brief  period  he  became  the  owner  of  the  Idaho  Carriage  Works.  He  has 
continued  at  the  head  of  the  business,  which  he  has  developed  to  large  and  sub- 
stantial proportions,  winning  recognition  as  a  prominent  representative  of  indus- 
trial activity  in  the  capital. 

Mr.  Kent  was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  December  3,  1877,  his  parents  being 
Robert  and  Emma  (Stevens)  Kent,  also  natives  of  Cornwall.  The  father  was  born 
in  1837  and  passed  away  in  1911.  He  was  a  blacksmith  throughout  his  entire  life 


736  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  for  forty  years  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Robert  Kent  &  Sons,  following 
blacksmithing  at  Cornwall. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  John  Kent  pursued  his  education  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he,  too,  took  up  the  trade  of  blacksmith- 
ing  and  thoroughly  mastered  its  Retails.  On  leaving  home  he  removed  to  Bristol, 
England,  where  he  resided  for  two  years,  working  with  engineers  at  that  place. 
He  believed  that  better  opportunities  might  be  secured  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  however,  and  in  1906  bade  adieu  to  home  and  friends  and  sailed  for  the 
new  world.  He  did  not  tarry  on  the  eastern  coast  but  made  his  way  at  once  to 
Boise,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  had  been  in  the  capital  city  but  a  brief  period 
when  he  secured  a  position  with  the  Idaho  Carriage  Company.  A  year's  experi- 
ence there  brought  him  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  in  principle  and  detail, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  purchased  the  shop  and  has  since  carried  it  on,  build- 
ing up  a  business  of  gratifying  proportions.  His  plant  is  well  equipped  with  the 
latest  improved  machinery  for  work  of  that  character  and  the  excellence  of  his 
product  is  bringing  to  him  a  liberal  patronage. 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1901,  in  Cornwall,  England,  Mr.  Kent  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  Oliver,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  sons:  John  R., 
born  April  16,  1902,  in  Cornwall;  Richard  N.,  born  in  Cornwall,  June  20,  1904; 
and  Rupert  Idaho,  born  in  Boise,  July  13,  1908.  The  family  is  now  well  known  in 
Idaho's  capital,  where  they  have  lived  for  fourteen  years. 

Politically  Mr.  Kent  is  a  republican  of  independent  type.  He  does  not  consider 
himself  bound  by  party  ties  and  casts  an  independent  ballot  when  his  judgment 
so  dictates.  His  religious  faith  and  that  of  his  family  is  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  they  are  highly  esteemed  in  the  city  in  which  they  have  resided  since 
coming  to  the  new  world.  Mr.  Kent  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  determi- 
nation to  cross  the  Atlantic,  for  in  this  land  of  opportunity  he  found  the  advantages 
which  he  sought,  and  by  reason  of  his  industry,  close  application  and  laudable 
ambition  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward. 


MILES  R.  CAHOON. 

Miles  R.  Cahoon,  a  representative  business  man  of  St.  Anthony,  who  is  man- 
ager of  the  Farmers  Implement  Company,  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  October 
1,  1859,  his  parents  being  Mahouri  and  Sarah  (Romney)  Cahoon,  the  former  a  native 
of  Missouri,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  England.  The  father  crossed  the  plains 
with  one  of  the  ox-team  trains  in  1847.  It  was  a  long  and  arduous  journey  attended 
with  suffering  and  privation,  but  ultimately  Utah  was  reached.  In  1849  he  went  to 
California,  where  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half  and  then  returned  to  Utah, 
where  he  took  up  land  at  Murray,  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  This  he  improved  and 
continued  its  cultivation  throughout  his  remaining  days.  He  made  many  trips 
back  and  forth  across  the  plains  to  assist  the  handcart  companies  in  reaching  their 
destination  and  he  departed  this  life  in  the  spring  of  1889.  The  mother  survived 
for  two  decades,  her  death  occurring  in  1909,  when  she  had  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years. 

Miles  R.  Cahoon  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Salt  Lake  City  and 
remained  with  his  parents  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  In  1883  he  came  to 
Idaho,  locating  in  Bingham  county,  a  part  of  which  is  now  Fremont  county.  Here 
he  filed  on  land  near  Rexburg  in  that  section  which  is  now  Madison  county.  This 
he  developed  and  improved  and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1893,  when  he  was 
made  probate  judge  of  Fremont  county,  an  office  which  he  filled  for  four  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Rexburg  and  established  a  general  merchandise  store,  which 
he  conducted  successfully  for  four  or  five  years,  when  he  sold  the  property  and 
became  connected  with  the  Consolidated  Wagon  &  Machine  Company  in  the  imple- 
ment business.  He  has  since  been  connected  with  that  line  of  business  and  is  a 
well  known  figure  in  trade  circles.  After  disposing  of  his  general  store  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Fremont  county  and  served  for  four  years.  He  has  also  been 
called  upon  for  much  other  public  service  of  an  important  character.  He  was 
county  superintendent  of  schools  for  four  years  and  acted  as  justice  of  the  peace 
at  Rexburg  for  a  similar  period.  In  March,  1919,  he  accepted  the  position  of  man- 
ager of  the  Farmers  Implement  Company  at  St.  Anthony,  the  headquarters  of  this 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  737 

company  being  at  Rexburg.  He  is  now  controlling  the  business  at  this  point  and  is 
proving  most  capable  in  his  management  of  the  trade.  He  is  the  owner  of  consid- 
erable residence  property  at  Rexburg,  from  which  he  derives  a  good  rental. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1883,  Mr.  Gaboon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  McMillan  and  they  have  become  parents  of  seven  children:  Michael;  Miles; 
Silver;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Winzler,  of  Rexburg;  Sarah  R.,  at  home; 
Reno,  who  passed  away  in  March,  1899;  and  James  A.,  whose  demise  occurred  in 
June,  1901. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  Politically  Mr.  Cahoon  is  a  republican  and  is  a  recognized  leader 
in  the  local  councils  of  the  party.  It  was  he  who  organized  the  first  company  of 
militia  in  Fremont  county  and  this  company  did  active  service  in  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war.  Mr.  Cahoon  is  keenly  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  the  section  in  which  he  resides  and  his  labors  have  been  a  potent 
force  in  connection  with  its  upbuilding  and  development. 


HON.  RAVENEL  MACBETH. 

Hon.  Ravenel  Macbeth,  a  well  known  mining  man,  with  offices  in  the  Overland 
building  in  Boise,  while  making  his  home  at  Mackay,  Custer  county,  came  to  Idaho 
in  1894  from  the  state  of  South  Carolina  and  has  since  maintained  his  residence 
in  Mackay.  His  business  affairs  have  made  him  widely  known  as  a  representative 
of  mining  interests  in  the  state.  He  was  born  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  and 
comes  of  French  Huguenot  and  Scotch  ancestry.  During  the  entire  period  of  hia 
connection  with  this  state  he  has  been  identified  with  mining  interests  and  few 
men  are  so  thoroughly  informed  concerning  mining  conditions  and  opportunities. 
His  investments  have  been  wisely  and  judiciously  made  and  have  brought  to  him 
substantial  returns. 

In  politics  Mr.  Macbeth  is  a  recognized  leader  in  democratic  circles  and  has 
served  for  seven  terms  in  the  Idaho  state  senate,  representing  Custer  county  in 
the  upper  house  of  the  general  assembly.  He  filled  the  position  for  six  consecutive 
terms — a  fact  indicative  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
his  loyalty  to  the  best  interests  of  the  commonwealth.  Mr.  Macbeth  is  a  member 
of  the  Huguenot  Society  of  South  Carolina  and  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars. 


ARTHUR  C.  HOLDEN. 

As  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  Holden  Implement  Company  of  Boise 
Arthur  C.  Holden  represents  important  commercial  and  industrial  interests  of  the 
state.  Although  he  is  yet  a  comparatively  young  man  he  has  already  attained  to  a 
position  which  attracts  to  him  more  than  usual  attention.  A  native  of  Leadville, 
Colorado,  Mr.  Holden  was  born  April  30,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and  Jane 
(Birrell)  Holden,  who  are  now  living  retired  in  Boise.  The  parents  came  to  this 
city  from  Hebron,  Nebraska,  in  1917  in  order  to  be  near  their  son.  They  were  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  and  to  them  one  child,  Agnes,  was  born 
in  the  land  of  hills  and  heather  but  she  is  now  deceased.  In  1872  they  came  to  the 
United  Stales  and  at  first  settled  in  Fairbury,  Illinois.  There  the  father  followed 
coal  mining  but  in  1879  the  family  removed  to  Leadville,  where  he  acquired  gold 
»nd  silver  mining  interests  and  became  well-to-do.  He  retired  from  mining  in 
1896  and  then  removed  to  Hebron,  Nebraska,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  he  had  impor- 
tant landed  interests. 

Arthur  C.  Holden  was  reared  in  Leadville,  Colorado,  and  Hebron,  Nebraska, 
receiving  his  advanced  education  in  the  University  of  Nebraska,  where  he  spent 
two  years.  He  later  graduated  from  an  Omaha  business  college,  thus  preparing 
himself  for  a  commercial  career.  From  the  age  of  twenty-two,  or  since  1906,  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  implement  business  and  spent  seven  years  in  the 
service  of  the  Hebron  Implement  Company  of  Hebron,  Nebraska.  In  1912  he  came 
to  Boise  in  the  capacity  of  floor  salesman  in  the  establishment  of  the  John  Deere 
Plow  Company  of  Moline,  Illinois.  In  March,  1915,  he  was  promoted  to  the  post- 

Vol.  II— 47 


738  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

tion  of  manager  of  the  local  house  but  on  December  31,  1916,  he  organized  the 
present  Holden  Implement  Company  and  has  since  been  secretary  and  general  man- 
ager. The  new  corporation  at  once  took  over  all  of  the  John  Deere  interests  in 
Boise  and  southern  Idaho  and  theirs  is  now  the  largest  implement  hbuse  in  the 
capital  city  and  one  of  the  largest  in  the  state.  The  president  is  Robert  H.  Lord, 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  our  subject  acting  as  secretary  and  manager.  They  are 
distributors  for  Boise  and  southern  Idaho  of  the  John  Deere  line  of  implements, 
selling  farm  tools  and  farm  equipment  of  every  description  and  carrying  other  makes 
besides  the  John  Deere.  In  their  display  and  sales  rooms  can  be  seen  everything 
imaginable  in  the  way  of  farm  tools  and  equipment,  embracing  farm  tractors,  silage 
cutters,  gasoline  and  oil  burning  engines  and  all  kinds  of  harvesting  machinery, 
such  as  wheat  binders,  corn  binders,  manure  spreaders,  machines  for  planting  and 
digging  potatoes  and  practically  every  kind  of  spraying  equipment.  Their  sales 
room  stock  includes  a  complete  galvanized  wheat  granary  which  is  duplicated  to 
the  minutest  detail.  There  is  hay  making  machinery,  threshing  and  hulling  ma- 
chinery, carriages,  wagons,  buggies,  cream  separators,  gang,  sulky  and  every  type 
of  plows,  etc.,  are  all  represented.  Theirs  is  indeed  a  wonderful  establishment,  not 
only  important  as  a  commercial  enterprise  but  also  as  an  institution  wherein  pro- 
gressive ideas  are  expressed  and  where  those  interested  may  seek  out  new  methods 
and  receive  new  suggestions. 

On  April  18,  1908,  Mr.  Holden  was  married  in  Hastings,  Nebraska,  to  Ava  May 
Sponsler,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  a  son,  Robert,  whose 
birth  occurred  on  the  22d  of  January,  1910.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holden  are  very 
popular  in  the  social  circles  of  Boise  and  the  former  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
commercial  upbuilding  of  the  city  as  well  as  its  general  development,  being  a  help- 
ful member  of  the  Boise  Commercial  Club. 


GEORGE  PARKIN. 

The  life  record  of  George  Parkin  is  the  story  of  successful  and  honorable  achieve- 
ment, and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  men  of  affluence  living  at  Meridian,  hav- 
ing put  aside  the  active  work  of  the  farm  to  enjoy  in  well  earned  rest  the  fruits  of 
his  former  labor.  Not  all  days  in  his  career  have  been  equally  bright.  He  met  un- 
told difficulties  and  hardships  in  early  pioneer  times  in  gaining  a  start,  but  resolu- 
tion and  determination  have  enabled  him  to  overcome  these  and  as  the  years  have 
passed  his  labors  have  brought  to  him  substantial  prosperity. 

Mr.  Parkin  was  born  in  Durham  county,  England,  February  4,  1852,  but  is  yet 
young  in  spirit,  keenly  interested  in  everything  that  pertains  to  Idaho  and  her  wel- 
fare. He  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Matilda  (Wygate)  Parkin,  who  spent  most  of 
their  lives  in  England.  The  father  was  a  machinist  by  trade  and,  leaving  his  native 
country,  went  to  Egypt,  where  he  was  employed  for  seventeen  years  as  head  machin- 
ist under  the  khedive.  Later,  however,  he  returned  to  England,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  make  his  home  until  called  to  his  final  rest. 

George  Parkin  had  but  limited  educational  opportunities,  for  when  only  seven 
years  of  age  he  began  working  in  the  coal  mines,  being  thus  employed  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  nineteen.  He  was  afterward  employed  at  different  kinds  of  work  and  for 
a  time  was  in  Egypt  with  his  father,  but  homesickness  caused  him  to  return  to  Eng- 
land. Later  he  was  married,  Miss  Sarah  Wilkinson,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary 
Wilkinson,  becoming  his  wife  in  1879.  Her  forefathers  for  two  hundred  years  had 
lived  on  the  same  estate  in  England.  Mrs.  Parkin  was  the  youngest  of  ten  children 
and  was  well  trained  in  household  affairs,  so  that  she  became  a  most  able  assistant 
and  helpmate  to  her  husband.  On  the  5th  of  December,  1879,  they  sailed  for  America 
on  the  steamer  City  of  Berlin,  which  was  the  first  steamship  equipped  with  electric 
lights  that  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean.  On  landing  in  New  York  city  they  proceeded 
to  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  a  few  months  there  passed  continued  their 
journey  to  the  northwest,  first  settling  at  Butte,  Montana.  Mr.  Parkin  was  employed 
in  hauling  cordwood  in  that  state,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1881,  and  then  drove 
with  team  and  wagon  to  Boise,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month  of  August.  For  a 
period  he  was  engaged  in  trading  between  Boise  and  Atlanta  and  after  thus  work- 
ing for  a  time  as  a  freighter  he  secured  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
near  Meridian,  in  Ada  county,  located  along  the  line  of  what  became  known  as  the 


MR.  AND  MRS.  GEORGE  PARKIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  741 

Settlers  ditch.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival,  however,  the  country  was  dry  and  there 
was  no  water  to  irrigate  the  land,  so  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  gain  a  start.  He  sup- 
plemented the  income  derived  from  what  little  he  could  raise  in  dry  farming  by  kill- 
ing Jack  rabbits,  upon  which  a  bounty  had  been  placed  by  the  state  and  local  govern- 
ments as  the  rabbits  were  a  menace  to  everything  raised  in  the  district.  He  eagerly 
welcomed  the  proposition  of  digging  the  Settlers  ditch  and  was  one  of  the  first  men 
in  'the  locality  to  begin  work  thereof.  The  venture,  however,  was  not  successful  for 
some  years  and  in  the  meantime  Mr.  Parkin  pursued  the  work  of  the  farm,  building 
a  house  upon  the  land  which  he  homesteaded  and  bending  every  energy  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  place.  There  was,  however,  little  market  for  farm  products,  as  all  of 
the  settlers  were  attempting  to  raise  crops,  finding  that  lack  of  water  was  their  great- 
est obstacle.  John  Lemp  had  undertaken  to  put  in  a  ditch,  or  rather  finish  the  old 
ditch  which  the  settlers  had  started.  These  settlers  insisted  that  the  name  of  Set- 
tlers ditch  should  be  retained  and  were  not  very  enthusiastic  supporters  of  the  Lemp 
enterprise.  «Aft«-r  a  time  they  got  a  supply  of  water  from  the  Ridenbaugh  canal  and 
when  Lemp  finished  his  undertaking  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  all  through 
the  country.  Farming  and  kindred  activities  then  received  an  added  impetus  and 
wealth  began  to  flow  into  the  district. 

With  the  development  of  his  farm  Mr.  Parkin  established  a  dairy  and  for  twen- 
ty-five years  was  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  that  business.  About  1908  he 
sold  his  farm  for  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  his  stock  for  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
Throughout  the  entire  period  in  which  he  carried  on  dairying  he  never  failed  to  take 
butter  to  town  each  Saturday  save  on  one  occasion  in  1901,  when  there  was  a  ter- 
rific blizzard.  His  wife,  too,  was  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  him  and  many  times 
she  drove  into  town  with  the  products  of  their  dairy.  She  ably  managed  the  house- 
hold affairs  and  did  everything  in  her  power  to  assist  in  gaining  a  start  in  the  new 
country.  After  disposing  of  his  dairy  interests  Mr.  Parkin  devoted  his  attention  to 
the  management  of  a  large  ranch  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  Camas  prairie, 
in  Elmore  county,  where  he  raised  fine  horses  and  cattle.  He  established  an  attrac- 
tive home  in  Meridian  and  became  the  president  of  the  Meridian  Building  &  Loan 
Association,  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Meridian 
and  a  stockholder  in  the  Meridian  Spray  Manufacturing  Company,  which  engaged  not 
only  in  the  manufacture  of  the  material  for  spraying  fruit  trees  but  also  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  cider  and  vinegar.  Thus  as  the  years  passed  Mr.  Parkin  became  a  most 
active  business  man,  connected  with  many  lines  that  have  contributed  directly  to  the 
upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  section  in  which  he  has  long  lived. 

In  1914  Mr.  Parkin  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away 
.on  the  20th  of  March  of  that  year.  Her  sterling  worth  and  many  excellent  traits  of 
character  were  recognized  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  not  only  a  capable  and 
resourceful  woman  in  the  management  of  her  household  affairs,  but  possessed  a  kindly 
nature  and  genial  disposition  that  endeared  her  to  all  with  whom  she  came  in  con- 
tact. For  thirty-nine  years  Mr.  Parkin  has  now  resided  in  Idaho,  spending  the  en- 
tire period  in  Ada  county,  and  there  is  no  phase  of  its  development  and  progress  with 
which  he  is  not  thoroughly  familiar.  Year  by  year  he  has  made  steady  advancement, 
owing  to  his  close  application  and  indefatigable  industry,  and  his  life  history  indi- 
cates clearly  what  can  be  accomplished  through  individual  effort.  Today  he  is  one 
of  the  prosperous  residents  of  Meridian,  his  constantly  increasing  business  interests 
bringing  to  him  a  most  substantial  measure  of  prosperity,  and,  moreover,  his  wealth 
has  been  so  honorably  won  and  so  wisely  used  that  the  most  envious  cannot  grudge 
him  his  success. 


K.    E.   TORRANCE. 

K.  E.  Torrance  is  the  editor  and  manager  of  the  Press  Publishing  Company, 
publishers  of  the  American  Falls  Press  at  American  Falls,  Fdaho.  He  is  a  native' 
of  the  Pacific  northwest,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Colfax.  Washington,  January 
7,  1893.  He  is  a  son  of  William  G.  and  Margaret  (Kirby)  Torrance,  tlie  former 
a  native  of  Oregon,  while  the  latter  was  born  In  Kansas.  The  father  was  a  rancher 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  being  identified  with  that  interest  in  Washing- 
ton and  Idaho.  He  came  to  the  latter  state  in  1907  and  conducted  a  ranch  in  Power 
county  until  1918,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  and  removed  to  Spokane, 


742  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Washington,  where  he  now  makes  his  home.  The  wife  and  mother,  however,  passed 
away  in  May,  1904. 

K.  E.  Torrance  largely  spent  his  youth  at  Colfax,  Washington,  where  he  pur- 
sued his  education  up  to  the  seventh  grade.  Later  he  had  the  advantages  of  high 
school  training  in  Spokane  and  he  also  attended  the  University  of  Washington  at 
Seattle  for  three  years,  thus  becoming  well  qualified  by  liberal  educational  oppor- 
tunities for  the  responsible  and  important  duties  of  life.  In  March,  1917,  he  took 
up  his  abode  at  American  Falls  and  became  associated  with  O.  H.  Barber  of  the 
American  Falls  Press.  In  July  of  that  year,  however,  he  was  -accepted  at  the 
officers'  training  camp  and  was  with  the  Twentieth  Infantry  for  four  months.  In 
January,  1918,  he  was  transferred  to  the  air  service  and  continued  in  that  branch 
of  the  service  until  the  8th  of  January,  1919,  when  he  returned  to  American  Falls. 
On  the  1st  of  June  of  the  same  year  he  was  made  editor  and  manager  of  the  Press 
Publishing  Company,  which  was  incorporated  at  that  time,  with  Mr.  Torrance  as 
one  of  the  stockholders  and  incorporators.  He  is  a  most  alert  and  progressive  young 
business  man  and  is  making  for  himself  a  most  creditable  place  in  business  circles 
of  the  northwest.  He  is  the  owner  of  land  which  he  homesteaded  in  Bingham 
county  and  he  also  has  two  oil  leases  in  Texas. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  1919,  Mr.  Torrance  was  married  to  Miss  Beatrice  M. 
Stone  -and  they  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city  in  which 
they  now  reside.  Mrs.  Torrance  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  In  politics 
Mr.  Torrance  is  a  republican  and  keeps  well  informed  concerning  the  vital  prob- 
lems and  questions  of  the  day  but  does  not  seek  nor  desire  office.  He  has  proven 
his  loyalty  in  citizenship  in  other  ways,  especially  by  his  enlistment  for  service  in 
the  World  war,  and  he  is  classed  with  those  young  men  of  progressive  spirit  who  are 
working  for  a  better  country  and  for  higher  standards  of  Americanization. 


WILLIAM   W.   WILTON. 

William  W.  Wilton,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
at  Emmett,  was  born  in  Dyersville,  Iowa,  May  1,  1872,  a  son  of  Robert  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth Jane  (Council)  Wilton,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  England  and 
were  of  pure  English  ancestry.  On  coming  to  the  United  States  they  settled  in 
Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  at  Dyersville,  where  the  birth  of  William  W.  Wilton  oc- 
curred. When  he  was  six  years  of  age  the  parents  removed  with  their  family  to 
Boone  county,  Nebraska,  where  his  youth  was  spent  upon  a  farm,  and  there  both 
his  father  and  mother  passed  away. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  William  W.  Wilton  set  out  to  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world.  He  felt  the  lack  of  educational  training  and  the  first  thing  he  did 
on  leaving  home  was  to  go  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  work  his  way  through  a 
business  college.  While  upon  the  home  farm  of  the  Wilton  family  they  had  lived 
in  a  dugout  and  were  two  miles  from  a  sod  schoolhouse,  to  which  Mr.  Wilton 
walked,  there  pursuing  his  studies.  He  got  as  far  as  common  fractions  in  arithme- 
tic and  learned  to  read  and  write.  In  business  college  he  pursued  a  commercial 
course  and  later  he  learned  telegraphy  in  Omaha.  In  1898  he  responded  to  the  call 
for  troops  to  aid  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company 
C,  Third  Nebraska  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regiment  was  commanded  by  William 
Jennings  Bryan.  He  was  sent  to  a  training  camp  at  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and 
there  spent  seven  months,  after  which  he  returned  to  Nebraska,  where  he  engaged 
in  various  business  pursuits  until  1905.  He  then  came  to  Idaho  and  established 
a  real  estate  and  insurance  agency  in  Emmett.  In  the  intervening  years  he  has 
developed  the  business  to  one  of  extensive  proportions,  and,  utilizing  his  knowledge 
of  realty  values  and  his  opportunities  for  judicious  investment,  he  has  become  the 
owner  of  much  valuable  realty  in  Gem  county. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1903,  Mr.  Wilton  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  E. 
Driscoll,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Letha  Napina,  who  was 
born  in  Emmett,  June  24,  1908.  The  town  of  Letha,  Gem  county,  was  founded  by 
Mr.  Wilton  and  James  Barnard  and  named  in  honor  of  the  former's  only  child. 
Mr.  Wilton's  home  in  Emmett  is  situated  on  North  Main  street  and  is  of  the  modern 
bungalow  type,  a  combination  of  frame  and  cobblestone,  and  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
residences  of  the  town. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  743 

Fraternally  Mr.  Wilton  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  a  past  grand  in  the  lodge. 
His  political  allegiance  is  ^iven  to  the  democratic  party  but  the  honors  and  emolu- 
ments of  office  have  had  no  attraction  for  him.  He  has  concentrated  bis  efforts 
and  energies  upon  business  affairs  and  has  gradually  and  steadily  worked  his  way 
upward.  He  has  made  each  move  count,  has  learned  from  every  varied  experience 
the  lesson  therein  contained,  and  step  by  step  he  has  progressed  in  business  until 
he  is  now  conducting  an  extensive  real  estate  and  insurance  agency  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  men  of  affluence  in  his  adopted  city. 


CHARLES    F.    BAXTER. 

Charles  F.  Baxter,  proprietor  of  the  Baxter  Foundry  &  Machine  Works  of 
Boise,  came  to  Idaho  in  1874  from  New  Jersey.  The  early  years  of  his  residence 
in  this  state  were  passed  at  Rocky  Bar  and  at  Atlanta,  Elmore  cpunty,  where  he 
lived  until  1880.  He  came  to  the  west  with  his  parents,  his  father  being  the  late 
Captain  James  Baxter,  who  passed  away  in  Boise  on  the  19th  of  May,  1904,  v/hen 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  England  and  when  a  young  lad  of  six 
or  eight  years  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  Francis  and  Mary  J. 
(Gunn)  Baxter.  The  family  settled  upon  a  farm  in  New  Jersey  on  which  now  stands 
one  of  the  largest  silk  mills-in  the  east,  the  location  being  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey. 
Captain  Baxter  volunteered  for  active  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the 
Union  army,  becoming  a  second  lieutenant  of  Company  K  of  the  Serrell  Engineers 
of  New  York.  He  was  wounded  at  Fort  Sumter,  South  Carolina,  and  sent  home 
to  die,  but  fate  willed  otherwise  and  upon  his  recovery  he  rejoined  the  same  com- 
mand and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain  in  recognition  of  his  bravery.  He 
then  remained  at  the  front  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He  was  married  at 
Paterson,  New  Jersey,  in  1854  to  Miss  Amanda  Langwith,  who  survives  and  makes 
her  home  in  Boise.  She  was  born  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey.  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Baxter  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  daughters  and  a  son. 

The  latter,  Charles  F.  Baxter,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  came  to 
Idaho  in  1874.  His  father  was  a  mining  and  civil  engineer  and  also  a  machinist 
by  trade,  having  served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  machinist  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey. 
From  1874  until  1882  he  was  manager  for  the  Leonora  Mining  Company  and  for 
the  Big  Lode  Mining  Company,  both  of  old  Alturas  county.  During  the  ssme  pe- 
riod he  acted  as  consulting  engineer  and  installed  the  machinery  for  the  old  Mon- 
arch and  Buffalo  mining  companies,  all  of  Atlanta,  Idaho.  Previous  to  this  Le 
had  been  general  manager  of  the  Ophir  Mining  Company  of  Rocky  Bar.  From 
1882  until  1889  he  was  in  old  Mexico  in  charge  of  the  interests  of  the  Guadaloupe 
Mining  &  Development  Company,  a  Philadelphia  concern,  his  position  being  loat 
of  managing  director.  In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  for 
a  year  and  a  half  was  a  resident  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  then  spent  six  months 
in  Chicago.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period-  he  removed  to  Baker  City,  Oregon, 
and  later  to  Candelaria,  Nevada.  He  followed  his  profession  of  mining  engineering 
in  connection  with  the  White  Star  Mining  Company  but  in  1891  returned  to  Idaho, 
making  his  home  in  Boise  until  his  death.  In  1892  he  founded  the  present  Baxter 
Foundry  &  Machine  Works,  which  he  conducted  for  several  years  under  the  name 
of  James  Baxter  &  Company,  his  only  son,  Charles  F.  Baxter,  the  present  owner, 
being  associated  with  the  father  in  the  management  and  operation  of  the  foundry 
and  succeeding  to  the  entire  control  even  before  the  father's  death.  Later  he 
changed  the  name  to  the  Baxter  Foundry  &  Machine  Works.  It  is  the  pioneer 
concern  of  t tic  kind  in  Boise  and  the  principal  industry  of  its  line  in  the  city.  James 
Baxter  and  his  wife  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  about  a  month  before  the 
former's  death  in  1904. 

Charles  F.  Baxter  was  born  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  and  was  but  eight  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  first  came  to  Idaho  but  returned  to  New  Jersey  with  them 
in  1880.  He  served  a  five  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  trades  of  a  machinist  and 
boiler  maker  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  afterward  pursued  a  preparatory  college 
course  in  New  York  city,  where  he  studied  mining  and  mechanical  engineering, 
assaying  and  analytical  chemistry.  In  1888  he  went  to  Chicago,  working  there  in 
a  machine  shop,  in  which  he  built  some  special  machinery,  and  later  he  was  sent 
by  his  employers  to  Baker  City,  Oregon,  where  he  erected  a  free  gold  milling  quartz 


744  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

mill  for  the  White  Star  Mining  Company.  In  1890-1  he  erected  a  similar  plant 
for  the  same  company  in  Elmore  county,  Idaho,  and  in  1891  he  came  to  Boise  with 
his  father.  In  1892-3,  in  conjunction  with  his  father,  he  established  the  plant  now 
known  as  the  Baxter  Foundry  &  Machine  Works  and  during  the  succeeding  four 
years  he  also  conducted  an  assay  office  and  chemical  laboratory  in  Boise,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  was  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  Baxter  Foundry  &  Machine 
Works  and  also  acted  as  consulting  engineer  on  various  other  mechanical  projects. 
Finally  he  took  full  charge  of  the  Baxter  foundry  about  1900  and  has  directed 
its  operations  since,  keeping  it  in  the  front  rank  among  similar  enterprises  in  the 
northwest. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  1887,  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Baxter  was  married 
to  Miss  Kittie  Ellen  Kain,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  a  daughter  of  John  D.  and 
Catherine  Kain,  who  came  to  the  United  States  from  Ireland.  They  now  have  three 
children:  James,  who  was  in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  during  the 
World  war  and  is  now  associated  with  his  father  and  brother  in  the  business, 
and  who  married  Marjorie  Lucy  Whittle,  November  19,  1919;  Caroline  L.,  at 
home;  and  Charles  F.,  Jr.,  who  is  also  associated  with  his  father.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Pendleton,  Oregon,  September  28,  1910,  to  Hazel  Nolen,  who  died  Septem- 
ber 2.  1918,  leaving  a  daughter,  Virginia  Lee  Baxter,  born  July  25,  1911,  and  he 
-.vas  married  September  15,  1919,  to  Blanche  Aubertine  Christensen. 

Mr.  Baxter  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  While  he  is  a  believer  in  republican  principles, 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  cast  a  ballot  in  support  of  democratic  candidates  if  he  thinks 
them  better  qualified  for  the  offices  they  seek.  In  other  words  he  works  and  votes 
for  what,  he  believes  to  be  the  best  interests  of  community,  commonwealth  and 
country  and  is  at  all  times  a  loyal  and  public-spirited  citizen,  while  as  a  business 
man  he  occupies  a  most  enviable  place  as  the  head  of  one  of  the  important  indus- 
tries of  the  state.  His  ability  as  a  mining  and  consulting  engineer  is  based  upon 
broad  scientific  training  and  wide  experience. 


REV.  THOMAS  J.  PURCELL. 

Rev.  Thomas  J.  Purcell  became  pastor  of  the  Catholic  church  of  Idaho  Falls  in 
the  spring  of  1919,  but  his  labors  in  Idaho  have  covered  an  extended  period,  in  which 
his  efforts  have  been  far-reaching  and  resultant.  He  is  a  prominent  representative 
of  the  Catholic  clergy  in  the  northwest  and  has  made  his  home  in  Idaho  since  1883, 
during  which  period  he  has  been  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  ten  churches  and 
has  recently  let  the  contract  for  the  eleventh.  Schools,  too,  have  come  into  existence 
under  his  direction  and  thus  he  has  contributed  much  to  the  intellectual  and  moral 
progress  of  various  communities.  He  was  born  in  Aberdare,  Glamorganshire,  South 
Wales,  December  7,  1860,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Johanna  M.  (Prendergast)  Purcell,  who 
were  natives  of  Ireland  but  when  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  age  became  resi- 
dents of  Wales,  where  they  subsequently  met  and  were  married.  The  family  home 
was  continued  at  Aberdare  until  1869,  when  in  quest  of  health  the  father  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  and  two  years  later  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  children,  but 
when  three  months  had  passed  the  father  died. 

A  contemporary  writer  has  said  of  Father  Purcell:  "Although  he  was  only  a  lad 
of  eleven  years  when  his  father  died,  Thomas  J.  Purcell  was  compelled  to  lay  aside 
his  textbooks  and  lend  his  assistance  in  maintaining  the  family.  He  entered  the  coal 
mines  of  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  continuously  employed  for  eleven 
years,  but  at  the  expiration  of  that  period  his  health  was  so  completely  shattered  that 
he  was  compelled  to  live  in  the  open  air.  The  physicians  insisted  upon  a  change  of 
climate,  so  he  started  westward,  arriving  in  Nebraska  on  Thanksgiving  day,  1882. 
He  obtained  work  on  a  farm  until  February,  1883,  when  he  resumed  his  journey,  reach- 
ing Denver,  Colorado,  on  March  1,  penniless.  He  was  considered  a  victim  of  the  dread 
white  plague  and  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  obtain  employment,  even  being  refused 
an  opportunity  to  work  for  his  board.  Yet  these  besetting  trials  and  terrible  hard- 
ships proved  a  blessing  in  disguise,  compelling  him  to  sleep  wherever  night  over- 
took him,  and  the  invigorating  air  of  the  mountains  healed  the  diseased  tissues  of 
his  lungs  and  restored  his  vitality.  Not  finding  any  employment,  he  set  out  for  Ogden, 
tramping  the  greater  part  of  the  way,  occasionally  riding  on  freight  trains  between 


REV.  THOMAS  J.  PURCELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  747 

Denver  and  Granger,  Utah,  when  such  opportunity  offered.  From  that  point  on,  how- 
ever, he  walked  the  entire  distance.  Upon  reaching  his  destination  he  immediately 
sought  work,  and  was  shipped  out  of  there  as  a  laborer  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line, 
which  was  then  under  course  of  construction.  At  Bliss,  Idaho,  a  premature  explo- 
sion killed  four  of  his  companions  and  the  little  burying  ground  one  mile  west  of  Blisa 
contains  their  remains.  This  has  been  fenced  and  cared  for  by  the  Oregon  Short  Line 
Railroad.  He  worked  for  two  months  and  then  went  to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  pass- 
ing through  Idaho  Falls  in  June,  1883,  in  a  box  car,  and  walking  from  there  to  Boze- 
mon,  where  he  arrived  on  July  3,  1883.  While  located  there  he  worked  during  the 
summer  months  as  a  brickmakcr  for  the  old  pioneers,  Tracy  and  Sam  Ruffner,  while 
in  winter  he  was  employed  by  Nelson  Story.  In  September,  1884.  he  left  Bozeman  and 
went  to  Spokane,  where  he  Joined  Father  Joset,  S.  J.,  and  Father  Cataldo,  S.  J.,  whom 
he  accompanied  to  the  De  Smet  Mission  in  Kootenai  county. 

"He  had  always  been  an  ambitious  youth  and  had  never  fully  relinquished  the  dream 
of  his  childhood,  which  had  been  to  enter  the  service  of  the  church.  However,  he  pos- 
sessed other  admirable  traits  of  character,  and  when  the  needs  of  those  dear  to  him 
necessitated  his  laying  away  his  books,  he  expressed  no  regrets.  'Many  times  must 
he  have  found  it  difficult  to  restrain  his  rebellious  spirit  during  those  long  years  in 
the  mines,  where  he  daily  and  hourly  overtaxed  his  strength  and  for  weeks  at  a  time 
never  saw  the  sunshine.  The  joy,  the  happiness  that  is  considered  to  be  the  inalien- 
able right  of  every  child  was  denied  him,  but  he  thus  purchased  it  for  many  another 
child  and  so  has  received  his  reward.  Unquestionably  one  of  the  great  secrets  of  the 
wonderful  success  of  Father  Purcell  can  be  attributed  to  his  understanding  and  appre- 
ciation of  conditions  surrounding  the  unfortunate  and  his  ready  and  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy for  those  in  trouble.  During  the  first  four  years  of  his  residence  at  the  mis- 
sion he  taught  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Indians,  while  pursuing  his  classical  studies  under 
the  instruction  of  the  Fathers,  who  gave  him  private  lessons.  It  was  discouraging 
at  first,  as  for  many  years  his  entire  time  and  attention  had  been  devoted  to  physical 
labor,  but  he  possessed  a  fine  mind  and  excellent  powers  of  concentration  and  soon 
was  making  rapid  progress.  In  1888  he  was  sent  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin,  to 
continue  his  studies,  but  he  could  not  endure  the  climate,  and  owing  to  the  state  of 
his  health  in  March,  1889,  was  compelled  to  return  to  Spokane.  He  took  a  position 
in  Gonzaga  College,  that  city,  where  he  taught  until  June,  1890.  In  August  of  that 
year  he  went  to  Montreal  and  taught  for  a  year  in  St.  Lawrence  College,  during  which 
period  with  the  aid  of  a  private  tutor  he  was  able  to  complete  his  classical  course. 
He  was  then  qualified  to  begin  his  ecclesiastical  studies,  and  in  September,  1891,  en- 
tered the  Grand  Seminary  at  Montreal. 

"On  the  20th  of  December,  1896,  he  was  ordained  a  priest  and  on  May  1,  1897, 
was  assigned  by  the  bishop  of  this  diocese  to  the  parish  of  Coeur  d'Alene.  At  that 
time  the  parish  covered  practically  five  thousand,  six  hundred  square  miles,  compris- 
ing the  counties  of  Kootenai  and  Bonner,  Boundary  and  Benewah  county — with  the 
exception  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  reservation — and  for  a  period  of  nine  years  a  portion 
of  Spokane.  He  completed  the  church  at  Bonner's  Ferry,  which  had  been  started  by 
Bishop  Glorieux  of  Boise,  and  he  erected  another  one  at  Rathdrum,  the  latter  being 
the  first  brick  church  edifice  in  the  Idaho  diocese.  It  was  in  process  of  construction 
for  some  time  and  was  dedicated  in  1892.  Father  Purcell  possesses  abundance  of  en- 
ergy, and  is  a  'most  enterprising  and  enthusiastic  worker,  no  task  connected  with  his 
work  being  too  stupendous  for  him  to  undertake  its  commission  and  successfully  carry 
it  through  to  completion.  He  next  built  a  church  at  Priest  River,  while  ground  was 
acquired  and  buildings  were  under  construction,  to  provide  the  people  of  Harrison 
and  Post  Falls  with  places  of  worship.  The  work  of  the  parish  developed  so  rapidly 
under  his  capable  direction  that  in  1893  it  was  necessary  to  divide  it  with  Rev.  James 
F.  Kelly,  who  has  ever  since  been  priest  in  Bonner  county.  In  1893  he  brought  to 
Coeur  d'Alene  Sisters  of  the  order  of  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary  from  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  September  of  that  year  they  established  a  school.  Their  tem- 
porary building  was  only  forty-six  by  fifty-six  feet,  and  they  had  an  enrollment  of 
sixty-three  pupils.  The  attendance  increased  so  rapidly  that  there  quarters  were  soon 
entirely  inadequate  to  meet  the  demands.  Recognizing  and  appreciating  their  needs, 
Major  J.  J.  O'Brien,  one  of  Coeur  d'Alene's  philanthropic,  retired  residents  presented 
them  with  a  block  of  ground,  and  when  the  military  reserve  was  sold  at  public  auc- 
tion Father  Purcell  bid  in  the  hospital  and  administration  buildings,  and  had  them 
removed  to  the  grounds  Major  O'Brien  had  donated  on  the  corner  of  Coeur  d'Alene 
avenue  and  Ninth  street.  They  were  subsequently  converted  into  a  convent  and  school, 
which  now  has  an  attendance  of  three  hundred  pupils. 


748  ,        HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  r 

"Owing  to  the  rapid  increase  in  the  Catholic  population  of  Coeur  d'Alene,  in  1897, 
Father  Purcell  was  obliged  to  relinquish  the  missions  of  Kootenai  county,  and  devote 
his  entire  attention  to  the  work  of  the  city.  When  he  first  came  to  this  parish  in  1897 
it  contained  but  seventy-five  Catholic  families,  and  now  Coeur  d'Alene  alone  has  three 
hundred  and  fifty  Catholic  families  or  about  twelve  hundred  followers  of  the  faith. 
He  has  been  tireless  in  his  efforts  to  extend  the  work  and  increase  the  number  of  com- 
municants. When  he  arrived  here,  realizing  that  the  Catholics  of  the  future  were 
the  children  of  the  present,  he  gave  no  thought  to  procuring  a  residence  for  himself 
or  suitable  quarters  in  which  to  hold  services,  but  immediately  began  searching  for 
a  building  adapted  to  the  needs  of  a  school.  Subsequently  quarters  were  procured 
that  served  temporarily  for  religious  purposes,  and  in  June,  1909,  ground  was  ob- 
tained and  excavations  started  for  their  present  beautiful  church.  On  the  22d  of 
August,  1909,  Bishop  Glorieux  laid  the  corner  stone  and,  in  the  following  October, 
work  on  the  superstructure  was  commenced.  This  was  completed  on  May  1,  1910. 
and  was  permitted  to  stand  until  November,  of  that  year,  when  contracts  were  let 
for  the  interior  decorations.  Their  new  building  was  occupied  on  the  5th  of  March, 
1911,  but  was  not  entirely  completed  until  the  1st  of  November  and  was  dedicated  on 
Decoration  Day,  1912.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  churches  in  the  northwest,  and 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  forty-six  thousand  dollars.  The  interior  decorations  are 
especially  fine  and  all  of  the  appointments  are  of  a  superior  quality,  and  it  seats 
one  thousand  people. 

"Not  often  is  it  given  to  anyone  to  see  such  wonderful  results  from  work  in  four- 
teen years  as  Father  Purcell  is  witnessing  from  his  labors.  He  is  now  able  to  realize 
that  those  long,  hard  years  of  his  early  manhood  were  not  fruitless  by  any  means. 
Although  he  began  his  life  work  at  an  age  when  the  majority  of  men  are  quite  well 
established,  he  has  accomplished  more  during  the  single  decade  of  his  service  than 
many  consummate  in  a  lifetime.  He  is  now  at  the  zenith  of  his  powers  and  the  fu- 
ture contains  for  him  great  promise  and  much  assurance  of  yet  greater  opportunities. 
During  the  period  of  his  connection  with  this  field  he  has  made  many  friends  ameng 
both  Catholics  and  Protestants,  who  despite  the  difference  in  their  faith  revere  and 
hold  in  the  highest  esteem  the  man,  his  belief  and  the  purpose  to  which  he  has  dedi- 
cated his  life — the  service  of  humanity.-  Father  Purcell  attributes  much  of  his  success 
to  the  Jesuit  Fathers  of  Gonzaga  College,  whose  advice  he  has  sought  and  followed  in 
all  important  matters.  He  is  always  ready  to  respond  to  a  call,  whatever  its  source, 
carrying  cheer  and  comfort  to  rich  and  poor  alike,  as  did  He  in  whose  footsteps  he 
is  following." 

Since  the  above  was  written  Father  Purcell,  after  long  and  fruitful  labors  at  Coeur 
d'Alene,  was  obliged  to  leave  that  church  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  resigned  on 
the  30th  of  May,  1913,  and  being  presented  by  some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Idaho 
with  a  new  eighteen  hundred  dollar  car,  he  started  that  summer  for  Mexico,  driving 
the  entire  distance.  On  his  return  to  this  state  he  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Mul- 
lan,  November  13,  1913,  and  there  built  a  new  church  and  home  at  a  cost  of  fourteen 
thousand  dollars,  the  church  being  dedicated  on  the  14th  of  November,  1914.  He  had 
charge  of  the  parishes  of  Mullan  and  Kellogg  until  October  1,  1918,  when  he  removed 
to  Wallace.  In  the  meantime  he  had  also  built  a  new  church  at  Kellogg  costing  eight 
thousand  dollars.  On  the  8th  of  January,  1918,  he  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Idaho 
Falls  and  built  a  new  church  and  school  there  at  a  cost  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  the 
church  being  dedicated  by  Bishop  Gorman  on  the  13th  of  February,  1920.  He  has  al- 
ways labored  untiringly  for  the  interests  of  his  church  and  receives  the  hearty  sup- 
port and  cooperation  of  the  people  of  the  Catholic  faith  wherever  he  has  been  stationed. 


LEWIS   OBERMEYER. 

The  recognition  and  utilization  of  opportunity  has  ever  constituted  a  charac- 
teristic in  the  business  record  of  Lewis  Obermeyer  and  his  three  brothers,  Henry, 
William  and  John.  All  four  have  gained  prominence  as  the  result  of  this  char- 
acteristic by  becoming  leading  growers  of  melons,  grapes  and  peaches  on  the  south 
slope  of  Emmett.  They  make  extensive  shipments  and  their  business  interests  are 
bringing  to  them  most  gratifying  returns. 

Lewis  Obermeyer  was  born  in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  December  13,  1888,  and 
is  the  third  of  the  four  brothers  whose  parents  were  Henry  and  Mary  (Linz) 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  749 

Obermeyer.  The.  father  was  born  in  Germany,  April  10,  1846,  and  when  a  young 
man  of  twenty  years  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States  in  1866.  He  was. 
married  in  Galena,  Illinois,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1881,  to  Miss  Mary  Linz,  who 
was  born  in  Coblenz,  Germany,  December  11,  1855.  She  crossed  the  Atlantic  in 
1880  and  at  Galena,  Illinois,  became  acquainted  with  Henry  Obermeyer,  who  sought 
her  hand  in  marriage,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  the  following  year.  Mr. 
Obermeyer  was  a  cigar  maker  by  trade  and  for  several  years  conducted  a  cigar 
factory  at  Naperville,  Illinois.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children,  the 
four  sons  previously  mentioned  and  an  only  daughter,  Caroline,  who  was  born 
April  2,  1882,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Boplin,  of  Rockford,  Illinois.  All  of 
the  sons  are  mentioned  individually  in  this  work  and  all  now  reside  near  Emmett, 
having  come  from  Illinois  to  Idaho  several  years  ago.  Through  the  intervening 
period  they  have  become  leading  fruit  and  melon  growers  of  Idaho,  their  activities 
in  this  direction  exceeding  those  of  any  other  producers  in  the  state.  Their  melons 
are  now  famed  throughout  the  northwest  and  they  are  called  the  melon  kings  of 
Idaho.  They  make  extensive  shipments  to  Montana,  Wyoming  and  other  states  and 
ship  only  in  carload  lots.  Not  only  do  they  produce  melons  of  superior  size  and 
flavor  but  also  some  of  the  finest  peaches  and  grapes  raised  in  this  section  of  the 
country.  The  parents  followed  the  sons  to  Idaho  in  1914  and  the  father  died  Octo- 
ber 27,  1915,  while  the  mother  is  now  living  with  her  youngest  son,  John.  The 
other  three  brothers  are  all  married. 

Lewis  Obermeyer  was  married  June  30,  1911,  to  Miss  Milbrey  Ewing,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  two  children,  Lewis,  Jr.,  and  Jack  Walter.  Lewis  Obermeyer 
and  his  wife,  like  the  others  of  the  family,  are  well  known  socially  in  Gem  county 
and  all  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 


WILLIAM  C.  LANGROISE. 

Every  community  has  its  leading  and  representative  citizens,  those  who  largely 
control  its  interests  and  promote  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  district. 
Among  this  number  at  Emmett  is  William  C.  Langroise,  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants and  business  men,  now  conducting  a  splendid  grocery  in  the  Monroe  block, 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Washington  streets.  He  was  born  in  a  mining  camp 
in  Boise  county  called  Granite  Creek,  July  24,  1873,  his  parents  being  Prosper  and 
Catherine  (Carroll)  Langroise,  both  of  whom  were  of  American  birth  but  of 
French  descent,  and  the  latter  was  also  of  Irish  lineage.  Prosper  Langroise  was 
a  cabinetmaker  by  trade  which  he  followed  in  connection  with  mining  after  coming 
to  Idaho.  He  passed  away  in  1885.  The  widowed  mother  survived  for  several 
years  but  has  now  departed  this  life.  They  were  early  settlers  of  Boise  county, 
closely  identified  with  its  pioneer  development. 

William  C.  Langroise  was  largely  reared  at  Placerville,  Idaho.  Hia  educa- 
tional opportunities  were  only  such  as  the  primitive  schools  of  Idaho  at  that  time 
afforded.  When  he  was  a  lad  of  twelve  the  family  removed  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
the  father  having  already  passed  away,  after  which  the  mother  took  her  children 
to  the  Rose  City.  In  1889,  however,  they  returned  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Emmett, 
where  the  mother's  death  afterward  occurred.  A  younger  brother  of  William 
Langroise  is  James  Langroise,  a  traveling  salesman,,  representing  a  dry  goods  house 
of  Los  Angeles,  California,  so  that  William  C.  Langroise  is  the  only  one  now  re- 
maining in  Emmett.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  while  in  Portland  and  there 
attended  school  for  a  year.  After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Emmett  in  1889 
he  worked  upon  a  farm  and  in  a  sawmill  and  did  various  other  kinds  of  labor 
that  would  yield  him  an  honest  living  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  when 
he  secured  employment  in  a  grocery  store.  He  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
grocery  trade  of  Emmett.  covering  a  period  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  for  more  than  ten  years  has  conducted  a  grocery  establishment  on  his  own 
account.  He  opened  his  store  in  the  Monroe  block  in  1909  and  has  an  attratcive 
and  carefully  arranged  store,  modern  in  every  respect.  He  carries  an  excellent  line 
of  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  his  patronage  is  very  gratifying. 

On  the  llth  of  August.  1896,  Mr.  Langroise  was  married  at  Emmett  to  Miss 
Idaho  May  Riggs,  who  was  here  born  May  7,  1879,  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  Riggs, 
a  pioneer  of  Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Langroise  have  three  children:  William  H.,  who 


750  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

was  born  September  4,  1898,  and  is  now  a  law  student  in  the  University  of  Idaho; 
Norma  Fay,  born  August  24,  1900,  a  student  in  the  music  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Idaho;  and  Hazel  Marguerite,  who  was  born  January  21,  1903,  and  is  a 
senior  in  the  Emmett  high  school. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Langroise  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  is  a  past  grand  of  the  local  lodge 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen.  He  is  a  typical  American  citizen,  alive 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides  and  supporting  at  all 
times  those  plans  and  measures  which  he  deems  of  value  to  the  district  in  which 
he  resides,  while  in  the  conduct  of  his  business  affairs  he  employs  the  progressive 
methods  which  eventually  lead  to  success. 


GEORGE  D.  STAFFORD. 

George  D.  Stafford,  who  is  fast  approaching  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's 
journey,  is  a  well  known  farmer  of  Canyon  county,  living  near  Notus.  He  was  born 
in  Indiana,  February  24,  1840.  His  father,  John  Stafford,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  in  May,  1802,  and  following  his  marriage  he  went  with  his  wife  to  Indiana, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1845.  He  then  removed  to  Iowa  and  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  farming  about  eight  miles  from  Davenport,  there  residing  until  1874,  when  he 
and  his  son,  George  D.,  went  to  Kansas,  where  the  latter  farmed,  the  father  residing 
with  him  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1876.  The  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Nancy  Dixon  and  was  a  native  of  Georgia.  She  passed  away  in  Iowa  in  1853. 

Six  years  later,  or  in  1859,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  George  D.  Stafford  started 
for  Pike's  Peak,  Colorado,  in  company  with  a  brother  and  another  young  man.  They 
were  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  that  region,  but  the  reports  which  they 
received  of  the  place  as  they  journeyed  along  were  so  discouraging  that  they  turned 
back.  In  1860,  however,  on  account  of  ill  health,  the  doctor  ordered  Mr.  Stafford  to 
go  to  Pike's  Peak  and  he  made  the  trip  by  ox  team,  being  about  sixty  days  on  the  way. 
He  was  located  near  Breckenridge,  Colorado,  where  he  remained  until  October  of  that 
year,  and  with  health  much  improved  he  returned  to  Iowa.  In  1861  his  health  again 
failed  and  the  following  year,  in  company  with  his  cousin,  Joseph  Morgan,  and  a  school- 
mate, H.  P.  Mason,  he  went  to  Smithton,  Missouri,  about  sixty  miles  north  of  St.  Joseph, 
and  there  outfitted  with  four  ponies,  one  of  which  was  blind,  and  a  wagon  and  started 
to  cross  the  plains  to  Oregon.  A  government  escort  took  them  as  far  west  as  Green 
River,  Wyoming,  after  which  they  traveled  on  alone  without  trouble  until  they  reached 
a  point  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  of  Salt  Lake  City.  They  had  met  a 
Wisconsin  party  that  had  fine  horses  and  mules  and  with  whom  they  traveled.  One 
night  the  Indians  stole  all  the  horses,  leaving,  however,  the  rest  of  the  stock.  This 
left  Mr.  Stafford  and  his  friends  without  means  of  further  travel.  Their  Wisconsin 
friends  left  them  at  a  stage  station  and  they  had  plenty  of  food  in  their  wagon. 
The  stage  company  was  building  a  new  road  at  that  time  and  gave  the  boys  work 
on  the  construction  of  the  road.  In  the  meantime  Colonel  Conner  of  California  came 
along  with  five  hundred  head  of  beef  cattle,  which  he  was  taking  to  Fort  Douglas, 
Utah.  He  camped  at  the  point  where  Mr.  Stafford  and  his  companions  were  and  sent 
out  word  to  the  Indians  to  return  all  the  stolen  horses  they  had  in  their  possession. 
Among  the  horses  which  the  Indians  brought  in  were  the  four  ponies  belonging  to 
Mr.  Stafford  and  his  friends.  They  then  went  on  their  way  rejoicing,  for  they  were 
each  sixty  dollars  better  off  for  having  done  construction  work  at  that  camp. 

When  they  reached  Carson  City,  Nevada,  they  traded  the  wagon  and  harness 
for  saddles  and  Mr.  Stafford  and  Joseph  Morgan  proceeded  to  Ashland,  Oregon,  while 
H.  H.  Mason  remained  in  Carson  City.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  all  three  of  these 
pioneers  are  •  living  today,  Mr.  Morgan  making  his  home  sixty  miles  north  of  St.  Jo- 
seph, Missouri,  while  Mr.  Mason  is  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

When  Mr.  Stafford  reached  Ashland  he  went  to  work  getting  out  timbers  to  build 
a  barn  at  one  dollar  per  day,  while  his  cousin  worked  at  herding  sheep  for  the  same 
sum.  They  were  there  employed  until  May,  1863,  and  Mr.  Stafford  accepted  steers  for 
his  pay.  The  two  young  men  then  engaged  to  drive  cattle  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  for 
which  they  each  received  thirty  dollars  and  with  this  they  bought  flour  and  packed 
it  on  horses  to  Placerville,  Idaho.  They  then  packed  from  Umatilla,  Oregon,  to  the 
Boise  basin  of  Idaho  for  two  years  and  afterward  bought  wagons  and  oxen  and  en- 
gaged in  freighting  for  two  years  more.  In  1867  Mr.  Stafford  returned  to  Iowa  by 


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HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  753 

water  route  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  was  then  a  resident  of  the  middle  west 
for  some  years  but  in  1881  removed  from  Kansas  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Boise.  In  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year  he  bought  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  on  the  Boise  river, 
a  half  mile  south  of  his  present  place,  and  is  still  owner  of  about  fifteen  acres  of  that 
tract.  In  February,  1882,  he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  across  the 
road  from  his  present  residence  and  where  his  son  is  now  engaged  in  farming.  Mr. 
Stafford  afterward  purchased  the  place  of  eighty  acres  upon  which  he  now  resides, 
becoming  owner  thereof  in  1898.  He  was  one  of  the  early  dairymen  of  Idaho  and  very 
successfully  conducted  that  business.  He  ha<  now  practically  retired  and  his  son, 
D.  M.,  operates  both  farms  and  raises  registered  shorthorn  cattle, .  both  roans  and 
white,  also  some  hops,  sheep  and  horses.  He  likewise  has  some  fine  milch  cows. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1869,  Mr.  Stafford  was  married  to  Anna  Parkhurst,  of 
Iowa,  whose  parents  were  from  the  state  of  New  York  and  went  to  Iowa  in  1835,  set- 
tling at  Le  Claire,  which  town  was  originally  called  Parkhursttown,  being  named  in 
honor  of  her  grandfather,  Sterling  Parkhurst.  Mrs.  Stafford  came  to  Idaho  with  her 
husband  in  1881.  They  are  parents  of  six  children.  Louis  V.,  forty-nine  years  of  age, 
is  a  farmer  and  dairyman  who  married  Leonora  Burnett,  of  Colorado,  and  has  three 
children:  Jesse,  Edna  and  Alice.  Carrie  M.  is  the  wife  of  H.  I.  McLaughlin  and  the 
mother  of  five  children:  Marvin  W.,  who  enlisted  for  service  in  the  world  war;  Edith, 
who  is  attending  college  at  ('aid well;  Sidney;  Anna;  and  Harvey.  Ida  M.  is  the  wife 
of  S.  K.  Collins,  a  farmer  living  east  of  Nampa.  Jessie  married  S.  G.  Tucker,  a  farmer 
of  Tendavis,  Idaho,  by  whom  she  has  four  children:  George  Newton,  Grace  S-,  Anna 
and  Dudley  Grant.  Dudley,  the  next  of  the  family,  married  Ethel  Clement.  Mary  E., 
the  youngest,  is  the  wife  of  Bert  Smart  and  has  one  child,  Frank  Merritt. 

The  stories  of  frontier  life  and  experience  are  matters  of  personal  knowledge  to 
G.  D.  Stafford,  who  for  more  than  a  half  century  has  been  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  west  at  various  points  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  coast.  He  is  keenly 
interested  in  all  that  has  led  to  the  development  and  progress  of  the  districts  in  which 
he  has  lived  and  he  has  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  agricultural  develop- 
ment of  Canyon  county,  where  he  is  now  a  valuable  and  venerable  citizen — one  whose 
well  spent  life  commands  for  him  the  respect  and  goodwill  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
been  brought  in  contact. 


ROBERT   E.    ROSE,   D.   D.   S. 

Dr.  Robert  E.  Rose,  who  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry at  Emmett  since  1911,  was  for  sixteen  years  prior  to  that  date  a  member 
of  the  profession  in  Missouri  and  in  -Iowa,  so  that  he  brought  broad  experience  to 
the  starting  point  of  his  professional  career  in  Idaho.  He  was  born  at  Dexter, 
Iowa,  September  18,  1S72,  and  is  a  son  of  the  Rev.  James  A.  C.  Rose,  a  clergyman 
of  the  United  Brethren  church,  who  a'so  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  April  19,  1830,  and  was  married  March  20,  1855.  to  Helen 
S.  Wilson,  who  was  born  near  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  October  29,  1837.  They  were 
parents  of  six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter,  of  whom  Dr.  Rose  is  the  youngest. 
Three  sons  and  the  daughter  are  living,  the  two  brothers  of  the  Doctor  being 
Harry  W.  Rose,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Mountain  Grove,  Missouri;  and  Rev. 
W.  W.  Rose,  district  superintendent  for  the  Free  Methodist  church,  located  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  The  sister  is  Mrs.  Laura  E.  Beem,  of  Winterset,  Iowa. 
The  father  died  in  Missouri  in  1905,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  at  the  home  of  her  son  Robert  in  Emmett,  December  30,  1915, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  after  having  resided  with  him  for  eight  years. 

Dr.  Rose  was  reared  on  a  farm  near  Corning,  Iowa,  and  secured  a  public 
school  education,  after  which  he  studied  dentistry  for  two  years  in  the  Iowa  State 
University  and  in  1894  entered  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1895.  He  then  practiced  dentistry  at  Atlantic  and  at  Guthrie  Center, 
Iowa,  from  1895  until  1901,  when  he  removed  to  Mountain  Grove.  Missouri,  where 
he  continued  until  1909.  For  a  brief  period  he  practiced  at  Eureka,  Utah,  and  since 
1911  has  been  a  representative  of  the  dental  profession  at  Emmett,  where  he  has 
built  up  an  extensive  practice,  and  his  high  professional  standing  is  indicated  in 
the  fact  that  he  was  honored  with  election  to  the  presidency  of  the  Idaho  State 
Dental  Society.  He  keeps  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  modern  thought  and  progress 

Vol.  II—  48 


754  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  is  quick  to  adopt  any  new  scientific  principle  or  method  which  his  judgment 
sanctions  as  of  real  worth  in  actual  practice. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1896,  at  Guthrie,  Center,  Iowa,  Dr.  Rose  was  married 
to  Laura  B.  Kester,  who  was  there  born  June  8,  1877.  She  was  educated  in  her 
native  state  and  taught  school  prior  to  her  marriage.  They  now  have  three  chil- 
dren: Helen  L.,  born  April  14,  1898;  Donald  G.,  February  11,  1900;  and  Alice  H., 
January  13,  1904.  The  only  son,  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  volunteered  for 
service  in  the  World  war  in  July,  1918,  was  accepted  and  assigned  to  the  motor 
transport  service  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  stationed  when  the 
war  ended,  receiving  his  discharge  May  25,  1919.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Emmett 
high  school,  Helen  is  a  graduate  of  the  Willamette  University  of  Oregon  and  Alice" 
was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Emmett  in  1920. 

Dr.  Rose  has  long  been  a  stalwart  champion  of  the  good  roads  movement 
and  for  four  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  good  roads  committee  of  the  Emmett 
Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  was  formerly  president  and  was  again  elected  in 
1920.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party  and  he  was  at  one 
time  mayor  of  Emmett,  giving  to  the  city  a  businesslike  and  progressive  adminis- 
tration. He  belongs  to  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  one 
of  the  trustees  and  also  a  member  of  the  financial  board.  His  life  has  ever  been 
characterized  by  high  and  honorable  principles,  by  advanced  ideals  in  his  profession 
and  by  devotion  to  duty  in  every  relation. 


JOHN  LEROY  DAYLET. 

Business  enterprise  at  Buhl  finds  a  worthy  representative  in  John  Leroy  Day- 
ley,  who  is  there  conducting  a  drug  store.  He  is,  moreover,  one  of  the  native  sons 
of  Idaho,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Oakley  on  the  6th  of  May,  1888.  He  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  J.  and  Matilda  A.  (Martindale)  Dayley  and  while  spending  his 
youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof  he  attended  the  public  schools  at  Oakley 
and  then  went  to  Chicago  to  enter  the  Northwestern  University,  in  which  he  pur- 
sued a  pharmaceutical  course.  He  was  there  graduated  in  1909  and  returned  to 
Oakley,  where  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  drug  store  until  1915,  when  he  came  to 
Buhl  and  entered  into  partnership  with  Ross  Elison  in  the  ownership  and  conduct 
of  a  drug  store.  That  association  was  maintained  for  three  years,  on  the  expira- 
tion of  which  period  Mr.  Dayley  purchased  a  store  in  connection  with  Leonard 
Detrick  and  they  are  still  associated  in  business.  Their  trade  has  reached  gratify- 
ing proportions,  owing  to  their  enterprising  methods  and  their  earnest  desire  to 
please  their  customers. 

In  1909  Mr.  Dayley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucile  Dahlquist,  a  native 
of  Utah  and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Clara  Dahlquist.  They  now  have  one  child, 
Joe. 

Mr.  Dayley  votes  with  the  democratic  party  and  fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  well  known 
in  Buhl  and  are  accorded  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles,  while  the  hospitality 
of  their  own  home  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  their  many  friends.  Mr.  Dayley  is  inter- 
ested in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives  and  at  the  same  time  is  a  most  active  and  energetic  business  man, 
whose  Main  street  establishment  is  a  credit  to  the  city. 


F.  L.  LITTLER. 

Investigation  will  indicate  that  many  of  Nampa's  residents  have  come  here 
beaause  of  the  healthful  condition  of  the  climate  and  the  country,  and  not  only 
have  they  found  what  they  sought  in  this  connection  but  have  likewise  found  the 
opportunity  for  the  establishment  and  conduct  of  profitable  business  interests. 
Such  has  been  the  record  of  F.  L.  Littler,  who  removed  to  Nampa  because  of  his 
wife's  health  and  who  has  made  for  himself  a  creditable  place  in  industrial  circles. 
He  was  born  in  Iowa,  March  4,  1875,  and  there  attended  the  graded  schools,  while 
later  he  completed  a  business  course  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  755 

years.  He  then  took  up  the  business  of  contracting,  which  he  followed  in  Iowa 
for  eight  years,  and  through  the  succeeding  four  years  he  was  engaged  in  both 
«ontracting  and  mill  work  at  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon.  The  condition  of  his  wife's 
health  caused  his  removal  in  1916-  to  Nampa,  Idaho,  and  here  he  became  con- 
nected with  industrial  interests  under  the  name  of  the  Nampa  Planing  Mills,  being 
thus  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  window  frames,  sash,  doors,  cabinet  work 
and  furniture  until  he  sold  out  the  business  in  June,  1919.  He  did  everything  in 
the  way  of  mill  work  and  recently  completely  outfitted  three  ranch  houses  from 
ironing  boards  to  the  most  finished  products  of  cabinet  work.  He  furnished  all 
of  the  boxes  used  by  the  produce  firm  of  Frye  &  Company  and  his  annual  output 
amounted  to  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  His  product  was  shipped  to  a  considera- 
ble extent  to  western  Idaho  and  he  employed  from  one  to  three  people.  His  raw 
material  was  all  home  product,  the  timber  being  grown  in  Idaho  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  red  cedar  which  was  used  for  water  tanks  and  which  came  from  Ore- 
gon. In  the  near  future  Mr.  Littler  is  planning  to  build  a  thoroughly  modern 
mill  at  Payette  and  will  engage  in  a  general  milling  business  and  box  factory  work. 
On  the  3d  of  July,  1913,  Mr.  Littler  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  P.  Cartwright, 
of  Payette,  Idaho,  who  was  born,  however,  in  Iowa.  They  have  one  son,  Claude 
Ernest,  four  years  of  age.  The  parents  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Nampa, 
having  gained  many  friends  during  the  period  of  their  residence  here,  and  Mr. 
Littler  has  become  widely  recognized  as  an  important  factor  in  connection  with 
the  productive  industries  of  the  city. 


HOMER  G.  PATTERSON,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Homer  G.  Patterson,  practicing  dentistry  in  Boise,  came  to  Idaho  thirty- 
one  years  ago  from  Portland,  Oregon,  and  in  1900  removed  from  Hailey  to  the 
capital  city.  His  first  location  on  reaching  the  state,  however,  was  at  Bellevue  and 
subsequent  removals  brought  him  to  the  capital,  where  since  the  3d  of  January, 
1901,  he  has  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  Sonna  block.  Added  experience  has 
continually  broadened  his  knowledge,  while  at  the  same  time  reading  and  study 
have  greatly  enhanced  his  efficiency. 

Dr.  Patterson  is  a  native  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  He  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Ontario,  St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  October  4,  1862,  a  son  of  James  H.  Pat- 
terson, a  wagon  maker  by  trade,  who  later  became  a  farmer  of  Iowa  and  subse- 
quently a  resident  of  Oregon.  With  his  removal  to  the  northwest  he  settled  at 
Hillsboro,  where  he  operated  a  sawmill,  but  for  more  than  thirty  years  he  has 
made  his  home  in  the  beautiful  rose  city  of  Portland.  He  is  still  hale  and  vigorous, 
although  now  eighty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
January  9,  1837,  and  was  yet  a  young  lad  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  northern  Indiana,  where  he  was  reared.  It  was  in  Sturgis,  Mich- 
igan, in  1861,  that  he  wedded  Wealthy  Jane  Foster,  who  also  survives  and  has  now 
passed  the  seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's  Journey. 

Dr.  Patterson  was  a  boy  of  six  years  when  his  parents  went  from  Indiana  to 
Albia,  Iowa,  and  after  three  years  there  passed  the  family  home  was  established 
at  Red  Oak,  Iowa,  where  much  of  his  youth  was  spent  upon  the  home  farm.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Red  Oak  high  school  and  with  the  intention  of  entering 
upon  a  professional  career  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  to  which  he  devoted  a 
year  and  a  half  in  Red  Oak  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a  physician.  Later, 
however,  he  decided  to  make  dentistry  his  life  work  and  in  1882  began  prepara- 
tion for  that  calling.  It  was  in  the  same  year  that  Dr.  Patterson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Nettie  Orr,  of  Iowa,  and  in  that  year  he  and  his  wife  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  San  Jose,  California,  and  in  1883  all  made  their  way  to 
Hillsboro,  Oregon.  Dr.  Patterson  continued  his  dental  studies  both  at  San  Jose, 
California,  and  at  Hillsboro  and  afterward  further  prepared  for  his  professional 
career  by  study  in  Portland,  Oregon,  becoming  a  resident  of  the  latter  city  in  1888. 
He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  dentistry  on  his  own  account  at  Bellevue,  Idaho,  in 
1889  and  there  remained  for  eight  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  re- 
moved to  Hailey,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  practiced  for  three  years,  coming 
to  Boise  in  1900.  Here  through  the  intervening  years  he  has  continuously  -prac- 
ticed and  has  been  accorded  a  large  and  distinctively  representative  patronage. 


756  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  has  always  held  to  the  highest  professional  standards  and  is  today  accounted 
one  of  the  leading  dentists  of  the  state. 

In  1900  Dr.  Patterson  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  first  wife, 
who  passed  away  on  the  14th  of  October  of  that  year,  leaving  four  daughters  and 
a  son,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living  and  are  married.  These  are:  Bessie  L.,  now  the 
wife  of  Donald  McDonald,  of  Shelton,  Washington;  Lena  Blanch,  the  wife  of  R.  C. 
Little,  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Ray  H.,  living  at  Brazil,  Indiana;  Lura  Idaho,  the  wife 
of  William  Milleman,  of  Oakland,  California;  and  Irma,  the  wife  of  George  Puckett, 
of  Portland,  Oregon.  Later  Dr.  Patterson  married  Belle  McLaughlin,  who  also 
passed  away.  He  then  wedded  Margaret  Benbow  in  the  year  1907.  The  Doctor 
has  three  grandchildren:  Roscoe  H.  Patterson,  William  T.  MiUemui  an'  .,  • 

Dr.  Patterson  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church  of  Boise  and  is 
serving  as  one  of  its  elders.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  also  to  the  Yeomen.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  while  a  resident  of 
Bellevue,  Idaho,  served  as  coroner  of  Logan  county  and  also  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  of  the  town  council.  While  living  in  Hailey  he  was  chosen  to 
represent  his  district — Blaine  county — in  the  fifth  general  assembly  of  Idaho  and 
he  is  the  father  of  Idaho's  dental  laws,  having  secured  the  passage  of  the  dental 
bill  while  a  member  of  the  legislature.  He  was  also  appointed  a  member  of  the 
state  board  of  dental  examiners  by  Governor  Steunenberg  in  1899  and  filled  the 
position  for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  reappointed  by  Governor  Frank  Hunt 
in  1901  and  served  in  all  for  more  than  six  years,  being  president  of  the  board 
throughout  that  entire  time.  Since  his  removal  to  Boise  he  has  refrained  from 
taking  active  part  in  politics,  refusing  several  times  to  become  a  candidate  for 
office.  He  prefers  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  professional  duties,  and 
the  thoroughness  and  efficiency  which  he  displays  are  the  basic  elements  of  a  most 
desirable  success. 


DAVID  D.  ALVORD. 

One  of  the  attractive,  substantial  and  growing  business  enterprises  of  Twin  Falls 
is  that  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Idaho  Department  Store,  Limited,  of  which 
David  D.  Alvord  is  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager.  Early  in  his  career  he  recog- 
nized the  eternal  principle  that  industry  wins  and  industry  has  been  the  beacon  light 
of  his  life,  guiding  him  to  success.  Idaho  numbers  him  among  her  native  sons,  for 
his  birth  occurred  in  Boise,  July  17,  1873,  his  parents  being  James  H.  and  May  E. 
(Noggle)  Alvord,  who  are  mentioned  at  length  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

The  boyhood  days  of  David  D.  Alvord  were  passed  in  his  native  state,  and  at  the 
usual  age  he  became  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools,  passing  through  consecutive  grades 
until  he  had  qualified  for  more  advanced  training.  He  afterward  attended  All  Hal- 
lows College  at  Salt  Lake  City  and  subsequently  he  became  a  student  in  St.  James 
Military  Academy  at  Macon,  Missouri.  When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  accepted 
a  position  as  clerk  with  the  Moss  Mercantile  Company  of  Payette,  Idaho,  and  later 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Montie  B.  Gwinn  Mercantile  Company  at  Caldwell,  Idaho, 
for  a  year.  He  then  removed  to  Evanston,  Wyoming,  and  was  connected  with  the 
North  &  Stone  bank  as  assistant  cashier  for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  next  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Beeman  &  Cashin  Mercantile  Company  at  Kemmerer.  Wyoming, 
having  charge  of  the  branch  store  at  that  place  as  manager  for  a  period  of  three 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Evanston,  Wyoming,  where  he  was  made  manager  of  the 
hardware  department  of  the  same  firm,  and  his  capability  and  fidelity  are  indicated  in 
the  fact  that  he  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  for  eight  years. 

In  December,  1906,  Mr.  Alvord  arrived  in  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  and  accepted  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Idaho  Department  Store,  Limited,  of  which  R.  C.  Beach  is  now  presi- 
dent. In  1910  Mr.  Alvord  became  a  stockholder  in  the  enterprise  and  was  made  one 
of  the  board  of  directors.  Later  he  was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany and  in  1920  was  also  appointed  manager.  He  has  taken  quite  an  active  part  in 
the  development  of  the  business,  bringing  to  bear  in  its  conduct  the  most  progres- 
sive commercial  methods,  yet  his  progressiveness  is  always  tempered  by  that  safe 
conservatism  which  prevents  all  unwarranted  risk.  He  is  likewise  a  director  of  the 
Twin  Falls  Dehydrating  Company  and  is  also  a  director  of  the  Idaho  Department 
Store.  In  business  matters  he  displays  sound  judgment  and  unfaltering  enterprise 


DAVID  D.  ALVORD 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  759 

and  readily  discriminates  between  the  essential  and  the  non-essential  in  all  ques- 
tions vital  to  the  conduct  of  the  business  affairs  in  which  he  is  interested. 

In  1900  Mr.  Alvord  was  married  to  Miss  Statira  Wells,  a  daughter  of  John  Wells 
and  a  native  of  the  state  of  Washington.  The  three  children  of  this  marriage  are 
May  E.,  David  D.  and  Norman  B. 

A  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Mr.  Alvord  has  taken  the  Knights  Templar 
degree  arid  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  1183, 
B.  P.  O  E.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  In  these  associations  are 
found  the  rules  which  govern  his  conduct  and  direct  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen. 


FRITZ  C.  MADSEN. 

Fritz  C.  Madsen,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Teton  Valley  News  of  Driggs, 
was  born  in  Denmark,  February  12,  1863.  His  parents,  Mathias  and  Jensine 
Madsen,  were  also  natives  of  that  country.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  and 
worked  at  the  trade  in  Denmark  throughout  his  entire  life,  there  passing  away  in 
1909,  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  The  mother 
died  in  the  same  year  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

The  youthful  days  of  Fritz  C.  Madsen  were  spent  in  his  native  country  and 
his  education  was  acquired  in  its  public  schools,  which  he  attended  to  the  age  of 
fourteen,  when  he  began  learning  the  printer's  trade.  He  afterward  attended  night 
school  and  in  the  school  of  experience  he  also  learned  many  valuable  lessons.  He 
continued  to  work  at  his  trade  in  Denmark  until  1884,  when  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  came  to  America  and  again  engaged  in  the  printing  business,  which 
he  followed  in  various  states  of  the  Union.  He  was  in  California  for  a  longer 
period  than  in  any  other  state  up  to  1910,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho,  settling  at 
Driggs.  Here  he  purchased  the  Teton  Valley  News  and  has  since  published  the 
paper.  It  was  not  a  journal  of  any  force  at  the  time  it  came  into  his  possession 
and  Mr.  Madsen  has  made  it  a  valuable  country  paper.  He  has  equipped  his  office 
with  all  the  latest  machinery,  including  a  linotype  machine,  and  has  successfully 
managed  his  paper.  He  likewise  has  farming  interests,  including  eighty  acres  of 
improved  land  in  Teton  county  which  he  now  leases.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  In 
the  Idaho  Coal  Mines  of  Driggs. 

In  September,  1911,  Mr.  Madsen  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Pearson,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children,  namely:  Fritz  Mazel,  Carl,  Anna,  Niles  and  one  who  died 
at  birth.  Fraternally  Mr.  Madsen  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of-  the  World. 
He  was  reared  a  Lutheran  but  is  now  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  His  political  belief  is  that  of  the  republican  party  and  he  is 
Interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  its  success  and  is  equally  interested  in  everything 
that  makes  for  higher  ideals  in  citizenship. 


ALVIN  W.  JUDD,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Alvin  W.  Judd  is  the  pioneer  dentist  of  Emmett,  where  he  has  practiced 
his  profession  continuously  and  successfully  since  1901.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
near  Weaver,  Minnesota,  March  20,  1869,  his  parents  being  Royal  and  Wilhelmina 
(Struntz)  Judd.  The  father,  a  native  of  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  represented  an 
old  New  England  family  of  Revolutionary  ancestry,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this 
country  being  one  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1633.  The  mother,  who  was 
born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  in  her  girl- 
hood days,  the  Struntz  family  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  making  their 
way  to  California  in  1854.  Royal  Judd  had  removed  to  California  from  Illinois  In 
the  early  '50s  and  It  was  on  the  16th  of  May,  1855,  at  Downieville,  California,  that 
he  wedded  Miss  Wilhelmina  Struntz.  Subsequently  they  returned  east  to  Illinois 
and  afterward  removed  to  Wisconsin,  while  at  a  still  later  period  they  became  resi- 
dents of  Minnesota,  where  Mr.  Judd  departed  this  life  in  1871.  His  wife,  sur- 
viving him  for  three  decades,  passed  away  in  San  Francisco,  California,  in  1901. 
They  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living  with  the  exception  of  one  son.  Those  who  survive  are  as  follows: 


760  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mrs.  Eliza  Gaestel,  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  California;  Oscar,  who  makes  his 
home  near  Weaver,  Minnesota;  Mrs.  Mary  Martin,  living  in  North  Dakota;  Mrs. 
Jennie  Crew,  of  Long  Beach,  California;  and  Alvin  W.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named,  who  is  the  youngest  of  the  family  and  the  only  one  living  in 
Idaho,  was  reared  on  a  Minnesota  farm.  Having  determined  upon  a  professional 
career,  he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  San  Francisco,  California,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of  1898. 
For  three  years  he  practiced  his  profession  in  that  city  and  then  removed  to  Rex- 
burg,  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for  one  year  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period 
came  to  Enimett  as  its  pioneer  dentist.  Here  he  has  remained  continuously  through 
the  past  eighteen  years  and  a  most  gratifying  practice  has  been  accorded  him  as 
he  has  proven  his  skill  and  efficiency. 

On  the  13th  of  March,  1915,  at  Emmett,  Idaho,  Dr.  Judd  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mrs.  Isabel  (Rois)  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  August 
26,  1874,  representing  an  old  New  England  family.  By  her  first  husband  she  had 
one  daughter,  Lucy  Wilson,  who  is  now  fifteen  years  of  age. 

Fraternally  Dr.  Judd  is  a  Master  Mason  and  exemplifies  in  his  life  the  bene- 
ficent spirit  of  the  craft.  He  is  very  fond  of  fishing,  to  which  he  turns  for  recrea- 
tion when  leisure  permits.  In  every  relation  of  life  he  has  manifested  those  sterling 
traits  of  character  which  awaken  esteem  and  respect  and  his  position  in  both  pro- 
fessional and  social  circles  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides  is  a  most  enviable 
one. 


MELVIN   T.    ROWLAND. 

Melvin  T.  Rowland  is  the  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Demming 
Mines  Company  of  Idaho,  which  has  its  property  about  seventy  miles  south  of 
Nampa,  in  Owyhee  county.  He  is  well  qualified  to  have  executive  control  and  ad- 
ministrative direction  over  a  business  of  this  character,  for  he  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  mining  experts  of  the  northwest.  The  property  of  the  Demming  Mines  Com- 
pany was  discovered  and  located  by  C.  C.  Hedum,  J.  D.  Demming  and  J.  B.  Fowler 
and  was  taken  over  by  the  Demming  Mines  Company  in  July,  1916,  the  officers  of 
the  company  being:  C.  T.  Payton,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  president;  A.  E.  Badger, 
of  Detroit,  Michigan,  secretary  and  treasurer;  L.  W.  Mills,  assistant  secretary;  W. 
J.  Long,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  second  vice  president  and  director;  E.  A.  Drake,  of 
Windsor,  Ontario,  Canada,  a  director;  W.  L.  De  Remer,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  as 
director;  E.  W.  Rowland  as  director  and  assistant  manager;  and  Melvin  T.  Row- 
land, who  is  vice  president  and  general  manager.  The  property  was  discovered 
and  located  in  1907  and  is  of  gold  and  silver,  about  even  production.  The  com- 
pany installed  its  last  carload  of  machinery  in  the  spring  of  1919,  thus  completing 
the  mill,  which  was  in  operation  on  the  1st  of  May.  The  metallurgical  tests  had 
previously  been  made  on  a  commercial  basis  and  from  these  tests  smelter  returns 
of  eighteen  thousand  dollars  have  been  secured.  To  the  present  time  more  than 
five  thousand  feet  of  development  work  has  been  completed.  The  equipment  of 
the  mine  is  modern  throughout,  and  the  company  has  built  thirty  miles  of  wagon 
road  and  eleven  miles  of  high  tension  power  line,  carrying  twenty-three  thousand 
voltage.  According  to  the  reports  of  mining  engineers  who  have  visited  this  dis- 
trict important  new  discoveries  of  gold  and  silver  have  recently  been  made  of 
considerable  area  and  richness.  This  district  is  out  of  the  ordinary  in  that  the 
number  of  fissure  veins  which  intersect  these  properties  are  of  great  width  and 
continuity  and  carry  a  primary  telluride  sulphide  ore. 

Mr.  Rowland  is  a  mining  geologist  whose  knowledge  of  mines  and  mining  is 
all  that  the  word  expert  implies.  He  has  had  previous  experience,  having  investi- 
gated the  mining  regions  of  every  mining  district  in  the  United  States,  in  Canada 
and  in  Alaska.  He  spent  nine  years  in  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska,  having  gone  there 
previous  to  the  Klondike  discovery,  and  he  was  the  discoverer  of  the  Nakina  river 
goldfields.  His  experience  in  that  country  alone  would  make  an  interesting  story 
of  adventure.  With  all  this  practical  knowledge  at  his  command  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  he  has  passed  the  stage  where  his  judgment  is  likely  to  be  at  fault  when  he 
places  his  stamp  of  approval  upon  a  mining  property.  Without  doubt  the  Dem- 
ming mine  will  justify  his  judgment  to  the  benefit  of  himself  and  his  associates 
and  will  prove  of  inestimable  value  to  the  state  as  a  big  dividend  payer  and  as  a 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  761 

large  disburser  to  the  wage  earner.  The  Demming  Mines  Company  has  recently 
installed  an  additional  process  of  converting  the  gold  and  silver  sulphides  to  bullion 
at  the  mine.  If  this  process  is  successful  as  anticipated  it  will  be  of  vast  benefit  to 
the  mining  industry  of-  southern  Idaho  as  this  section  contains  a  larger  tonnage  of 
this  class  of  gold  and  silver  ores  than  probably  any  other  section  of  the  United 
States. 


NOAH  B.   BARNES,  D.  O. 

Dr.  Noah  B.  Barnes  is  a  successful  osteopathic  physician  of  Emmett  and  also 
one  of  the  leading  orchardists  of  Gem  county.  He  came  to  this  state  in  the  fall 
of  1908  and  since  about  1912  has  been  active  in  the  profession  of  osteopathy  here, 
being  accorded  a  most  gratifying  practice.  His  birth  occurred  at  Mexico,  Missouri, 
on  the  8th  of  November,  1874,  his  parents  being  Leander  and  Minerva  (Bybee) 
Barnes.  The  father,  who  followed  farming  throughout  his  active  business  career, 
has  now  passed  away,  but  the  mother  still  survives  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
son,  Dr.  Barnes. 

Noah  B.  Barnes  was  reared  on  a  farm  Rear  Mexico,  Missouri,  and  in  eirly 
manhood  taught  school  for  a  period  of  seven  years.  His  more  advanced  education 
was  acquired  in  the  University  of  Missouri  at  Columbia  and  in  preparation  for  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  he  later  entered  the  American  School  of  Osteopathy 
at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1904.  He  be- 
gan practice  at  Cleburne,  Texas,  and  thence  removed  to  Trinidad,  Colorado,  where 
he  remained  for  six  years,  coming  to  Idaho  in  the  fall  of  1908.  During  the  first 
four  years  of  his  residence  in  this  state  he  refrained  from  professional  labors,  de- 
voting all  of  his  time  to  his  horticultural  interests  in  order  that  he  might  be  out-of- 
doors,  for  his  health  had  become  impaired  by  reason  of  the  heavy  demands  made 
upon  him  as  a  practitioner  of  Trinidad.  In  1910  he  planted  a  forty-acre  orchard 
two  miles  from  Emmett,  which  is  now  all  in  bearing  and  twenty  acres  of  which 
he  has  sold.  He  offered  the  remaining  half  for  sale  in  the  spring  of  1919  at 
eight  thousand  dollars  but  found  no  purchaser.  This  proved  to  be  a  stroke  of  good 
fortune,  for  the  yield  of  fruit  in  the  following  summer  brought  him  the  tidy  sum 
of  nine  thousand  dollars.  About  1912,  having  fully  recovered  his  health,  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  osteopathy  and  has  since  remained  at  Emmett,  where  his 
professional  skill  and  ability  have  won  him  a  large  patronage. 

In  1907  Dr.  Barnes  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  C.  Tall,  who  was 
born,  reared  and  educated  in  Missouri.  She  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Kirksville.  Missouri,  and  followed  the  profession  of  teaching 
prior  to  her  marriage.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  have  become  the  parents  of  two  sons, 
Joseph  and  Lauren,  who  are  nine  and  five  years  of  age  respectively. 

In  his  political  views  Dr.  Barnes  is  a  democrat,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments 
of  office  have  never  had  attraction  for  him.  However,  he  is  widely  recognized  as 
a  public-spirited  citizen  whose  aid  and  influence  are  ever  on  the  side  of  progress 
and  improvement,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Emmett 
Irrigation  District.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the 
Christian  church,  the  teachings  of  which  he  exemplifies  in  his  daily  life,  thus  win- 
ning the  high  regard  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  professional  or  business  relations 
bring  him  in  contact. 


T.  VERN  THOMAS. 

The  county  business  of  Teton  county  has  on  the  whole  been  entrusted  to  most 
competent  men  and  in  this  connection  mention  should  be  made  of  T.  Vern  Thomas, 
who  is  serving  as  deputy  county  auditor,  as  deputy  recorder  and  deputy  clerk  of 
the  courts  of  the  county.  He  is  also  the  clerk  of  the  village  board  at  Driggs,  where 
he  makes  his  home.  He  was  born  at  Ogden,  Utah,  February  23,  1886.  and  is  a 
son  of  Thomas  G.  and  Eliza  Jane  (Smuin)  Thomas,  the  former  a  native  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  England.  She  came  to  America  with  her 
parents  when  ten  years  of  age,  the  family  home  being  established  in  Utah,  where 


762  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

her  father  and  mother  spent  their  remaining  days.  Thomas  G.  Thomas  was  a  mer- 
chant who  for  many  years  resided  in  Ogden,  Utah,  whence  in  1900  he  removed  to 
Rexburg,  Idaho,  where  he  carried  on  general  merchandising  until  1906.  He  then 
sold  his  business  there  and  went  to  Devils  Slide,  Utah,  where  he  again  conducted 
a  general  store,  being  thus  engaged  to  the  time  of  his  death  on  the  10th  of  June, 
1910.  The  mother  is  now  living  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

T.  Vern  Thomas  was  educated  in  Ogden  and  in  the  Brigham  Young  University. 
He  also  pursued  a  course  in  the  Smithsonian  Business  College  at  Ogden,  after 
which  he  became  the  active  assistant  of  his  father  in  business  and  was  with  him 
at  Rexburg  until  his  health  became  impaired.  Thinking  that  the  close  confinement 
of  the  store  was  detrimental,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  again  became  associated  with  his  father 
in  general  merchandising  at  Devils  Slide.  His  time  was  thus  passed  until  1916, 
being  given  to  merchandising  in  Utah  and  Idaho,  but  since  1900*  he  has  resided 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  Idaho.  In  January,  1917,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  county  treasurer  of  Teton  county  and  served  until  January,  1919,  when  he 
was  appointed  deputy  county  auditor  and  recorder  and  clerk  of  the  courts.  He 
has  likewise  been  village  clerk  since  July,  1917,  and  is  clerk  of  the  high  school 
board.  He  is  thus  prominently  connected  with  public  interests  and  has  been  most 
loyal  to  the  duties  and  responsibilities  that  have  devolved  upon  him. 

In  April,  1912,  Mr.  Thomas  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Heiner  and  they 
have  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Dale,  who  was  born  in  January,  1913; 
Venice,  born  in  May,  1915;  and  Mae,  who  was  born  in  January,  1917. 

The  religious  belief  of  the  family  is  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  In  politics  Mr.  Thomas  has  always  been  a  republican  and  at  all  times 
he  is  loyal  to  every  cause  which  he  espouses.  His  position  upon  any  vital  question 
is  never  an  equivocal  one  and  his  loyalty  is  one  of  his  marked  characteristics. 


MILTON  S.  NESBITT. 

Milton  S.  Nesbitt  was  born  in  the  beautiful  old  home  of  the  Nesbitt  family  on  the 
Payette  river,  six  miles  northeast  of  New  Plymouth,  where  he  still  resides.  His  natal 
day  was  May  19,  1886.  His  father,  John  Franklin  Nesbitt,  familiarly  known  as  Frank, 
was  born  in  Vermont,  February  4,  1852,  and  represented  one  of  the  old  New  England 
families,  his  father  passing  away  in  Vermont  when  J.  F.  Nesbitt  was  but  a  small  boy. 
The  latter  went  west  to  Kansas  with  his  brother  William  in  1870.  This  brother  was  a 
Civil  war  veteran  and  lost  his  right  arm  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania.  After  many  years 
of  active  life  as  a  farmer  and  county  clerk  in  Kansas  he  passed  away  at  his  home  in 
Mapleton,  that  state.  After  five  years'  residence  in  Kansas,  J.  F.  Nesbitt  removed  west- 
ward to  Idaho  in  1875  and  for  about  five  years  engaged  in  freighting  between  Kelton, 
Utah,  and  the  Boise  basin.  In  1880  he_bought  a  squatter's  right  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  acres  of  land,  constituting  the  old  homestead  farm,  upon  which  his  son  Milton 
was  born  and  which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sections  in  this  region,  where  the  land- 
scape presents  many  attractive  spots.  Mr.  Nesbitt  concentrated  his  time  and  attention 
upon  farming  and  stock  raising,  the  Payette  river  flowing  through  his  meadows.  He 
began  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  stock  and  later  increased  his  herd  until  he  had 
three  thousand  head.  He  added  to  this  property  until  jiow  the  estate  comprises  four 
hundred  acres.  He  recently  took  up  a  homestead  on  Squaw  creek,  in  Gem  county,  near 
his  son's  place,  and  there  has  a  fine  cattle  range  and  summer  home,  where  splendid  fishing 
and  mountain  air  can  be  enjoyed.  He  has  been  a  very  prominent  and  active  factor  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Bank  of  Commerce  of  Payette  and  also  a  stockholder.  In  connection  with  A.  J.  Mc- 
Farland  he  built  the  irrigation  ditch  which  supplies  water  to  their  respective  places.  He 
was  also  the  organizer  of  the  Payette  National  Bank  and  for  many  years  was  its  vice 
president.  He  is  recognized  as  a  business  man  of-  marked  ability  and  enterprise,  is  far- 
sighted,  and  his  well  formulated  plans  have  been  carried  forward  to  successful  com- 
pletion, resulting  not  only  in  benefit  to  himself  but  also  to  the  community  at  large.  In 
August,  1882,  he  wedded  Mary  J.  Stuart,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living. 

Milton  S.  Nesbitt  was  educated  in  the  little  school  on  the  hill  near  his  father's  home 
and  in  the  University  of  Idaho,  which  he  attended  for  three  years.  He,  too,  follows  farm- 


T 

A 


MILTON  S.  NESBITT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  765 

ing  and  stock  raising  as  a  life  work  and  also  owns  and  operates  a  threshing  outfit.  That 
he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  has  fifteen  head  of 
registered  shorthorns  and  one  hundred  head  of  common  stock.  He  has  put  up  on  his 
land  as  high  as  six  hundred  tons  of  hay  a  year  and  in  1919  he  harvested  four  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  grain.  He  has  two  large  silos  and  raises  corn  for  silage. 
He  also  raises  red  clover  seed  and  had  thirteen  bushels  to  the  acre,  for  which  he  received 
twenty  dollars  per  bushel.  He  is  following  the  most  progressive  methods  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  property  and  the  care  of  his  stock  and  his  work  is  producing  splendid  results. 
On  the  24th  of  April,  1914,  Mr.  Nesbitt  was  married  to  Miss  Willa  Little,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  who  came  to  Idaho  with  her  parents,  Howard  and  Anna  (Middleton)  Little. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbitt  now  have  two  children,  Woodrow  Scott  and  Maxine  Marie.  The 
parents  arc  well  educated  and  refined  people  who  occupy  a  prominent  position  in  social 
circles.  Mr.  Nesbitt  is  a  man  of  splendid  physique,  being  six  feet  in  height  and  broad  in 
proportion,  but  it  is  his  progressive  spirit  and  the  sterling  worth  of  his  character  that  has 
commended  him  to  the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact.  While  attending  the  University  of  Idaho  he  was  a  member  of  the 
track  and  football  teams  in  1907  and  1908.  He  has  been  a  director  and  member  of  the 
crop  improvement  committee  of  the  Payette  Farm  Bureau  and  represented  Washington 
and  Payette  counties  for  the  wool  growers,  pooling  their  1919  crop  with  Canyon  and  Ada 
counties.  He  was  their  sole  representative  and  they  received  five  cents  more  per 
pound  th:  n  individual  sellers. 


CLINTON  BASYE  TITUS,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Clinton  Basye  Titus,  a  representative  of  the  dental  profession  at  Emmett, 
who  is  practicing  most  successfully,  was  born  November  28,  1895,  in  the  town 
which  is  still  his  home.  He  is  the  younger  of  the  two  sons  of  Harry  Wesley 
and  Cora  Belle  (Basye)  Titus,  and  his  brother  is  Earl  Wesley  Titus,  a  railroad 
man.  The  father  is  a  well  known  contractor  and  builder  of  Emmett,  where  he  has 
long  resided,  and  during  this  period  he  has  erected  many  of  the  best  homes  in 
Emmett  and  the  surrounding  country,  being  a  skilled  mechanic.  His  wife  is  also 
a  member  of  one  of  the  aid  pioneer  families  of  Emmett,  her  father,  John  Basye, 
having  settled  in  Gem  county  when  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  had 
scarcely  been  begun  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Iowa  seventy- 
eight  years  ago  and  made  the  trip  to  Idaho  by  way  of  California. 

Dr.  Clinton  B.  Titus  was  reared  in  Emmett  and  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  with  the  class  of  1915.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry,  to  which 
he  devoted  three  years  in  the  North  Pacific  Dental  College  at  Portland,  Oregon, 
being  there  graduated  on  the  31st  of  May,  1918,  with  the  D.  D.  S.  degree.  Since 
then  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Emmett  save 
for  a  period  of  six  months  during  the  winter  of  1918-19,  when  he  acted  as  demon- 
strator in  his  alma  mater — the  North  Pacific  Dental  College  of  Portland.  He  is 
thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  most  advanced  and  scientific  methods  of  caring  for 
the  teeth  and  displays  expert  skill  in  handling  the  delicate  little  instruments  which 
constitute  the  equipment  of  the  dentist.  In  July,  1919,  he  was  appointed  a  special 
dental  inspector  by  the  Idaho  state  authorities. 

Dr.  Titus  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Naval  Reserve  Force  on  the  12th  of 
December,  1917,  for  four  years  but  was  never  called  into  active  service.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  Order  and  the  Royal  Order  of  Moose.  In  the 
public  affairs  of  Emmett  he  is  deeply  interested  and  his  cooperation  can  at  all  times 
be  counted  upon  to  further  plans  and  measures  for  the  general  good.  The  Doctor 
was  married  December  25,  1919,  to  Miss  Sadie  Rose  Allen,  of  Portland,  Oregon. 


EDWARD  A.  STRONG. 

Edward  A.  Strong,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Power  County  News  of  Amer- 
ican Falls,  was  born  at  Lansing,  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  in  February,  1871.  He 
is  a  son  of  Harvey  B.  and  Harriett  (Smith)  Strong,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  of  Illinois  respectively.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  at  an 


766  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

early  day  removed  to  Iowa,  becoming1  a  pilot  on  the  Mississippi  river,  taking  rafts 
down  that  stream  before  steamboats  were  used.  He  settled  at  Lansing,  where  he 
resided  until  about  1899,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  and  took  up  land  in  Fremont! 
county,  devoting  his  attention  to  general  farming  throughout  his  remaining  days. 
He  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1917. 

Edward  A.  Strong  was  reared  and  educated  at  Lansing,  Iowa,  and  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  went  to  work  in  a  printing  office  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  in  Lansing, 
Iowa,  securing  a  situation  in  the  office  of  the  Lansing  Mirror.  This  paper  was  owned 
by  his  brother-in-law,  G.  W.  Metcalf,  who  is  still  the  proprietor.  There  Mr.  Strong 
learned  the  trade  and  was  employed  on  the  Mirror  for  five  years.  It  was  on  the 
expiration  of  that  period  that  he  made  his  way  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  worked  on 
daily  papers  at  Olympia,  Tacoma  and  Spokane,  Washington,  for  several  years.  His 
father  then  went  to  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  and  Edward  A.  Strong  joined  him  there 
and  entered  the  employ  of  Wood  Parker.  He  afterward  purchased  the  Fremont 
County  News  and  also  published  the  Rigby  Star  and  the  Marysville  Mirror.  He 
continued  the  publication  of  the  papers  for  several  years  and  then  sold,  after  which 
he  returned  to  the  coast.  Later  he  became  a  resident  of  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  cafe  business  for  a  time  and  in  July,  1914,  he  removed  to  Amer- 
ican Falls  and  established  the  Power  County  News,  which  he  has  since  published. 
He  has  a  nicely  equipped  plant,  with  a  linotype  machine  and  all  the  facilities  re- 
quired in  newspaper  publication  and  in  general  job  work,  and  in  the  latter  line 
he  is  accorded  a  liberal  patronage,  while  the  News  also  has  a  large  circulation. 
Mr.  Strong  does  not  confine  his  attention  absolutely  to  newspaper  publication,  how- 
ever, for  the  in  the  summer  of  1919  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  hogs. 

In  1904,  at  St.  Anthony,  Idaho,  Mr.  Strong  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Smith, 
a  daughter  of  James  Smith,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Harriett  Elizabeth,  Harvey  Elaine  and  Alice  Odette. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Strong  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat 
but  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Benjamin  Harrison.  Later  he  changed  his 
views  and  has  since  supported  democratic  principles.  His  religious  belief  is  that 
of  the  Baptist  church.  His  salient  characteristics  are  such  as  win  for  him  warm 
regard  and  make  for  personal  popularity.  Starting  out  in  the  business  world  when 
but  twelve  years  of  age,  he  has  since  depended  upon  his  own  resources  and  his  ad- 
vancement is  the  direct  outcome  of  his  persistent  effort,  his  thoroughness  and  his 
laudable  ambition. 


FRANK   KNOX. 

The  name  of  Knox  has  figured  conspicuously  upon  the  pages  of  Gem  county's 
history  from  an  early  epoch  in  its  development  and  Frank  Knox,  son  of  Douglas 
Knox,  the  pioneer,  is  a  well  known  citizen  of  Emmett,  where  he  is  proprietor  of 
the  Russell  House,  the  only  commercial  hotel  in  the.  town.  In  various  other  ways 
he  figures  prominently  in  the  community,  his  sterling  worth  and  his  progressive- 
ness  being  recognized  by  all.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Boise,  June  1,  1878,  and 
is  the  youngest  of  the  four  sons  of  Douglas  Knox  of  Emmett,  whose  residence  in 
Idaho  dates  from  1864  and  who  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  pioneers  of  Gem  county. 

Frank  Knox  was  reared  largely  upon  his  father's  ranch  a  mile  below  Emmett 
and  in  the  public  schools  acquired  his  education.  For  many  years  after  reaching 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  worked  in  various  Idaho  mines  and  also  in  the  mines  of 
Oregon  and  Washington.  While  still  in  the  period  of  early  manhood  he  also 
engaged  in  various  other  lines  of  business,  being  employed  in  the  logging  camps, 
in  sawmills  and  in  other  ways.  In  fact  he  did  almost  everything  that  he  could 
get  to  do  that  would  yield  him  an  honest  living  and  it  was  not  difficult  for  him  to 
secure  positions  because  of  his  adaptability,  his  efficiency  and  his  honesty.  Since 
1911  he  has  been  proprietor  of  the  Russell  House  of  Emmett  and  he  is  also  the 
owner  of  a  good  retail  store  in  the  town,  dealing  in  soft  drinks,  cigars  and  to- 
bacco, his  store  being  in  the  Russell  House. 

In  September,  1911,  Mr.  Knox  was  married  to  Mrs.  Eva  Thommen,  of  Emmett, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eva  Katzenmeyer  and  is  a  native  of  Freeport,  Illi- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  767 

nois.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  two  children,  Arnold  and  Margaritha,  both  of 
whom  have  reached  adult  age,  and  the  son  is  now  mining  in  Alaska,  while  the 
daughter  is  assistant  cashier  of  the  First  Natonal  Bank  of  Enimett. 

Aside  from  the  conduct  of  the  hotel  Mr.  Knox  is  quite  prominent  in  public 
affairs  of  his  community.  He  is  a  member  of  and  was  the  president  of  the  Emmett 
Commercial  Club  and  president  of  the  Emmett  Gun  Club.  He  is  likewise  the 
secretary  of  the  democratic  central  committee  of  Gem  county,  a  position  which 
he  has  filled  for  four  years,  and  he  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Emmett.  In  Masonic  circles  he  holds  high  rank,  being  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason 
and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  in  the  blue 
lodge,  being  a  past  master  of  Butte  Lodge,  No.  37,  while  at  the  present  writing  he 
is  senior  grand  deacon  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in  Idaho.  He  stands)  for 
advancement  and  progressiveness  in  all  things  and  his  labors  have  been  an  effective 
force  in  bringing  about  improvement  and  upbuilding  along  many  lines  that  have 
proven  of  great  worth  to  the  community. 


MAURICE  H.  TALLMAN,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Maurice  H.  Tallman,  a  practicing  physician  of  Boise,  was  born  in  Kala- 
mazoo,  Michigan,  April  27,  1886,  a  son  of  James  G.  and  Jennie  B.  (De  Water) 
Tallman,  both  of  whom  are  now  residents  of  Boise.  The  son  spent  his  boyhood 
and  early  youth  in  his  native  city  and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  Idaho  capital  in 
1904.  Here  he  entered  the  Boise  high  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1906,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  the  "medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Iowa,  for  he  had  determined  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a 
life  work.  He  completed  the  four  years'  course  there  and  was  graduated  with 
honor  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1910. 

Returning  at  once  to  Boise,  Dr.  Tallman  opened  an  office  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  medicine,  in  which  he  has  since  continued,  specializing  in  diagno- 
sis, and  in  this  branch  of  professional  work  he  is  most  careful  and  accurate.  He 
has  been  absent  from  Boise  only  for  fourteen  months,  which  he  spent  in  the  United 
States  army  at  Camp  Pike,  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  there  remaining  from  the  1st 
of  February,  1918,  until  the  1st  of  April,  1919.  During  the  period  of  his  war 
service  he  acted  as  a  heart  specialist  until  after  the  armistice  was  signed  on  the  llth 
of  November,  1918,  when  he  became  chief  medical  examiner  for  Camp  Pike  with 
the  rank  of  captain,  thus  continuing  until  honorably  discharged  on  the  25th  of 
March,  1919.  He  has  done  much  post  graduate  work  in  New  York  city,  Philadelphia 
and  Chicago,  specializing  in  all  these  different  centers  on  diagnosis.  He  has  a  wide 
reputation  in  this  particular  and  his  patients  come  to  him  not  only  from  all  over 
Idaho  but  from  all  sections  of  the  northwestern  states.  He  belongs  to  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  the  Idaho  State  Medical  Society  and  the  Association  of 
Military  Surgeons  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1917,  Dr.  Tallman  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Lossi, 
of  Montana.  They  own  and  occupy  one  of  the  attractive  homes  in  Boise,  situated 
on  Harrison  boulevard,  and  in  social  circles  they  occupy  an  enviable  position.  Dr. 
Tallman  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  also  to  the  Boise  Elks  Club  and  the 
Boise  Country  Club,  and  his  personal  qualities  are  those  which  make  for  popularity 
among  all  who  know  him. 


REUBEN  B.  SHAW. 

Reuben  B.  Shaw,  who  since  January  1,  1916,  has  been  the  manager  of  the 
Emmett  Fruit  Growers  Association  and  is  individually  interested  in  fruit  raising, 
having  a  fine  ranch  east  of  Emmett,  was  born  in  Nemaha  county,  Kansas.  December 
17,  1S71,  his  parents  being  Philip  and  Rebecca  (Machlan)  Shaw.  The  Shaw  family 
is  of  Scotch  lineage,  while  the  Machlan  family  comes  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock. 
Philip  Shaw  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  went  west  as  a  missionary  of 
the  Church  of  God-.  In  the  year  1860  he  established  his  home  in  Kansas  and  con- 
tinued his  ministerial  labors  in  that  state,  at  the  same  time  following  agricultural 


768  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

pursuits  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Netawaka,  Jackson  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  1884,  when  he  was  sixty-five  years  of  age.  His  widow  long  survived  him 
and  became  a  resident  of  Nampa,  Idaho,  where  her  death  occurred  in  1908,  when 
she  had  reached  the  notable  old  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

Their  son,  Reuben  B.  Shaw,  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children 
and  *in  the  public  schools  of  Netawaka,  Kansas,  he  pursued  his  education  to  the  age 
of  fifteen  years,  when  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  ob- 
tained a  position  as  operator  and  ticket  agerft  at  Courtland,  Kansas,  in  the  employ 
of  the  Rock  Island  Railroad,  and  for  a  long  time  was  associated  with  railroading 
interests.  He  became  a  resident  of  Idaho  in  1901,  at  which  t^me  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  Pocatello,  and  in  1903  removed  to  Emmett  as  an  employe  of  the  Idaho 
Northern  Railroad,  being  associated  with  that  corporation  until  1907.  In  the 
latter  year  he  accepted  the  position  of  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Em- 
mett, which  position  he  filled  until  January  1,  1916.  He  contributed  in  no  small 
measure  to  the  success  and  growth  of  the  institution  during  that  period  and  be- 
came one  of  its  stockholders,  but  at  length  he  disposed  of  his  interests  to  accept 
the  position  of  manager  of  the  Emmett  Fruit  Growers  Association,  of  which  he  had 
formerly  been  a  director.  He  has  also  become  personally  interested  in  fruit  rais- 
ing in  Gem  county  and  is  now  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  pleasantly  and  conveniently 
situated  three  miles  east  of  Emmett,  and  of  this  forty-five  acres  is  planted  to  fruit. 

On  the  llth  of  June,  1893,  Mr.  Shaw  was  married  at  Archie,  Cass  county, 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Ida  E.  Hiatt,  who  was  born  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Missouri,  a  daughter 
of  John  A.  Hiatt.  They  became  the  parents  of  a  son,  John  E.,  who  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  September  23,  1894,  and  is  now  engaged  in  railroad  work  at 
Emmett.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  married  Alice  Lark,  of  Emmett,  and 
they  now  have  three  children,  Mary,  Loraine  and  Keith. 

Mr.  Shaw  is  identified  with  Emmett  Camp  No.  243,  M.  W.  A.,  and  belongs  also 
to  the  Commercial  Club  of  Emmett,  in  which  he  has  served  on  the  executive  board. 
He  has  likewise  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Methodist  church. 
He  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  in  1910  was  elected 
city  treasurer  of  Emmett.  He  stands  at  all  times  for  those  interests  and  activities 
which  have  to  do  with  the  advancement  and  progress  of  his  community  and  he  is 
accounted  one  of  the  substantial  and  valued  residents  of  Gem  county. 


FELIX  VAN  REUTH. 

Felix  van  Reuth  is  a  well  known  resident  of  Pocatello,  where  he  has  long  made  his 
home  and  where  he  is  the  owner  of  valuable  property  interests.  A  native  of  Holland, 
he  was  but  four  years  cf  age  when  brought  to  America  by  his  parents.  They  made  their 
way  first  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  South  America,  but  the  mother  became  ill  there  and 
they  did  not  remain.  Continuing  their  journey  northward,  they  became  residents  of 
Hartford  Read,  Maryland,  and  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  the  family  home  was 
established  in  California,  where  Felix  van  Reuth  engaged  in  mining  until  1882.  In  that 
year  he  became  a  resident  of  Idaho,  making  his  way  to  the  Wood  river  during  the 
mining  excitement  there.  In  the  town  of  Ketchum  on  the  Wood  river  he  had  consider- 
able property,  but  when  the  excitement  subsided  he  abandoned  his  interests,  for  which 
he  received  practically  nothing. 

Immediately  after  the  admission  cf  Idaho  into  the  Union  Mr.  van  Reuth  became 
a  resident  of  Pocatello  and  here  invested  in  city  property,  of  \vhich  he  still  retains  a 
large  amount,  deriving  therefrom  a  very  substantial  annual  income.  His  investments 
were  most  judiciously  placed  and  the  natural  rise  in  property  values,  owing  to  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country,  has  brought  to  him 
substantial  wealth. 

In  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1895,  Mr.  van  Reuth  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine 
Schippeltz  and  they  have  become  the  p.  rents  cf  a  daughter.  Albine,  who  is  a  corre- 
spondent for  the  Ryan  Fruit  Company.  She  is  also  a  talented  musician  and  accom- 
plished pianist  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Technical  College  of  Pocatello.  Mr.  van  Reuth's 
interest  centers  in  his  family  and  he  finds  his  chief  joy  and  pleasure  at  his  own  fireside. 
He  has  a  nephew,  Floris  C.  van  Reuth,  who  is  in  the  radio  service  of  the  United  States 
navy  as  a  chief,  while  another  nephew  is  a  member  of  the  United  States  army. 

Mr.  van  Reuth  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  democratic  party  and  was  for 


FELIX  VAN  REUTH 


Vol.  11—49 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  771 

two  years  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Pocatello,  thus  serving  in  1885  and  1886. 
He  was  then  elected  Justice  cf  the  peace  and  occupied  that  position  for  twelve  years, 
discharging  his  duties  with  marked  capability  and  promptness,  his  decisions  being  the 
expression  of  absolute  justice  and  equity.  Mr.  van  Reuth  has  a  wide  acquaintance  In 
Pocatello  and  the  surrounding  country  and  everywhere  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  the 
highest  regard. 


HOMER  J.   WEAVER. 

Homer  J.  Weaver  is  occupying  a  beautiful  home  at  Filer  which  stands  as  a 
monument  to  the  enterprise  and  business  ability  that  he  has  always  manifested. 
He  is  prominently  identified  with  farming  interests  in  this  section  of  the  state,  is 
also  connected  with  banking  and  in  everything  that  he  undertakes  he  displays  that 
determination  and  energy  which  produce  success.  Mr.  Weaver  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
his  birth  having  occurred  at  Gallon  on  the  22d  of  December,  1878,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Emily  S.  (Reed)  Weaver..  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  the  Buck- 
eye state  and  he  is  indebted  to  the  public  school  system  for  the  early  educational 
advantages  which  he  enjoyed,  while  later  he  attended  the  Spencerian  Commercial 
School  of  Cleveland.  When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  entered  commer- 
cial circles  *in  connection  with  the  grain  and  seed  business  in  Ohio  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  seven  years.  The  opportunities  of  the  northwest  attracted  him,  how- 
ever, and  in  1911  he  made  his  way  to  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business,  operating  both  at  Twin  Falls  and  at  Filer.  Subsequently 
he  removed  to  Filer,  where  he  opened  a  real  estate  office,  and  through  the  inter- 
vening period  he  has  conducted  many  important  realty  transfers.  He  also  be- 
came a  factor  in  banking  circles  as  one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank. 
He  likewise  owns  and  cultivates  a  section  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Filer,  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  sheep  and  to  the  production  of  large  crops  of  potatoes.  His  va- 
rious interests,  including  farming,  banking  and  real  estate  activity,  are  all  prov- 
ing sources  of  continued  success. 

In  1899  Mr.  Weaver  was  married  to  Miss  Donna  E.  Evans,  a  native  of  Gallon, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Margaret  Evans.  They  have  one  child, 
Walter  E.,  and  the  family  is  most  pleasantly  situated  in  an  attractive  home  sup- 
plied with  all  the  conveniences  and  comforts  of  life.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Weaver  has  always  been  a  democrat  since  reaching  adult  age  and  has  filled  the 
office  of  highway  commissioner.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  while  in  Masonry  he  has  attained  the  Knight  Templar  degree,  being  a 
faithful  follower  of  the  craft,  and  is  a  member  of  the  El  Korah  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  Boise.  His  life  has  ever  been  actuated  by  high  and  honorable  prin- 
ciples and  his  success  is  the  expression  of  a  laudable  ambition  supplemented  by 
indefatigable  energy. 


S.   HENRY   LAIRD. 

S  Henry  Laird,  postmaster  of  American  Falls,  whose  business  activities  have 
carried  him  into  various  sections  of  the  country  and  brought  him  wide  experiences, 
was  born  at  McPherson,  Kansas,  September  18,  1877,  his  parents  being  William  H. 
and  Lydia  F.  (Allen)  Laird,  who  were  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father  was  a  butcher 
by  trade  and  upon  leaving  Illinois  removed  to  McPherson  county,  Kansas,  in  1877, 
becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  district.  There  he  established  and  con- 
ducted a  meat  market  in  the  town  of  McPherson  and  also  took  up  a  homestead 
claim,  carrying  on  both  lines  of  business  until  1888.  He  then  went  to  Las  Vegas, 
New  Mexico,  where  he  established  a  meat  market  which  he  conducted  throughout 
his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  August  10,  1900.  His  widow  is  still  Ifving 
and  now  makes  her  home  in  Cerrillos,  New  Mexico. 

S.  Henry  Laird  was  largely  reared  and  educated  in  New  Mexico,  where  he 
attended  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Mesilla  Park.  He  left  college 
in  order,  to  join  the  American  army  for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  He 
was  stationed  in  Cuba  from  November  until  January  and  was  with  the  troops  alto- 
gether for  eleven  months.  He  then  returned  home  and  took  up  railroad  work, 


772  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

learning  telegraphy.  He  became  operator  and  station  agent  and  was  thus  em- 
ployed until  1906  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  He  next  engaged  in  the 
confectionery  business  at  Durango,  Mexico,  and  conducted  his  store  at  that  point 
until  1909,  when  he  sold  his  interests  there  and  returned  to  the  States  just  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  trouble.  On  the  16th  of  September,  1909,  he  came 
to  Idaho  and  at  Pocatello  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad 
as  operator,  thus  continuing  for  six  months.  He  was  then  made  agent  at  American 
Falls  and  occupied  the  position  until  1913,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and 
has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  When  the  armistice  was  signed  on  the  llth  of 
November,  1918,  thus  terminating  active  hostilities  with  Germany,  he  was  at  the 
officers'  training  school  at  Camp  McArthur.  One  of  his  employes  was  in  five  bat- 
tles in  Europe. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1900,  Mr.  Laird  was  married  to  Miss  Charlotte  M. 
Thompson  and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Hugh  H.,  Elizabeth  M., 
Charlotte  and  Patricia.  The  family  occupies  a  pleasant  home  at  American  Falls 
and  its  hospitality  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  their  ever  increasing  circle  of  friends. 
In  addition  to  this  property  Mr.  Laird  owns  farm  land,  having  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  Power  county,  which  he  personally  cultivates,  employing  men  to  do 
much  of  the  active  work  of  the  fields. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Laird  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  always  voted  with  the  democratic  party 
since  attaining  adult  age  and  is  a  stalwart  champion  of  its  principles.  His  religious 
belief  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  chruch  and  his  faith  constitutes  the  guiding 
principle  of  his  life.  His  experiences  have  been  broad  and  varied  and  his  stalwart 
American  spirit  was  manifest  not  only  in  his  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war 
but  also  in  his  effort  to  join  the  army  during  the  recent  war  although  past  mil- 
itary age.  He  stands  at  all  times  for  those  things  which  are  most  worth  while  in 
the  public  life  of  the  community,  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  country  and  be- 
lieves in  the  closest  adherence  to  American  ideals. 


ALVIN  EDGAR  WISMER. 

Alvin  Edgar  Wismer,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  well  appointed  drug  store  on 
Broadway  in  Buhl,  comes  to  Idaho  from  the  neighboring  country  of  Canada,  his 
birth  having  occurred  at  Elmira,  Waterloo  county,  Ontario,  on  the  3d  of  January, 
1874,  his  parents  being  Isaac  and  Susanna  (Snyder)  Wismer.  There  were  no  un- 
usual events  that  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  life  for  him  in  his  boyhood  days. 
He  continued  a  resident  of  Canada  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  in  1891  he 
left  that  country  and  crossed  the  border  into  the  United  States,  making  his  way  to 
Osceola  county,  Iowa.  He  was  connected  with  the  drug  business  at  Hartley,  that 
state,  for  a  short  time  and  afterward  removed  to  Independence,  Iowa,  where  he  also 
was  employed  in  a  drug  store.  He  later  became  a  resident  of  Sheldon,  Iowa,  and 
eventually  of  Council  Bluffs,  and  for  a  time  he  was  a  student  in  the  College  of 
Pharmacy  at  Des  Moines.  He  then  went  to  Sibley,  Iowa,  where  he  conducted  a 
drug  store,  and  from  that  point  removed  to  Little  Rock  in  the  same  state.  His  next 
removal  took  him  to  Bancroft,  South  Dakota,  and  for  two  years  he  was  upon  the 
road  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Iowa  Drug  Company. 

In  March,  1909,  Mr.  Wismer  arrived  at  Buhl,  Idaho,  and  for  a  short  time  was 
engaged  in  ranching  in  this  state,  but,  preferring  commercial  pursuits,  he  then 
became  connected  with  the  Elison  Drug  Company  of  Buhl,  with  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  embarked  in  business 
on  his  own  account  and  is  now  conducting  a  good  drug  store  on  Brodaway.  His 
long  experience  has  well  qualified  him  for  the  successful  management  of  a  business 
of  this  character.  He  carries  a  large  line  of  drugs  and  druggists'  sundries  sent  out 
by  the  leading  manufacturers  of  the  country  and  his  trade  has  reached  gratify- 
ing proportions. 

In  18$$  Mr.  Wismer  was  married  to  Miss  Madeline  Elsie  Graeves,  a  native  of 
Little  Rock,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  Walter  and  Clara  (Reynolds)  Graeves.  On 
leaving  the  Hawkeye  state  her  parents  removed  with  their  family  to  Idaho,  settling 
at  Grangeville,  and  afterward  removing  to  Buhl,  where  the  father  passed  away 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  773 

about  four  years  ago  but  the  mother  is  still  living.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wismer  have  a 
tamily  of  five  children:    Merle,  Edna,  Jean,  Edgar  and'Donald. 

In  the  exercise  of  his  right  of  franchise  Mr.  Wismer  supports  the  democratic 
party.  He  is  well  known  in  fraternal  circles,  having  membership  with  the  Masons, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  he  is  always  loyal  to  the  teachings 
and  purposes  of  these  different  organizations. 


M.    P.   CONWAY. 

M.  P.  Conway  is  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Caldwell.  Activity  and  enterprise, 
intelligently  directed,  brought  him  success  in  connection  with  his  former  labors 
and  his  prosperity  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  now  to  live  retired  in  the  enjoy- 
ment in  all  of  the  necessities  and  comforts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  Mr. 
Conway  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  January  31,  1846.  His  father  was  Thomas 
Conway,  a  native  of  Tipperary  county,  Ireland,  who  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
new  world,  the  family  home  being  established  in  Montreal,  where  he  later  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business.  He  married  Alice  Dee,  who  was  born  in  County  Water- 
ford,  Ireland,  their  marriage  being  celebrated  in  Montreal. 

M.  P.  Conway  pursued  his  education  in  his  native  city  and  there  took  up  the 
study  of  telegraphy.  He  worked  for  a  time  as  a  telegrapher  in  Canada  and  after- 
ward went  to  Utah  to  become  an  operator  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad. 
He  remained  in  that  state  for  more  than  eleven  years  in  the  employ  of  that  com- 
pany and  in  1882  came  to  Idaho  as  representative  for  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Rail- 
road, continuing  in  the  employ  of  that  corporation  until  1887.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  taking  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  a  timber  culture  claim  of  forty  acres  at  Notus.  A  year  later  water 
was  put  upon  the  land  by  the  Sebree  Ditch  Company  and  he  at  once  began  the 
transformation  of  the  raw  tract  of  land  into  productive  fields.  He  and  his  family 
passed  through  all  of  the  hardships  attendant  upon  frontier  life  in  the  early  days 
but  as  the  years  passed  success  attended  their  efforts  and  substantial  crops  brought 
them  well  deserve^  prosperity.  Four  years  ago  Mr.  Conway  rented  the  farm  and 
now  resides  in  an  attractive  home  in  Caldwell  at  No.  1207  Arthur  street. 

It  was  on  the  23d  of  June,  1873,  in  New  York  city,  that  Mr.  Conway  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Frances  Harriet  Spurge,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  daughter  of  Robert  Selling  and  Frances  Harriet  (Kott)  Spurge,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  England,  having  been  born  near  Cambridge.  Coming  to 
America  in  1850,  they  settled  in  New  York  city.  Mrs.  Conway's  father  was  a 
major  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  throughout  the  entire  struggle.  He  afterward 
became  a  manufacturer  of  umbrellas  and  parasols  in  Philadelphia  and  then  went 
to  New  York  city,  where  he  engaged  in  the  music  business. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conway  were  born  ten  children.  Thomas  W.,  forty-five  years 
of  age,  married  Mabel  Owens  and  has  six  children,  Robert  William,  V.aleda,  Edith, 
Eileen,  Edward  and  Edmond  Quintan.  Adella  Marie  is  the  wife  of  Lusta  O'Hara. 
Robert  Michael,  thirty-nine  years  of  age,  married  Frances  Parrish  and  has  one 
child,  Lavina.  Alice  D.  is  the  wife  of  Wesley  Shaver  and  has  three  children,  two 
of  whom  were  born  of  her  first  marriage  to  Benjamin  Pugsley.  Susan  Ellen  is 
the  wife  of  Edward  Harper  and  has  seven  children,  Harvey,  Dudley,  Leroy,  Mina, 
Johnnie,  Samuel  and  Ellen.  Edward  Harvey  was  a  corporal  in  the  Engineers 
Corps  with  the  Canadian  troops  in  the  great  World  war  and  now  resides  in  New 
Westminster,  British  Columbia.  Frances  Harriet  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Hultz  and  has 
two  children,  Harold  and  Herbert,  their  home  being  at  Notus.  Joseph  James, 
thirty-one  years  of  age,  married  Margaret  Tolmie,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Allie. 
Eugene  Lewis,  twenty-six  years  of  age,  married  Marie  Pennington  and  they  have 
•a  son,  Edmund  Eugene.  Mary  Frances  became  the  wife  of  Ross  L.  Dement  and 
passed  away  leaving  two  sons,  Oscar  Lafayette  and  Robert  Ross.  Edmund,  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  was  killed  November  1,  1918,  in  the  Argonne-Meuse  battle  in 
France.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  D  of  the  Second  Engineers  Corps  and  was 
a  corporal.  He  had  been  gassed  in  the  battle  of  Chateau  Thierry  and  in  the  Ar- 
gonne-Meuse he  was  killed  by  a  seventy-seven  shell  while  carrying  a  rock  to  fill 
up  a  shell  hole  so  that  the  artillery  could  advance.  He  was  fearfully  lacerated  and 
died  almost  immediately,  first,  however,  giving  an  order  to  his  men  to  get  under 
cover.  He  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  young  American  manhood  and  today  lies 


774 

with  the  twenty-two  thousand  soldiers  who  sleep  beneath  the  white  crosses  in  the 
Argonne.  All  history  does  not  present  a  greater  tale  of  heroism  than  that  shown  by 
the  American  boys  in  the  Argonne. 

Mr.  Conway  has  now  passed  the  Psalmist's  allotted  span  of  three  score  years 
and  ten,  having  reached  the  age  of  seventy-four.  His  has  been  a  most  active  and 
useful  life,  in  which  he  has  reared  a  splendid  family  who  are  a  credit  to  his  name. 
Throughout  the  entire  period  of  his  connection  with  Idaho,  covering  thirty-eight 
years,  he  has  commanded  and  enjoyed  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellowmen 
and  through  the  utilization  of  the  opportunities  which  canje  to  him  he  has  won  a 
creditable  position  in  business  and  gained  that  success  which  now  numbers  him 
among  the  men  of  afiluence  in  Caldwell. 


MRS.  REBECCA  MITCHELL. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  life  of  Mrs.  Rebecca  Mitchell  was  written  some  years 
ago  by  a  young  friend  of  hers,  then  Miss  Ruby  E.  Reefer  of  Idaho  Falls,  now  Mrs. 
H.  J.  Brace  of  Boise. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Mitchell  was  born  in  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  January  23,  1834.  Not 
much  is  known  of  her  parents,  but  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose  that  they  were  honest, 
God-fearing  people.  She  attended  the  district  schools  in  her  home  town,  but  most  of 
her  education  was  received  after  she  became  a  widow,  when  she  attended  school  with 
her  children.  She  attended  the  Baptist  Missionary  Training  School  in  Chicago,  and  here 
she  was  fitted  for  her  life  work  before  coming  west. 

Mrs.  Mitchell  came  here  as  a  self-supporting  missionary  and  church  worker  from 
Hoopston,  Illinois,  June  6,  1882.  She  seemed  to  realize  at  once  the  need  of  the  little 
western  settlement,  for  the  very  first  Sunday  after  her  arrival  she  set  to  work  to 
organize  the  Baptist  Sunday  school.  This  was  organized  in  the  little  board  shanty  in 
which  she  lived  June  11,  1882.  This  first  Sunday  school  met  a  long  felt  want,  but  no 
one  before  Mrs.  Mitchell  had  had  the  courage  to  attempt  any  such  work.  It  was  at- 
tended by  quite  a  number  of  faithful  ones,  and  members  were  rapidly  added  as  people 
came  from  the  east  to  settle  in  the  new  country.  The  day  after  the  Sunday  school  was 
organized,  this  courageous  woman  organized  the  first  day  school  and  so  became  the 
first  school  teacher  in  Idaho  Falls.  The  trouble  and  hardships  endured  by  Mrs.  Mitchell 
in  those  days  no  one  can  realize.  There  were  very  few  people  here  at  that  time  who 
cared  for  the  kind  of  work  Mrs.  Mitchell  was  trying  to  do,  and  she  had  the  work  of  a 
real  missionary  to  do  in  winning  the  people  to  help  her.  There  was  no  suitable  building 
for  the  Sunday  school  and  day  school,  so  part  of  her  own  home  was  used  as  a  school 
room  and  fitted  up  with  wooden  boxes  to  serve  as  desks.  All  the  time  Mrs.  Mitchell  was 
working  to  build  a  church.  As  soon  as  she  came  she  set  to  work  to  raise  money  for  this 
purpose.  She  received  considerable  help  from  benevolent  Baptists  in  the  New  England 
states,  to  whom  she  had  written,  stating  the  needs  of  the  new  country.  The  church  was 
organized  with  the  help  of  Rev.  Lamb  and  Rev.  Spencer,  August,  1884,  just  two  years 
after  Mrs.  Mitchell's  arrival  here.  To  her  was  given  the  honor  of  throwing  the  first 
shovelful  of  dirt  for  the  foundation.  Three  persons  were  on  that  day  baptized  in  Snake 
river.  Work  was  begun  at  once,  and  though  it  is  almost  impossible  to  realize,  the  church 
building  was  finished  three  months  from  the  time  of  organization  and  was  dedicated 
in  November,  1884.  The  building  was  the  first  church  edifice  erected  between  Ogden 
and  Butte,  and  the  only  church  building  in  eastern  Idaho. 

Mrs.  Mitchell  continued  her  public  school  work,  but  when  the  railroad  shops  were 
moved  away  she  gave  this  up  and  all  her  time  and  efforts  were  given  to  her  church, 
club  and  temperance  work. 

It  seems  that  Mrs.  Mitchell  is  identified  with  every  good  and  noble  work  done  in 
our  city.  She  organized  our  local  W.  C.  T.  U.,  and  this  society  has  accomplished  much 
good  in  Idaho  Falls.  Mrs.  Mitchell  was  also  the  state  W.  C.  T.  U.  organizer  and  traveled 
over  every  part  of  the  state,  organizing  societies  and  endangering  her  health  by  long, 
cold  stage  drives  in  out-of-the-way  places.  In  1892  she  was  the  state  president  of  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.,  as  well  as  its  organizer,  and  in  that  capacity  she  lectured  in  every  town 
and  hamlet  in  Idaho.  Mrs.  Mitchell  was  a  very  able  public  speaker.  She  had  a  strong, 
beautiful  voice  and  was  very  witty  and  entertaining.  She  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
national  W.  C.  T.  U.  conventions  held  in  St.  Louis,  Buffalo,  Toronto  and  Chicago. 

She  was  the  superintendent  of  legislation  for  the  state  W.  C.  T.  U.  and  spent  one 


MRS.  REBECCA  MITCHELL 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  777 

winter  in  Boise  during  the  session  of  the  state  legislature.  Here  her  most  important 
work  for  the  state  as  a  whole  was  dene.  During  the  session  she  secured  the  passage  of 
numerous  reform  laws  and  was  responsible  for  getting  the  equal  suffrage  bill  before 
the  people.  She  was  unceasing  in  her  efforts  to  secure  the  passage  of  this  bill,  and  we 
realize  now. that  fully  nine-tenths  of  the  credit  for  equal  suffrage  in  Idaho  is  due  directly 
to  the  efforts  of  this  untiring  worker.  During  the  sessions  of  the  general  assembly  in 
Boise  in  1896-7-8  and  9,  Mrs.  Mitchell  was  chaplain  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and 
was  the  only  woman  in  the  world  who  ever  held  such  a  position. 

While  Mrs.  Mitchell's  whole  heart  was  in  her  W.  C.  T.  U.  work,  she  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Village  Improvement  Society  and  the  Round  Table  Club,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  faithful  workers,  ever  ready  to  respond  when  her  health  would  permit  her 
to  do  so,  and  even  when  unable  to  be  present  at  the  meetings  she  would  write  articles 
and  have  them  read  by  others.  One  of  her  last  pieces  was  written  for  the  Woman's 
Federation  of  Clubs  at  Blackfoct. 

At  her  death  in  Idaho  Falls,  September  30,  190S,  memorial  services  were  held  in 
a  number  of  towns  of  the  state  and  resolutions  adopted.  Interment  was  made  in  the 
beautiful  Rose  Hill  cemetery,  and  her  grave  has  a  handsome  marker  erected  by  the  club 
women  of  the  city.  Idaho  Falls  has  been  greatly  honored  to  number  Mrs.  Mitchell 
among  its  citizens,  and  we  feel  prcud  to  think  that  she  lived  and  labored  among  us. 


SILAS  E.   BURNHAM. 

Silas  E.  Burnham  is  the  president  of  the  Western  Engineering  &  Construc- 
tion Company  of  Boise,  which  was  incorporated  in  the  fall  of  1916.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  capital  since  1895,  removing  to  Idaho  from  Portland,  Oregon, 
where  he  had  made  his  headquarters  for  many  years.  He  was  born  upon  a  farm 
in  Tania  county,'  Iowa,  April  8,  1856,  and  comes  of  English  and  Scotch  ancestry. 
He  was  the  second  of  the  three  sons  whose  parents  were  Azro  E.  and  Eliza  ( Bui- 
lard)  Burnham,  both  of  whom  have  now  passed  away.  The  father  served  for  eight 
years  in  the  United  States  Navy  in  early  manhood.  He  was  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  of  English  lineage.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  served  with  an  Iowa 
regiment  in  the  Union  army  and  he  survived  his  service  for  only  a  few  years,  his 
death  resulting  from  disease  contracted  while  at  the  front.  He  had  been  a  man 
of  splendid  physique,  weighing  two  hundred  and  five  pounds  without  a  superfluous 
ounce  of  flesh,  being  perfectly  proportioned.  His  death  occurred  when  his  son 
Silas  was  but  twelve  years  of  age.  The  mother  afterward  married  again  and  passed 
away  in  Lewis  county,  Washington,  many  years  later.  Silas  E.  Burnham  has  two 
brothers,  one  older  and  one  younger  than  himself  and  both  residents  of  Oregon. 
These  are  Leslie  A.  and  Marquis  Burnham. 

Silas  E.  Burnham  was  reared  upon  a  farm,  largely  spending  his  youthful  days 
in  Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  acquired  a  country  school  education.  In 
1877  he  came  to  the  west,  making  his  way  first  to  San  Francisco,  but  after  a  brief 
period  there  passed  he  proceeded  northward  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  made 
his  headquarters  for  two  decades.  During  that  period  he  was  engaged  in  construc- 
tion work  in  the  capacity  of  superintendent  throughout  nearly  the  entire  time. 
For  five  years  he  was  in  the  seittce  of  the  Oregon  Railway  &  Navigation  Company 
in  the  capacity  of  superintendent  and  later  he  assisted  in  building  the  present 
Portland  Water  Works  plant,  erecting  one  of  the  principal  reservoirs  of  that  city 
and  acting  as  superintendent  while  thus  engaged.  He  was  also  in  the  service  of 
Paul  F.  Mohr,  of  Spokane,  for  two  years,  Mr.  Mohr  being  a  prominent  builder  and 
promoter  of  Spokane's  interests,  promoting  many  important  public  works  in  that 
city  and  in  the  northwest.  While  with  Mr.  Mohr,  who  is  now  deceased,  Mr.  Burn- 
ham  was  confidential  man  during  the  building  of  the  Spokane  &  Palouse  Railroad 
and  also  the  building  of  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  &  Eastern  Railroad,  both  of  which 
came  into  existence  through  the  enterprise  and  progressiveness  of  Mr.  Mohr.  Mr. 
Burnham  was  his  representative  as  superintendent  of  construction.  In  1895  he 
came  to  Boise,  where  he  has  since  been  identified  with  construction  work,  his  labors 
also  carrying  him  into  other  sections  of  southern  Idaho.  He  likewise  served  for 
five  years  and  two  months  as  street  commissioner  of  Boise  under  the  mayoralty  of 
John  M.  Haines,  Joseph  T.  Pence  and  Harry  K.  Fritchman.  Long  prior  to  this 
time,  however,  he  did  the  paving  of  the  first  streets  in  Boise  as  superintendent  for 


778  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Thomas  K.  Muir,  a  contractor,  and  he  has  had  doubtless  more  to  do  with  the  pav- 
ing of  Boise's  streets  than  any  other  individual,  both  as  superintendent  of  con- 
struction and  as  street  commissioner.  In  the  fall  of  1916  he  became  one  of  the 
Organizers  of  the  Western  Construction  Company  of  Boise  and  has  since  been  its 
president,  with  Robert  W.  Farris  as  vice  president  and  C.  A.  Roe  as  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  company  is  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Idaho.  As  early  as 
1889  Mr.  Burnham  was  a  member  of  the  construction  firm  of  Aldrich  &  Burnham 
of  Portland  and  in  that  connection  did  the  work  of  widening  the  narrow-gauge 
railroad  between  Wallace  and  Burke,  Idaho,  converting  it  into  a  standard-gauge 
line. 

In  November,  1889,  at  Chehalis,  Washington,  Mr.  Burnham  was  married  to 
Miss  Belle  B.  Browning,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Bertha 
Browning,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Boise  high  school.  In  politics  Mr.  Burnham 
is  a  democrat  but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  elective  office  nor  has  he  in  any 
way  sought  political  preferment,  although  he  has  served  as  street  commissioner  of 
Boise  for  many  years  through  mayoralty  appointment.  He  has  done  excellent  work 
along  the  line  to  which  he  has  given  his  attention,  his  constantly  increasing  power 
bringing  him  to  a  position  of  leadership. 


EDMOND  WILLIAM   BARRY. 

At  different  periods  through  a  useful  and  active  life  Edmond  William  Barry  was 
identified  with  the  banking  and  with  the  bakery  business  in  Idaho.  His  last  years 
were  passed  in  Boise,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1918.  He  was  born  in  Randolph, 
Massachusetts,  in  1852,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  Barry,  who  removed  to  Idaho 
with  their  family  when  their  son  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  This  was  about  the  same 
time  that  Michael  Carrigan  came  to  Idaho  from  California.  Both  families  settled  in 
the  Boise  basin.  The  Barrys  took  up  their  abode  in  Idaho  City  and  Thomas  Barry, 
who  was  a  baker  by  trade,  established  one  of  the  pioneer  bakeries  of  the  state  at 
that  place.  Amid  pioneer  surroundings  Edmond  William  Barry  was  reared,  pursuing 
his  education  in  the  public  schools. 

It  was  on  the  15th  of  November,  1898,  that  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  Ellen  Carrigan,  a  native  of  Boise  county,  Idaho,  born  January  6,  1866,  and 
a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Ellen  (O'Herron)  Carrigan.  Her  father  settled  in  the 
Boise  basin  in  1864,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Boise  county  on  his  removal  from  Cali- 
fornia to  this  state.  He  left  his  wife  in  California  until  1865  and  then  sent  for  her 
to  join  him  at  the  new  home  which  he  had  prepared.  Both  parents  were  born  in 
Ireland,  but  they  became  acquainted  in  California  and  were  married  in  that  state. 
The  gold  excitement  in  Idaho  about  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  brought  Mr.  Carrigan 
to  this  state  and  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  Boise  basin.  For  several 
years  he  followed  mining  pursuits  but  afterward  developed  a  good  farm  in  the  Garden 
valley,  securing  his  place  as  a  homestead.  He  converted  it  into  a  very  rich  and 
productive  tract  of  land  and  made  his  home  thereon  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in 
1886.  His  widow  still  resides  there  and  is  now  in  her  ninetieth  year,  making  her 
home  with  her  son,  Thomas  Carrigan,  a  prosperous  farmer.  Mrs.  Barry  was  one  of 
five  children.  She  has  a  brother,  Thomas  Carrigan,  a  half  brother,  Maurice  Quinn, 
and  two  sisters  who  are  younger  than  herself,  Mrs.  Anna  Zapp  and  Margaret,  who 
took  upon  herself  the  vows  of  the  church  and  is  now  known  as  Sister  Claudia,  con- 
nected with  a  convent  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Barry  was  reared  on  the 
old  Carrigan  homestead  in  Boise  county,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in 
a  convent  at  Baker  City,  Oregon,  and  for  several  years  taught  school  both  in  Idaho 
and  Utah  prior  to  her  marriage. 

For  several  years  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barry  resided  in  Idaho 
City.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  in  a  mercantile  business  there  for  several 
years  and  later  became  the  cashier  and  manager  of  the  Boise  County  Bank  at  Idaho 
City,  a  branch  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boise.  In  1911  they  removed  to  Boise 
and  Mr.  Barry  became  the  owner  of  the  Purity  Bakery  on  Maple  street  but  gave  his 
personal  attention  to  other  business  matters.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  business  ability 
and  of  marked  capacity  and  power.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  commercial  depart- 
ment of  the  Notre  Dame  University  of  Indiana  and  was  an  expert  bookkeeper.  As 
the  years  passed  on  he  carefully  directed  his  business  affairs  and  accumulated  a 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  779 

handsome  competence  that  enabled  him  to  leave  his  widow  in  comfortable  financial 
circumstances.  After  his  removal  to  Boise  he  erected  an  attractive  modern  home  on 
East  Jefferson  street  and  there  he  passed  away.  For  some  years  he  had  been  a 
sufferer  from  stomach  trouble  and  on  the  23d  of  February,  1918,  when  sixty-five 
years  of  age,  he  departed  this  life. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barry  were  born  two  sons,  Edmond  and  William,  aged  re- 
spectively twenty  and  seventeen  years.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Barry 
has  removed  from  the  home  on  Jefferson  street  to  another  residence  property  which 
she  owns  at  No.  923  Washington  street,  adjoining  the  baking  plant  on  Maple  street, 
making  this  removal  in  order  to  be  near  the  bakery,  which  she  still  owns  and  con- 
ducts with  the  assistance  of  her  two  sons.  She  also  employs  two  bakers  and  conducts 
both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.  Mrs.  Barry  and  her  sons  are  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  of  which  Mr.  Barry  was  also  a  -communicant.  In  politics 
he  was  a  republican  and  for  two  terms  he  served  as  county  treasurer  of  Boise  county, 
making  an  excellent  record  in  the  office  by  reason  of  his  capability  and  fidelity  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties.  He  had  many  friends  in  this  section  of  the  state  and 
his  sterling  worth  was  recognized  by  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 


AMACY  W.  CLARK. 

Amacy  W.  Clark,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Teton  Realty  Company  and 
secretary  of  the  Teton  Abstract  Company  of  Driggs,  comes  to  Idaho  from  Utah,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Vernal,  Uinta  county,  August  31,  1893,  his  parents  being 
William  T.  and  Annie  M.  (Rasmussen)  Clark.  The  father  was  born  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  while  the  mother  was  a  native  of  Idaho.  The  former  was  a  farmer  of  Utah 
until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  Bonneville  county,  Idaho,  settling  near  Ammon, 
where  he  purchased  land  and  engaged  in  farming,  continuing  the  cultivation  of  the 
property  until  1903,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  bought  another  tract  of  land  near 
Coltman,  Bonneville  county.  He  then  concentrated  his  efforts  upon  the  tilling 
of  the  soil  there  until  1907,  when  he  removed  to  Rexburg  in  order  to  give  his  chil- 
dren the  advantages  offered  by  the  schools  of  that  city.  He  is  still  residing  there. 
He  purchased  land  near  Rexburg  which  he  now  rents,  deriving  therefrom  a  good 
income.  The  mother  is  also  living.  They  had  a  family  of  fourteen  children,  three 
of  whom  have  passed  away. 

Amacy  W.  Clark  pursued  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of  Fremont 
.ounty,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of  Bingham  county,  and  afterward  attended  the  Ricks 
Academy  at  Rexburg.  Later  he  was  called  to  fill  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  served  from  May  29,  1913,  until  1916  in  Japan, 
-luring  which  time  he  learned  the  language  of  the  people,  thus  greatly  increasing 
the  efficiency  of  his  work  among  them.  Following  his  return  home  he  came  to 
Driggs  in  1916  and  secured  a  position  in  the  office  of  the  county  recorder,  becoming 
deputy  clerk  and  recorder  and  thus  serving  until  January  10,  1919,  when  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  Don  C.  Driggs  and  Walter  R.  Seymour  in  organizing  the  Teton 
Realty  Company  and  the  Teton  Abstract  Company.  They  have  since  conducted 
business  under  the  two  organizations  and  in  both  have  secured  a  liberal  patronage, 
••Inch  makes  their  undertaking  a  profitable  one. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1917,  Mr.  Clark  was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  Fames  and 
to  them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Marguerite  Helene,  whose  birth  occurred  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1918.  Politically  Mr.  Clark  has  always  been  a  republican.  He 
has  continued  a  faithful  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  is  now  clerk  of  the  Teton  stake,  having  served  in  that  capacity  since  July,  1918. 


WILLIAM  F.   BRECKON. 

William  F.  Breckon,  commissioner  of  the  third  district  of  Twin  Falls  county 
and  a  resident  of  Kimberly,  was  born  near  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  on  the  2d  of 
October,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Hart)  Breckon.  His  parents  left 
his  native  state  during  his  infancy  and  removed  to  Maitland,  Missouri.  The  father 
was  a  wagon  maker  and  engaged  in  that  business  in  Missouri  and  subsequently  near 


780  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Beloit,  Mitchell  county,  Kansas,  where  he  also  followed  farming.  He  afterward 
removed  to  Merrick  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  engaged  in  wagon  making  again 
and  there  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1909,  when  he  was 
seventy-six  years  of  age.  The  mother  is  still  living  in  Central  City,  Nebraska,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  John  Breckon  was  a  republican  in  his  political  views 
and  his  loyalty  to  his  country  was  manifest  by  his  service  in  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  He  joined  the  Ninety-first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  command  he  remained  for  three  years  and  nine  months,  serving  under  General 
Grant  and  General  Sherman,  going  with  the  latter  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea.  In  one 
battle  he  sustained  an  injury  resulting  in  the  loss  of  one  of  his  eyes.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  returning  to  his  home  with  a  most  creditable 
military  record. 

Will:  am  F.  Breckon  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Kansas,  where  he  pursued  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  then  followed  farming  in  that  state  and  Ne- 
braska In  1891  he  arrived  in  Idaho,  settling  first  at  Payette,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  also  operated  a  freighting  outfit.  He  likewise  became  interested  in 
merchand  sing  there  and  continued  a  resident  of  Payette  until  his  removal  to  Moun- 
tain Home  in  1906.  In  the  fall  of  1907  he  came  to  Kimberly  and  accepted  the 
management  of  the  store  of  the  Kimberly  Mercantile  Company.  After  a  short  time 
the  store  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1908  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Kimberly 
and  occupied  that  position  until  the  spring  of  1911,  when  he  resigned.  He  then 
organized  the  Kimberly  Real  Estate  Company  and  is  still  conducting  business  under 
that  name.  He  was  against  called  to  public  office  in  the  fall  of  1919,  when  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner.  He  has  been  very  prominent  in  the  public  life  as 
well  as  the  business  activity  of  the  district  and  has  contributed  in  substantial  meas- 
ure to  its  development  and  upbuilding. 

In  1910  Mr.  Breckon  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  Lemp,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His  political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to 
the  repubMcan  party.  He  has  also  been  identified  with  the  military  interests  of 
the  state,  having  in  1903  assisted  in  organizing  Company  I  of  the  National  Guard 
at  Payette.  He  was  elected  second  lieutenant  and  later  became  first  lieutenant  and 
captain.  The  company  was  reorganized  in  1905,  at  which  time  he  was  made  first 
lieutenant,  a  position  which  he  resigned  in  1906,  when  he  removed  to  Mountain 
Home,  from  which  place  he  came  to  Kimberly,  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  always 
stood  for  those  forces  which  have  figured  most  prominently  in  connection  with  the 
upbuilding  and  development  of  the  various  districts  in  which  he  has  lived  and  his 
worth  as  a  man  and  citizen  is  widely  acknowledged. 


EPHRAIM    S.   MATHIAS. 

One  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  site  of  the  city  of  Rigby  is  Ephraim  S. 
Mathias,  a  wealthy  retired  farmer,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  what  is  now  Jefferson 
county  for  the  last  thirty-two  years.  He  was  born  near  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  March 
9,  1850.  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Williams)  Mathias,  both  of  whom  were 
originally  from  Wales,  coming  to  America  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  last  century.  After 
Thomas  Mathias  and  his  wife  had  landed  upon  American  soil,  they  located  near  Council 
Bluffs,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  for  several  years.  He  had  previ- 
ously worked  at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  Along  in  the  early  '50s  when  westward  im- 
migration was  at  its  height,  he  decided  upon  leaving  Iowa  to  seek  a  more  suitable 
place  to  establish  his  home.  He  loaded  the  meager  equipment  of  the  pioneer  into  a 
prairie  schooner  and  with  his  family  pushed  westward  behind  his  plodding  ox-team 
to  find  the  new  home  in  Utah.  He  arrived  in  that  state  in  1855  and  located  near 
Brigham  City,  where  he  bought  land.  He  immediately  began  the  improvement  of  his 
farm,  which  he  operated  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1883,  and  that 
of  his  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  in  1875. 

Ephraim  S.  Mathias  was  a  child  five  years  of  age  when  he  made  the  long,  overland 
journey  with  his  parents  from  Iowa  to  Utah.  In  these  days  the  pioneer  household  was 
too  busy  to  give  much  thought  to  education,  but  Mr.  Mathias  was  recompensed  for  the 
meagerness  of  the  educational  facilities  in  Utah  at  that  time  by  the  richness  of  the 
experience  he  had  in  helping  his  parents  establish  their  home.  He  remained  on  his 


EPHRAIM  S.  MATHIAS  AND  FAMILY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  783 

father's  farm  until  he  was  of  age,  when  he  struck  out  for  himself,  working  as  a  farm 
hand  and  he  was  also  engaged  in  freighting  to  points  in  Montana  for  two  or  three 
years.  He  finally  decided  upon  owning  a  farm  of  his  own,  hence  he  came  to  Idaho 
and  located  in  Oneida  county,  where  he  took  up  a  homestead  which,  by  the  organiza- 
tion of  new  counties,  is  now  in  Jefferson  county.  When  he  located  here  he  found  his 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  tract  an  expanse  of  sagebrush,  which  he  speedily  cleared 
off,  and  by  hard  work  he  finally  brought  his  farm  to  an  excellent  state  of  improve* 
ment.  When  the  location  of  Rigby  had  been  decided  upon,  Mr.  Mathias  found  that  a 
part  of  his  farm  was  also  a  part  of  the  town  site.  He  has  since  laid  off  a  large  portion 
of  his  farm  into  lots,  of  which  he  has  sold  a  large  number.  He  still  owns  fifty  acres 
of  the  original  tract,  a  part  of  which  lies  outside  the  corporate  limits.  His  residence 
now  stands  one  block  off  of  Main  street  on  a  lot  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  his  old 
homestead.  The  house  is  delightfully  situated  in  a  fine  grove  of  trees  which  he 
planted  a  number  of  years  ago. 

Some  time  ago  Mr.  Mathias  retired  from  active  agriculture  pursuits  and  now  devotes 
his  entire  attention  to  his  business  interests  in  Rigby,  since  he  is  a  stockholder  in 
several  enterprises,  namely:  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company,  the  Gem  State  Furni- 
ture Company,  and  of  the  Golden  Rule  and  the  Quality  Department  Stores. 

It  was  on  April  9,  1887,  that  Mr.  Mathias  was  married  to  Angeline  Abby  Gardner  and 
to  them  have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Erminie,  the  wife  of  Albert  Call, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Jefferson  county;  Ida,  who  married  William  Myler,  a  farmer  of 
Jefferson  county;  Jared  L.,  a  civil  engineer,  who  is  now  working  in  the  Jackson  Hole 
country  in  the  employ  of  the  national  government,  and  Ephraim  S.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Mathias  is  a  conscientious  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  to  which  he  gives  his  unqualified  support.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat,  and  he 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  party.  He  has  four  times  been  elected  mayor 
of  Rigby,  a  fact  which  bears  witness  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  fellow  citizens 
hold  him  and  to  the  confidence  which  they  place  in  his  good  judgment  and  civic  ?pirit. 


ROBERT  A.  YOUNG. 

Robert  A.  Young,  manager  of  the  Boise  Mill  &  Elevator  on  South  Eighth 
street,  was  born  in  Pueblo,  Colorado,  November  17,  1878,  his  parents  being  Robert 
A.  and  Katherine  (Moffat)  Young.  The  father,  a  mining  man  formerly  of  Pueblo, 
Colorado,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  on  removing  westward  in  1859  took 
up  his  abode  in  Pueblo,  where  his  remaining  days  were  passed,  his  death  there 
occurring  in  1902.  In  the  early  '70s  he  had  wedded  Katherine  Moffatt,  a  direct 
descendant  of  Robert  Moffatt,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Scotch  emigrants  to  locate 
in  America.  One  of  his  sons  was  killed  in  the  Revolutionary  war  while  serving 
under  the  immediate  command  of  Washington,  and  other  ancestors  of  Mr.  Young 
in  the  maternal  line  laid  down  their  lives  on  the  altar  of  their  country  in  the  War 
of  1812  and  in  the  Civil  war. 

Robert  A.  Young  of  this  review  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  of  Pueblo  with  the  class  of  1898.  He  afterward  gradu- 
ated from  St.  John's  Military  Academy  of  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1900  and  took  a 
very  active  part  in  athletics  while  a  student  in  both  the  high  school  and  academy, 
participating  in  baseball,  football  and  track  events.  At  the  military  academy  he 
was  captain  of  his  cadet  company.  For  six  years  after  leaving  the  military  academy 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  a  leading  cattle  company  in  various  capacities,  working 
in  the  southwestern  states  and  in  Old  Mexico.  At  length  he  returned  to  Pueblo  and 
was  identified  with  mercantile  interests  there  for  several  years.  In  1910  he  re- 
moved to  Idaho  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Caldwell,  Nampa  and  Boise  suc- 
cessively, identified  with  mercantile  interests  in  the  three  cities  until  June,  1917, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  in  the  service  of  the  Colorado  Milling  Company  of 
Denver,  a  concern  that  owns  a  large  number  of  mills  and  elevators  in  various 
Idaho  cities  and  also  in  cities  and  towns  of  other  western  states.  This  concern 
has  plants  in  Caldwell,  Nampa  and  Boise.  Mr.  Young  was  formerly  manager  of  the 
Nampa  plant  but  in  June,  1918,  was  made  manager  of  the  Boise  branch  of  the 
business,  which  is  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Boise  Mill  &  Elevator.  He  is 
thoroughly  qualified  for  the  important  and  responsible  duties  that  devolve  upon 
him  in  this  connection  and  is  most  carefully  safeguarding  and  promoting  the  busi- 
ness of  the  company  at  this  point. 


784  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  Pueblo,  Colorado,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1910,  Robert  A.  Young  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Edith  Udick,  who  was  also  reared  in  Pueblo  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school  of  that  city.  She  was  born,  however,  in  East  Liverpool,  Ohio.  By 
her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  three  children:  Edith  Geraldine,  Vivian 
Marie  and  Robert  L.,  aged  respectively  eight,  six  and  four  years. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Young  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  he  enjoys  athletics  and  hunting, 
to  which  he  turns  for  rest  and  recreation.  His  record  is  that  of  a  substantial 
business  man  who  pays  close  attention  to  the  interests  entrusted  to  his  care  and 
who  by  reason  of  his  fidelity  and  capability  is  working  his  way  steadily  upward. 


JOSEPH  LEVI   REED. 

Joseph  Levi  Reed  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  northwest  of  1865  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  15th  of"  December,  1914,  he 
was  keenly  interested  in  this  section  of  the  country  and  ever  bore  his  part  in  the 
work  of  general  progress  and  improvement.  He  was  born  at  Fayette,  Wisconsin, 
January  17,  1849,  and  spent  the  first  fourteen  years  of  his  life  in  the  state  of  his 
nativity.  He  then  crossed  the  plains  with  his  mother  and  sisters,  making  the  trip 
with  a  large  train  of  immigrants.  They  experienced  all  of  the  hardships  and  trials 
of  such  a  journey  but  at  length  reached  their  destination  in  safety.  Mr.  Reed 
drove  an  ox  team  all  the  way  and  in  1865  arrived  in  Boise,,  having  been  six  months 
en  route.  He  made  his  home  in  Idaho  for  a  time  and  then  went  to  Oregon,  where 
he  resided  for  about  eleven  years.  He  next  lived  in  the  state  of  Washington  for 
about  two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Idaho. 

It  was  while  residing  in  Oregon  that  Mr.  Reed  was  united  in  marriage  on  the 
9th  of  November,  1870,  to  Miss  Anna  A.  Sawyer  and  to  them  were  born  three  sons 
who  survive  the  father,  while  two  daughters  had  passed  away.  The  sons  are  Oscar 
P.,  William  Edgar  and  Ralph  Archie,  all  residents  of  Idaho. 

In  the  year  1883  Mr.  Reed  returned  from  Washington  to  Idaho  and  took  up 
his  abode  at  Emmett,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  operated  a  sawmill  on  Dry  Buck  for  sixteen  years  and 
retired  about  three  years  prior  to  his  demise,  spending  his  last  days  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  well  earned  rest.  In  all  business  affairs  he  was  energetic  and  enter- 
prising and  as  the  years  passed  he  won  a  substantial  competence  and  was  thus  able 
to  leave  his  family  in  comfortable  financial  circumstances. 

In  all  community  affairs  Mr.  Reed  took  a  deep  interest  and  never  withheld  his 
support  from  any  plan  or  measure  that  he  believed  would  prove  of  benefit  in  the 
upbuilding  of  town,  county  or  state.  He  was  for  twenty-two  years  a  consistent 
and  active  member  and  generous  supporter  of  the  Methodist  church  and  when 
on  the  15th  of  December,  1914,  he  was  called  to  the  home  beyond,  the  pastor  of 
the  church,  Rev.  C.  L.  Walker,  conducted  a  most  impressive  funeral  service.  Mr. 
Reed  had  been  in  ill  health  for  some  time  and  himself  made  the  plans  for  hisl 
funeral,  selecting  the  hymns  to  be  sung.  Of  him  the  Emmett  Index  said:  "Few  men 
have  been  blessed  with  so  many  friends  and  none  bound  them  to  himself  with  stronger 
ties.  He  was  a  man  of  sturdy  character  and  honesty  and  uprightness  of  purpose.  As 
a  citizen  he  was  patriotic  and  progressive.  On  public  and  moral  questions  he  had 
firm  convictions  and  he  was  generally  right."  He  was  also  a  devoted  husband  and 
father,  counting  no  effort  or  sacrifice  on  his  part  too  great  if  it  would  promote  the 
welfare  and  happiness  of  his  family.  His  circle  of  friends  was  an  extensive  one 
and  all  who  knew  him  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem. 


ERNEST  VALENTINE  ORFORD. 

Ernest  Valentine  Orford,  of  Boise,  is  a  mining  engineer  having  valuable  min- 
ing and  ranch  interests  in  Idaho,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1892,  his  resi- 
dence in  Boise,  however,  covering  only  the  past  four  years.  He  was  born  in  Bir- 
mingham, England,  February  14,  1855,  and  by  reason  of  the  date  of  his  birth  was 
given  the  middle  name  of  Valentine.  His  father,  Dr.  William  Cockerill  Orford,  was  a 
physician  who  spent  his  entire  life  in  England.  The  mother  bore  the  maiden 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  785 

name  of  Anne  Sophia  Elkington  and  both  the  Orford  and  Elkington  families  came 
of  ancient  and  honorable  lineage.  Neither  of  the  parents  of  Ernest  V.  Orford 
ever  came  to  the  United  States,  although  his  mother  several  tim^s  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  Canada,  where  two  of  her  daughters  reside.  Both  parents  are  now 
deceased.  In  their  family  were  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all 
of  whom  survive,  Ernest  V.  being  the  only  one,  however,  in  the  United  States. 
He  has  two  sisters  living  in  Canada,  while  the  other  sisters  are  in  England.  There 
are  also  two  brothers  in  England  and  another  brother  in  South  Africa. 

Ernest  V.  Orford  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  London  and  attended  the  well 
known  Christ  Hospital  College.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1881.  accom- 
panied by  his  bride,  for  about  a  month  before  starting  for  the  new  world  he  wedded 
Miss  Alice  Malins.  After  spending  several  years  at  Redcliff  and  at  Denver,  Colorado, 
where  he  followed  mining  engineering,  he  went  to  San  Diego,  California,  where 
he  resided  for  five  years  and  was  acting  vice  consul  at  that  place.  He  then  returned 
to  England  and  in  1892  was  sent  to  Idaho  by  the  De  Lamar  Mining  Company  of 
London,  which  he  represented  as  mining  engineer,  also  acting  as  attorney  and 
general  manager.  In  fact  he  was  the  chief  representative  of  the  company,  which 
had  large  mining  properties  in  Owyhee  county.  He  remained  with  that  corpora- 
tion for  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  until  it  voluntarily  liquidated  a  few  years  ago. 
Throughout  the  period  Mr.  Orford  resided  at  the  mines,  in  a  little  town  called  De 
Laraar,  which  sprang  up  there.  He  afterward  removed  to  Boise  and  in  the  mean- 
time he  had  accumulated  valuable  mining  property  and  ranch  interests.  The  for- 
mer embraces  several  good  mining  claims  and  one  developed  mine  in  Owyhee  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orford  have  become  the  parents  of  a  son  and  six  daughters,  the 
only  son  being  Colin  Orford,  a  mining  engineer,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  Orford  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  and  he 
belongs  also  to  the  St.  Michael's  Episcopal  church.  His  activities  have  been  a  valu- 
able factor  in  the  development  of  mining  interests  in  his  adopted  state  and  Boise 
now  counts  him  as  one  of  her  valued  citizens. 


JUDGE  W.   T.    OLIVER. 

Judge  W.  T.  Oliver  is  a  well  known  hardware  merchant  of  American  Falls, 
conducting  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Oliver  &  McKown,  although  he  is  now 
sole  proprietor.  He  was  born  in  Halifax  county,  Virginia,  September  25,  1848. 
and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Fannie  E.  (Wade)  Oliver,  who  were  also  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  father  was  a  farmer  who  in  1852  went  to  Missouri  and  purchased  land 
in  Callaway  county.  This  he  improved  and  cultivated  throughout  his  remaining 
days,  his  death  occurring  in  June,  1892,  while  his  wife  died  in  October,  1907. 

Judge  Oliver  was  reared  and  educated  in  Missouri  and  when  twenty-four  years 
of  age  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  followed  mining.  He  also  worked  for  a  time  in 
the  employ  of  a  Denver  contractor.  His  residence  in  Colorado  covered  the  years 
from  1868  until  September,  1877,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Idaho  and  settled  on 
the  Snake  river  in  Oneida  county,  taking  up  his  abode  in  that  part  of  the  county 
which  is  now  Power  county.  He  secured  a  preemption  and  a  homestead  and  en- 
gaged in  raising  horses  and  cattle,  continuing  in  the  business  until  1883,  when 
the  railroad  was  built  through  and  the  town  of  American  Falls  started.  He  then 
sold  his  ranch  and  built  a  hotel  in  the  town,  the  structure  being  of  logs.  He  con- 
ducted it  until  1916  but  in  the  meantime  became  an  active  factor  in  the  commer- 
cial development  of  the  community.  Since  1907  he  has  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business,  and  in  1915  he  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner,  Mr.  McKown,  and 
has  since  been  sole  proprietor.  He  carries  a  large  stock  of  shelf  and  heavy  hard- 
ware and  enjoys  an  extensive  patronage,  which  is  steadily  growing  with  the  fur- 
ther development  of  the  community.  His  reasonable  prices,  his  fair  dealing  and 
his  earnest  desire  to  please  his  patrons  have  been  salient  factors  in  his  growing 
success. 

In  June,  1882,  Judge  Oliver  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  West  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Idaho,  namely: 
Sidney,  William,  Vera,  Ollie,  Alice,  Guy,  Irene  and  Wiley,  all  living;  and  Frank, 
deceased. 

In  his  political  views  Judge  Oliver  is  a  democrat  and  for  ten  years  he  served 

Vol.  II— 50 


786  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

as  justice  of  the  peace,  thus  winning  the  title  by  which  he  is  usually  known.  He 
was  also  county  commissioner  for  four  years  and  county  surveyor  for  two  years 
and  discharged  his  duties  with  marked  capability  and  fidelity.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  attends  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  generous  supporter.  He  has  been  familiar 
with  his  section  of  the  state  from  pioneer  times.  He  was  here  during  the  Bannock 
Indian  war  and  was  interested  in  a  trading  post  at  Ross  Fork.  On  Christmas  day 
the  agent  sent  a  halfbreed  to  Judge  Oliver  to  tell  him  to  get  out,  for  the  Indians 
were  «n  the  warpath.  He  hitched  up  his-  team  after  dark,  took  his  family  and 
drove  all  night,  coming  to  Cassia  county,  where  he  spent  the  winter  of  1877  but 
returned  the  following  year.  There  was  not  a  single  white  person  in  the  district 
when  Judge  Oliver  took  up  his  'abode  in  Power  county  and  he  has  therefore  wit- 
nessed its  continuous  development.  The  "eternal  silence"  has  been  broken  by 
the  sounds  of  civilization  and  the  hum  of  industry  as  the  white  settlers  have  pen- 
etrated into  the  region  and  reclaimed  the  district  for  their  own  uses,  but  no  man 
has  taken  a  more  active  or  helpful  part  in  the  work  of  general  improvement  nor 
been  a  more  valued  and  prominent  citizen  than  Judge  Oliver. 


JAMES  CLARENCE   SIDDOWAY. 

James  Clarence  Siddoway,  president  of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Teton,  where  he 
was  born  April  22,  1889,  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Ruth  (Briggs)  Siddoway,  who 
were  natives  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  The  father  followed  farming  in  that  state 
until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  which  was  then  a  part  of 
Bingham  county.  He  located  on  land  near  Teton,  adjoining  the  town,  and  he  also 
operated  a  flour  mill  and  sawmill  in  connection  with  his  farming  interests.  In  1902 
he  became  an  active  factor  in  sheep  raising  in  partnership  with  his  son,  James  C. 
He  was  a  real  promoter  and  upbuilder  of  Teton  and  was  a  very  active  man 
throughout  his  business  life.  In  1912  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature,  in  which 
he  served  for  one  term.  He  won  success  in  all  that  he  undertook  and  carried  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  everything  that  he  attempted.  He  was  the  president 
of  all  the  ditch  companies  in  this  section,  including  the  Siddoway  Canal  &  Irri- 
gation Company,  the  Teton  Manufacturing  &  Irrigation  Company,  the  East  Teton 
Canal  Company  and  the  Enterprise  Irrigation  District.  He  was  likewise  a  director 
of  the  Farmers  Implement  Company  of  Rexburg.  An  active  worker  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  he  was  first  counselor  in  the  Teton  ward  bishopric 
and  was  chairman  of  the  school  board.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  largest 
stockholder  in  the  Teton  Mercantile  Company  and  he  owned  over  two  thousand  acres 
of  fine  land.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  republican  party  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  other  offices  which  he  filled  he  served  as  county  commissioner.  He  passed 
away  September  9,  1917,  after  an  illness  of  six  months,  and  is  still  survived  by  his 
wife.  He  was  a  most  progressive  and  enterprising  business  man  whose  activities  con- 
stituted a  basic  element  in  the  growth  and  progress  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 

James  C.  Siddoway  was  reared  and  educated  at  Teton  and  also  pursued  a  busi- 
ness course  in  Salt  Lake  City.  In  1911  he  was  called  to  fill  a  mission  in  the  eastern 
states  and  served  for  twenty-seven  months.  Upon  his  return  in  1913  he  took  charge 
of  his  father's  sheep  interests,  which  he  has  since  conducted,  and  he  now  runs  six 
thousand  head  of  breeding  ewes  and  has  largely  bought  and  sold  lambs,  sometimes 
having  as  high  as  fifteen  thousand  head  on  hand.  He  has  operated  most  extensively 
in  the  sheep  industry  and  in  addition  is  farming  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
finely  improved  land  which  he  owns.  He  also  has  an  interest  in  several  other  farms. 
In  April,  1919,  with  others,  he  organized  the  First  State  Bank  of  Teton  and  became 
its  president,  with  J.  L.  Briggs  as  vice  president  and  R.  C.  Berry  as  cashier.  The 
bank  was  capitalized  for  thirty  thousand  dollars  and  now  has  a  surplus  of  three 
thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Siddoway  is  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Teton 
Mercantile  Company,  which  he  established  in  partnership  with  his  uncle,  F.  H.  Siddo- 
way, in  the  year  1898.  He  is  likewise  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Farmers 
Implement  Company  and  in  the  Farmers'  Building  Company,  both  of  Rexburg. 

In  October,  1917,  Mr.  Siddoway  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ruth  Bean  and 
they  have  become  parents  of  a  son,  James  W.,  who  was  born  September  9,  1918.  Mr. 
Siddoway  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  has  been 


JAMES  C.  SIDDOWAY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  789 

president  of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association  for  the  past  five  years. 
His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  stands  loyally  for 
every  cause  or  interest  which  he  believes  will  prove  of  public  benefit.  He  is  a  most 
resourceful  and  forceful  business  man,  in  whose  vocabulary  there  is  no  such  word  as 
fail,  and  his  enterprise  and  close  application  have  brought  him  prominently  to  the 
front  as  a  leading  figure  in  commercial,  financial  and  agricultural  circles. 


JACK  H.  STAHL. 

Jack  H.  Stahl,  a  prosperous  and  well  known  business  man  of  Rigby,  where  he 
is  joint  owner  and  manager  of  the  Hub  Clothing  Company,  was  born  in  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  in  May,  1879.  He  is  the  son  of  Julius  and  Rebecca  Stahl,  the  father 
being  formerly  from  Roumania  and  the  mother  a  native  of  New  York.  Very  early 
in  life  Julius  Stahl.  became  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  some  day  locating  in  America, 
and  in  1869,  when  he  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  left  his  home  in  Rou- 
mania to  seek  his  fortune  on  the  hospitable  shores  of  the  United  States.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  he  even- 
tually established  himself  in  the  wholesale  millinery  business,  which  he  followed 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  then  engaged  in  the  wholesale  diamond  and  jewelry 
business  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  July.  1915,  when 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  His  wife  had  died  in  April,  1912,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six. 

Jack  H.  Stahl  spent  his  boyhood  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  it  was  there  that 
he  received  his  early  training  antl  education.  He  left  school  at  the  early  age  of 
fourteen  years  to  go  to  work  in  the  postoffice  at  Newark  and  in  his  spare  time  sold 
newspapers  on  the  streets  of  that  city,  thus  laying  the  foundation  of  his  future 
commercial  success  by  rubbing  shoulders  with  the  public  in  the  hard  school  of 
experience.  A  few  years  later  he  entered  the  wholesale  jewelry  business,  serving 
his  apprenticeship  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  and  he  continued  in  this  work 
until  1902.  At  that  time  he  realized  that  great  opportunities  for  the  young  busi- 
ness man  lay  in  the  far  west,  and  he  went  to  Seattle,  Washington,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  clothing  business  with  one  concern  for  a  period  of  seven  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  his  experience  and  success  in  the  clothing  business  enabled 
him  to  assume  a  greater  responsibility,  therefore  he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  concern  in  Seattle  and  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  was  in  the  following 
year  made  manager  of  a  chain  of  five  clothing  stores  in  that  city,  remaining  in  that 
capacity  until  1917,  when  he  decided  to  go  into  business  for  himself.  In  that  year 
he  located  in  Pocatello,  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time  but  later  in 
the  same  year  formed  a  partnership  with  Mate  Block  and  opened  a  clothing  store 
in  Rigby  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Hub  Clothing  Company.  This  store,  which  fe 
now  doing  a  flourishing  business,  carries  a  line  of  men's  furnishings  and  also  ladies' 
and  children's  shoes. 

In  March,  1912,  Mr.  Stahl  married  Sadie  Tolstonage  who  cooperates  with  her 
husband  by  managing  Stahl's  ready-to-wear  ladies'  and  misses'  shop,  which  carries 
a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  ladies'  and  misses'  cloaks,  suits  and  ready-to-wear 
garments.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stahl  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Leonore  R.,  Earl 
and  Marion.  Both  the  father  and  mother  are  of  the  Jewish  faith.  In  politics  Mr. 
Stahl  is  a  republican  and  he  takes  a  good  citizen's  interest  in  the  policies  and  wel- 
fare of  his  party. 


WILLIAM  OBERMEYER. 

William  Obermeyer,  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  growers  of 
melons,  grapes  and  other  fruits  in  the  Payette  valley,  is  one  of  a  family  of  four 
brothers,  who  have  been  termed  the  Melon  Kings  of  Idaho.  Scientific  study  and 
practical  experience  have  made  William  Obermeyer  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
best  methods  of  production  of  the  crops  to  which  he  is  now  giving  his  attention. 
He  has  become  the  owner  of  valuable  property  in  his  section  of  the  state  and  his 
irrigated  fields  and  ditches  are  producing  splendid  results. 


790  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mr.  Obermeyer  was  born  in  Piano,  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  May  26,  1886, 
and  is  the  second  son  of  Henry  Obermeyer,  of  whom  mention  is  made  on  another 
page  of  this  work  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his  son,  Lewis  Obermeyer. 
William  Obermeyer  was  the  first  of  the  four  brothers  to  come  to  Idaho.  His  youth- 
ful days  had  been  passed  in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  his  education  was  acquired 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state.  He  afterward  spent  some  time  in  the 
vineyards  of  Michigan  and  in  that  way  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  grape 
culture,  his  experience  proving  of  marked  value  to  him  since  he  has  given  much 
attention  to  the  development  of  vineyards  in  the  vicinity  of  Emmett.  With  his  re- 
moval to  the  northwest  he  first  went  to  the  Oregon  coast  in  1908  but  in  the  spring 
of  1909  took  up  his  abode  near  Emmett.  He  secured  a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
homestead  in  the  Black  canyon,  four  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Middleton,  and 
proved  up  on  that  property,  which  he  still  owns.  It  is  arid  land  with  no  water 
upon  it  as  yet.  In  1910  his  elder  brother,  Henry  Obermeyer,  came  to  Idaho  and 
in  the  fall  of  1910  Lewis  Obermeyer  came  from  Illinois,  while  the  youngest  brother, 
John,  arrived  in  1913.  The  Obermeyer  brothers  began  fruit  and  melon  raising  in 
the  vicinity  of  Emmett  in  1911  and  they  have  become  the  largest  individual  pro- 
ducers and  shippers  of  watermelons,  cantaloupes,  grapes  and  peaches  in  Gem 
county.  They  are  continually  extending  their  operations  and  broadening  their  in- 
terests and  they  are  the  recognized  leaders  in  this  line  in  their  section  of  the  state. 
They  all  operate  independently  but  their  ties  of  brotherhood  and  their  mutual 
interests  hold  them  in  close  connection,  each  giving  to  the  other  assistance  or  aid  if 
needed. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1918,  William  Obermeyer  was  married  to  Miss  Rhoda 
Lillian  Matthiessen,  who  was  born  in  Oregon,  June  10,  1900,  and  is  of  German  and 
Scotch  descent,  being  a  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Martha  (Bradley)  Matthiessen, 
the  latter  a  representative  of  an  old  American  family. 

William  Obermeyer  has  attained  high  rank  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  he  and  his  wife  belong 
to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  also  an  Elk,  and  in  politics  is  a  republi- 
can, but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  had  no  attraction  for  him  as  he 
has  always  preferred  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business 
affairs.  He  has  closely  studied  the  condition  of  the  soil,  the  opportunities  for 
production  and  the  question  of  shipment,  and  the  careful  management  of  his  busi- 
ness interests  is  manifest  in  the  success  which  is  now  crowning  his  efforts. 


WALLACE  B.  STONE. 

Wallace  B.  Stone,  manager  at  Driggs  for  the  Consolidated  Wagon  &  Machine 
Company  and  thus  identified  with  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  corporate 
interests  of  the  west,  was  born  at  Ogden,  Utah,  in  May,  1879,  his  parents  being 
Henry  and  Louisa  (Stratton)  Stone,  the  latter  also  a  native  of  Utah.  The  father, 
who  was  born  in  England,  was  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  lad  of  but  fourteen  years  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
America,  they  having  become  converts  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  They  were  among  the  early  Mormon  settlers  of  Utah  and  in  that  state 
Henry  Stone  attained  his  majority  and  made  his  home  for  a  long  period.  In  1895 
he  removed  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Driggs,  Teton  county,  then  a  part  of  Fremont 
county.  He  homesteaded  and  at  once  began  to  break  the  sod  and  develop  the  fields. 
He  continued  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  until  1912,  when  he  removed  to  Teton 
and  retired  from. active  business  life.  He  has  since  enjoyed  a  well  earned  rest  there 
and  has  reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty  years.  The  mother  is  also  living. 

Wallace  B.  Stone  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Utah  and  Idaho, 
coming  to  the  latter  state  with  his  parents  in  1895.  On  attaining  his  majority  he 
filed  on  land  near  Driggs  in  Teton  county  and  with  characteristic  energy  began  the 
improvement  and  development  of  his  place.  He  worked  upon  the  farm  for  seven 
years  and  then  rented  his  land,  accepting  a  position  with  the  Consolidated  Wagon 
&  Machine  Company.  Proving  his  capability  in  this  connection,  he  has  for  the  past 
twelve  years  Been  the  manager  of  the  business  at  Driggs.  His  long  connection  with 
the  position  indicates  fully  his  business  ability,  his  spirit  of  enterprise  and  his  loy- 
alty to  the  interests  entrusted  to  his  care. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  7£L 

In  1898  Mr.  Stone  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  R.  Walton,  by  whom 
he  has  three  children:  Melvin,  Maurine  and  Hattie.  Mr.  Stone  remains  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat 
and  he  has  served  for  three  years  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Driggs  under  President  Wilson  but  did  not  qualify  for  the  office,  pre- 
ferring to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  business.  He  has  made  steady 
progress  in  this  way  and  his  capability  and  resourcefulness  are  widely  acknowledged. 


HENRY  CHILES   RIGGS,   JB. 

A  student  of  Idaho's  history  cannot  carry  his  investigations  far  into  the  rec- 
ords of  the  state  without  learning  of  the  long  and  intimate  connection  of  the  Riggs 
family,  whose  representatives  have  taken  active  and  helpful  part  in  promoting  the 
growth  and  progress  of  the  state  from  the  days  of  its  earliest  settlement  down  to 
the  present.  Henry  Chiles  Riggs  of  this  review  is  a  son  and  namesake  of  Henry 
Chiles  Riggs,  Sr.,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
was  born  at 'Corvallis,  Oregon,  January  5,  1862,  and  was^only  two  years  of  age 
when  in  1864  his  parents  removed  to  Boise.  He  was  a  lad  of  nine  when  the  family 
home  was  established  in  the  Payette  valley,  near  Emmett,  in  1871.  Through  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  he  has  followed  ranching  and  the  raising  of  live  stock,  al- 
though he  early  learned  the  painter's  trade  and  for  a  time  gave  his  attention  to 
that  and  other  business  pursuits.  In  the  conduct  of  his  ranching  and  live  stock 
interests  he  has  met  with  substantial  success. 

Mr.  Riggs  was  married  at  Middleton,  Idaho,  August  3,  1910,  to  Miss  Mary  Frances 
Wilkins,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  November  20,.  1873,  and  in  1908  came  to  Idaho 
with  her  widowed  mother,  who  now  resides  near  Joseph,  Oregon,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-one  years.  Mrs.  Wilkins  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  F.  Putnam 
and  comes  of  the  same  family  as  General  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolutionary  war 
fame.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  are  parents  of  two  children:  Henry  Chiles  Riggs  (III), 
who  was  born  May  20,  1913;  and  May  Putnam  Riggs,  born  January  26,  1915. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Riggs  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  sought  nor  desired 
office.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  they  are  highly 
esteemed  in  the  community  where  they  make  their  home,  having  a  large  circle 
of  warm  friends  in  Gem  county.  Mr.  Riggs  has  lived  on  his  present  ranch  near 
Letha  for  four  years  and  is  giving  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  hay 
and  grain  and  is  proving  a  substantial  citizen,  as  have  the  other  members  of  the 
family,  being  loyal  at  all  times  to  all  matters  of  public  value  and  worth. 


W.  FINLEY  ROBERTSON. 

W.  Finley  Robertson,  engaged  in  general  merchandising  at  Driggs,  was  born 
at  Tipton,  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  February  28,  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  I.  and 
Margaret  (Clements)  Robertson,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  they 
removed  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day.  Three  years  later  oil  was  struck  on  the  farm 
which  Mr.  Robertson  had  left  in  Pennsylvania  and  this  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  oil  wells  in  the  world.  After  going  to  Illinois,  Mr.  Robertson  followed- 
farming  there  for  some  time  and  then  became  a  resident  of  Cedar  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  also  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  He  afterward  made  his  home  in 
Calhoun  and  Carroll  counties,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  and  improved  land  and  car- 
ried on  general  farming  for  many  years.  Subsequently  he  resided  in  the  town  of 
Carroll,  Iowa,  for  five  or  six  years  and  then  came  to  Idaho,  spending  his  remain- 
ing days  at  the  home  of  his  son,  W.  Finley,  at  Victor,'  Teton  county,  where  he  passed 
away  in  February,  1906.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

W.  Finley  Robertson  was  largely  reared  and  educated  at  Lake  City,  Iowa, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  The  oppor- 
tunities of  the  west  attracted  him  and,-  unable  longer  to  withstand  the  lure,  he  came 
to  Idaho  in  1896,  settling  at  St.  Anthony,  where  "he  taught  school,  devoting  four 
years  to  that  profession,  : while  a  brother  and  a  sister  also  became  teachers  ef 


792  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

this  state.  The  brother  had  a  chance  to  buy  eighty  acres  in  St.  Anthony  for  four 
hundred  dollars  but  did  not  consider  it  a  good  investment.  Two  years  later  he  paid 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  hundred-foot  lot  in  the  town.  W.  F.' Robertson 
afterward  returned  to  his  old  home  and  attended  the  Capital  City  Commercial 
College  of  Des  Moines  for  one  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  again  came 
to  Idaho,  settling  at  Victor,  Fremont  county,  now  Teton  county,  where  in  connec- 
tion with  his  brother  and  sister  he  engaged  in  general  merchandising,  conducting 
the  store  for  thirteen  years.  When  the  railroad  was  built  through  they  established 
a  store  at  Ashton,  where  business  was  carried  on  for  three  years.  In  1915,  Mr. 
Robertson  put  aside  commercial  pursuits  to  accept  the  appointment  of  county  clerk, 
recorder  and  auditor  of  Teton  county,  which  position  he  occupied  for  three  and  a 
half  years.  Throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  here  he  has  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement.  He  built  the  big  brick  hotel 
at  Victor  and  in  the  summer  of  1919  he  once  more  became  identified  with  general 
merchandising,  opening  a  store  at  Driggs,  where  he  has  secured  a  large  patronage. 
He  carries  an  extensive  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods,  puts  forth  every  effort 
to  please  his  patrons  and  by  reasonable  prices  and  honorable  dealings  has  gained 
liberal  public  support.  He  has  in  various  ways  contributed  to  the  work  of  general 
improvement  and  development  during  his  residence  in  Idaho.  He  organized  and 
incorporated  the  town  of  Victor  and  he  homesteaded  eighty  acres  near  the  town, 
which  he  afterward  sold. 

In  October,  1907,  Mr.  Robertson  was  married  to  Miss  Etta  Hatch  and  to  them 
was  born  a  son,  Pierce,  whose  birth  occurred  October  28,  1908.  On  the  20th  of 
November  of  the  same  year  the  wife  and  mother  passed  away.  Mr.  Robertson 
afterward  married  Ethel  Worthington  in  June,  1910,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Erie,  born  in  April,  1911;  and  Melba,  on  the  6th  of  December,  1912. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Robertson  is  a  democrat  and  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  and  stanchly  supports  any  measure  which 
he  believes  to  be  of  vital  importance  to  the  community,  the  commonwealth  or  the 
country  at  large.  He  and  his  family  occupy  an  enviable  social  position  and  his  per- 
sonal qualities  are  such  as  make  for  popularity  among  all  who  know  him.  He  is  a 
most  progressive  and  energetic  business  man  who,  recognizing  the  opportunities 
of  the  northwest,  has  contributed  to  its  upbuilding  and  while  promoting  his  indi- 
vidual fortunes  has  done  much  to  further  the  prosperity  of  the  country  at  large. 


JOHN  W.   COOK. 

John  W.  Cook  is  a  retired  rancher  and  live  stock  man  who  is  numbered  among 
the  pioneer  residents  and  valued  citizens  of  Emmett.  He  came  to  Idaho  about  thirty- 
five  years  ago,  arriving  in  this  state  in  1885,  and  for  five  years  he  was  a  resident  of 
Cassia  county,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  in  or  near  Emmett.  He  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  9,  1847,  and  has  therefore  passed  the  seventy- 
third  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His  parents  were  Hugh  and  Catherine  (Harkins) 
Cook,  both  of  whom  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Keystone  state. 

John  W.  Cook  obtained  his  education  there  and  before  leaving  Pennsylvania  resided 
for  a  time  at  Eatonbury,  near  Oil  City.  In  young  manhood,  however,  he  left  the  east 
and  made  bis  way  west  to  Buffalo  Park,  in  western  Kansas,  where  he  conducted  a 
livery  stable  for  two  years,  from  1880  until  1882.  He  afterward  spent  several  years 
at  Robinson  Camp,  seventeen  miles  from  Leadville,  Colorado,  becoming  the  first  pro- 
prietor of  a  livery  stable  in  Robinson  Camp  and  running  a  stage  line  between  that 
place  and  Leadville.  He  drove  the  first  buggy  in  that  camp.  In  1885  he  came  to  Idaho. 
For  five  years  he  lived  in  the  Snake  River  valley,  in  the  vicinity  of  Oakley,  making 
his  home  on  a  ranch,  and  during  that  period  he  was  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
cattle  and  horses.  Thirty  years  ago  he  established  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Emmett 
and  has  continued  to  deal  in  ranches,  horses  and  cattle.  He  today  owns  a  number 
of  ranches  in  Gem  county  together  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Idaho 
county  and  also  has  several  properties  in  Emmett,  from  which  he  derives  a  good 
income.  One  of  his  Emmett  holdings  is  a  twelve  acre  ranch  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Emmett. 

While  in  Colorado,  in  the  early  '80s,  Mr.  Cook  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Margaret  Ramsay,  who  passed  away  in  1917,  leaving  one  daughter,  Ida,  who  is  now 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  795 

the  wife  of  H.  B.  Mumford,  deputy  sheriff  of  Canyon  county  and  a  resident  of  Cald- 
well,  Idaho.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mumford  have  been  born  a  son  and  a  daughter,  who  are 
the  delight  of  their  grandparents.  On  the  22d  of  November,  1919,  Mr.  Cook  was 
married  again,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Laevenia  Coffey. 

Mr.  Cook  Is  a  Roman  Catholic  in  religious  faith  and  his  political  support  is  given 
the  democratic  party.  His  life  has  been  an  active,  busy  and  useful  one.  As  the  years 
have  progressed  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  he  has  engaged  in  loaning  money,  so  that  he  is  now  doing  something 
of  a  private  banking  business.  He  long  figured  as  a  prominent  ranchman  and  with 
the  pioneer  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state  has  been  closely  associated. 


L.  A.   BROSSARD. 

L.  A.  Brossard,  who  is  manager  and  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Judd  Motor 
Corporation  of  Rigby,  has  lived  in  this  vicinity  for  the  last  fifteen  years.  He  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Utah,  August  17,  1877,  a  son  of  A.  and  Mary  (Hobson)  Brossard, 
the  father  being  originally  from  Montreal,  Canada,  and  the  mother  from  Farmington. 
Utah.  When  A.  Brossard  was  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  he  joined  a  party  of 
prospectors  who  operated  in  Montana  for  some  time  and  thus  began  his  life  as  a 
frontiersman  of  the  northwest.  Later  he  took  up  ranching  for  a  time  near  Salmon 
City,  Idaho,  and  also  carried  freight  overland  from  Corinne,  Utah,  to  Montana  and 
points  in  Canada.  He  then  returned  to  Montana  to  do  railroad  construction  work  in 
the  northern  part  of  that  state  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  again 
came  to  Idaho,  bought  land  near  the  town  of  Oxford  and  carried  on  ranching  and 
stock  raising  for  twenty-five  years.  He  finally  disposed  of  his  interests  near  Oxford 
and  retired  after  a  fashion,  moving  to  Logan,  Utah,  where  he  now  resides  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  not  living, 
her  death  having  occurred  February  14,  1899. 

L.  A.  Brossard  spent  his  early  life  on  his  father's  ranch  near  Oxford,  Idaho, 
where  he  received  his  elementary  schooling.  He  then  felt  the  need  of  further 
education  and  entered  the  agricultural  college  at  Logan,  Utah.  On  the  termination 
of  his  college  course  he  came  to  Idaho  in  1904  and  he  taught  school  for  several  years. 
He  then  took  up  ranching  at  Lewisville,  in  which  he  engaged  for  some  time,  and 
afterward  engaged  in  bookkeeping  at  Roberts  for  several  years.  In  August,  1918, 
he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Judd  Motor  Company  of  Rigby  and  the  business  was 
incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  This  change  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  company  was  chiefly  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Brossard.  The  Judd 
Motor  Corporation  deals  in  Ford  automobiles  only,  but  also  carries  on  an  extensive 
business  in  tractors  and  farming  implements.  In  addition  to  his  business  interests 
in  Rigby,  Mr.  Brossard  owns  land  in  Bonneville  county,  but  devotes  most  of  his 
attention  to  his  business  affairs  in  Rigby. 

In  politics  Mr.  Brossard  is  a  stanch  democrat  and  takes  more  than  a  passive 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  His  efficiency  in  conducting  business  BO  com- 
mended him  to  the  voters  of  Jefferson  county  that  they  elected  him  county  recorder 
and  auditor  in  1916,  and  during  his  two-year  term  .the  manner  in  which  he  performed 
the  duties  of  his  office  met  the  complete  satisfaction  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

In  September,  1900,  Mr.  Brossard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Stella  Fisher,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Mary,  Louis,  Josephine, 
Blanche,  Enid,  Gretta  and  Barbara.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Rigby,  to  which  they  give  their  unstinted  spiritual 
and  material  support.  Mr.  Brossard  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  in  the  affairs  of  which  he  takes  a  proper  interest. 


GEORGE  GARDNER. 

George  Gardner,  a  representative  and  valued  citizen  of  Gem  county,  living 
at  the  home  of  his  daughter  Mrs.  James  A.  Kesgard,  near  Letha,  well  deserves 
representation  in  this  volume  as  a  Civil  war  veteran  and  as  an  Idaho  pioneer.  He 
is  now  seventy-five  years  of  age,  having  been  born  on  the  3d  of  July,  1844,  in 


796  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO    . 

County  Lout.h,  Ireland.  He  came  to  the  United  States  alone  when  a  lad  of  six- 
teen years  and  within  a  year  after  his  arrival  in  America  he  made  two  trips  to  the 
Argentine  Republic  in  South  America,  sailing  as  a  cabin  boy.  Upon  his  return 
from  the  last  trip  he  learned  that  his  father  and  brother,  Matthew  Gardner  and 
James  Gardner,  had  both  been  killed  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  They  had 
come  to  the  United  States  before  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  had  volunteered 
for  service  in  defense  of  the  Union.  Learning  that  they  had  given  their  lives  for 
the  country,  George  Gardner  then  joined  the  United  States  navy  on  the  14th  of 
April,  1864,  and  served  with  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron  to  the  end  of  the  war, 
being  chiefly  on  duty  in  Albemarle  Sound. 

On  the  21st  of  November.  1866,  Mr.  Gardner  left  New  York  by  boat  for  San 
Francisco,  making  the  trip  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  was  still  wear- 
ing his  country's  uniform,  having  joined  the  United  States  army  as  a  regular  on 
the  day  that  he  left  New  York  November  21,  1866.  He  had  been  discharged  from 
the  navy  on  the  14th  of  April  previously.  He  served  in  the  navy  for  two  years 
and  the  army  for  eight  years,  his  service  with  the  latter  being  in  California,  Ari- 
zona and  Idaho.  He  received  his  final  discharge  at  Boise  barracks  on  the  10th 
of  January,  1875,  and  has  remained  a  resident  of  Idaho,  in  fact  has  constantly  been 
in  this  state  since  1872.  He  lived  for  several  years  at  Centerville,  in  the  Boise 
basin,  and  afterward  removed  to  Emmett,  occupying  the  same  house  for  more  than 
thirty  years. 

In  1875,  in  Boise  Mr.  Gardner  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  McAuliff  and  their 
only  living  child  is  Mrs.  James  A.  Kesgard,  with  whom  they  now  reside.  Mr. 
Gardner  and  his  wife  are  of  the  Catholic  faith.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat  and 
while  he  has  given  stanch  support  to  the  party,  he  never  failed  to  vote  for  Roose- 
velt whenever  he  had  a  chance.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  is  commander  of  Fremont  Post,  No.  23,  of  Emmett,  a  position  which  he  has 
held  for  the  past  seven  years.  He  is  now  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the  comman- 
der-in-chief  of  the  Idaho  Department,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  also  aide-de-camp  for  Idaho 
on  the  staff  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  the  United  States,  having 
been  appointed  by  Clarendon  E.  Adams,  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  on  the  28th  of  May, 
1919.  He  may  well  be  proud  to  wear  the  little  bronze  button  that  proclaims  him 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  it  is  a  recognized  fact  that  throughout  all  of  the 
intervening  years  he  has  been  as  true  and  loyal  to  his  country  in  days  of  peace  as 
when  he  sailed  under  the  nation's  naval  banner  or  followed  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as 
a  member  of  the  regular  army. 


ALPHEUS  CUTLER  WORTHINGTON. 

In  the  year  1881  Alpheus  Cutler  Worthington  took  up  his  abode  on  what  is 
now  the  site  of  Oakley  and  through  the  intervening  period  to  the  time  of  his  death 
was  closely  associated  with  cattle  raising  and  ranching  in  Cassia  county.  He  was 
born  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  December  13,  1844,  a  son  of  James  and  Rachel  (Stailey) 
Worthington,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Philadelphia,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married.  After  removing  to  Illinois  the  father  engaged  in  business  as  a  car- 
penter and  contractor.  Having  been  converted  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  he  wished  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  people  of  his  faith  and  in 
1853  he  left  Illinois  and  crossed  the  plains  tb  Utah,  making  Grantsville  his  destina- 
tion. There  he  remained  until  1860,  when  he  removed  to  Deep  creek  in  Tooele 
county,  Utah,  where  he  carried  on  ranching  and  cattle  raising.  Later,  however, 
he  returned  to  Grantsville,  where  his  remaining  days  were  passed.  There  his  wife 
died  in  January,  1882,  while  he  survived  until  September,  1887.  His  political  en- 
dorsement was  given  to  the  democratic  party.  He  remained  throughout  his  life  a 
faithful  follower  of  the  church,  being  always  loyal  to  its  teachings. 

A.  C.  Worthington,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  spent  his  boyhood 
days  at  Grantsville,  Utah,  and  on  Deep  creek  in  Tooele  county.  There  he  became 
familiar  with  every  phase  of  Indian  life.  He  was  living  in  that  district  when  In- 
dians attacked  and  killed  settlers  at  Canyon  Station  and  at  Eight  Mile  Station. 
The  Worthington  family  were  at  that  time  living  on  a  ranch  at  Home  Station,  on 
Deep  creek,  about  ten  miles  from  Eight  Mile  Station.  In  his  youthful  days  A.  C. 
Worthington  learned  to  speak  the  Indian  language  and  played  with  the  Indian  boys. 


HISTORY  (  >T  IDAHO  797 

He  became  a  true  friend  of  the  red  men  and  their  chiefs.  He  understood  their 
nature  and  always  dealt  fairly  and  squarely  with  them,  so  that  he  had  no  trouble 
with  the  Indians. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1868,  at  Grantsville,  Utah,  Mr.  Worthington  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Priscilla  Martin,  a  native  of  Bedfordshire,  England, 
and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Priscilla  (Layton)  Martin.  During  her  infancy 
she  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  the  new  world.  They  embarked  on  a  sailing1 
vessel  which  was  partially  wrecked  in  a  storm.  For  six  weeks  they  remained  on 
the  water,  making  the  trip  across  the  Atlantic  to  New  Orleans.  From  that  point 
they  proceeded  northward  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  Mrs.  Worthington's  mother 
passed  away.  In  1855  her  father  came  with  his  family  across  the  plains  to  Utah 
and  located  at  Grantsville.  There  he  engaged  in  ranching  and  became  one  of  the 
prominent  sheepmen  of  that  section  of  the  state,  there  continuing  to  make  his  home 
until  his  demise.  As  stated,  his  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Worthington  and 
to  them  was  born  one  child,  Maud  Z. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Worthington  established  his  home  on  Deep  creek, 
in  Tooele  county,  Utah,  in  1869.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Bear  Lake  county,  Idaho, 
and  drove  his  cattle  across  the  country  to  his  new  place.  He  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  acres  and  also  a  residence  at  Montpelier,  Idaho.  In  1881  he  re- 
moved to  Goose  creek,  where  the  town  of  Oakley  now  stands,  homesteading  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which  he  built  a  log  house  of  one  room.  In  this  primi- 
tive pioneer  manner  he  began  life  in  Cassia  county.  As  the  country  became  set- 
tled the  town  grew  up  on  his  ranch  and  Mrs.  Worthington  is  still  the  owner  of  a 
number  of  town  lots.  In  1897  Mr.  Worthington  built  the  present  family  home, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  state — a  beautiful  residence  surrounded  by  well 
kept  lawns  adorned  with  evergreen  trees  and  beautiful  flowers.  In  1907  he  bought 
a  residence  on  Newport  Heights,  Santa  Ana,  California,  intending  to  spend  his  re- 
maining days  there,  but  passed  away  at  Oakley  in  1908,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years. 

Mr.  Worthington  was  a  lifelong  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints.  His  political  endorsement  was  given  to  the  democratic  party  and 
he  filled  the  office  of  road  supervisor  and  that  of  deputy  sheriff.  He  was  always 
loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  the  community  and  his  cooperation  could  be  counted 
upon  at  all  times  to  further  any  movement  for  the  general  good.  His  business  ca- 
reer was  one  of  steady  progress  and  successful  achievement.  Starting  out  in  life 
empty-handed,  he  worked  his  way  consistently  upward,  making  each  opportunity 
and  advantage  that  came  to  him  count  for  the  utmost.  He  early  recognized  the 
value  of  diligence  and  persistency  of  purpose  and  he  used  those  qualities  always 
In  the  attainment  of  his  success.  Moreover,  his  business  dealings  measured  up  to 
the  highest  ethical  standards  and  his  integrity  and  honor  stood  ever  as  unquestioned 
facts  in  his  career. 


ALFRED   K.   DABELL. 

Alfred  K.  Dabell,  a  well  known  contractor  and  builder  of  Rigby,  was  born  in 
Nottinghamshire,  England,  May  14,  1852,  a  son  of  Alonzo  and  Harriett  (Lam- 
bert) Dabell.  The  Dabells  are  of  old  Norman  stock,  tracing  their  ancestry  back 
to  the  days  of  William  the  Conqueror.  Prior  to  bringing  his  family  to  America 
in  1858,  Alonzo  Dabell  had  been  a  skilled  workman  in  the  famous  knitting  mills 
of  Nottinghamshire,  where  he  carried  on  framework  knitting  operations.  After  he 
and  his  family  landed  on  American  soil,  they  located  in  Philadelphia,  where  they 
remained  until  1861,  in  which  year  they  decided  to  come  to  the  west  with  Utah 
as  their  destination.  In  those  days  before  the  great  transcontinental  railways 
had  been  constructed,  it  was  no  easy  task  to  reach  the  far  west,  for  the  wouldbe 
settler  had  to  make  the  tedious  journey,  which  was  beset  by  many  dangers,  in  the 
lumbering  prairie  schooner  drawn  by  ox  teams.  Fortunately,  the  Dabells  attached 
themselves  to  a 'caravan  of  these  slow-moving  equippages  and  arrived  in  Utah  after 
undergoing  no  more  than  the  average  hardships  incidental  to  an  immigrant  train 
in  those  days.  After  they  had  arrived  in  Utah,  they  located  at  Mendon,  in  the 
Cache  valley,  where  they  remained  for  one  year,  and  then  removed  to  Paradise, 
Utah.  After  living  there  for  two  years,  they  came  to  Idaho,  locating  in  Bear  Lake 


798  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

county,  where  the  father  gardened  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  six 
years.  He  then  returned  with  his  family  to  Utah,  locating  in  Harrisville,  where 
he  resided  for  fourteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  again  came  to  Idaho, 
residing  in  Grant,  Fremont  county,  later  Jefferson  county,  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  died  August  3,  1905,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years.  His  wife  is  now 
living  with  her  son,  Alfred  K.,  in  Rigby,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

Alfred  K.  Dabell  was  only  seven  years  of  age  when  he  left  the  shore  of  Eng- 
land for  America.  Shortly  after  the  family  located  in  Philadelphia,  he  began  his 
elementary  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  and  he  completed  his  schooling 
in  Utah  and  Idaho.  While  the  family  was  living  in  Utah,  he  started  out  for  him- 
self by  learning  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Ogden,  thus  beginning  his  career  in  con- 
struction work,  in  which  he  has  been  interested  ever  since  with  the  exception  of 
the  fifteen  years  spent  in  farming.  It  was  in  1888  that  Mr.  Dabell  came  to  Idaho 
and  located  on  a  homestead  in  that  part  of  the  Snake  river  valley  which  later  be- 
came a  part  of  Jefferson  county,  being  the  first  settler  in  that  section.  After  he 
had  devoted  himself  to  the  improvement  of  his  farm  for  fifteen  years,  he  began 
contracting  and  building  and  his  operations  extended  over  this  section  of  Idaho 
and  a  part  of  Utah.  He  erected  a  large  number  of  buildings  in  Jefferson  and 
neighboring  counties  and  in  Harrisville,  Utah.  One  of  his  most  noteworthy  achieve- 
ments was  his  promotion  of  the  Poverty  Flat  Irrigation  Canal  Company,  now  the 
Burgess  Canal  Company,  being  the  first  president  of  the  corporation,  the  success- 
ful organization  of  which  was  chiefly  due  to  his  efforts.  In  1911,  he  came  to  Rigby, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  does  a  large  business  in  contracting  and  building. 

On  April  28,  1873,  Mr.  Dabell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Julia  A.  Taylor  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  Mrs.  Dabell  is  the  daughter  of  Pleasant  G.  and  Clara  P. 
(Lake)  Taylor,  natives  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  who  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Utah,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  as  residents  of  Harrisville. 
The  death  of  the  father  occurred  May  18,  1917,  after  he  had  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety  years,  and  that  of  the  mother  on  June  15,  1900,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dabell  have  been  born  sixteen  children,  three  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased; namely:  Joseph,  Alonzo  G.  and  Edwin  G.;  the  others  being:  Alfred  W., 
Annie  L.,  Pleasant  W.,  Maud  E.,  James  L.,  Hattie  M.,  David  L.,  Clara  A.,  Jennie  L., 
Harvey  G.,  Myrl  A.,  Preston  and  Louceal.  There  are  also  forty  grandchildren. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dabell  are  valued  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  of  Rigby  which  the  former  has  served  in  official  capacity  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  bishop  of  Grant  ward  for  fifteen  years  and  since  that 
time  he  has  been  high  counsellor  of  the  Rigby  stake.  He  has  also  served  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school  for  several  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and 
he  has  played  an  active  role  in  the  local  organization  of  his  party  for  many  years. 
As  a  reward  for  his  endeavor  in  behalf  of  his  party,  he  has  been  offered  the  nomina- 
tion for  public  office  but  has  not  seen  fit  to  accept. 


WALTER  R.   SEYMOUR. 

Walter  R.  Seymour,  a  man  of  marked  business  enterprise  who  is  the  president 
of  the  Teton  Realty  Company  and  of  the  Teton  Abstract  Company,  conducting  busi- 
ness at  Driggs,  dates  his  residence  in  Idaho  from  1909,  at  which  time  ill  health  caused 
him  to  seek  a  change  of  climate  and  he  became  a  resident  of  Bonner  county,  this 
state.  He  was  born  at  Wolflake,  Noble  county,  Indiana,  December  12,  1873,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  C.  and  Lydia  (Howenstein)  Seymour,  the  former  a  native  of  the  Hoosier 
state,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Ohio.  The  father  followed  farming  in  Indiana 
for  several  years  in  early  manhood  and  afterward  turned  his  attention  to  commercial 
pursuits  by  becoming  proprietor  of  a  hardware  store.  Later  he  extended  the  scope 
of  his  activities  to  include  all  lines  of  general  merchandise  and  he  remained  in  busi- 
ness at  Wolflake,  his  native  town,  for  many  years,  but  is  now  living  retired  there  at 
the  age  of  seventy.  His  wife  also  survives  and  is  now  sixty-six  years  of  age. 

Walter  R.  Seymour  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  under  the  parental 
roof  at  Wolflake  and  supplemented  his  early  educational  privileges  by  study  in  the 
university  of  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  He  afterward  taught  school  in  Indiana  for  seven 
years  and  then  took  up  the  profession  of  bookkeeping.  He  became  an  expert  accountant 


WALTER  R.  SEYMOUR 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  801 

and  was  thus  engaged  until  ill  health  caused  him  to  give  up  that  work.  It  was  this 
that  occasioned  his  removal  to  the  west  in  1909,  at  which  time  he  established  his 
home  in  Bonner  county,  Idaho.  He  secured  a  homestead  claim  at  Priest  Lake,  which 
he  developed  and  improved,  devoting  seven  years  to  the  cultivation  of  this  land, 
which  he  still  owns.  During  that  time  he  also  did  much  work  as  an  auditor.  In 
September,  1917,  he  removed  to  Driggs  in  order  to  audit  the  county  records  and  after 
finishing  he  decided  to  remain  and  organized  the  Teton  Realty  Company  in  partner- 
ship with  Don  C.  Driggs  and  A.  W.  Clark  and  they  also  bought  out  the  Teton  Abstract 
Company  and  have  since  conducted  both  lines  of  business.  Mr.  Seymonr  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Teton  National  Bank. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1905,  Mr.  Seymour  was  united  In  marriage  to  Miss  Barbara 
M.  Mistlebauer  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  children:  George  P.,  who  died 
in  April,  1910,  at  the  age  of  four  years  and  three  months;  Orraregina,  who  died 
in  1907,  when  but  three  days  old;  one  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary  Patricia,  who  was 
born  March  17,  1913;  and  Walter  Ernest,  born  March  7,  1918. 

Mr.  Seymour  is  secretary  of  the  Driggs  Commercial  Club  and  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  everything  that  has  to  do  with  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  region 
in  which  he  has  located.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  democratic  party 
and  while  he  was  upon  the  ranch  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  from  Bonner 
county  in  1916.  He  became  connected  with  much  constructive  legislation  and  at  all 
times  stood  for  progress  and  improvement  in  affairs  pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  commonwealth.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
his  life  has  ever  been  guided  by  high  and  honorable  principles,  making  him  a  man 
whom  to  know  is  to  esteem. 


RICHARD  A.  REYNOLDS. 

Richard  A.  Reynolds  Is  president  of  the  Filer  Hardware  Company,  Inc.,  of 
Filer,  with  branch  houses  under  the  name  of  Reynolds  Brothers  Company,  as  their 
efforts  and  operations  have  not  been  confined  alone  to  this  town,  for  they  have 
established  branches  at  several  other  points.  The  extent  and  importance  of  their 
commercial  undertakings  place  them  with  the  leading  business  men  of  Twin  Falls 
county.  Richard  A.  Reynolds  was  born  at  Perry,  Pike  county,  Illinois,  October 
16,  1S82,  and  is  a  son  of  Husted  and  Clara  (Hessler)  Reynolds.  His  boyhood  days 
were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  the  public  school  system  of  Illinois  afforded  him 
his  educational  opportunities.  He  started  out  in  the  business  world  as  a  clerk  in 
the  hardware  store  of  Triplett  &  Reynolds  of  Illinois  and  there  remained  until 
1906,  when  he  came  west,  making  Filer,  Idaho,  his  destination.  Here  his  brother, 
Charles  L.,  of  whom  he  is  now  a  business  partner  was  operating  a  hardware  store 
for  the  firm  of  Triplett  &  Reynolds  and  the  two  brothers  then  bought  out  the 
business,  becoming  sole  proprietors.  From  time  to  time  they  have  enlarged  their 
store  until  they  now  carry  a  very  extensive  line  and  have  one  of  the  leading  hard- 
ware establishments  of  this  part  of  the  state,  their  business  house  containing  twenty 
thousand  square  feet.  In  1915  the  brothers  established  a  hardware  store  at  Buhl. 
Idaho,  where  they  are  now  erecting  a  new  building.  In  1916  they  started  a  branch 
store  at  Twin  Falls  and  in  the  fall  of  1917  opened  another  store  at  Burley,  Idaho, 
while  In  1918  they  extended  their  activities  to  Castleford,  opening  a  store  there. 
They  carry  an  extensive  line  of  hardware,  furniture  and  farm  implements  and  they 
are  also  operating  a  garage  at  Filer. 

In  1905  Richard  A.  Reynolds  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  L.  Vail,  a  daughter 
of  Lee  and  Mary  (Elledge)  Vail.  She  was  born  in  Illinois  and  died  in  1917  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  years.  In  1919  Mr.  Reynolds  wedded  Miss  Dorothy  Pierce,  a 
native  of  Twin  Falls  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  C.  and  Emma  (Cochran)  Pierce. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Reynolds  is  an  earnest  republican  and  stanchly  sup- 
ports the  party  principles  but  does  not  seek  nor  desire  office.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  for  two  years  was 
master  of  the  Masonic  lodge.  His  fellow  townsmen,  appreciative  of  his  worth  and 
ability,  recognizing  how  important  a  part  he  has  played  in  the  business  develop- 
ment of  the  community  and  how  at  all  times  he  has  been  loyal  to  the  best  inter- 
ests and  the  upbuilding  of  his  city  and  state,  elected  him  to  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Filer  in  1917.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Telephone  Company 

Vol.  11—51 


802  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  his  services  and  cooperation  can  be  secured  in  support  of  all  plans  and  meas- 
ures which  look  to  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  district.  He  certainly 
deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  as  his  energy  and  determination 
have  carried  him  into  important  relations,  his  industry  enabling  him  to  overcome 
all  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  his  path.  Steadily  he  has  advanced  and  his  life  record 
should  serve  to  inspire  and  encourage  others,  showing  what  can  be  accomplished 
through  individual  activity. 


EUGENE  W.  YEOMANS. 

Eugene  W.  Yeomans,  the  owner  of  the  Yeomans  apartments  in  Boise,  having  also 
large  ranch  and  live  stock  interests  in  Idaho,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Ionia,  Michi- 
gan, February  15,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Walter  and  Jane  (Herrick)^fceomans,  who 
are  still  living  in  Ionia  and  who  celebrated  their  fiftieth  wedding  anniversary  on  the 
2d  of  July,  1918.  Both  are  enjoying  good  health. 

Reared  upon  the  home  farm,  Eugene  W.  Yeomans  attended  the  country  schools 
to  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  then  left  the  parental  roof  to  make  his  start  in 
the  business  world.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  his  youth  and  became  a 
journeyman  printer,  thus  working  for  many  years  at  various  points  in  the  United 
States,  Canada,  Mexico  and  Alaska.  Finally  he  quit  the  printer's  business  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  Chicago,  where  in  1895  he  established  the  first  iron  bedstead  factory 
west  of  Buffalo,  conducting  the  business  for  several  years.  He  then  turned  his 
attention  to  the  building  of  apartment  houses  in  that  city,  where  he  remained  until 
1900,  when  he  went  to  Alaska.  The  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Klondike  was  the  lure 
that  took  him  to  the  far  northwest,  where  he  followed  mining  and  prospecting.  In 
1901  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  settling  at  Boise,  where  he  built  the  Yeomans 
apartments  on  Jefferson  and  Fifth  streets  in  1902.  The  building  includes  eighteen 
different  apartments,  modern  in  construction  and  equipment,  and  to  the  rental  and 
management  of  his  property  Mr.  Yeomans  gives  his  attention  and  also  to  the  super- 
vision of  his  extensive  live  stock  interests  in  this  state. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1905,  Mr.  Yeomans  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Bran- 
stetter,  a  daughter  of  Clay  Branstetter,  a  pioneer  of  Idaho.  They  have  three  children: 
Walter,  Mary  Charlotte  and  Clay.  Mr.  Yeomans  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  progressive  business  man,  actuated  by  a  spirit 
of  advancement  in  all  things,  and  he  puts  the  same  zeal  and  enthusiasm  into  hia 
support 'of  progressive  public  measures  that  he  does  into  the  conduct  of  his  private 
business  affairs. 


JAMES  F.  GRIGGS. 

The  mercantile  establishment  of  James  F.  Griggs  is  one  of  the  leading  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  town  of  Driggs,  Teton  county.  He  is  there  conducting  a 
music  and  book  store,  in  which  he  sells  all  kinds  of  musical  instruments  and  mer- 
chandise, together  with  all  kinds  of  books.  He  has  concentrated  his  efforts  and 
attention  upon  the  music  trade  since  1915  and  has  prospered  in  this  undertaking 
as  the  years  have  gone  by. 

Mr.  Griggs  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  March  9,  1874,  and  after  attend- 
ing the  district  schools  spent  one  year  as  a  student  in  the  Latter-Day  Saints  Uni- 
versity during  the  first  year  of  its  existence.  The  church  which  organized  that 
school  has  always  found  in  him  a  faithful  worker.  He  is  one  of  the  few  who  has 
labored  in  every  office  of  the  priesthood  from  that  of  deacon  to  high  priest.  His 
musical  talent  has  always  been  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  church.  For  four  years 
he  was  ward  organist  in  the  fifteenth  ward  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  then  became 
choir  leader  of  the  same  ward.  He  received  his  musical  instruction  from  Pro- 
fessors Clive  and  J.  J.  Daynes,  the  former  the  tabernacle  organist  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  He  studied  the  pipe  organ  under  Professor  Daynes  for  eighteen  months. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  1897,  Mr.  Griggs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Maude  Eu- 
dora  Pratt,  a  granddaughter  of  Orson  Pratt,  who  was  the  first  pioneer  to  arrive 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  reaching  the  site  of  the  present  intermountain  metropolis  three 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  803 

days  ahead  of  the  other  emigrants.  He  entered  the  Salt  Lake  valley  on  the  21st 
of  July,  1847.  He  was  one  of  the  first  apostles  of  the  Mormon  church  and  it  was 
his  son,  Laron  Pratt,  who  was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Griggs,  while  her  mother  was 
in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Ethelwynne  Brown. 

With  the  musical  interests  of  the  church  the  name  of  Griggs  has  been  asso- 
ciated for  many  years.  Thomas  C.  Griggs,  the  father  of  James  F.  Griggs,  was  on* 
of  the  compilers  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  Psalmody.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
tabernacle  choir  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  led  the  choir  while  E.  Beesley  was 
filling  a  mission.  He  was  also  stake  superintendent  of  Sunday  schools  of  the  Salt 
Lake  stake  for  ten  years  and  was  a  member  of  the  church  general  board  of  Sun- 
day schools  for  a  decade.  He  came  of  English  ancestry  and  when  but  nine  years 
of  age  left  his  native  England  to  come  to  America,  taking  care  of  his  widowed 
mother.  On  the  20th  of  February,  1870,  he  married  Janette  Ure. 

It  was  on  the  10th  of  August,  1898,  that  James  F.  Griggs  left  Utah  to  fill  a 
mission  in  Colorado,  where  he  labored  for  two  years  under  the  late  John  W.  Taylor, 
to  whom  he  was  counselor  for  eight  months.  He  was  left  in  charge  of  the  mis- 
sion for  four  months  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Taylor.  His  wife  was  with  him  on  the 
mission  for  six  months,  acting  as  clerk  in  the  office.  On  the  20th  of  August,  1900, 
he  returned  home  and  was  appointed  manager  of  the  Western  Cooperative  Com- 
pany, filling  that  position  for  six  months,  when  he  decided  to  remove  to  Idaho. 
He  had  visited  the  Teton  valley  in  1889,  when  there  were  but  few  people  living 
there.  He  was  appointed  superintendent  of  Sunday  schools  when  the  stake  was 
first  organized  on  the  2d  of  September,  1901,  and  labored  in  that  capacity  for 
eleven  years.  He  was  also  stake  chorister  for  a  number  of  years,  was  a  high  coun- 
selor for  twelve  years  and  on  the  16th  of  November,  1913,  was  called  into  the  stake 
^presidency  and  labored  in  that  capacity  for  four  and  a  half  years.  Don  C.  Driggs 
was  stake  president  and  William  R.  Durrant  was  first  counselor,  while  Mr.  Griggs 
served  as  second  counselor.  On  the  26th  of  May.  1918,  he  was  appointed  ward 
president  of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association  and  on  the  18th 
of  May,  1919,  was  appointed  stake  superintendent  of  the  Mutual. 

In  Driggs,  Mr.  Griggs  and  his  wife  are  rearing  their  family  of  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living,  and  one  of  the  number  is  now  married.  These  are  Ethel- 
wynne, Lucile,  Preston,  Thomas,  C.  Wanda,  Laron  and  Eudora. 

As  previously  indicated,  Mr.  Griggs  is  a  leading  factor  in  business  circles  and 
in  addition  to  the  conduct  of  his  music  and  book  store  he  follows  farming  and  is 
to  some  extent  engaged  in  dairying.  He  carried  on  general  merchandising  until 
1915,  when  he  concentrated  his  energies  upon  the  music  and  book  trade.  His  life 
has  been  actuated  by  high  and  honorable  principles.  His  interests  have  been  well 
balanced  and  his  activities  have  constituted  a  potent  force  in  the  material,  intellectual 
and  moral  progress  of  the  community. 


WINFIELD   S.    HYDE. 

Winfield  S.  Hyde,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate,  insurance  and  abstract 
business  at  Buhl,  was  born  at  Berlin,  Wisconsin,  June  11,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frank  and  Mary  (Dodge)  Hyde.  His  boyhood  days  were  largely  passed  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  and  in  New  York  city  to  the  year  1872,  when  he  went  with  his  parents 
to  Red  Wing,  Minnesota.  A  subsequent  removal  took  the  family  to  North  Dakota, 
where  Winfleld  S.  Hyde  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  the  occupation 
of  farming,  which  he  conducted  quite  successfully  for  some  time,  until  he  built  a 
large  grain  elevator,  which  was  run  along  independent  lines.  Later  he  entered 
financial  circles  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Hannaford, 
North  Dakota,  of  which  he  continued  as  the  vice  president  for  three  years.  He 
then  left  that  state  to  become  a  resident  of  Idaho,  settling  in  Boise  in  1910.  For 
four  years  he  was  the  state  president  of  the  Anti  Saloon  League  and  then  removed 
to  Buhl,  where  he  purchased  land,  a  part  of  which  he  divided  into  town  lota.  Upon 
these  he  built  houses  for  sale  and  thus  entered  the  field  of  real  estate  activity  in 
Twin  Falls  county.  He  opened  an  office  on  Broadway  and  has  since  engaged  in  the 
real  estate,  insurance  and  abstract  business,  winning  a  good  clientage  in  each  depart- 
ment. He  bought  out  the  business  of  the  Fidelity  Abstract  Company  of  Twin  Falls. 
He  also  purchased  a  third  interest  in  the  Buhl  Auto  Company  and  in  connection 


804  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

with  his  land  engaged  in  running  sheep.  His  business  interests  have  thus  covered 
a  wide  scope  and  have  been  most  capably  managed,  bringing  to  him  a  very  gratify- 
ing measure  of  prosperity. 

In  1886  Mr.  Hyde  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lillian  J.  Barber,  a  native 
of  Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of  George  Barber.  They  have  become 
the  parents  of  four  children:  George  Harold,  Frank  Kenneth,  Charles  W.  and  Kath- 
leen. The  eldest  son  enlisted  at  San  Francisco  in  the  Second  Field  Artillery  and 
arrived  in  France  about  the  time  when  the  armistice  was  signed.  Charles  W.,  who 
was  graduated  from  the  Stout  Institute  at  Menomonie,  Wisconsin,  was  teaching  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  at  the  time  America  entered  the  war  and  there  he  enlisted  in 
the  artillery  branch  of  the  army.  He  is  now  teaching  crippled  and  disabled  soldiers, 
thus  doing  splendid  work  in  the  rehabilitation  of  the  men.  Frank  Kenneth  is  a 
resident  of  Buhl  and  teller  in  the  First  National  Bank. 

Mr.  Hyde  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  he  votes 
with  the  republican  party.  His  has  been  an  active  and  useful  life  and  in  the 
faithful  performance  of  each  day's  duties  he  has  ever  found  inspiration  and  en- 
couragement for  the  labors  of  the  succeeding  day.  As  the  years  have  passed  on 
his  interests  have  broadened  in  scope  and  importance  and  he  is  now  one  of  the 
representative  business  men  of  Buhl. 


CHARLES  E.  SHARP. 

Charles  E.  Sharp  is  the  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Home  Lum- 
ber &  Coal  Company  of  Idaho,  the  general  offices  of  which  are  located  in  the  Yates 
building  in  Boise,  the  company  owning  and  controlling  a  chain  of  sixteen  lumber- 
yards in  this  state  and  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Sharp  dates  his  residence  in  Idaho  from  1911 
and  is  a  native  son  of  Arkansas,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Lockesburg,  near 
Texarkana,  on  the  21st  of  July,  1881,  his  parents  being  Daniel  E.  and  Margaret  (Stall- 
cup)  Sharp,  the  former  still  living  in  Arkansas  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  is 
now  retired  but  was  formerly  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in  land  and 
timber.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1919  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  The  father1 
has  reached  the  age  of  eighty  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Virginia,  October 
2,  1839,  and  he  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  prominent  old  families  of  Virginia, 
while  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  with  the 
Confederate  army. 

Charles  E.  Sharp  was  reared  in  Arkansas  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and 
obtained  a  public  school  and  business  education  in  that  state.  He  then  went  to  Shreve- 
port,  Louisiana,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper,  and  from  1901  until  1905 
he  traveled  out  of  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas,  and  later  made  his  headquarters  at  Fort 
Worth,  Texas,  representing  wholesale  lumber  dealers.  In  1905  he  removed  to  Nor- 
ton, Kansas,  and  during  the  succeeding  six  years  he  established  and  conducted  twelve 
different  lumberyards,  nine  in  Kansas  and  three  in  Oklahoma.  He  then  came  to 
Idaho  and  established  a  lumberyard  at  Weiser,  since  which  time  he  has  opened  fifteen 
other  lumberyards  in  Idaho  and  Oregon.  With  his  removal  to  Idaho  he  bought  out 
the  business  of  the  Weiser  Lumber  Company,  changing  the  name  to  the  Weiser  Lum- 
ber &  Supply  Company,  under  which  name  he  operated  until  July,  1913,  when  the 
present  company  was  organized  and  the  establishment  and  acquisition  of  other  lum- 
beryards was  begun.  The  growth  of  the  business  has  been  steady  and  substantial 
and  their  holdings  now  embrace  sixteen  yards,  the  last  purchase  making  the  company 
owner  of  the  business  formerly  the  property  of  the  Hawkeye  Lumber  Company  at 
Boise.  They  are  now  operating  at  Weiser,  Homedale,  Midvale,  Caldwell,  Mountain 
Home,  Jerome,  Hazelton,  Twin  Falls,  Minidoka,  Buhl,  Menan,  Lewisville  and  Boise  in 
Idaho,  and  at  Vale,  Crane  and  Juntura  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Sharp  has  been  the  directing  head 
of  the  business  throughout  the  entire  period  and  maintained  general  headquarters  at 
Weiser  until  January  1,  1920,  when  the  general  offices  were  removed  to  Boise.  The 
business  thus  developed  is  today  one  of  extensive  and  profitable  proportions  and  Mr. 
Sharp  has  made  for  himself  a  most  creditable  place  in  commercial  circles.  He  is  also 
the  president  of  the  Caldwell  Lumber  &  Coal  Company  of  Caldwell,  Idaho,  and  a 
director  of  the  Western  Retail  Lumbermen's  Association. 

On   the  25th  of  July,  1906,  Mr.   Sharp  was  married  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  807 

to  Miss  Mary  Harris,  and  they  have  three  children:    Helen  Ora,  born   November  26. 
1909;   Carol,  January  6,  1913;   and  Harry  E.,  August  21.  1914. 

Mr.  Sharp  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and 
the  Elks.  He  is  also  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  United  Commercial 
Travelers  and  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce,  associations  which  indicate  the  nature 
of  his  interests  and  activities  aside  from  business  and  also  the  rules  which  govern 
his  conduct.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth  whose  course  always  measures  up  to 
the  highest  principles  of  manhood  and  citizenship.  In  business  affairs  he  is  most 
progressive  and  reliable  and  while  he  has  developed  commercial  interests  of  impor- 
tance, he  has  also  found  time  to  aid  in  the  work  of  general  upbuilding  and  improve- 
ment, making  valuable  contribution  to  public  progress. 


JAMES  A.   BENNETT. 

James  A.  Bennett  is  one  of  the  well  known  residents  of  Ada  county,  where  he 
formerly  served  as  sheriff  and  where  he  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Nampa  and 
Meridian  irrigation  district,  which  has  all  the  water  rights  and  privileges  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Ridenbaugh  ditch  and  includes  also  water  privileges  from  the  gov- 
ernment, or  the  New  York  canal.  Through  the  period  of  his  connection  with  Idaho, 
Mr.  Bennett  has  thus  taken  active  part  in  furthering  the  welfare  and  progress  of 
his  community  along  various  lines.  He  came  to  Idaho  from  Washington  county. 
Missouri,  in  1886  and  has  since  lived  in  Ada  county,  where  throughout  the  entire 
period  he  has  followed  ranching  in  connection  with  his  public  duties. 

Mr.  Bennett  has  always  lived  west  of  the  Mississippi,  his  birth  having  occurred 
at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  January  26,  1865.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  father,  James  F.  Bennett,  is  still  living 
in  Washington  county,  Missouri,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  served  in  the 
Civil  war,  holding  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  Second  Colorado  Cavalry.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Helen  Connel  Williams,  passed  away  in  1917  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Missouri,  where  she  was  born,  while  her  husband  was  a  native  of 
Gainesville,  Missouri.  He  at  one  time  owned  a  homestead  in  Colorado  on  which  the 
present  city  of  Denver  is  partly  built. 

The  youthful  experiences  and  training  of  James  A.  Bennett  were  such  as  to 
qualify  him  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  which  have  devolved  upon  him  in 
later  life.  For  a  third  of  a  century  he  has  lived  in  Ada  county  and  in  1888  he  pre- 
empted a  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  homestead,  of  which  he  still  owns  forty  acres. 
This  is  well  watered  and  highly  cultivated  land,  worth  today  three  hundred  dollars 
per  acre.  While  continuously  engaged  in  ranching  throughout  the  period  of  his 
residence  in  the  northwest,  Mr.  Bennett  has  also  spent  many  years  in  the  employ  of 
irrigation  companies  in  various  responsible  capacities.  For  eleven  years  he  was 
headgate  keeper  and  ditch  walker  for  the  Kidenbaugh  ditch  and  for  the  past  three 
years  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Nampa  and  Meridian  irrigation  district,  a 
vast  stretch  of  territory  reaching  along  the  Boise  valley  all  the  way  from  Barber  to 
the  -Deer  Flat  reservoir  in  Canyon  county.  It  embraces  a  body  of  fine  farming 
country  fully  fifty  miles  in  length  with  an  average  width  of  several  miles,  and  there 
are  over  four  thousand  water  users.  In  1903  Mr.  Bennett  purchased  his  present 
home  property,  a  beautiful  little  ranch  on  the  Barber  road  about  a  mile  west  of  the 
town  of  Barber  and  flve  miles  east  of  Boise.  Here  he  has  lived  for  sixteen  years 
and  has  one  of  the  handsomest  country  homes  in  the  upper  Boise  valley.  All  of  the 
trees  have  been  set  out  and  the  improvements  made  upon  the  place  by  Mr.  Bennett. 
His  present  home  is  a  two-story  frame  residence  of  generous  proportions,  erected  in 
1910.  It  stands  well  back  from  the  highway  in  a  cluster  of  large  maples  and  with 
a  terraced  lawn  and  flower  gardens  in  front. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1888,  Mr.  Bennett  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Oben- 
chain,  a  daughter  of  James  Obenchain,  a  pioneer  of  the  Wood  river  country.  She 
passed  away  October  10,  1898,  leaving  three  children,  one  of  whom  has  since  de- 
parted this  life.  The  others  are:  Mary  Helen,  now  the  wife  of  B.  Scrlvner,  of 
Boise;  and  Clennie,  twenty-six  years  of  age.  who  is  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  as  a  trapper,  his  duties  being  to  trap  predatory  animals.  On  the 
10th  of  January,  1900,  James  A.  Bennett  wedded  Mrs.  Cassie  Kelley.  of  Piedmont, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Missouri,  and  they  have  one  son,  Paul,  born  May  10,  1901.  When  the  armistice  was 
signed  Clennie  Bennett  was  at  Camp  Lewis  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  army. 
•  Mr.  Bennett  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  past  grand  of  his  lodge.  He  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In  1909  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  sheriff  of  Ada  county,  in  which  position  he  served  for  two  years,  for 
the  law  which  then  existed  precluded  a  reelection.  He  has  ever  been  loyal  and 
progressive  in  citizenship  and  at  all  times  has  stood  for  advancement  and  improve- 
ment in  those  things  which  affect  the  material  welfare  and  the  social  and  moral 
progress  of  the  community. 


ROBIN  C.  BUERKI,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Robin  C.  Buerki,  physician  and  surgeon  of  Boise,  associated  in  practice 
with  Dr.  J.  L.  Stewart,  was  born  at  Black  Earth,  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  July  25, 
1892,  and  is  a  son  of  Otto  C.  and  Catherine  (Kuntz)  Buerki.  The  father  is  of  Swiss 
and  Italian  descent,  while  the  mother  comes  of  French  Huguenot  and  Holland 
Dutch  ancestry.  Both  parents  were  born,  however,  in  the  United  States  and  are 
now  living  in  Madison,  Wisconsin. 

Dr.  Buerki  acquired  his  education  largely  in  the  schools  of  Waukesha,  Wis- 
consin, and  was  there  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1911.  His 
collegiate  training  was  received  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  where  he  won  the 
Bachelor  of  Science  degree  upon  graduation  with  the  class  of  1915.  His  professional 
course  was  pursued  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1917  with  the  M.  D.  degree.  He  was  then  made 
chief  resident  physician  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  where  he  spent 
a  year,  gaining  that  broad  and  valuable  practical  experience  which  hospital  practice 
brings.  This  was  indicative  of  his  high  standing  in  scholarship  as  a  student  at 
the  State  University  and  during  his  service  as  resident  physician  he  had  twenty- 
two  physicians  under  his  direction.  In  December,  1917,  he  was  commissioned  a 
first  lieutenant  of  the  United  States  Army  Medical  Corps  and  served  until  May  7, 
1919,  being  on  duty  much  of  the  time  at  the  United  States  Army  Hospital  at  Cape 
May,  New  Jersey,  engaging  in  brain  and  nerve  surgery. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1919,  Dr.  Buerki  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  has  since 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  has  already  won  a  liberal 
support.  While  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin  he  had  taught  in  the  department 
of  clinical  medicine.  He  made  his  way  through  that  institution  and  also  through 
medical  college  by  his  own  efforts,  and  the  elemental  strength  of  his  character 
thus  displayed  promises  well  for  a  successful  future.  It  is  his  purpose  to  specialize 
in  surgery  and  he  is  bending  every  effort  toward  that  end,  continuing  his  reading 
and  studying  with  the  result  that  he  is  constantly  promoting  his  skill  and  efficiency. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1918,  Dr.  Buerki  was  married  at  Oswego,  New  York, 
to  Miss  Emma  Louise  Matthews,  also  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
in  fact  they  were  classmates  in  that  institution.  Dr.  Buerki  is  of  Revolutionary  war 
descent  on  his  mother's  side  and  is  therefore  eligible  to  membership  with  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  While  he  and  his  wife  have  made  their  home  in  Boise 
for  but  a  brief  period,  they  have  already  gained  wide  recognition  in  social  circles 
and  the  number  of  their  friends  is  constantly  increasing  as  the  circle  of  their 
acquaintance  broadens. 


WALTER  S.  KEITH. 

Walter  S.  Keith,  founder  and  proprietor  of  the  only  exclusive  clothing  and  men's 
.furnishing  goods  store  in  Emmett,  established  the  business  in  1913  an'd  has  now  con- 
ducted it  successfully  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  developing  one  of  the  finest  stores 
of  the  kind  in  this  section  of  Idaho,  it  being  the  expression  of  his  progressive  spirit, 
his  determination  aad  laudable  ambition. 

Mr.  Keith  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Lake  county,  South  Dakota,  October  25,  1880, 
and  is  the  eldest  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  whose  parents  are 
Elbert  C.  and  Alice '(Perry)  Keith,  the  former  now  a  prominent  and  successful  cloth- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  809 

ing  merchant  of  Payette.  Idaho,  being  the  founder  and  senior  partner  in  the  firm 
of  E.  C.  Keith  &  Son,  the  Junior  partner  being  Robert  M.  Keith,  the  youngest  brother 
of  Walter  S.  Elbert  C.  Keith  is  of  Scotch  descent,  his  first  American  ancestor  set- 
tling in  Massachusetts.  His  father,  Sumner  M.  Keith,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1828  and 
went  to  Wisconsin  about  1850.  There  he  followed  farming  until  1860,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  there  residing  until  his  death  in  1906.  He 
wedded  Mary  Brierly,  who  was  a  native  of  Minnesota  and  of  English  lineage.  She 
died  in  Marquette  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1856. 

Their  only  child  was  Elbert  C.  Keith,  who  was  born  in  Marquette  county,  Wis- 
consin, July  12,  1853.  He  spent  his  youth  upon  a  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  rural 
schools  of  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  went  to 
Lake  county,  South  Dakota,  where  he  followed  farming  and  also  served  for  a  term 
as  county  clerk  and  for  two  terms  as  county  auditor.  He  afterward  engaged  in  news- 
paper work  in  Madison.  Lake  county,  as  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Madison  Inde- 
pendent and  on  the  1st  of  October,  1902,  he  became  a  resident  of  Payette,  Idaho, 
where  be  is  now  engaged  in  the  clothing  business,  having  a  large  and  well  appointed 
establishment  which  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  greater  size  than  Payette. 
He  belongs  to  the  Commercial  Club  of  that  city  and  is  keenly  interested  in  every- 
thing having  to  do  with  the  general  welfare.  He  votes  with  the  democratic  party 
but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  On  the  28th  of  November,  1898,  at  Man- 
kato,  Minnesota,  he  wedded  Alice  Perry,  daughter  of  Samuel  S.  Perry  and  a  native  of 
Minnesota.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keith  became  the  parents  of  seven  children:  Walter  S.; 
Robert  M.,  who  is  his  father's  partner  in  business;  Eugene  G.;  Ray  G. ;  Zadie;  Nellie; 
and  Wayne. 

Walter  S.  Keith  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  South  Dakota  and  pursued  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  while  later  he  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Madison,  South  Dakota.  Since  that  time  he  has  engaged  in  business  pursuits.  When 
a  youth  of  nineteen  and  for  two  years  thereafter  he  belonged  to  an  amateur  baseball 
team  of  South  Dakota.  In  1912  he  came  to  Idaho  and  in  the  following  year  organized 
the  business  in  Emmett  of  which  he  is  now  the  head.  His  store  carries  the  Hart, 
Schaffner  &  Marx  clothing  and  other  attractive  and  staple  lines  of  men's  furnishings 
and  shoes.  The  store  is  well  appointed  in  every  particular  and  a  very  gratifying  busi- 
ness has  been  built  up. 

Mr.  Keith  was  married  October  7,  1908,  at.  Madison,  South  Dakota,  to  Miss  K 
Blanche  Ball,  who  was  born  in  Lake  county,  South  Dakota,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Fred 
G.  and  Julia  A.  (Hancock)  Ball,  who  are  still  residing  in  South  Dakota.  The  three 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keith  are:  Karleen,  born  October  11,  1909;  Marian,  Febru- 
ary 12,  1912;  and  Eleanor  Gene,  April  18,  1916. 

Mr.  Keith  is  a  member  of  the  Emmett  Commercial  Club  and  of  the  Emmett  Gun 
Club  and  is  fond  of  hunting,  fishing  and  other  outdoor  sports.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  his  wife  with  the  P.  E.  O.  sisterhood 
and  both  are  consistent  and  loyal  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Their  inter- 
ests are  sane  and  normal,  their  activities  resultant,  and  their  support  of  all  those 
interests  which  make  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind has  resulted  to  the  benefit  and  progress  of  Emmett,  where  they  are  most  widely 
and  favorably  known. 


FRANK  D.  BOWEN. 

Frank  D.  Bowen,  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Cash  Bazar  Company. 
Inc.,  of  Emmett,  is  in  this  connection  actively  identified  with  the  management  of  a 
leading  department  store,  carrying  a  large  and  attractive  line  of  goods,  which  finds 
a  ready  sale  upon  the  market,  owing  to  the  reasonable  prices  of  the  house  and  the 
efforts  of  the  proprietors  to  render  adequate  service  to  the  public. 

Mr.  Bowen  was  born  in  Richmond,  Missouri,  October  22,  1879,  a  son  of  John  W. 
and  Mary  A.  (Brown)  Bowen,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio  respectively. 
The  father  was  born  at  Bridgewater,  Virginia,  September  21,  1853.  and  is  still  living, 
making  his  home  in  the  city  of  Louisiana.  For  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  he  has 
been  in  the  United  States  postal  service  and  is  now  the  assistant  postmaster  of 
Louisiana,  Missouri,  a  position  which  he  has  held  for  twenty  years.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  February  5,  1856,  and  departed  this  life  in  Louisiana,  Missouri, 


810  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

July  12,  1894.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowen  were  born  three  children,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living. . 

Frank  D.  Bowen  is  the  eldest  of  the  children  and  his  only  sister  is  Mrs.  Emily 
O.  Holding,  of  Stanberry,  Missouri,  while  his  brother  is  John  R.  Bowen,  also  living 
at  Stanberry.  The  brother  and  brother-in-law  are  partners  there  in  a  mercantile 
business  which  they  are  conducting  under  the  name  of  the  Holding  &  Bowen  Dry 
Goods  Company,  a  business  which  was  originally  founded  by  Frank  D.  Bowen  of  this 
review  in  1904. 

It  was  at  Louisiana,  Missouri,  that  Frank  D.  Bowen  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth,  his  parents  having  removed  from  Richmond  to  that  place  when  he  was 
a  little  lad  of  but  six  years.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  graduated  from  the 
high  school  of  Louisiana  and  later  he  entered  upon  his  business  career.  From  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  has  been  connected  with  mercantile  pursuits,  at  that  time  entering 
the  employ  of  a  dry  goods  firm  in  Louisiana,  with  which  he  remained  for  several  years. 
He  then  went  to  Chicago  and  for  three  years  was  a  salesman  in  the  dry  goods  house 
of  Marshall  Field  &  Company.  In  1904  he  established  business  on  his  own  account 
at  Stanberry,  Missouri,  opening  a  dry  goods  store,  'in  which  he  retained  an  interest 
for  several  years  but  finally  sold  to  his  brother-in-law.  In  the  meantime,  or  in  1906, 
he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  for  six  years  he  was  traveling  representative  in  the  southern 
states  for  the  Ely  &  Walker  Dry  Goods  Company  of  that  city,  handling  silks  and  dress 
goods.  In  1912  he  resigned  his  position  as  a  traveling  salesman  and  went  to  San 
Francisco,  where  he  spent  a  year,  while  subsequently  he  was  for  a  year  a  resident 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  there  filled  the  position  of  department  manager  in  one  of 
the  large  department  stores  of  the  city. 

In  1914  Mr.  Bowen  came  to  Idaho  and  for  two  years  he  was  employed  by  the  firm 
of  C.  C.  Anderson  &  Company,  being  thus  active  as  a  buyer  at  their  Golden  Rule 
store.  He  later  spent  two  years  as  a  buyer  for  the  dry  goods  department  of  the 
Pueblo  Store  Company  of  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  in  1918  he  returned  to  Boise  and 
became  buyer  of  the  dry  goods  department  of  the  Cash  Bazar  of  that  city.  In  March, 
1919,  he  resigned  his  position  and  with  others  organized  and  incorporated  the  Cash 
Bazar  Company  of  Emmett,  of  which  he  has  since  been  the  vice-president  and  general 
manager,  Eugene  Reilly,  of  Boise,  being  its  president,  while  Thomas  N.  Nelson,  of 
Boise,  is  secretary  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Bowen  resides  in  Emmett  and  is  sole  manager 
of  the  business.  The  store  is  thirty  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  and  has  a  balcony 
thirty  by  fifty-five  feet.  This  is  one  of  Emmett's  best  department  stores,  an  attractive 
line  of  goods  being  carried,  while  pie  business  methods  of  the  house  commend  them, 
to  the  public,  for  the  Cash  Bazar  Company  is  at  all  times  thoroughly  reliable  in  its 
business  methods  and  puts  forth  every  effort  to  please  its  patrons. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1907,  Mr.  B,owen  was  married  to  Miss  Pearl  Eugene 
Timbrook,  of  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  who  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  there. 
Mr.  Bowen  is  vice-president  of  the  Emmett  Commercial  Club  and  is  keenly  interested 
in  all  the  projects  put  forth  by  that  organization  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city. 
Fraternally  he  is  an  Elk,  having  his  membership  in  the  lodge  at  Boise,  and  he  is 
also  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  fond  of  outdoor  sports,  such  as 
hunting  and  fishing,  and  turns  to  these  for  recreation  when  opportunity  permits.  Hia 
business  affairs,  however,  claim  the  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention.  He  closely 
studies  the  trade  and  the  market  conditions  as  well  as  the  demands  of  the  public 
and  his  progressiveness  is  constantly  manifest  in  the  appearance  of  the  store  and  in 
the  methods  followed  in  meeting  the  trade.  Longfellow  has  said:  "The  talent  of 
success  is  nothing  more  than  doing  what  you  can  do  well,  without  thought  of  fame." 
Throughout  his  career  the  business  of  Mr.  Bowen  has  ever  balanced  up  with  the 
principles  of  truth  and  honor  and  he  has  made  his  establishment  one  of  the  centers 
of  commercial  activity  in  Emmett%nd  Gem  county. 


JOHN  BUXTON. 

John  Buxton,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Driggs,  was  born  in-  Sheffield,  England,  in 
March,  1843.  He  has  therefore  passed  the  seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life's  journey 
and  his  has  been  an  active  and  useful  career,  in  which  his  well  directed  interests  have 
brought  him  substantial  success,  enabling  him  now  to  rest  from  further  labor.  He  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Camel)  Buxton,  who  were  also  natives  of  England. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  BUXTON 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  813 

In  1847  the  father  passed  away  in  England  and  in  1849  the  mother  with  her  family 
crossed  the  Atlantic  and  settled  in  St  Louis  and  there  in  1849  she  passed  away,  a  victim 
of  the  cholera  epidemic.  In  1853  the  family  came  to  Utah,  crossing  the  plains  with 
ox  teams  and  settling  in  Salt  Lake  City.  John  Buxton  began  herding  cattle  and  was 
employed  on  various  ranches  to  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  when  he  made  his  way 
to  the  Cache  valley  of  Utah,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  district. 
In  1863  he  went  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  the  following  year  returned  to  Utah  with  a 
party  of  immigrants  and  a  large  amount  of  freight.  He  experienced  all  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier.  He  took  up  land  near  Smith- 
field  and  cultivated  and  improved  the  place,  continuing  its  further  development  until 
1900,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to  Teton  county,  Idaho,  then  a  part  of 
Fremont  county.  He  purchased  land  near  Driggs,  about  four  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
town,  and  at  once  began  to  till  the  soil  and  plant  his  crops.  Year  after  year  he  continued 
the  work  of  improving  the  farm  until  1918,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life 
and  removed  to  Driggs,  where  he  purchased  a  nice  home  that  he  has  since  occupied. 
He  and  his  son  Stillman  own  together  a  thousand  acres  of  good  land  and  he  is  a 
stockholder  and  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Driggs,  in  the  Driggs  Light  & 
Power  Company,  of  which  he  is  vice-president  and  one  of  the  directors,  and  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Palace  Garage  Company  and  in  the  Beet  Growers  Sugar  Company  of  Rigby. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1865,  Mr.  Buxton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Pond  and  to  them  were  born  eleven  children:  Alfred,  Lewis,  Elizabeth,  Thaddeus, 
Stillman,  Laura,  Florence,  Verley  W.,  Joseph,  Sarah,  and  Camel,  deceased.  The  wife 
and  mother  passed  away  in  August,  1919  after  an  illness  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Buxton's  political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  has  served 
as  county  commissioner  but  otherwise  has  not  sought  nor  filled  office.  Throughout  his 
life  he  has  found  inspiration  and  courage  for  the  labors  of  the  morrow  through  the  faith- 
ful discharge  of  each  day's  duties  and  he  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  sound  judgment 
and  enterprise  whose  business  affairs  have  been  wisely  and  carefully  conducted  and  whose 
industry  and  perseverance  have  been  the  basis  of  his  growing  success.  He  has  now 
largely  put  aside  the  more  active  labors  of  life  and  is  enjoying  in  well  earned  rest  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil. 


FRED  BRANDES. 

Among  the  progressive  business  enterprises  of  Payette  is  that  conducted  by  the 
Idaho  Vinegar  &  Pickle  Company,  of  which  Fred  Brandes  is  the  manager.  In  the 
development  of  this  business  he  has  displayed  a  most  progressive  spirit,  has  carefully 
studied  business  conditions  and  has  developed  the  trade  according  to  the  demands 
of  the  times,  the  business  of  the  firm  having  now  reached  extensive  and  gratifying 
proportions.  Mr.  Brandes  is  still  a  young  man  for  whom  the  future  undoubtedly  holds 
greater  success.  He  was  born  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  December  31,  1892,  and  there  at- 
tended the  public  schools  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  made  his  initial  step 
in  the  business  world  by  securing  a  clerical  position  that  he  occupied  for  two  years. 
He  then  pursued  a  business  course  in  Boyles  College  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  after 
which  he  accepted  a  clerical  position  with  the  Standard  Distilling  A  Distributing 
Company.  Subsequently  he  spent  two  years  with  the  Studebaker  corporation  and  in 
1914,  in  order  to  gain  a  broader  knowledge  of  the  country  and  its  possibilities,  he 
went  to  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  where  he  visited  friends. 

The  year  1916  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Brandes  in  Idaho,  and  two  years  later 
he  became  the  manager  of  the  Idaho  Vinegar  &  Pickle  Company,  located  at  Payette. 
This  company  was  organized  in  1915  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  apple  cider, 
vinegar  and  pickles  and  their  output  in  vinegar  is  about  thirty-five  hundred  barrels 
of  fifty  gallons  capacity  or  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  gallons  annually. 
They  employ  from  five  to  fifteen  people  according  to  the  season.  It  is  their  intention  to 
immediately  enlarge  their  plant  to  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  gal- 
lons, after  which  they  will  make  use  of  from  thirty  to  forty  tanks  of  various  sizes 
for  their  product  in  its  various  stages  of  development.  They  also  make  a  concentrated 
cider  from  their  own  formula,  for  which  patents  are  pending.  A  tablespoonful  of 
this  concentrated  liquid  will  make  a  glass  of  delicious  cider.  Their  trade  extends 
throughout  eastern  Oregon,  southern  Idaho  and  to  Butte  and  Helena,  Montana,  in  the 
sale  of  vinegar  and  pickles,  while  their  cider  product  has  a  market  throughout  the 


814  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

entire  middle  west,  as  far  east  as  St.  Louis,  Sioux  City,  Omaha  and  Kansas  City. 
This  rapidly  developing  interest  is  a  potential  force  in  the  upbuilding  of  Payette 
and  Fred  Brandes  ranks  as  one  of  the  valued  and  progressive  business  men  of  the 
city. 


H.  E.  WILFONG. 

H.  E.  Wilfong,  who  follows  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Plymouth,  was  born  in 
Brown  county,  Kansas,  August  25,  1880.  His  father,  Sylvester  Wilfong,  was  a  native 
of  Iowa  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Kansas  in  pioneer  times,  the  family  there  resid- 
ing for  thirty  years.  Sylvester  Wilfong  was  married  to  Frances  Myers,  a  native  of 
Kansas,  whose  parents,  Samuel  and  Jane  Myers,  settled  in  that  state  in  the  early  '50s, 
the  father  arriving  there  in  1854  and  the  mother  in  1856. 

H.  E.  Wilfong  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state.  In  1903  he 
accompanied  his  mother  to  Idaho  and  settled  in  Payette  county,  purchasing  the  forty 
acres  of  land  whereon  he  now  resides,  situated  about  three  miles  west  of  New  Plymouth. 
It  was  then  a  tract  of  raw  land  and  he  at  once  began  to  clear  away  the  brush  and  develop 
the  place  into  productive  fields.  He  has  succeeded  in  bringing  it  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  has  built  thereon  a  fine  country  home.  He  has  eight  acres  planted  to 
apples  and  while  they  are  yet  young  trees,  he  has  raised  a  fine  crop,  selling,  his  apples 
in  1919  for  fifty-five  dollars  a  ton,  delivered  loose.  He  also  raises  dairy  stock  and  milks 
nine  cows,  and  has  two  hundred  and  fifteen  head  of  sheep  and  a  few  hogs.  Seventeen 
acres  of  his  land  is  planted  to  wheat  and  thirty-three  acres  to  alfalfa  and  in  addition  to 
his  first  place  he  has  acquired  another  forty  acre  tract,  making  his  possessions  eighty 
acres  in  all.  He  raises  all  of  his  own  horses  and  at  the  present  time  has  eight  head.  In 
addition  to  his  property  in  Payette  county  he  has  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  at  Dead  Ox  Flat,  Idaho,  and  has  an  interest  in  his  father's  estate  of  four 
hundred  acres  in  Kansas,  including  some  of  the  finest  land  to  be  found  in  the  country. 

In  1902  Mr.  Wilfong  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Berkley,  a  native  of  Kansas  and 
a  daughter  of  Milton  and  Mary  E.  (Stephens)  Berkley.  Her  father  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  her  mother  in  Kansas,  the  maternal  grandfather  having  been  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  Sunflower  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilfong  have  two  children:  Forrest  R., 
sixteen  years  of  age,  who  was  born  in  Kansas;  and  Fern  R.,  born  in  Idaho.  Mr.  Wilfong 
has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to  come  to  the  northwest,  for  here  he 
found  the  opportunities  which  he  sought  and  in  their  utilization  has  made  a  place  for 
himself  among  the  representative  business  men  and  progressive  farmers  of  Payette 
county. 


WILLIAM  S.  SNYDER. 

William  S.  Snyder  is  the  manager  of  the  Idaho  Falls  Times  and  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Dennis  &  Snyder,  owners  of  this  paper,  which  is  an  interesting  journal,  published 
at  Idaho  Falls,.  Idaho.  A  native  son  of  Ohio,  he  was  born  at  Saint  Paris,  August  12. 
1880,  his  parents  being  George  W.  and  Mary  (Valentine)  Snyder,  who  were  likewise 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  state. 

William  S.  Snyder  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade, 
at  which  he  began  to  work  when  a  youth  of  fourteen,  and  four  years  later  he  left 
Ohio  to  become  a  resident  of  Illinois.  He  was  employed  at  his  trade  in  Tuscola,  Illi- 
nois, for  several  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Garrett,  Douglas  county,  in  the  same 
state,  in  1901.  There  he  established  a  newspaper  and  continued  its  publication  for  a 
year.  He  afterward  worked  in  different  places  until  October,  1906,  when  he  came  to 
Idaho,  settling  at  Idaho  Falls. 

In  1915  he  formed  a  partnership  with  S.  W.  Dennis  and  purchased  the  Idaho  Falls 
Times,  which  had  been  established  by  Mr.  Dennis  some  years  before,  although  his  own- 
ership thereof  had  not  been  continuous.  They  have  a  finely  equipped  plant  and  do  a 
large  job  printing  business,  turning  out  work  of  the  highest  order  and  efficiency.  They 
have  also  made  the  Times  a  most  interesting  paper  and  are  meeting  with  substantial 
success. 

In  August,   1905,  Mr.   Snyder  was  united   in  marriage  to  Miss  Jessie  Wedge  at 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  815 

Quincy,  Illinois,  and   to  them  have  been  born  three  children:     William  W.,  born  in 
April,  1910;  Florence  E.,  in  July,  1912;  and  Julia  M.,  in  October,  1915. 

Mr.  Snyder  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  political 
endorsement  is  given  to  the  democratic  party,  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  In  these  associations  are  found  the  rules  which  govern  his  con- 
duct and  shape  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen.  He  is  ever  loyal  to  any  cause  which  he 
espouses,  and  his  devotion  to  any  project  which  he  endorses  is  unfaltering. 


HARVEY   E.  TAIT. 

Harvey  E.  Tait,  of  the  firm  of  Hank  &  Tait,  is  engaged  in  sheep  raising  and  ranch- 
ing on  section  16,  range  36,  Twin  Falls  county.  He  was  born  in  Ontario.  Canada, 
on  the  13th  of  August,  1890,  his  parents  being  John  Osborne  and  Elizabeth  (Baker) 
Tait.  He  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  pursued  a 
public  school  education  there,  but  thinking  to  find  better  business  opportunities  and 
conditions  elsewhere,  he  left  Canada  and  on  the  2d  of  May,  1912,  arrived  in  Idaho, 
taking  up  his  abode  at  Twin  Falls.  Throughout  the  intervening  period  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  state,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  its  stock  raising  interests.  For  a  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of  a  Mr. 
Quigley  on  a  dairy  farm,  remaining  there  for  about  eight  months.  Later  he  and  Mr. 
Hank  rented  a  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Sturgeon  ranch,  comprising  seventy  acres, 
and  resided  thereon  for  three  years.  In  1915  they  purchased  their  present  ranch  prop- 
erty of  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  acres,  to  which  they  have  since  added  forty  acres. 
In  1917  they  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  north  and  west  of  Shoshone  and 
have  converted  it  into  a  modern  sheep  ranch.  They  are  well  known  sheepmen  of 
this  section  of  the  state,  having  greatly  increased  their  flocks  until  they  now  have 
large  interests  of  that  character.  Both  men  started  out  in  life  empty-handed,  but  from 
the  beginning  displayed  industry  and  were  never  afraid  of  hard  work.  Gradually  they 
have  progressed  and  they  are  now  large  landowners  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Idaho 
and  are  the  owners  of  hundreds  of  sheep,  being  thus  actively  connected  with  what  is 
today  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Tait  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  all 
those  forces  which  work  for  the  uplift  of  the  individual  and  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind in  general.  In  community  affairs  he  stands  for  all  those  forces  which  are  a  mat- 
ter of  civic  virtue  and  of  civic  pride. 


J.  R.  POTTER. 

J.  R.  Potter  is  now  living  retired  near  Eagle  but  for  many  years  was  identified 
with  mining  and  agricultural  interests  in  Ada  county  and  by  reason  of  his  untiring 
industry  and  persistency  of  purpose  acquired  the  capital  that  now  enables  him  to  enjoy 
well  earned  rest.  He  was  born  in  Springfield,  Greene  county,  Missouri,  September  24, 
1844.  and  there  acquired  his  early  education.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  for  service  and  became  a  corporal  of  Company  D,  Sixteenth  Missouri  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  remaining  with  that  command  until  honorably  discharged  June  30,  1865.  He 
had  been  wounded  in  the  Battle  of  the  Blue,  which  occurred  on  the  present  site  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  October  23,  1864.  This  wound  caused  the  loss  of  his  leg  in 
later  life,  following  his  removal  to  Idaho.  He  did  not  feel  any  serious  ill  effects  from 
the  wound  for  several  years,  but  it  became  necessary  to  amputate  his  leg  above  the 
knee  in  1899. 

Following  the  close  of  his  military  experience  J.  R.  Potter  devoted  his  attention 
to  farming  in  Missouri  until  1875.  He  was  married  in  that  state  in  July,  1869,  to 
Miss  Martha  Frances  Breshears,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  Breshears,  representative  of 
one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  pioneer  families  of  Idaho,  her  father  coming  to  this 
state  with  Mr.  Potter.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Potter  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the 
eldest,  Wesley  F.,  is  now  deceased.  James  M.,  forty-six  years  of  age,  married  Ida 
Clemens,  of  Idaho,  and  became  the  father  of  seven  children,  namely:  Edward  M.,  twen- 
ty-three years  of  age.  who  served  for  four  years  in  the  navy  before  the  declaration  of 
war  and  was  in  the  army  in  France  as  supply  sergeant  of  the  Three  Hundred  and  Forty- 


816  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

sixth  Field  Artillery,  Ninety-first  Division,  being  honorably  discharged  February  27, 
1919;  Mabel,  the  widow  of  Silas  Monroe;  Grace,  Beulah,  Helen  and  Alice,  at  home; 
and  Frank,  deceased.  James  M.  is  the  secretary  of  the  Farmers  Union  Ditch  and  a 
school  director.  Reuben  E.  Potter,  the  third  member  of  the  family,  forty-four  years 
of  age,  is  connected  with  the  sheep  industry  in  Idaho.  William  A.,  the  fourth  son, 
was  in  a  hospital  in  France,  having  sustained  a  severe  shrapnel  wound  during  the  bat- 
tle of  Chateau  Thierry,  in  which  he  served  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sixth  Heavy 
Field  Artillery  of  the  Forty-second  (Rainbow)  Division  as  first  gunner,  and  was  hon- 
orably discharged  and  is  now  in  Idaho.  Thomas  W.,  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  was 
also  in  France  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Three  Hundred  and  Twelfth  Field  Remount  Squad 
of  the  First  Army,  Fifth  Corps,  and  was  on  detached  service,  conducting  a  garden  farm. 
He  served  with  the  rank  of  corporal.  Albert,  thirty-six  years  of  age,  is  a  commercial 
traveler.  Jessie  F.,  the  seventh  of  the  family,  is  the  wife  of  Jesse  Justus,  who  follows 
farming  near  Nampa,  and  they  have  one  child,  Claude.  Mrs.  Martha  Frances  Potter, 
the  mother  of  these  children,  passed  away  in  Bellevue,  Idaho,  in  1888. 

It  was  on  the  10th  of  May,  1875,  that  Mr.  Potter,  leaving  his  family  in  Missouri, 
started  across  the  plains  with  oxen,  horses  and  mule  teams  from  Bolivar,  Missouri,  and 
arrived  at  Montpelier,  Idaho,  on  the  15th  of  August.  He  went  to  Rocky  Bar,  where 
he  worked  in  the  mines  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to  Missouri  for  his  family,  whom 
he  brought  to  the  northwest,  driving  across  the  country  with  horse  team  and  wagon. 
The  trip  was  without  unusual  incident  until  they  reached  Cokeville,  Wyoming,  where 
they  were  compelled  to  remain  for  a  few  days  while  the  Indians  were  being  rounded 
up  and  put  on  the  reservation.  In  1878  he  participated  in  the  Indian  war  in  Idaho. 
Mr.  Potter  located  at  Rocky  Bar,  where  he  resumed  mining  on  leased  claims  with 
varied  success  for  ten  years.  He  then  went  to  Bellevue,  Idaho,  where  he  engaged  in 
mining  until  he  met  with  a  serious  accident  caused  by  a  cave-in  in  1889.  This  oc- 
casioned internal  injuries  which  caused  him  to  abandon  mining  altogether.  Removing 
to  the  Boise  valley  of  Idaho,  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  which  he  continuously 
and  successfully  followed  until  the  injury  which  he  had  sustained  in  the  Civil  war 
caused  him  to  lose  his  leg.  He  made  his'  home  at  Star  but  at  that  time  sold  the  prop- 
erty, and  retiring  from  active  life,  now  lives  with  his  nephew,  Joe  H.  Breshears,  near 
Eagle. 

Mr.  Potter  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and 
for  six  years  was  a  member  of  the  county  central  committee.  He  has  served  as  notary 
public  and  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  on  many  occasions  has  refused  to  hold  office 
in  the  county.  His  life  has  been  one  of  industry  and  activity  until  recent  years  and 
at  all  times  he  has  given  valuable  service  to  his  country,  whether  on  the  field  of 
battle  or  in  support  of  progressive  civic  measures. 


JUDGE  JOHN  DONALDSON. 

Judge  John  Donaldson,  a  resident  of  Fremont  county  since  1884,  now  making  his 
•home  at  Teton,  was  born  in  England,  September  30,  1842,  while  his  parents,  William 
and  Rachel  (Notman)  Donaldson,  were  there  on  a  visit.  They  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land and  came  to  America  in  1814,  settling  in  Massachusetts.  The  father  was  employed 
at  mechanical  engineering  in  that  state  and  he  was  interested  in  the  first  railroads 
built  in  this  country.  He  remained  in  America  until  1842,  when  he  returned  to  England, 
being  called  there  as  a  consulting  engineer.  Immediately  after  the  birth  of  his  son 
John,  Mr.  Donaldson  returned  with  his  family  to  the  United  States,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  Boston.  A  few  years  later  he  was  again  called  back  to  England  and  there 
met  with  an  accident  which  occasioned  his  death.  His  widow  remained  in  Great  Britain 
with  her  son  John,  then  a  little  lad  of  six  or  seven  years,  and  he  acquired  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Edinburgh.  When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  they  came  to  America 
and  the  mother  resided  in  Boston  throughout  her  remaining  days,  her  death  occurring 
in  1880. 

In  early  life  John  Donaldson  entered  the  chemical  department  of  a  dye  house  and 
prepared  materials  for  dyeing.  He  continued  in  that  business  in  Scotland  while  attend- 
ing school  for  three  years,  and  after  his  return  to  Boston  he  engaged  in  clerking  for 
a  time.  Later  he  was  in  an  attorney's  office  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  went 
back  to  England,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  then  again  came  to  the  new 
world  and  made  his  home  in  Utah,  where  he  located  in  1863.  He  took  up  land  in  the 


JUDGE  JOHN  DONALDSON 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  819 

Cache  valley  and  improved  and  cultivated  his  farm  there  until  1882,  when  he  once 
more  went  to  England  -on  a  mission  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
remaining  in  that  work  for  two  years.  He  was  released  in  1884.  after  which  he  made 
his  way  direct  to  Fremont  county,  Idaho,  where  he  took  up  more  land  near  Teton.  This, 
he  at  once  began  to  cultivate  and  year  after  year  tilled  the  soil  until  1915.  when  he 
retired  from  active  business  cares  and  removed  to  Teton,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home. 

In  April,  1863,  Judge  Donaldson  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Kent  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children:  William,  who  is  deceased;  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of 
John  Butt;  Marion,  who  has  passed  away;  Rachel,  who  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
Jesse  E.  Bigler;  Rhoda  I.,  the  widow  of  Israel  Clark;  Marion  Etta,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Harry  Croft;  Anna,  the  wife  of  James  Jenson;  John  A.,  who  married  Maud  Green 
and  lives  in  Twin  Falls;  Alma,  who  married  Jeanette  Allen  and  resides  in  St. 
Anthony;  and  James  C.,  deceased. 

With  public  interests  Judge  Donaldson  was  closely  associated  for  many  years.  He 
has  always  given  his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  has  served  as  chairman 
of  the  republican  county  central  committee  through  four  elections.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  of  Idaho,  but  all  people  of  his  religious  faith  were 
unseated.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  first  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Fremont 
county  and  for  eight  years  he  filled  the  office  of  probate  judge.  He  has  also  filled  various 
offices  in  the  church.  He  was  bishop  of  Teton  ward  for  ten  years,  has  been  a  member 
of  the  high  council  of  the  Fremont  stake  and  is  now  a  patriarch.  At  one  time  he  was 
editor  of  the  first  newspaper  of  Fremont  county,  called  the  Rexburg  Press.  Eight  times 
he  has  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  his  experiences  in  life  have  been  broad  and 
varied,  bringing  to  him  wide  knowledge  and  thorough  understanding  of  men  and 
conditions.  His  activities  have  been  wisely  and  carefully  directed  and  he  has  adhered 
to  high  standards  of  manhood  and  citizenship. 


ALLEN  L.  MURPHY. 

Allen  L.  Murphy,  of  Caldwell,  who  has  enjoyed  almost  phenomenal  success  in  the 
real  estate  business  and  through  his  activities  has  contributed  to  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  the  district  as  well  as  to  the  promotion  of  his  own  fortune,  was  born 
in  Barbour  county,  West  Virginia,  January  10,  1865,  being  the  eldest  of  the  eight  chil- 
dren who  were  born  of  the  union  of  Eugene  W.  and  Mary  Ellen  (Gainer)  Murphy. 
They,  too,  were  natives  of  West  Virginia  and  were  married  in  that  state.  In  1881  the 
father  brought  his  family  to  the  west,  settling  first  in  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska,  and 
afterward  removing  to  Denver,  Colorado.  In  1892  he  became  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah,  and  his  last  days  were  spent  in  Provo,  Utah,  where  he  passed  away  in  1904 
at  the  age  of  sixty  five  years.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  with  the  Confederate 
army  through  the  period  of  hostilities.  His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  John  Gainer  and 
is  now  living  at  Middleton,  Idaho.  Her  grandfather,  John  W.  Gainer,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812  and  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  ninety-nine  years. 

Allen  L.  Murphy  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Taylor  county.  West  Vir- 
ginia, pursuing  his  studies  in  a  little  log  schoolhouqe  near  Grafton.  In  1881  he  came 
to  the  west  with  his  parents  and  was  identified  with  farming  interests  at  Plattsmouth, 
Nebraska,  until  1887,  when  he  again  accompanied  his  parents  oh  their  removal  west- 
ward, with  Denver,  Colorado,  as  their  destination.  There  Allen  L.  Murphy  turned  his 
attention  to  the  florist's  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged  as  an  employe  until  1892, 
when  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  through  the  succeeding  three  years  he  con- 
ducted business  on  his  own  account  as  a  florist.  He  afterward  engaged  in  mining  in 
Utah  and  ultimately  became  foreman  on  the  Montana  division  of  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  Railroad. 

In  1903  Mr.  Murphy  arrived  in  Idaho  and  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  in 
the  Payette  valley.  After  a  brief  period,  however,  he  devoted  his  energies  to  the  real 
estate  business,  with  headquarters  at  Middleton,  Canyon  county.  From  that  place  he 
removed  to  Caldwell  and  incorporated  his  interests  under  the  name  of  the  A.  L.  Murphy 
Company,  Ltd.  When  thus  engaged  he  subdivided  several  town  additions  and  farm 
plats,  but  in  1913  his  business  venture  met  with  utter  failure.  He  made  Marshfield, 
Oregon,  the  field  of  his  next  endeavor  but  there  he  met  with  no  success  and  was  com- 
pelled to  borrow  one  hundred  dollars  with  which  to  return  to  Caldwell.  Here  he 


820  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

again  entered  the  real  estate  field  and  since  that  time  has  met  with  phenomenal  suc- 
cess in  handling  farm  and  city  property.  He  largely  handles  farm  lands  in  the  Boise 
valley  and  has  negotiated  many  important  realty  transfers  in  Caldwell.  He  has  made 
himself  thoroughly  familiar  with  property  values,  knows  the  real  estate  that  is  upon 
che  market  and  has  done  much  to  make  satisfactory  sales  and  purchases  for  his  clients. 
On  the  12th  of  May,  1910,  Mr.  Murphy  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Merlihan,  of 
Chicago,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  E.  Merlihan,  both  of  whom  died  in  Chicago. 
For  recreation  Mr.  Murphy  turns  to  fishing,  but  he  finds  keen  pleasure  in  hard  work, 
greatly  enjoying  the  mastery  of  knotty  and  intricate  business  problems.  While  he  is 
not  active  in  politics,  he  gives  his  support  to  all  measures  that  tend  to  advance  civic 
betterment  or  promote  the  welfare  of  Caldwell  in  any  way.  He  was  a  most  ardent 
champion  of  American  interests  during  the  period  of  the  great  World  war  and  no  one 
in  Caldwell  subscribed  to  the  Liberty  loans  and  other  war  activities  more  liberally 
according  to  his  means  than  Mr.  Murphy.  While  all  days  in  his  career  have  not  been 
equally  bright,  he  has  by  indomitable  energy  turned  seeming  defeat  into  victory  and 
is  now  on  the  highroad  to  success. 


HENRY  A.  WITTHOFT. 

Henry  A.  Witthoft,  deceased,  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  men 
of  Pocatello,  interested  in  nearly  all  of  its  important  projects  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
city  and  surrounding  country.  He  was  born  in  Kiel,  Germany,  November  5,  1868,  and 
was  but  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  pursued  his  ad- 
vanced education  in  the  college  at  Lyons,  Iowa,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  butcher- 
ing business  in  that  place,  winning  substantial  success.  In  1900  he  arrived  in  Idaho, 
settling  at  Idaho  Falls,  where  he  also  conducted  a  butchering  business  until  fire  de- 
stroyed his  establishment.  He  then  removed  to  Pocatello  and  entered  the  butchering 
business.  He  founded  the  business  that  later  was  developed  under  the  name  of  the 
Idaho  Packing  Company.  In  1906  Mr.  Witthoft  entered  the  field  of  real  estate,  in 
which  he  was  most  successful.  The  firm  of  Witthoft  &  Gathe  operated  in  the  realty 
field  and  built  the  Commercial  block,  a  structure  that  is  one  of  the  most  important 
business  blocks  and  hotels  of  the  city.  During  the  years  of  the  firm's  connection  with 
the  packing  business  they  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  twelve  miles  from  Poca- 
tello for  ranching  purposes  and  later  decided  that  it  was  especially  well  located  for 
a  town  site.  They  then  began  the  development  of  the  property  with  that  end  in  view, 
founding  the  town  of  Inkom.  Their  interests  were  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Commercial  Development  &  Investment  Company  and  constituted  an  important  ele- 
ment in  the  growth  and  settlement  of  that  section. 

In  1915  Mr.  Witthoft  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sophie  Barbara  Margaret 
Heldmann,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  near  Hamburg.  She  came  to  America  in  1914 
and  by  her  marriage  has  a  daughter,  Dorothy.  Mr.  Witthoft  was  one  of  the  first  home- 
steaders in  the  vicinity  of  Pocatello,  securing  land  about  five  miles  north,  which  prop- 
erty is  now  part  of  that  owned  by  the  development  company  and  constitutes  one  of 
the  most  highly  improved  farms  in  this  section.  Mrs.  Witthoft  possesses  good  busi- 
ness ability,  as  did  her  husband,  whose  carefully  directed  interests  brought  to  him  a 
substantial  measure  of  success  as  the  years  passed  by.  After  a  useful  and  well  spent 
life  Mr.  Witthoft  died  March  27,  1917.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  belonged  to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Pocatello.  In  politics  he  was  a  republican 
but  not  an  office  seeker.  He  was  a  thorough  business  man — one  that  commanded  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 


H.  W.  BARNES. 

H.  W.  Barnes,  who  follows  farming  in  the  Fargo  district  of  Canyon  county,  has 
long  been  identified  with  the  material  development  and  upbuilding  of  his  section  of 
the  state,  taking  particular  interest  in  the  promotion  of  irrigation  problems  as  well 
as  in  the '  reclamation  of  the  wild  land  for  the  purposes  of  civilization  through  other 
channels  of  activity.  He  was  born  at  Monterey,  Davis  county,  Iowa,  April  23,  1863. 
His  father,  Joseph  J.  Barnes,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  his  mother,  who  bore  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  821 

maiden  name  of  Zerelda  Brooks,  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  Bloom- 
field,  Iowa,  where  they  had  gone  with  their  respective  parents  in  childhood.  All  of 
the  uncles  of  H.  W.  Barnes  on  both  sides  of  the  family  served  in  the  Civil  war,  and 
his  father  was  a  member  of  the  Home  Guard  under  General  J.  B.  Weaver  at  Bloomfield 
and  many  nights  paraded  his  beat  after  a  hard  day's  work,  watching  Quantrell's  Bush- 
whackers. His  brother,  John  Wesley  Barnes,  was  a  drummer  boy  and  H.  W.  Barnes 
has  his  cap  and  one  of  the  epaulets  which  he  wore  on  his  shoulder.  This  uncle  had 
his  canteen  shot  off  while  in  an  engagement.  Another  uncle,  James  A.  Brooks,  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Nampa,  Idaho,  where  he  died  three  years  ago.  It  was  in 
1884  that  the  parents  of  H.  W.  Barnes  removed  from  Iowa  to  Nebraska  and  there 
the  death  of  the  father  occurred  after  a  residence  of  many  years  in  that  locality.  In 
1901  his  widow  became  the  wife  of  T.  W.  Miller  and  they  removed  to  Kansas,  where 
they  resided  for  a  year  and  then  came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  Boise,  where  Mrs.  Miller 
passed  away  in  1907,  while  her  husband  died  in  1917.  They  had  been  residents  of  Boise 
from  1902,  and  their  son,  Alta  Miller,  still  makes  his  home  in  the  capital  city.  A 
brother  of  H.  W.  Barnes  is  Cliff  E.  Barnes,  who  with  his  wife,  formerly  Lolo  Prazier, 
now  lives  at  Payette,  where  he  follows  farming.  Another  brother,  J.  F.  Barnes,  and 
his  wife,  formerly  Lizzie  Rand,  of  Nebraska,  are  living  in  Pomona,  California,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  wholesale  ice  cream  business,  and  they  have  three  children.  There 
are  also  two  sisters  of  H.  W.  Barnes  at  Wahoo,  Nebraska — Mrs.  Viola  Collier,  who  has 
three  children,  and  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Hamilton,  who  has  seven  children.  All  of  the  brothers 
and  sisters  are  still  living,  the  oldest  being  seventy  years  of  age  and  the  youngest 
fifty. 

H.  W.  Barnes,  spending  his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof,  acquired  a 
public  school  education,  which  he  supplemented  by  study  in  Pinkerton's  Academy  at 
De  Soto,  Iowa,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1884.  He 
then  became  connected  with  a  manufacturing  industry  at  Wahoo,  Nebraska,  and  in 
1890  turned  over  the  business  to  his  father,  while  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Wahoo  until  1907.  His  health  failed  and  he  then  sold  his  mercantile  interests  and  took 
up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  near  Valparaiso,  where  he  lived  for  two  years.  During  that 
time,  however,  he  developed  a  desire  to  go  west  and  secure  a  homestead  and  on  the 
2d  of  December,  1909,  arrived  in  Idaho,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  the 
farm  where  he  still  resides.  The  first  cabin  which  he  built  was  eighteen  by  twenty- 
four  feet  and  this  he  occupied  until  he  could  erect  a  fine  residence.  The  old  cabin 
home,  however,  is  still  standing,  although  he  occupies  one  of  the  beautiful  residences 
of  this  section  of  the  state.  He  purchased  a  homestead  relinquishment  of  eighty  acres 
and  now  has  one  of  the  finest  and  most  modern  homes  in  Idaho.  There  are  large 
windows  on  the  eastern  exposure,  giving  a  splendid  view.  The  interior  is  finished  in 
Douglas  fir  and  golden  oak.  The  building  is  two  stories  in  height  and  contains  nine 
rooms,  is  supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water,  and  the  surroundings  are  most  attractive, 
there  being  splendid  trees  upon  the  place,  which  is  pleasantly  and  conveniently  located 
two  miles  south  and  two  miles  east  of  Wilder  and  bears  the  very  appropriate  name 
of  Fair  Acres.  Many  kinds  of  beautiful  shrubbery  have  been  planted  around  the  house 
and  the  home  is  thoroughly  modern  in  its  appointments  and  surroundings. 

Almost  immediately  after  coming  to  Idaho,  Mr.  Barnes  became  interested  in  the 
Boise-Payette  project  and  was  an  important  factor  in  promoting  that  plan.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Water  Users  Association  for  two  years,  after  having  served  as  a  direc- 
tor for  a  year,  which  position  he  still  filled  while  acting  as  secretary.  All  of  the  legal 
documents  between  the  association  and  Washington  were  signed  by  him.  The  year 
before  he  was  secretary  of  the  association  he  was  asked  by  the  residents  of  the  Grange 
district  to  draw  up  a  petition  to  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Lane,  asking  that  the  gov- 
ernment permit  the  postponement  of  payments  from  the  landholders  until  the  project 
was  finished  and  then  charge  the  amount  up  to  maintenance  and  construction.  This 
would  have  put  a  check  on  the  land  speculator  who  would  not  improve  his  land,  had 
the  suggestion  been  put  into  effect. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1888,  Mr.  Barnes  was  married  to  Miss  Ethel  M.  Guttery, 
a  native  of  Pulaski,  Davis  county,  Iowa.  Her  father,  Jesse  Guttery,  was  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  During  the  war  he  served  as  regimental 
blacksmith  and  went  with  his  command  to  Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  to  suppress  the 
Indians.  He  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Ohio,  while  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  George,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  their  marriage  being  celebrated  at 
Frankfort,  that  state.  They  afterward  removed  to  Ohio  and  in  1859  became  residents 
of  Iowa,  while  in  1894  they  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  Mr.  Guttery  retired  from 


822  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

active  business,  there  passing  away  in  1902.  His  wife  survived  him  for  several  years 
and  died  in  Idaho  in  1907.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Mrs..  H.  W. 
Barnes;  Mrs.  Alice  E.  White,  living  in  Caldwell;  Mrs.  Emmer  Waite  Smith,  also  of 
Caldwell;  Mrs.  Margaret  Belle  Klinefetler,  residing  at  Payette;  Dr.  J.  D.  Guttery,  living 
at  Hood  River,  Oregon;  J.  A.,  who  is  an  attorney  at  Yarrington,  Nevada;  Dr.  Edward 
G.  Guttery,  whose  home  is  in  Burgin,  Kentucky;  and  Dr.  W.  D.  Guttery,  who  is  located 
at  Pilger,  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Barnes  is  a  graduate  of  the  Lansing  high  school  and  for 
three  years  was  a  teacher  in  the  country  schools  of  Saunders  county,  Nebraska  and  for 
a  year  in  the  city  schools  of  Wahoo,  that  state.  She  served  as  chairman  of  Auxiliary 
17  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Canyon  county  and  registered  the  men  from  eighteen  to  forty 
years  of  age  in  the  last  draft  before  the  armistice  was  signed.  She  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  everything  for  the  betterment  and  social  uplift  of  the  community. 
By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  four  children.  Ray  W.,  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  married  Flora  Vanderwelt,  a  native  of  Kansas,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Elinor  Josephine.  Glenn  G.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  is  at  home.  Jesse  Denham,  aged 
ten,  is  also  with  his  parents.  One  son  has  passed  away. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Barnes  has  always  been  an  earnest  democrat  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  central  committee  of  Canyon  county,  acting  during  Gov- 
ernor Alexander's  first  administration.  He  was  instrumental  in  changing  his  district 
from  a  republican  stronghold  and  obtaining  a  majority  for  the  democratic  party  in 
Governor  Alexander's  second  campaign,  and  he  also  changed  the  Greenleaf  precinct  from 
a  strong  republican  district  to  one  giving  a  democratic  majority.  He  was  central 
committeeman  of  Greenleaf  precinct  at  that  time.  He  still  takes  a  very  active  interest 
in  politics  although  at  present  he  holds  no  office.  In  matters  of  citizenship  he  has 
always  stood  for  that  which  is  progressive  and  beneficial,  and  his  labors  have  been 
far-reaching  and  resultant.  His  life  has  been  of  worth  along  many  lines  and  his  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  has  worked  for  benefit  in  various  ways. 


CHARLES  P.  MACE. 

Charles  P.  Mace  is  a  well  known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Ada  county  who  now 
occupies  a  fine  home  at  Eagle,  within  two  miles  of  his  birthplace.  Though  he  now 
enjoys  the  comforts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  there  have  been  trying  experiences 
in  his  career  when  he  met  all  of  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the  settle- 
ment of  the  frontier.  He  is  one  of  the  older  of  the  native  sons  of  Idaho,  for  his  birth, 
occurred  on  Eagle  Island,  March  5,  1876.  His  father,  who  was  among  the  earliest  of 
the  pioneers  of  this  state,  is  still  living,  but  the  mother  died  when  her  children  were 
quite  young  and  the  father  had  to  serve  in  the  capacity  of  both  parents  to  his  little 
family. 

Charles  P.  Mace  was  educated  in  the  Union  school,  now  the  Linder  school,  near  Eagle, 
attending  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  lived  on  the  island  and  at  that  time  there 
were  no  bridges,  while  in  the  winter  months  the  roads  were  almost  impassable,  so 
that  Mr.  Mace  had  little  opportunity  to  attend  school  save  in  the  summer  seasons,  and  as 
the  vacation  period  covered  most  of  the  summer,  his  educational  opportunities  were 
accordingly  quite  limited.  In  the  school  of  experience,  however,  he  has  learned  many 
valuable  lessons,  becoming  a  resourceful,  capable  and  prosperous  business  man. 

When  twenty  years  of  age  Mr.  Mace  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Venable, 
a  native  of  Oklahoma  and  a  daughter  of  J.  W.  Venable,  who  came  to  Idaho  and 
homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  three  miles  north  of  Meridian  in  1887. 

They  engaged  in  farming,  but  there  was  no  water  for  irrigation  purposes  at 
that  time  and  they  even  had  to  carry  their  drinking  water  for  nearly  a  mile.  After  a 
time  Mr.  Venable  sold  his  original  property  and  went  to  Bellingham,  Washington,  while 
later  he  moved  to  Burley,  near  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  where  he  secured  eighty  acres, 
which  he  afterward  traded  for  the  land  upon  which  he  now  resides  and  on  which 
he  is  successfully  engaged  in  dairying.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Roberts)  Venable, 
is  also  living. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Mace  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  at  Meridian 
for  about  six  months  and  then  went  to  De  Lamar,  where  he  worked  in  the  mines  until 
the  following  year,  when  he  rented  land  and  purchased  sixty  head  of  calves,  thus 
beginning  his  stock  raising  on  Eagle  Island.  There  he  remained  for  eight  years,  during 
which  time  he  had  increased  his  herd  to  about  three  hundred  head.  He  next  purchased 
the  Bar  V  ranch  of  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  lived  for  about  six  years  and  during 


CHARLES  P.  MACE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  825 

that  time  had  approximately  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle.  Later  he  purchased  the  old 
Bill  Joplin  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  thus  increased  his  landed 
possessions  to  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  after  two  years  passed  he  disposed 
of  the  Joplin  ranch  and  all  of  his  stock,  which  he  sold  at  sixty  dollars  per  head.  He 
then  made  investment  in  five  hundred  head  of  stock  at  fifty  and  fifty-five  dollars  per 
head  and  also  bought  more  land,  including  the  old  sugar  beet  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  near  Nampa  and  the  Tom  Aiken  place  of  one  hundred  acres.  Both  of  these 
places  he  still  retains  and  cultivates.  Mr.  Mace  has  ridden  the  range  since  a  youth  of 
ten  years  and  there  is  no  phase  of  stock  raising  in  pioneer  times  as  well  as  in  latter-day 
methods  with  which  he  is  not  familiar.  He  has  also  extended  his  efforts  to  other  business 
lines  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Diehl  &  Mace,  of  Eagle,  which 
was  incorporated  in  1913.  He  was  likewise  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  First 
National  Bank  at  Meridian  in  1906  and  later  became  one  of  its  directors  and  afterward 
its  president,  serving  as  the  chief  executive  officer  until  the  bank  was  sold  in  1918. 
He  has  a  fine  home  at  Eagle,  where  he  and  his  family  have  resided  for  the  past 
five  years  and  which  is  within  two  miles  of  his  birthplace.  In  fact  he  has  lived  in 
Ada  county  and  within  two  miles  of  the  place  of  his  birth  for  forty-three  years. 

Mr.  Mace  can  well  remember  when  the  Indians  would  visit  Eagle  Island  and  his 
mother  would  take  him  in  her  arms  and  run  to  hide  in  the  brush,  as  the  Indians  were 
always  very  insulting  when  they  found  the  women  alone.  They  spent  many  anxious 
moments  in  those  days  when  the  Indians  were  hostile,  life  and  property  being  at 
no  time  safe. 

Mr.  Mace  and  his  wife  have  became  the  parents  of  two  children:  Arita,  now  the 
wife  of  James  Morrison,  a  resident  of  Eagle  and  the  mother  of  two  children,  Jimmie 
and  Evelyn  Louise,  aged  respectively  four  and  two  years;  and  Leonard  C.  Mace,  who  is 
a  lad  of  nine  years.  When  their  first  child  was  born,  in  the  second  year  of  their 
marriage,  they  did  not  have  any  money  or  provisions.  Mr.  Mace  endeavored  to  obtain 
credit  at  Boise  for  groceries  and  was  told  that  the  merchants  were  opening  no  new 
accounts.  He  finally  obtained  credit  to  the  amount  of  thirty  dollars  worth  of  groceries, 
which  later  was  increased  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  By  that  time  he  sold  his 
first  crop  of  hay,  the  purchaser  being  T.  C.  Catlin,  who  paid  four  dollars  per  ton  for 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Mace  received  a  check  in  payment  he  rode 
to  Boise  and  paid  his  bill.  During  this  time  he  and  his  family  were  in  dire  need  of 
money.  Mrs.  Mace  also  developed  blood  poisoning  in  her  toe,  which  had  to  be  amputated, 
but  she  could  afford  little  time  to  give  to  nursing  her  pain,  for  she  must  cook  for 
the  hired  men. 

In  the  spring  of  1906  Mr.  Mace  started  to  Bear  Valley  with  eight  hundred  head 
of  cattle  and  the  supply  of  feed  became  exhausted  in  the  low  hills  near  Idaho  City. 
They  started  on  the  9th  of  May  and  on  reaching  the  twelve  mile  house  on  the  other 
side  of  Idaho  City  they  camped  for  the  night.  The  following  morning  twenty-five  head 
of  stock  were  dead  and  seventy-five  head  were  down  from  eating  wild  parsnip  and 
larkspur.  The  vegetation  was  just  starting  and  the  stock  was  so  nearly  starved  that 
they  would  eat  anything.  They  bled  those  that  were  down  which  they  could  find  and 
saved  most  of  them.  The  next  night  they  were  at  Lowmans,  on  the  Payette  river, 
and  on  the  following  night  camped  at  Clear  Creek.  There  they  found  the  snow  so 
soft  that  they  could  not  go  over  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  The  following  morning, 
when  the  boy  whose  duty  it  was  to  bring  in  the  saddle  horses  came  in,  he  reported 
there  were  a  lot  of  cattle  dead  and  others  down.  The  cowboys  then  gathered  together 
those  that  could  travel  and  took  them  across  the  mountain  while  the  snow  was  frozen, 
and  later  returned  and  gathered  the  few  that  were  not  dead.  They  arrived  in  Bear 
Valley  on  the  1st  of  June  and  found  that  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  for  over 
ten  miles,  and  it  was  necessary  to  go  to  the  lower  end  of  the  valley  in  order  to  get 
feed  for  their  stock.  They  ranged  their  stock  there  for  three  months  and  then  brought 
out  the  beef  cattle,  numbering  two  hundred  head.  When  they  reached  the  Payette 
river  the  stock  crowded  upon  the  bridge,  which  broke,  and  so  the  river  had  to  be 
forded.  In  October,  a  month  later,  they  started  to  gather  the  remainder  of  their  cattle 
in  Bear  Valley,  when  seven  inches  of  snow  fell  and  they  were  forced  to  move  out, 
although  they  were  fifty  head  of  cattle  short.  The  men  slept  on  snow  every  night 
until  they  reached  the  Boise  Barracks  and  their  bedding  was  frozen  so  badly  that 
they  had  to  heat  it  every  night  before  they  could  unroll  it.  Mr.  Mace  told  his  cowboys 
that  if  they  would  stay  with  him  until  they  got  the  cattle  out  of  Bear  Valley,  he  would 
promise  that  he  would  never  ask  them  to  take  the  stock  in  there  again.  The  boys  all 
remained  with  him  and  he  traded  his  forest  reserve  allotment  in  Bear  Valley  for  an 


826  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

allotment  in  the  Boise  National  Reserve,  where  he  now  ranges  his  stock.  This  was 
his  worst  experience  in  the  stock  business.  Resolute  and  determined,  however,  he 
has  overcome  difficulties  and  disadvantages  and  as  the  years  have  passed  has  made 
steady  progress  in  a  business  way,  being  now  one  of  the  substantial  fanners  and 
stockmen  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Eagle. 


WILLIAM   C.   HARROUN. 

William  C.  Harroun,  who  follows  farming  at  Declo  in  Cassia  county,  was  born  in 
Mercer  county,  Illinois,  May  21,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Margaret  A.  (Will- 
itts)  Harroun,  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  Indiana. 
After  spending  his  boyhood  days  in  the  Badger  state  Joseph  E.  Harroun  removed  to 
Illinois  when  a  young  man  and  there  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  also  took  up  the 
occupation  of  farming  and  was  thus  identified  with  the  agricultural  development  of 
that  state  until  the  spring  of  1880,  when  he  came  to  the  northwest,  making  Albion, 
Idaho,  his  destination.  For  a  time  he  was  there  employed  in  the  government  land 
office  and  afterward  he  became  probate  judge,  filling  the  position  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  recognition  of  his  ability  on  the  part  of  his  fellowmen  led  to  his  selection  for  the 
office  of  state  superintendent  of  schools  of  Idaho  and  he  thus  served  for  one  term,  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Boise  during  that  period.  He  subsequently  returned  to  Albion,  where 
he  again  engaged  in  ranching  and  farming.  Later  he  removed  to  Idaho  Falls,  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  the  time  of  his  return  to  Cassia  county,  where  he  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  died  in  1901.  Mr.  Harroun  gave 
his  political  support  to  the  republican  party  and  fraternally  he  was  identified  with 
both  Masons  and  the  Odd  Fellows. 

William  C.  Harroun  remained  a  resident  of  Illinois  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
and  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  Albion,  Idaho.  He  continued  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  place  and  after  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  concentrated 
his  efforts  and  energies  upon  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  1911  he  went  to  Fresno, 
California,  where  he  remained  for  a  year  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  began 
ranching  at  Marsh  Lake,  Idaho.  In  1915  he  removed  to  Declo  and  purchased  his  pres- 
ent home  farm  of  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  has  since  erected  new  buildings,  and 
through  the  intervening  period  of  five  years  he  has  continued  to  reside  upon  this  place. 
He  is  now  devoting  his  attention  largely  to  sheep  raising  and  at  present  runs  two 
bands  of  sheep. 

In  1886  Mr.  Harroun  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Brim  who  was  born  near  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  her  parents  being  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Brim.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harroun 
have  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Mabel,  now  the  wife  of  Judge  Stevens; 
Vern.  the  wife  of  E.  C.  Warren;  and  Jay  E.,  at  home. 

Mr.  Harroun  is  a  stalwart  advocate  of  republican  principles,  believing  that  the 
party  platform  contains  the  best  elements  of  good  government.  He  served  as  deputy 
sheriff  under  J.  E.  Burke  at  Albion  but  otherwise  has  not  sought  nor  filled  public 
office,  concentrating  his  attention  instead  upon  his  business  affairs. 


HARRY,  W.   HALL. 

Harry  W.  Hall,  who  since  January  1,  1918,  has  been  the  efficient  and  popular  mana- 
ger of  the  Bannock  Hotel,  formerly  owned  by  the  late  United  States  Senator  James  H. 
Brady,  was  born  in  Calais,  Maine,  in  1879.  He  pursued  his  education  in  Westbrook 
Seminary  at  Deering,  Maine,  a  suburb  of  Portland,  and  was  there  graduated  in  1899. 
He  next  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Boston  until  1900,  when  he  removed  west- 
ward to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  and  for  a  year  was  connected  with  the  Minneapolis 
Club.  In  1901  he  went  to  Spokane,  Washington,  and  was  connected  with  the  Spokane 
Hotel  for  a  year,  returning  then  to  Minneapolis,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  Com- 
mercial Club.  On  leaving  that  position  he  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  remained  for  nine  months  in  connection  with  the  Blatz  Hotel,  and  on  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  became  connected  with  the  Windsor-Clifton  of  Chicago. 

In  1906  Mr.  Hall  arrived  in  Idaho,  settling  at  American  Falls,  where  he  opened 
the  Remmington  Hotel,  of  which  -he  was  in  charge  for  five  years.  He  later  became 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  827 

manager  of  the  Rogerson  Hotel  at  Twin  Falls,  continuing  there  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  managed  the  Willard  Hotel  at  St.  Paul  for  one  year  and  later  the  Colonial 
Hotel  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  remaining  there  for  fifteen  months.  At  Breckenridge. 
Minnesota,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Stratford  Hotel  for  one  year  and  later  returned 
to  Idaho,  where  he  opened  the  Eccles  Hotel  at  Blackfoot,  remaining  as  manager  for 
a  year.  At  the  wish  of  Senator  Brady,  who  purchased  the  Bannock  Hotel  and  desired 
that  his  friend,  Harry  W.  Hall,  should  conduct  it,  the  latter  came  to  Pocatello,  taking 
over  the  hotel,  which  he  renovated  and  remodeled  both  upstairs  and  down,  putting  in 
extra  baths  and  changing  the  old  ones  to  those  of  modern  type.  He  conducts  the  hotel 
on  a  strictly  commercial  basis  and  has  one  of  the  attractive  hostelries  of  the  state. 
The  lobby  is  all  in  tile,  the  stairway  in  marble  and  in  both  lobby  and  dining  room  the 
paneling  is. of  oak.  Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Hall  the  Bannock  has  become  one 
of  the  best,  most  modern  and  most  popular  resorts  in  the  state.  He  is  a  genial  host, 
carefully  looking  after  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  his  guests,  and  it  is  conceded  that 
no  one  more  thoroughly  understands  the  hotel  business  than  does  Harry  W.  Hall. 
His  experiences  have  been  wide  and  varied  in  many  of  the  leading  hotels  of  the  coun- 
try and  Pocatello  is  fortunate  in  having  him  as  the  manager  of  the  Bannock  Hotel. 

In  1903  Mr.  Hall  was  married  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  to  Mrs.  Nellie  J. 
McComb.  He  had  a  brother,  Frank  Hall,  who  served  for  three  years  with  the  Canadian 
forces  in  the  great  World  war  until  finally  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  the  im- 
paired condition  of  his  health  and  he  died  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  February 
2,  1920. 

In  his  political  views  Harry  W.  Hall  is  a  republican  and  fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  both  the  Masons  and  the  Elks.  A  genial  disposition  and  unfeigned  cor- 
diality, coupled  with  marked  business  enterprise  and  progressiveness,  have  placed  him 
in  the  enviable  position  which  he  occupies  in  hotel  circles  of  the  country. 


PETER  NETH. 

An  arduous  but  an  inspiring  task  awaited  the  efforts  of  progressive  business  men 
who  turned  their  attention  to  the  development  of  Canyon  county.  Among  this  num- 
ber is  Peter  Neth,  who  is  now  giving  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  has  brought 
his  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  May 
7,  1852,  and  there  attended  school  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he  began  learn- 
ing the  hat  maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  in  Germany  until  ke  reached  the  age  of 
nineteen.  He  then  came  to  America,  landing  at  New  York,  and  for  one  year  worked 
as  a  laborer  in  the  iron  mines  at  Silver  Lake,  New  York.  He  afterward  secured  em- 
ployment in  connection  with  the  butchering  business  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  where 
he  continued  for  five  years  and  seven  months.  He  later  spent  one  year  in  the  same 
business  in  Rome,  New  York,  and  then  started  for  the  west,  with  Nevada  as  his  desti- 
nation. He  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  at  Paradise  Valley  and  at  other  points 
in  the  state  for  two  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Idaho,  going  first  to  Silver  City  and 
then  to  Boise.  When  he  left  Nevada  it  was  through  snow  drifts  seven  feet  deep  and 
on  arriving  in  the  Boise  valley  he  found  cherries  ripe  on  the  trees  on  the  26th  of 
May,  1880. 

In  the  city  of  Boise  Mr.  Neth  worked  for  John  Lemp  in  a  brewery  for  two  years 
and  then  went  to  Middleton,  where  he  conducted  a  liquor  business  with  Mr.  Lemp. 
In  1886  he  purchased  his  present  ranch  property  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
near  Middleton,  upon  which  he  has  since  resided,  he  and  his  family  occupying  the 
second  house  which  he  built  on  this  property  and  which  is  a  fine  residence.  He 
hauled  the  lumber  from  Dry  Buck,  Idaho,  when  lumber  was  selling  for  six  dollars 
per  thousand.  In  1888  he  planted  five  acres  to  prunes,  cherries,  apples  and  pears, 
which  he  ships  quite  extensively.  His  barns  and  outbuildings  are  in  keeping  with 
the  attractive  residence  and  everything  about  his  place  is  in  excellent  condition.  He 
also  raises  fine  bred  Durham  cattle  for  beef.  While  his  farm  was  mostly  in  sage- 
brush when  it  came  into  his  possession,  he  has  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  likewise  conducted  a  butchering  business,  but  in  the  last  few  years 
has  not  followed  that  line. 

In  1884  Mr.  Neth  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Alchenberger,  of  Switzerland,  who 
came  to  America  in  1878.  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in  Middleton.  They  have 
become  parents  of  four  children:  Hilton  P..  thirty-four  years  of  age.  who  is  mar- 


828  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ried  and  is  In  business  as  a  lumber  cruiser  with  the  Blakeley  Lumber  Company  of 
Washington;  Arthur  Raymond,  thirty-two  years  of  age,  who  is  married  and  is  a  gradu- 
ate electrician  from  Bliss  College  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  his  home  being  now  in  the 
state  of  Washington;  Lena  Rose,  the  wife  of  Roy  V.  Ashman,  of  Middleton,  who  is 
a  graduate  of  Stanford  University  of  California;  and  Charles,  twenty  years  of  age, 
who  was  graduated  in  pharmacy. 

There  is  no  phase  of  Idaho's  development  and  upbuilding  with  which  Mr.  Neth 
is  not  thoroughly  familiar,  as  he  went  through  all  the  hardships  of  the  frontier  days, 
and  with  the  passing  years  he  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  later  development  and 
upbuilding. 


CARL  E.   LIND. 

Carl  E.  Lind,  conducting  business  at  Twin  Falls  under  the  name  of  the  Lind  Auto- 
mobile Company,  of  which  he  is  sole  proprietor,  was  born  in  Wisner,  Nebraska, 
January  6,  1879,  his  parents  being  A.  E.  and  Sarah  (Dahlsten)  Lind.  His  boyhood  days 
were  spent  in  the  usual  manner  of  the  farmbred  boy.  Throughout  his  youth  he  lived 
upon  a  farm  in  Nebraska  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the 
Luther  College  at  Wahoo,  Nebraska,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1898.  He  then  returned  to  the  farm  but  in  1900  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement 
business  at  Newman  Grove,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1907. 

It  was  at  that  date  that  Mr.  Lind  came  to  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  bringing  with  him  the 
first  automobile  in  the  town,  a  two-cylinder  Buick.  In  1909  he  built  the  first  garage 
at  Twin  Falls,  handling  the  Buick  cars,  which  he  had  previously  handled  in  Nebraska. 
In  the  fall  of  1917  he  erected  his  present  building,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  garages  in 
the  west.  It  has  a  terracotta  front  and  has  complete  equipment  for  doing  all  kinds  of 
repair  work  on  cars.  He  has  attained  expert  skill  in  this  connection  and  his  business 
has  developed  to  large  and  gratifying  proportions. 

In  1900  Mr.  Lind  was  married  to  Miss  Emelia  Nelson,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Annie  (Olson)  Nelson.  She  was  born  in  Smoland,  Sweden,  and  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  when  but  six  months  old  by  her  parents,  who  settled  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
where  her  father  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  there  carrying  on  agricultural 
pursuits  until  1894.  In  that  year  the  family  removed  to  Newman  Grove,  Nebraska, 
where  her  father  again  carried  on  farming  and  where  both  he  and  his  wife  passed 
away.  It  was  there  that  Mrs.  Lind  formed  the  acquaintance  of  her  future  husband.  By 
their  marriage  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  children,  Helen  and  Lillian. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lind  is  a  republican  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
questions  and  issues  of  the  day.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  to  its  teachings  he  is  most  loyal.  High  and  honorable  principles  have 
guided  his  life  in  every  relation  and  the  integrity  and  enterprise  of  his  business  career 
have  been  dominant  factors  in  winning  him  success. 


WILLIAM  H.  JOHNS. 

William  H.  Johns  is  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Meridian  and  is  also  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  having  fought  for  the  defense  of  the  Union  that  this  country  might  not 
be  divided.  He  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  August  9,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
Shadrach  Brown  and  Nancy  (Wheeler)  Johns,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Hoosier 
state.  The  father  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  and  became  a  well  known 
farmer  and  business  man.  He  was  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Nancy  Wheeler, 
and  following  her  death  he  wedded  Minerva  Lyon.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were 
three  children,  of  whom  William  H.  is  the  eldest  and  the  only  son.  There  were  also 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  born  of  the  father's  second  marriage. 

William  H.  Johns  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  from  Indiana  to  War- 
ren county,  Iowa,  when  he  was  four  years  of  age,  or  in  1851.  His  youth  was  spent 
in  that  state  and  in  northwestern  Missouri,  and  in  the  fall  of  1860  the  family  returned 
to  Warren  county,  Iowa,  while  two  years  later  William  H.  Johns  again  went  to  In- 
diana. He  was  then  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  father  had  passed  away  in  Iowa 
in  April,  1862,  and  as  there  was  some  disagreement  between  Mr.  Johns  and  his  step- 


CARL  E.  LIND 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  831 

mother,  he  went  back  to  his  native  state.  On  the  4th  of  October,  1864,  when  a  youth 
of  but  seventeen  years,  he  Joined  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  First 
Indiana  Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1865.  From  that  date 
until  1868  he  resided  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  and  afterward  spent  about  twelve  years 
in  Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  where  he  followed  farming,  teaming  and  contracting. 
Subsequently  he  was  in  Denver,  Colorado,  from  the  early  '80s  until  1890  and  then 
removed  to  Ogden,  Utah,  spending  five  years  in  that  city  and  vicinity.  In  1900  he 
came  to  Idaho,  living  upon  a  ranch  near  Parma  in  Canyon  county  for  three  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  the  property.  He  afterward  spent  three  years  on  a  ranch 
near  Caldwell,  Idaho,  and  later  lived  for  eight  years  on  a  ranch  near  Cambridge,  Wash- 
ington county.  For  his  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  there  he  paid  twenty- 
one  hundred  dollars  and  after  occupying  and  cultivating  it  for  eight  years  he  sold 
the  property  for  ten  thousand,  seven  hundred  dollars.  He  then  removed  to  Meridian 
in  1911  and  has  since  lived  retired  from  active  business.  However,  after  selling  his 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  ranch  he  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  eight 
miles  east  of  Cambridge,  Idaho,  but  never  lived  upon  it  and  afterward  sold  it  but  still 
has  a  mortgage  upon  the  property.  He  is  now  financially  independent,  enjoying  a  good 
income  from  his  various  investments. 

In  Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  in  1874,  Mr.  Johns  was  first  married  and  by  that 
marriage  there  were  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  Frank,  living  in  Malheur 
county,  Oregon;  Robert  Earl,  of  Parma,  Idaho;  Ellen,  who  married  a  Mr.  Boyenger 
and  afterward  became  the  wife  of  John  Jensen;  and  Mrs.  Eva  Pyle,  of  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. It  was  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1901,  that  Mr.  Johns  wedded 
Hesevie  Jensen,  a  native  of  Denmark,  and  they  have  two  children:  Wade  H.,  born 
November  14,  1905;  and  Esther,  born  March  13,  1912. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johns  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  fraternally 
he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  having  been  initiated  into  the  order  at  Quitman,  Nodaway  county, 
Missouri,  in  1871.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Meridian.  He  is  now  enjoying  a  well  deserved  rest. 
His  former  enterprise  and  activities  brought  to  him  a  substantial  measure  of  success 
that  enables  him  to  live  retired  without  recourse  to  further  work  in  order  to  meet  life's 
demands.  In  fact  he  is  able  to  enjoy  all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of 
life,  and  his  record  should  serve  to  inspire  and  encourage  others,  showing  what  can 
be  accomplished  through  individual  effort. 


JOHN  F.   NORTON. 

John  F.  Norton,  living  four  miles  east  of  Idaho  Falls,  was  born  at  Lehi,  Utah, 
April  27,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Nancy  (Hammer)  Norton,  who  were 
natives  of  New  York.  The  father  was  a  mason  by  trade  and  in  1850  went  to  Utah, 
settling  at  Salt  Lake.  A  few  years  afterward  he  removed  to  Lehi,  Utah,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  a  number  of  years  but  finally  purchased  land  and  for  many 
years  carried  on  general  farming.  He  eventually  retired  from  active  business  life  and 
made  his  home  with  his  sons  throughout  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  February 
7,  1897.  His  wife  died  in  August,  1898. 

John  F.  Norton  was  reared  and  educated  in  Lehi,  Utah,  and  remained  at  home 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  after  which  he  traveled  to  a  considerable 
extent  looking  for  a  favorable  location.  In  1884  he  made  his  way  to  Bingham  county, 
Idaho,  settling  in  that  section  which  upon  a  division  of  the  county  became  Bonneville 
county.  Here  he  took  up  his  present  farm  as  a  homestead  claim  and  at  once  began 
the  arduous  task  of  converting  a  tract  of  hitherto  wild  land,  covered  with  sagebrush, 
into  rich  and  fertile  fields.  He  has  since  put  it  in  good  shape,  there  being  many  im- 
provements upon  it,  and  his  fields  are  now  returning  to  him  a  very  substantial  in- 
come. He  has  sold  some  of  the  land  at  a  good  profit. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1885,  Mr.  Norton  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Williams 
and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children:  Charles  LeRoy,  who  Is  farming  in  Bonne- 
ville county  and  who  married  Letty  Phillips,  their  children  being  Margaret,  Gene. 
Irma  and  one  who  died  in  infancy;  John  W.,  who  is  sheriff  of  Bonneville  county  and 
is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work;  Katherine  M.,  the  wife  of  G.  I.  Clift,  of  Idaho 


832  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Falls;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Walter  Clement,  a  farmer  near  Lewisville,  Idaho;  and  Frank- 
lin T.,  at  home,  who  married  Lula  Kingham  and  has  one  child,  Dale. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Norton  is  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  He  filled  a  mission  of  two  years  in  the  northwestern  states,  was 
Sunday  school  superintendent  for  two  years  and  ward  teacher  for  three  years.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  prefer- 
ring to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs  and  his  duties 
in  the  church. 


ARTHUR  DANIEL  NORTON. 

Arthur  Daniel  Norton,  now  deceased,  was  a  merchant  and  stockman  of  Kimberly, 
Twin  Falls  county,  who  occupied  an  enviable  position  in  business  circles  by  reason  of 
his  progressiveness  and  enterprise,  which  enabled  him  to  win  substantial  success. 
He  was  born  in  Elba,  Genesee  county,  New  York,  August  17,  1841,  his  parents  being 
Henry  B.  and  Fidelia  (Mills)  Norton.  His  boyhood  was  passed  in  the  place  of  his 
nativity  and  his  early  education  was  there  acquired,  while  later  he  attended  the  Briggs 
Academy  and  afterward  became  a  student  in  the  university  at  Rochester,  New  York. 
He  was  there  graduated  in  1864,  after  having  devoted  two  years  to  the  study  of 
medicine. 

One  cannot  over  estimate  the  opportunities  offered  in  the  west,  for  to  the  less 
thickly  settled  country  the  progressive  men  of  the  east  can  bring  their  ideas  and 
put  them  into  practical  execution.  It  is  this  limitless  opportunity  that  has  drawn  so 
many  capable  men  from  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the  great  district  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
In  1867  Mr.  Norton  removed  to  Emporia,  Kansas,  and  later  made  his  way  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  that  state,  where  he  organized  a  company  of  men  who  with  mule  teams 
drove  across  the  country  to  Colorado.  They  took  a  circuitous  route  in  order  to  secure 
their  safety,  but  were  several  times  attacked  by  Indians,  who,  however,  were  driven 
off.  Later  Mr.  Norton  operated  a  ranch  in  Colorado  and  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City 
the  year  after  the  railroad  was  built  through  that  section  of  the  country.  He  was 
afterward  engaged  with  Mr.  Robinson  in  freighting  with  teams  through  Wyoming, 
Idaho  and  Utah,  and  thus  with  every  phase  of  western  development  and  progress  he 
became  familiar.  He  next,  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising,  which  he  carried 
on  at  the  mouth  of  Dry  Creek,  Idaho,  near  Murtaugh.  There  he  conducted  his  store 
for  a  time  but  afterward  sold  out  and  went  to  Texas,  where  he  purchased  cattle,  which 
he  drove  across  the  country  to  Idaho.  He  then  located  on  his  ranch  on  Cottonwood 
creek  and  engaged  in  cattle  raising  throughout  his  remaining  days.  As  he  prospered 
in  his  undertakings  he  purchased  other  ranch  property  and  became  one  of  the  promi- 
nent and  successful  ranchmen  and  cattle  raisers  of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  passed 
away  on  one  of  his  ranches  at  Rock  Creek  in  May,  1906.  During  his  later  years  he 
was  associated  with  his  brother,  L.  H.  Norton,  who  had  come  to  Idaho  after  his  brother 
arrived  in  this  state.  Arthur  D.  Norton  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Bank  of  Kimberly  and  also  operated  a  store  there. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1885,  Mr.  Norton  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Youngs,  a 
daughter  of  Ogden  D.  and  Emma  C.  (Norton)  Youngs  and  a  native  of  Stillman  Valley, 
Illinois.  Her  father  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  while  her  mother's  birth  occurred 
in  Varysburg,  New  York.  The  father  removed  westward  when  a  young  man  in  com- 
pany with  his  father's  family,  settling  at  White  Rock,  Illinois,  where  he  purchased 
land  and  built  a  log  house  on  the  edge  of  the  timber,  taking  active  part  in  the  pioneer 
development  of  that  section.  He  improved  his  farm,  bringing  the  land  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  and  in  that  section  of  Illinois  the  grandparents  and  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Norton  all  passed  away.  Her  mother  afterward  came  to  the  west,  and  lived  with  her 
children,  dying  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  H.  R.  Smith,  at  Twin  Falls,  Idaho, 
at  the  notable  old  age  of  ninety-one  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Norton  were  born 
three  children :  Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of  James  A.  Walker  and  resides  on  the  old  home 
ranch ;  Bertha,  who  was  at  one  time  a  teacher  in  the  Hawaiian  islands  and  was  en- 
gaged in  war  work  in  New  York  city  during  the  period  of  the  recent  conflict  with 
Germany;  and  Daniel,  who  is  living  on  a  ranch  near  Rock  Creek,  Idaho.  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton yet  makes  her  home  at  Twin  Falls,  living  in  Justamere  Inn,  and  is  one  of  the 
highly  esteemed  ladies  of  this  section  of  the  state. 

The  memory  of  Mr.  Norton  is  yet  revered  and  cherished  by  many  who  knew  him 
because  he  made  for  himself  a  creditable  position  in  business  circles  and  because  his 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  833 

entire  life  measured  up  to  high  standards  of  manhood  and  citizenship.  His  record 
should  serve  to  inspire  and  encourage  others,  showing  what  can  be  accomplished  through 
individual  effort.  He  worked  diligently  and  persistently  as  the  years  passed  by,  care- 
fully utilized  the  opportunities  that  others  neglected  and  became  one  of  the  successful 
business  men  of  Idaho  through  his  operations  as  a  merchant  and  dealer  in  live  stock. 


BARRY  DIBBLE. 

Barry  Dibble,  project  manager  of  the  Minldoka  project  of  the  United  States  recla- 
mation service,  with  office  at  Burley,  Idaho,  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  that  city  in  the  home  of  his  parents,  Charles  A.  and  Julia 
(Barry)  Dibble,  who  are  now  residents  of  Redlands,  California.  His  early  educational 
advantages  were  those  offered  by  the  public  schools  and  he  afterward  attended  the 
University  of  Minnesota  at  Minneapolis,  where  he  waa  graduated  on  the  completion  of 
a  course  in  electrical  engineering  with  the  class  of  1903.  He  was  then  employed  on 
electric  railroad  and  lighting  systems  and  in  connection  with  water  and  steam  power 
plants,  working  at  various  times  in  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Shawinigan  Falls  in 
Quebec,  Canada,  while  later  he  was  again  at  St.  Paul  and  at  Minneapolis.  In  1909 
he  entered  the  reclamation  service  of  the  country  and  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the 
Los  Angeles  office,  being  attached  to  the  office  of  the  chief  electrical  engineer  of  that 
service.  In  1910  he  was  transferred  to  the  Minidoka  project,  in  charge  of  the  power  and 
pumping  system,  and  in  January,  1916,  was  made  manager  at  Rupert,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  a  year.  In  1917  he  removed  to  Burley,  where  he  has  since  remained,  being 
now  project  manager  of  the  Minidoka  project  of  the  United  States  reclamation  serv- 
ice. He  has  been  a  most  thorough  and  discriminating  student  of  every  phase  of  the 
work  and  his  broad  experience  and  comprehensive  labors  enable  him  to  speak  with 
authority  upon  many  questions  of  vital  import  in  connection  with  the  irrigation  of  the 
arid  lands  of  the  west. 

In  1907  Mr.  Dibble  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Belle  Butler,  a  native  of  Oshkosh, 
Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of  Marsden  F.  and  Ada  (Plummer)  Butler.  The  children 
of  this  marriage  are  seven  in  number:  Elizabeth  H.,  Ada  P.,  Barryt  Mary  B.,  Evelyn, 
Edward  F.  and  Charles  G.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dibble  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  social 
circles  and  their  own  home  is  most  attractive  by  reason  of  its  warm-hearted  hospitality. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Dibble  is  a  Mason  and  in  his  political  views  is  a  republican.  His 
activity  and  interests,  however,  center  along  professional  and  kindred  lines.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  of  the  American  Society  of 
Civil  Engineers  and  of  the  American  Geographical  Society.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  International  Engineering  Congress  of  1915,  was  the' vice  president  of  the  Idaho 
Irrigation  Congress  and  was  formerly  the  president  of  the  Idaho  Society  of  Engineers. 
These  connections  indicate  his  high  professional  standing  and  the  efficiency  which  he 
has  attained  through  liberal  educational  training,  through  wide  reading  and  broad 
experience. 


JAMES   F.   WALKER. 

James  F.  Walker,  now  a  prominent  stockman  residing  at  Oakley,  has  been  a  re-si- 
dent  of  Idaho  from  the  age  of  fifteen  years  and  is  therefore  throughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  western  enterprise  and  progress  and,  moreover,  has  been  a  witness  of 
much  of  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state.  He  was  born  upon  a  farm 
near  Des  Moines.  Iowa,  in  March,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Eliza  Jane  (Fan- 
ning) Walker.  The  father  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in  1838,  while  the  mother's 
birth  occurred  in  Missouri  in  November,  1841.  They  removed  to  the  west  in  1863, 
settling  in  the  Payette  valley  of  Idaho,  making  the  trip  with  ox  teams.  There  they 
conducted  a  road  house  for  two  years  and  afterward  removed  to  Montana,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock.  For  ten  years  he  continued  in  the  busi- 
ness in  that  state,  after  which  he  decided  to  locate  in  Idaho  and  drove  his  cattle  across 
the  country  to  Goose  creek  in  Cassia  county,  then  -a  part  of  Owyhee  county^  This 
was  in  the  year  1875.  He  took  up  government  land,  which  he  at  once  began  to  im- 
prove and  develop,  and  he  likewise  followed  the  stock  business.  In  1877  he  planted  about 


834  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  to  grain  and  he  had  to  sit  up  many  nights  with  a 
shotgun  in  order  to  keep  the  rabbits  away,  so  numerous  were  they;  and  even  then 
they  destroyed  about  forty  acres  of  his  crop.  All  of  the  hardships  and  privations  of 
pioneer  life  had  to  be  endured.  Not  only  did  the  family  suffer  with  the  pest  of  rab- 
bits but  the  Indians  came  into  this  part  of  the  state  and  the  Walker  family  with  others 
were  forced  to  leave  their  ranch  for  some  time  or  until  the  Indians  had  passed  on, 
rendering  life  safe  in  this  district.  On  their  return  they  found  that  no  damage  had 
been  done  to  their  ranch  except  that  some  stock  had  been  killed  for  food.  The  father 
remained  on  Goose  creek  and  continued  actively  in  the  raising  of  live  stock  until  he 
retired  from  business  life.  He  passed  away  in  1913,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years, 
and  is  still  survived  by  his  widow,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  James,  and 
who  is  now  seventy-six  years  of  age. 

James  F.  Walker  came  to  the  west  with  his  parents  and  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
when  the  family  arrived  in  Idaho.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  va- 
rious places  in  which  the  family  resided  and  he  has  shared  with  the  others  in  all  of 
the  conditions  and  experiences  brought  about  through  residence  on  the  frontier.  He 
has  lived  to  witness  many  changes  in  Idaho,  having  spent  practically  his  entire  life 
in  the  locality  in  which  he  still  resides.  He  has  always  followed  the  live  stock  busi- 
ness and  today  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  stockmen  in  his  part  of  the  country.  He 
has  developed  his  interests  to  extensive  proportions  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  most 
accurate  judges  of  live  stock  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  Idaho.  He  handles  stock  of 
high  grade  and  has  done  not  a  little  to  improve  the  stock  produced  in  this  section  of 
the  state,  thereby  contributing  much  to  the  prosperity  of  Idaho  in  general.  When 
he  came  to  this  state  with  his  parents,  theirs  was  the  only  ranch  house  on  Goose  creek 
besides  a  stage  station  and  a  small  frame  house.  The  old  overland  stage  line  ran 
through  the  Goose  Creek  country,  so  that  travelers  occasionally  made  their  way  through 
the  district.  Mr.  Walker  now  has  his  old  eighty-acre  ranch  on  Goose  creek,  which  he 
entered  from  the  government  and  which  is  situated  at  the  edge  of  Oakley,  the  town 
having  steadily  grown  in  that  direction.  He  also  has  a  stock  ranch  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  south  of  the  town,  which  was  taken  up  from  the  government  by  other 
parties  and  which  he  later  purchased.  He  has  also  owrfed  and  operated  different 
ranches  which  were  later  sold  again.  Thus  at  different  times  he  has  bought  and  sold 
property  and  in  all  such  real  estate  transactions  has  usually  won  a  fair  profit.  His 
keen  business  sagacity  has  enabled  him  to  readily  recognize  the  opportunities  of  a 
business  situation  and  his  efforts  have  been  so  wisely  and  intelligently  directed  that 
success  in  substantial  measure  has  rewarded  his  industry. 

In  1884  Mr.  Walker  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Severe,  a  daughter  of  Harrison  and 
Dorothy  Severe,  who  removed  westward  to  Utah  from  Illinois,  and  the  father  devoted 
his  life  to  farming.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  was  celebrated  at  Grantsville, 
Utah.  They  have  no  children  of  their  own  but  have  reared  two  adopted  children,  Cora 
Brackett  and  Anona  Belle. 

In  politics  Mr.  Walker  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  county  commissioner  for 
two  terms.  He  is  keenly  interested  in  the  vital  political  problems  of  the  day  and 
stands  loyally  for  any  cause  which  he  espouses.  His  aid  and  influence  can  be  counted 
upon  to  further  all  plans  and  projects  which  he  deems  of  essential  value  to  the  com- 
munity and  he  is  one  of  those  broad-minded  and  progressive  men  who  find  time  for 
the  performance  of  all  duties  of  citizenship  and  at  the  same  time  are  most  capable  in 
the  conduct  of  their  business  affairs — affairs  which  constitute  contributing  forces  to 
the  prosperity  and  upbuilding  of  the  state  at  large. 


ISAAC  N.  PAYNTER. 

Isaac  N.  Paynter,  a  dealer  in  furs,  hides  and  poultry  in  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Bote- 
tourt  county,  Virginia,  October  22,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Mary  (Wood) 
Paynter,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  to  which  state 
Mr.  Paynter  removed  in  early  life.  In  1859  their  son,  Isaac  N.  Paynter,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Cedar  county,  Missouri,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  1871. 
He  then  went  to  Texas,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  cowboy  on  the  range  for  a  year. 

In  March,  1872,  Mr.  Paynter  arrived  in  the  Boise  valley  of  Idaho.  Through  the 
succeeding  winter  he  worked  for  John  Hailey,  one  of  Idaho's  famous  oldtime  stage 
drivers  and  operators,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  began  teaching  school,  which 


ISAAC  N.  PAYNTER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  837 

profession  he  followed  for  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising  and  devoted  twenty  years  of  his  life  to  agricul 
tural  interests.  In  1906  he  established  a  feed  business,  which  he  later  sold  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  real  estate  and  Insurance  business,  in  which  he  continued  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  began  dealing  in  furs,  hides  and  poultry  and  through 
the  intervening  period  has  met  with  substantial  prosperity. 

In  1876  Mr.  Paynter  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  May  Ward,  of  Caldwell,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  the  following  children:  Thomas  C.,  who  was  killed  in  1897. 
when  on  a  hunting  trip,  his  death  being  a  mystery,  although  it  is  supposed  he  was 
murdered;  Charles  S.,  who  is  employed  by  the  Caldwell  Traction  Company,  is  married 
and  has  two  children;  William  N.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  United  States  army  during 
the  great  war;  George  Wesley,  also  with  the  Caldwell  Traction  Company;  Mary  E.,  the 
wife  of  E.  N.  Brown,  a  farmer;  and  Alpha  M.,  the  wife  of  Roy  Titus,  who  was  in  the 
army,  being  stationed  at  Camp  Lewis,  Washington. 

In  politics  Mr.  Paynter  is  a  republican  and  for  three  terms  served  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council,  during  which  time  the  first  street  paving  was  done  in  Caldwell.  his 
aid  and  influence  being  on  the  side  of  this  progressive  movement.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  Mount  Marie  Lodge,  No.  39,  and  he  is  known 
as  a  worthy  and  exemplary  representative  of  the  craft.  His  life  has  been  one  of  indus- 
try, crowned  with  a  substantial  measure  of  success. 


HARVEY  B.  POWERS. 

While  for  many  years  Harvey  B.  Powers  was  actively  identified  with  farming 
interests,  he  is  now  living  retired  in  Meridian.  He  came  to  Idaho  from  northern  Mis- 
souri in  1901  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  or  near  Meridian,  having  erected  his 
present  attractive  two-story  brick  residence  in  1903,  taking  possession  thereof  in  the  fall 
of  that  year.  At  that  time  it  was  the  only  brick  dwelling  in  the  town,  and  while  several 
others  have  since  been  built,  it  remains  as  the  best  brick  dwelling  of  Meridian. 

Mr.  Powers  came  to  Idaho  from  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred  upon  a  farm  in 
Putnam  county,  that  state,  November  23,  1842,  his  parents  being  Elisha  Goodwin  and 
Elizabeth  (Snedaker)  Powers,  the 'former  a  native  of  Vermont,  while  the  latter  was 
born  in  Ohio.  The  father's  birth  occurred  March  8,  1811,  and  it  was  in  1837,  in  Putnam 
county,  Illinois,  that  he  wedded  Elizabeth  Snedaker,  who  was  born  October  12,  1810, 
in  Brown  county,  Ohio.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Snedaker,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  Elisha  G.  Powers  was  a  soldier  of  the  Black  Hawk  war 
of  1832,  serving  under  General  Zachary  Taylor.  He  and  his  wife  have  long  since  passed 
away  and  Mr.  Powers  of  this  interview  is  the  only  survivor  among  their  children. 

Harvey  B.  Powers  was  reared  in, Putnam  county,  Illinois,  spending  his  youthful 
days  in  the  usual  manner  of  the  farm-bred  boy.  He  was  but  twenty  years  of  age  when 
his  patriotic  spirit  prompted  his  enlistment  in  the  Union  army  for  service  in  the  Civil 
war.  He  joined  the  boys  in  blue  on  the  9th  of  August,  1862,  and  served  first  as  a  private, 
while  later  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  in  Company  E  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry.  He  participated  In  the  Vicksburg  cam- 
paign and  later  assisted  in  capturing  the  Confederate  forts  at  Mobile.  Alabama.  He 
also  took  part  in  other  hotly  contested  engagements  and  returned  to  his  home  with  a 
most  creditable  military  record.  From  June,  1866,  until  1901  Mr.  Powers  was  a  farmer 
of  Putnam  county,  Missouri,  and  was  prominently  known  as  a  leading  representative  of 
agricultural  interests  there  While  residing  in  that  locality  he  served  for  eight  years  as 
a  member  of  the  Missouri  legislature,  being  for  four  years  representative  of  his  district 
in  the  house  and  for  four  years  a  member  of  the  senate.  His  reelection  to  office  is  proof 
of  his  loyalty  and  his  ability  in  the  discharge  of  the  onerous  duties  that  devolved  upon 
him  in  shaping  the  legislation  of  that  state.  He  also  served  as  county  commissioner  for 
two  years  in  Putnam  county.  Missouri.  In  the  year  1901  Mr.  Powers  removed  to  Ada 
county,  Idaho,  and  resided  upon  a  farm  near  Meridian  until  1903,  when  he  sold  the 
property  and  retired  from  farming,  removing  to  Meridian. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  May,  1867,  in  Putnam  county,  Missouri,  that  Mr.  Powers  was 
married  to  Miss  Maria  L.  Pettet,  who  is  of  Scotch  descent  and  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  Ohio,  November  19,  1848,  being  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Mohler) 
Pettet.  On  the  12th  of  May,  1917,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers  celebrated  their  golden  wedding, 
four  of  their  six  children  being  present  on  that  occasion.  Their  children  are:  Mrs. 


838  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Olive  M.  Deck,  living  at  Meridian,  Idaho;  Fletcher  W.,  a  resident  of  Tillamook,  Oregon; 
Wiley  Merlin,  living  in  Twin  Falls  county,  Idaho;  Harry  Elaine,  of  Burley,  Idaho;  Mrs. 
Winnie  Tolleth,  whose  home  is  near  Meridian;  and  Mrs.  Anna  Champlin,  of  Baker, 
Oregon.  All  have  been  married  and  there  are  fifteen  grandchildren. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers  are  stanch  supporters  of  the  republican  party  and  for 
one  term  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Idaho  legislature,  representing  Ada  county  in 
the  session  of  1905.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  Mr.  Powers  is  also  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  He  is,  moreover,  an  excellent  public  speaker,  and  though  not  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  in  the  sense  of  being  ordained  to  that  work,  he  has  occupied  the  pulpit  of 
Methodist  churches  on  various  occasions  and  is  many  times  called  upon  to  address 
public  assemblages  upon  questions  of  vital  interest  and  importance.  He  possesses 
splendid  oratorical  ability,  which  has  been  developed  through  his  long  legislative  ex- 
perience in  Missouri  and  Idaho,  and  whenever  the  community  wishes  to  have  a  public 
speaker  the  first  thought  is  to  secure  Mr.  Powers.  He  is  clear  and  convincing  in  thought 
and  argument  and  has  no  difficulty  in  holding  the  attention  of  his  auditors.  Moreover, 
his  influence  and  aid  are  always  given  on  the  side  of  right,  improvement  and  advance- 
ment. His  ideals  of  life  are  high  and  he  has  put  forth  every  effort  to  attain  their  level. 


FRED   W.  KOBS. 

Fred  W.  Kobs,  manager  of  the  White  Department  Store,  Inc.,  one  of  the  large  com- 
mercial enterprises  of  Twin  Falls,  was  called  by  telegraph  to  accept  his  present  position 
in  1917  and  has  since  had  charge  of  the  business,  which  under  his  direction  has  de- 
veloped to  gratifying  proportions.  Mr.  Kobs  was  born  at  Spencer,  Wisconsin,  on  the  8th 
of  June,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Fred  and  Minnie  (Lang)  Kobs.  He  not  only  spent  the 
period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  at  Spencer  but  continued  to  reside  there  until  thirty- 
one  years  of  age  and  in  the  public  schools  pursued  his  education.  He  entered  upon  his 
business  career  at  that  place  in  the  employ  of  the  Wagner  Dry  Goods  Company,  with 
which  he  continued  as  a  clerk  for  nine  years  and  three  months,  a  fact  that  stands  as 
indisputable  evidence  of  his  faithfulness,  capability  and  fidelity  to  the  interests  which 
he  represented.  He  was  afterward  with  the  firm  of'  Hass  &  Wagner  for  some  time  as 
a  dry  goods  salesman,  spending  nine  years  and  two  weeks  in  that  connection.  On  the 
17th  of  April,  1913,  he  came  to  Twin  Falls,  entering  the  employ  of  Jenkins  &  Com- 
pany, with  which  he  continued  until  the  1st  of  October,  1917.  He  returned  to  Wis- 
consin for  a  visit  and  there  he  received  a  telegram  requesting  him  to  return  to  Twin 
Falls  as  manager  of  the  Big  White  Store.  He  made  favorable  reply  and  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  this  position,  which  he  has  since  filled  in  a  most  acceptable  and  creditable 
manner.  Under  his  direction  the  business  of  the.  house  has  steadily  increased  and  the 
store  is  now  one  of  the  leading  commercial  enterprises  of  Twin  Falls,  carrying  a  large 
and  well  selected  line  of  goods  in  every  department.  Mr.  Kobs  is  most  careful  in 
maintaining  high  standards  in  the  personnel  of  the  house,  in  the  line  of  goods  carried 
and  in  the  treatment  accorded  patrons,  and  his  progressive  policy  has  led  to  the 
steady  growth  of  the  business. 

In  1898  Mr.  Kobs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Bellmer,  a  daughter 
of  Frank  Bellmer,  and  they  have  two  children,  Clara  M.  and  Ruth  M.  Mr.  Kobs  be- 
longs to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  republican  party,  believing  firmly 
in  its  principles  as  factors  in  good  government.  He  diligently  supports  every  measure 
which  he  thinks  has  a  bearing  upon  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  district  in  which 
he  lives  and  stands  stanchly  for  all  those  interests  which  are  a  matter  of  civic  virtue 
and  of  civic  pride. 


WILLIAM  NELSON  McCARTY. 

William  Nelson  McCarty,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Pocatello,  dealing  in  hides, 
wool  and  furs  and  otherwise  connected  with  important  commercial  interests  of  the  city, 
was  born  at  Ogden,  Utah,  February  12,  1872.  His  father.  Nelson  McCarty,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Utah,  born  in  1849,  while  his  parents  were  en  route  for  California.  Changing 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  839 

their  plans,  however,  they  settled  in  Weber  valley,  Utah,  and  afterward  removed  to 
Ogden.  Having  arrived  at  years  of  maturity,  Nelson  McCarty  wedded  Mary  Ann 
Banford,  who  was  born  in  England  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States  when  seven 
years  of  age.  His  death  occurred  April  5,  1913,  but  the  mother  is  still  living  in  Ogden, 
Utah. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  William  Nelson  McCarty  pursued  his  edu- 
cation to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and  then  received  his  initiation  into  the  hide  and 
wool  business,  obtaining  his  first  experience  with  S.  H.  Frank  &  Company,  the  firm 
later  selling  the  business  to  D.  H.  McDonald  ft  Company  of  Chicago.  Mr.  McCarty  then 
represented  the  latter  company  in  Colorado  and  Utah  until  1892,  when  he  came  to 
Idaho  and  established  business  houses  for  the  firm  in  this  state  and  Montana,  becom- 
ing manager  of  the  Pocatello  branch  in  April,  1892.  In  1905  Mr.  McDonald  died  and 
Mr.  McCarty  then  took  over  the  Pocatello  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted  on 
his  own  account.  His  business  now  extends  throughout  Idaho,  Montana  and  Wyoming 
and  he  finds  a  market  for  his  products  throughout  the  east.  He  deals  extensively  in 
hides  and  wool  and  also  handles  furs,  which  is  an  important  industry  in  Idaho,  aa 
there  are  thousands  of  pelts  taken  every  year.  Aside  from  the  extensive  business 
which  he  has  built  up  along  this  line  he  is  interested  in  the  Citizens  Bank,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  has  been  a  director  from  the  beginning.  He  is  like- 
wise a  director  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Smith  Candy  Company,  which  employs  more  than 
ninety  people  in  the  manufacture  of  fine  confections.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Trist 
Garage  Company  on  West  Center  street,  a  company  that  handles  the  Buick,  Cadillac  and 
Chalmers  cars  and  the  Nash  Quaid  truck.  These  various  business  enterprises  have 
profited  in  no  small  degree  by  his  cooperation  and  sound  judgment,  for  he  is  a  man  of 
keen  discrimination  in  commercial  affairs. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1893,  Mr.  McCarty  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  Falk, 
of  Anaconda,  Montana,  a  daughter  of  Ben  Falk,  of  that  place.  Mr.  McCarty  turns  for 
recreation  to  hunting,  fishing,  literature  and  music.  He  is  a  republican  in  politics  and 
is  now  chairman  of  the  republican  central  committee  of  Bannock  county.  He  is  a 
ready  and  helpful  friend  to  progressive  development  in  his  home  city  and  state  and 
lends  his  aid  and  influence  to  every  measure  for  the  general  good.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  serving  for  a  second  term  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  lodge  and  commandery 
and  has  also  become  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  further  extended  his 
membership  relations  to  the  Elks  and  the  Odd  Fellows  and  is  loyal  to  every  cause 
which  he  espouses.  He  has  made  steady  progress  in  the  line  of  business  which  he 
entered  in  young  manhood  and,  advancing  step  by  step,  has  reached  a  place  where 
he  now  commands  and  controls  important  interests. 


DAVID  HUBBARD. 

David  Hubbard,  who  is  occupying  one  of  the  attractive  brick  residences  of  Elba, 
first  established  his  home  in  a  little  log  cabin  on  his  removal  to  Cassia  county  from. 
Utah.  Through  the  intervening  period  he  has  been  identified  with  ranching  interests 
and  with  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  Cassia  county  in  various  ways,  and  today 
he  is  serving  as  one  of  its  county  commissioners. 

He  was  born  at  Willard,  Utah,  November  30,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  W.  and 
Mary  (Edwards)  Hubbard,  the  former  a  native  of  Vermont,  while  the  latter  was  born 
in  Wales.  The  father  came  to  the  west  in  the  early  '50s  with  a  band  of  Mormon 
settlers  from  Indiana,  who  took  up  their  abode  near  Ogden,  Utah,  becoming  pioneer 
residents  of  that  section  of  the  state.  There  Charles  W.  Hubbard  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  assisted  materially  in  the  settlement 
of  the  Dixie  country  or  southern  Utah.  In  March,  1870,  he  returned  to  Willard,  Utah, 
and  was  also  identified  with  ranching  there,  continuing  to  make  his  home  in  that 
locality  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three  years.  He  had  long  survived  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in  1894,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven  years. 

The  boyhood  days  of  David  Hubbard  were  passed  at  Willard,  Utah,  and  through 
the  period  of  his  youth  he  assisted  his  father  upon  the  home  farm.  Eventually  he 
was  married  and  removed  to  Cassia  county,  Idaho,  settling  on  the  Raft  river  in  the 
Almo  valley,  where  he  began  general  farming  and  ranching  on  a  tract  of  raw  land. 


840  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

He  built,  thereon  a  little  log  house  with  a  dirt  roof,  taking  the  logs  from  the  woods. 
As  the  years  passed  his  labors  wrought  a  marked  transformation  in  the  appearance 
of  his  place  as  the  wild  land  was  converted  into  productive  fields  and  the  work  of 
general  improvement  was  carried  steadily  forward.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  removed  to 
Elba,  where  he  purchased  a  house,  and  later  he  erected  the  brick  residence  that  he 
now  occupies. 

It  was  in  1881  that  Mr.  Hubbard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  V.  Cordon, 
a  native  of  Willard,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Emma  (Parker)  Cordon,  who 
were  natives  of  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbard  became  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Alice,  Jessie  L.,  Alfred  C.,  Howard  W.,  Earl  P.,  Larence  R.  and  Vern  E.  In  1919  Mr. 
Hubbard  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  at  Jerome, 
Idaho,  on  the  28th  of  January  when  fifty-seven  years  of  age. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  republican  and  has  served  as  school  trustee. 
He  is  now  serving  for  the  third  term  as  county  commissioner  of  Cassia  county,  having 
first  been  elected  to  the  position  in  1914.  His  reelections  are  unmistakable  proof  of 
his  capability  and  fidelity  in  the  office  and  Cassia  county  classes  him  among  her  rep- 
resentatives and  valued  residents. 


J.  W.  SMEED. 

J.  W.  Smeed,  president  of  the  Caldwell  Horse  &  Mule  Company  and  thus  prom- 
inently connected  with  live  stock  activities  in  Canyon  county,  was  born  in  Phillips 
county,  Kansas,  October  14,  18&1,  and  there  he  attended  the  common  schools  while 
spending  his  youthful  days  in  the  home  of  his  parents,  Henry  and  Harriet  Jane  (Wat- 
son) Smeed,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  England,  where  they  were  married  before 
coming  to  the  United  States  in  1870.  They  settled  first  in  Iowa  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  while  they  finally  established  themselves  on  a  farm  in  western  Kan- 
sas, where  they  remained  until  1893.  At  that  date  they  came  to  Idaho,  the  father  taking 
up  farming  and  stock  raising  near  Boise  and  continuing  active  in  the  work  until  his 
death  in  1911. 

J.  W.  Smeed  made  his  first  venture  in  the  business  world  with  his  brother,  C.  R. 
Smeed,  as  a  partner  in  Boise  in  February,  1906,  at  which  time  they  opened  a  livery 
stable  called  the  Front  Street  Livery,  which  at  that  time  was  the  smallest  stable  in  Boise. 
However,  when  they  disposed  of  their  business  in  1912,  they  were  conducting  the  finest 
and  largest  stables  of  the  city,  the  business  being  carried  on  under  the  name  of  the 
Smeed  Brothers  Livery.  In  March  of  that  year  they  came  to  Caldwell  and  purchased 
the  Turner  Horse  Market  and  two  years  later,  in  connection  with  six  others,  bought  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  and  merged  the  two  enterprises.  These  interests  are  now  controlled 
by  the  four  men:  J.  W.  and  C.  R.  Smeed,  J.  A.  Haley  and  Robert  Dundheimei',  with  J.  W. 
Smeed  as  president  of  the  company,  Mr.  Haley  as  vice  president  and  the  other  members 
as  directors  and  stockholders.  In  this  connection  an  extensive  business  has  been  devel- 
oped, the  corporation  being  one  of  the  foremost  concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  state.  Mr. 
Smeed's  brother,  who  has  always  been  associated  with  him  in  business,  is  not  married 
and  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  although  partners  for  years  there  have  never  been  any 
papers  to  establish  their  connection  or  position,  their  interests  being  most  harmoni- 
ously conducted.  Mr.  Smeed  has  two  other  brothers:  L.  A.,  of  Cincinnati,  who  has 
a  stable  of  race  horses;  and  J.  E.,  of  Caldwell,  who  owns  two  ranches  near  Boise  and 
is  engaged  in  buying  stock  for  the  Caldwell  Horse  &  Mule  Company.  The  latter  married 
Alice  Matchim,  of  Boise  valley,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Ross,  Hazel, 
Lillian  and  Kenneth.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  three  brothers  have  remained  so 
closely  associated  in  their  business  affairs.  In  1914  the  Caldwell  Horse  &  Mule  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  while  this  company  and  the  Union  Stock  Yards  Company 
are  operated  under  their  respective  names,  they  are  controlled  and  owned  by  the  same 
officers  and  directors  and  the  Union  Stock  Yards  are  leased  to  the  Caldwell  Horse  & 
Mule  Company.  Their  earnings  and  profits  are  kept  separately,  although  all  business  of 
both  institutions  is  done  through  the  latter  company.  Since  November,  1914,  their 
sales  have  amounted  to  approximately  ten  million  dollars  and  they  have  handled 
twenty-five  thousand  head  of  war  horses  and  mules  and  in  1918  shipped  fifteen  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  pure  bred  bulls  and  ten  thousand  head 
of  sheep.  Until  1918  their  business  was  the  handling  of  horses  and  mules  exclusively 
but  with  changing  conditions  they  extended  their  efforts  into  other  branches  of  stock 


J.  W.  SMEED 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  843 

dealing.  Within  the  last  four  years  they  have  bought  twenty  thousand  tons  of  hay,  most 
of  which  was  fed  in  the  Union  Stock  Yards  of  Caldwell.  These  yards  are  located  about 
a  mile  from  the  city  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  and  have  splendid  trackage 
and  an  abundance  of  pure  water  for  the  stock.  The  yards  cover  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres  and  represent  an  investment  of  forty  thousand  dollars.  They  are  the  best 
equipped  and  cleanest  yards  in  the  west  and  the  company  intends  to  make  this  the 
largest  market  west  of  Kansas  City  for  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock.  Figuring  on  a 
basis  of  the  prosperity  which  these  yards  have  already*  brought  to  Caldwell,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  prophesy  that  they  will  make  Caldwell  the  Kansas  City  of  the  west  F.  G. 
Huffman  is  the  able  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Caldwell  Horse  ft  Mule  Company. 
All  business  interests  are  most  systematically  and  progressively  conducted  and  results 
have  indeed  been  most  gratifying. 

In  addition  to  his  connection  with  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  the  Caldwell  Horse 
A  Mule  Company,  J.  W.  Smeed  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  property  of  six  hundred 
acres  west  of  Caldwell  and  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  east  of  Caldwell, 
together  with  a  fine  residence  property  on  Kimball  avenue  in  the  city. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1909,  Mr.  Smeed  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Florence 
Beckman,  a  daughter  of  Emil  Beckman,  of  Leadville,  Colorado,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Jack,  now  four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Smeed  has  a  host  of  warm  friends,  ranging 
from  bankers  to  cow  punchers,  is  a  gentleman  of  most  affable  manner  and  pleasing 
personality,  who  rates  his  friends  not  by  wealth  but  by  worth,  and  true  worth  can 
always  win  his  regard. 


OTIS  RIFE. 

Otis  Rife,  a  live  stock  dealer  of  Meridian,  who  came  to  Idaho  from  Wyoming  in 
1908,  settling  in  Ada  county,  has  always  given  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  sheep  and 
cattle  and  his  activities  along  that  line  have  not  only  constituted  a  measure  of  in- 
dividual success  but  have  also  been  an  element  in  the  development  of  the  live  stock 
industry  in  the  district  in  which  he  has  resided.  Mr.  Rife  is  a  native  of  Quincy.  Adams 
county,  Illinois,  his  birth  having  there  occurred  January  13,  1874.  His  father,  William 
A.  Rife,  was  throughout  his  entire  life  engaged  in  raising  and  dealing  in  live  stock, 
first  in  Illinois  and  afterward  in  Wyoming.  He  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  July  10, 
1844,  and  in  early  life  became  a  resident  of  Illinois.  There  he  responded  to  the 
country's  call  to  aid  in  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  with  the 
"boys  in  blue"  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Nineteenth  Illinois  In- 
fantry. He  was  married  in  Adams  county.  Illinois,  to  Belle  Mills,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  of 
whom  Otis  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  The  sons  are  all  yet  living  and  all  are 
well  known  live  stock  men.  Two,  Otis  and  Oran,  are  residents  of  Idaho,  the  latter 
making  his  home  at  Garden  Valley.  The  other  brother  is  Sterling  O.  Rife,  of  Rock 
Springs,  Wyoming.  The  only  sister,  Leora,  married  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  leaving  a  son,  Oran  Goodman.  The  parents  of  Otis  Rife  have  also  passed  away. 
The  mother  died  at  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming,  December  25,  1911,  while  the  father  de- 
parted this  life  in  Boise.  Idaho,  December  9.  1918. 

Otis  Rife  was  reared  and  educated  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  in  1890  went  to  Rock 
Springs,  Wyoming,  in  company  with  his  elder  brother,  Sterling  O.,  who  was  then 
but  twenty  years  of  age,  while  Otis  was  a  youth  of  seventeen.  During  his  residence 
in  Wyoming  the  latter  engaged  in  sheep  raising  and  for  several  years  rode  the  range. 
As  soon  as  he  had  money  enough  to  make  a  start  in  the  business  world  independently 
he  turned  his  attention  to  raising  live  stock  on  his  own  account  and  throughout  the 
intervening  years  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  sheep  and  cattle  industry.  He 
followed  sheep  raising  in  Wyoming  from  1890  until  1909  and  in  days  gone  by  his  flcx-ks 
sometimes  numbered  many  thousands  of  sheep,  but  about  five  years  ago  he  ceased 
sheep  raising  and  is  now  devoting  his  attention  exclusively  to  cattle.  From  1908 
until  1916  he  resided  in  Boise,  at  the  corner  of  Seventeenth  and  Lemp  streets,  and 
then  removed  to  Meridian,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  recently  sold  his 
Boise  property  and  in  Meridian  he  has  a  nice  residence  on  Idaho  street.  Here  he  is 
most  comfortably  situated,  his  success  bringing  to  him  not  only  the  necessities  of  life 
but  also  many  of  its  luxuries. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1899,  at  Kemmerer,  Wyoming.  Mr.  Rife  was  married  to  Miss 


844  'HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Fannie  F.  Curtis,  a  daughter  of  Frank  R.  Curtis,  who  resides  at  Seventeenth  and 
Dewey  streets  in  Boise.  Mrs.  Rife  was  born  in  Illinois,  April  10,  1881,  and  has  become 
the  mother  of  two  children:  Edna  May,  born  May  24,  1900;  and  Frank  Otis,  May  11, 
1903.  The  daughter  is  now  an  accomplished  young  lady  of  nineteen  years  who  was 
graduated  from  the  Meridian  high  school  with  the  class  of  1919  and  is  at  present  study- 
ing music  in  the  University  of  Oregon.  While  a  high  school  pupil  she  gave  much  at- 
tention to  manual  training  work  and  in  the  Rife  home  are  a  number  of  attractive 
pieces  of  furniture  which  she  made.  The  only  son  is  now  attending  the  public  schools 
of  Meridian. 

Mr.  Rife  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  enjoys  hunting  and  fish- 
ing and  in  his  hunting  trips  has  killed  many  deer,  elk  and  bears.  To  this  he  turns  for 
rest  and  recreation.  The  major  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  however,  is  given  to 
his  business  affairs  and  he  is  not  only  a  breeder  of  live  stock  but  also  buys  and  sells 
cattle  and  his  business  affairs  are  now  of  extensive  proportions,  he  being  one  of  the 
well  known  live  stock  men  of  Ada  county. 


BERNARD   LOUIS   LEMP. 

Bernard  Louis  Lemp,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  in  dealing  in  land  at  Boise, 
was  born  November  8,  1886,  in  the  city  which  is  now  his  home,  being  next  to  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters,  whose  parents 
were  John  and  Catherine  Lemp,  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Of 
the  family  four  sons  and  three  daughters  are  yet  living. 

Bernard  L.  Lemp  was  reared  and  educated  in  Boise,  attending  the  public  and  high 
schools  and  later  completing  a  course  in  a  local  business  college,  in  which  he  made  a 
study  of  bookkeeping.  Since  completing  his  school  work  he  has  been  extensively 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  in  farming.  He  has  large  ranch  interests  in  Ada 
and  Canyon  counties  and  upon  his  ranch  property  and  on  the  forest  reserve  lands  he 
raises  many  thousands  of  head  of  beef  cattle  annually,  fattening  them  for  the  Omaha 
and  Kansas  City  markets.  He  has  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  business,  most  care- 
fully and  wisely  directs  his  interests  and  through  the  capable  conduct  of  his  affairs  is 
winning  well  deserved  success.  He  finds  the  keenest  pleasure  in  cattle  raising  and 
himself  rides  the  range  to  a  large  extent,  greatly  enjoying  life  in  the  open. 

On  the  22nd  of  July,  1908,  Mr.  Lemp  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Leona  Caroline 
Tucker,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Placerville,  Idaho.  They  have  two  sons:  Bernard 
Louis,  Jr.,  born  April  6,  1910;  and  George  Tucker,  born  November  26,  1915.  Mr.  Lemp 
and  his  family  are  Episcopalians  in  religious  faith.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  he  belongs  also  to  the  Boise  Country  Club 
and  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club — associations  that  indicate  much  concerning  the 
nature  of  his  interests  and  his  recreation.  He  is,  however,  a  most  alert  and 
energetic  business  man  and  his  unfaltering  industry  and  sound  judgment  have  been 
dominant  forces  in  the  attainment  of  his  present  success. 


OLIVER   P.    ANDERSON. 

i 

Oliver  P.  Anderson,  who  is  engaged  in  ranching  on  Marsh  creek,  near  Declo,  in 
Cassia  county,  was  born  in  San  Antonio,  Texas,  February  23,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
Oliver  Erwin  and  Mary  (Kellem)  Anderson.  He  was  only  a  small  boy  when  his  par- 
ents left  San  Antonio  and  removed  with  their  family  to  Benton  county,  Arkansas,  where 
they  settled  upon  a  farm  that  had  formerly  been  owned  by  the  grandfather  of  Oliver 
P.  Anderson. 

The  letter  there  passed  his  youthful  days  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  when  he 
went  to  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  and  later  made  a  trip  from  that  place  with  cattle 
to  Leadville,  Colorado,  spending  the  summer  at  Twin  Lakes.  In  October  of  the  same 
year  he  returned  to  Colorado  Springs  with  the  cattle  and  later  he  went  to  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  and  eventually  to  Kelton,  Utah;  From  that  point  he  traveled  by  stage  to 
Baker  Citv.  Ore^n,  and  for  some  time  engaged  in  driving  freight  teams  for  the  Oregon 
Railway  &  Navigation  Company.  He  is  next  found  at  Union,  Oregon,  where  he  engaged 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  4  845 

in  cow  punching  in  connection  with  different  cattle  outfits.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he 
made  his  way  to  Ketchum  and  to  Hailey,  Idaho,  with  horses  which  he  sold  in  t 
districts.  He  afterward  prospected  for  a  time  and  in  August.  1887,  came  to  the  pr- 
site  of  Malta  although  the  town  had  not  yet  been  founded.  He  was  there  associated 
with  the  S.  R.  Gwinn  Cattle  Company.  Later  he  drove  a  stage  from  Albion  to  Minidcka. 
Idaho,  thus  spending  the  winter  of  1887-88.  Subsequently  he  was  for  six  years  in  the 
Saddle  Raft  river  country  of  Idaho  where  he  engaged  in  punching  for  various  outfits, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1894  he  began  operating  the  R.  L.  Woods  ranch  on  Marsh  lake, 
concentrating  his  efforts  upon  the  development  of  the  land,  with  cattle  raising  interests 
conducted  in  connection  therewith.  After  two  years,  or  in  1896,  he  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Cassia  county  and  established  his  home  in  Albion,  filling  the  office  for  two  years 
He  afterward  purchased  his  present  ranch,  known  as  the  old  Dr.  Lucas  ranch,  com- 
pricing  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  To  this  he  has  added  from  time  to 
time  as  his  financial  resources  have  increased  and  he  now  has  seven  hundred  acres, 
constituting  a  valuable  property.  He  erected  new  buildings  upon  the  place  and  h-is 
supplied  it  with  all  modern  equipment  and  conveniences.  He  is  running  from  three 
hundred  to  four  hundred  head  of  cattle  upon  his  place  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  stockmen  of  his  section  of  the  county.  He  is  also  a  director  and  stockholder 
in  the  Declo  State  Bank  and  in  addition  to  his  ether  interests  he  has  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  at  Albion. 

In  1893  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to  Miss  Lillie  Robbins.  a  daughter  of  Henry  anft 
Dora  (Moon)  Robbins  and  a  native  of  Malad,  Idaho.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Albion  and  at  an  early  day  engaged  in  freighting  from  Kelton,  Utah,  to 
Boise,  Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  become  the  parents  of  six  children:  Pearl, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  Oliver;  William;  John  C.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Mar- 
garet; and  Richard. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  democrat  in  his  political  views  and  has  filled  the  office  of  high- 
way commissioner.  Throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho  his  labors  have 
been  of  direct  value  in  the  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  the  districts  in  which  he 
has  lived,  and  his  worth  as  a  citizen  is  acknowledged  by  all. 


FRANK  L.  PAYNE. 

Frank  L.  Payne,  proprietor  of  the  Western  Meat  Company,  his  market  being  located 
at  No.  110  North  Tenth  street,  is  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Idaho.  He  was  born 
at  Prompton,  Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  29,  1855,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1856  the  family  removed  from  the  Keystone  state  to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  He  came 
to  Idaho  in  1863  with  his  father,  Homer  R.  Payne,  from  La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  His 
mother,  Louisa  (Greeley)  Payne,  was  a  niece  of  the  famous  editor  and  political  leader, 
Horace  Greeley,  in  whose  home  she  spent  a  portion  of  her  girlhood.  She  died  in  l^a 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  when  Frank  L.  Payne,  was  only  six  years  old.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  father  came  to  Idaho  in 
1863,  crossing  the  plains  in  a  wagon  train  drawn  by  horses  and  mules,  and  with  him 
came  his  son,  Frank  L.,  who  was  then  eight  years  of  age.  The  enormous  size  of  the 
train  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  it  comprised  thirteen  hundred  people.  In 
1865,  Mr.  Payne  and  his  son  returned  to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  by  wagon.  In 
Wyoming  the  Indians  held  up  the  train  one  morning  just  at  daylight  and  stole  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  horses.  This  serious  incident,  however,  was  only  one  of 
many  that  occurred  on  the  western  plains  in  those  days.  The  wagon  train  naturally 
encountered  great  difficulties  in  order  to  obtain  a  sufficient  number  of  hors'es  to  proceed 
on  the  way  but  finally  the  hazardous  trip  was  completed.  From  1863  until  1865  Mr. 
Payne.  Sr.,  and  his  son  were  residents  of  Bannock  City,  Montana. 

In  1903  Frank  L.  Payne  returned  to  Idaho.  For  a  time  he  lived  at  Pearl  nnd  sub- 
sequently at  Caldwell,  this  state,  but  since  1907  has  been  a  resident  of  Boise,  where 
he  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the  meat  business.  He  has  been  located  at  his 
present  establishment  since  1916.  The  business  is*  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
the  Western  Meat  Company  and  in  its  conduct  he  has  proven  himself  a  reliable  and 
progressive  business  man.  He  believes  in  the  utmost  honesty  and  fair  treatment,  and 
it  is  therefore  but  natural  that  he  has  built  up  a  large  trade. 

Mr.  Payne  has  two  sons  by  his  first 'marriage:  LeRoy.  a  resident  of  Portland, 
Oregon;  and  Earl,  of  Payette,  Idaho.  By  his  second  union  he  also  has  two  children: 


846  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Pauline,  attending  the  Boise  high  school,   and  Elwood   Morgan,  aged  nine,  who  is   a 
student  in  the  common  schools. 

Mr.  Payne  has  always  been  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  is  ever  ready  to  give  of 
his  time  and  effort  in  order  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  community  in  which  he  now 
resides.  While  a  resident  of  Caldwell  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Canyon  county 
for  three  years  and  while  in  that  position  had  the  distinction  of  arresting  Harry  Orchard, 
the  murderer  of  Governor  Steunenberg,  the  trial  and  case  receiving  world-wide  atten- 
tion and  being  of  the  greatest  national  importance.  Mr.  Payne  is  a  republican,  stead- 
fastly supporting  the  principles  of  that  party,  and  fraternally  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
in  which  organization  he  has  many  friends. 


CLYDE   EARL  SUMMERS. 

Clyde  Earl  Summers,  of  the  firm  of  Summers  &  Krebs,  funeral  directors  of  Boise, 
who  is  also  filling  the  office  of  county  coroner  in  Ada  county,  was  born  upon  a  farm 
near  Mapleton,  in  Bourbon  county,  Kansas,  November  15,  1889.  He  is  one  of  the  two 
sons  of  William  Ely  and  Adaline  Ophelia  (Camp)  Summers.  The  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Boise,  where  he  passed 
away  July  20,  1918,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  dying  at  the  home  of  his  son 
Clyde.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  has  reached  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  Both  were 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  only  brother  of  Clyde  E.  Summers  is  Clifford  Olin 
Summers,  a  master  mechanic  who  was  engaged  in  placing  machinery  on  government 
ships  at  Tacoma,  Washington,  during  the  World  war.  He  is  twenty-seven  years  of 
age  and  is  now  in  San  Francisco.  There  are  also  two  living  sisters:  Mrs.  Lone 
Myrick,  of  Spokane,  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Maud  B.  Allen,  of  Rockford,  Iowa. 

Clyde  E.  Summers  came  west  to  Idaho  with  his  parents  in  1901,  the  family  home 
being  established  at  Genesee.  In  1906  a  removal  was  made  to  Moscow,  Idaho,  chiefly  that 
the  children  might  enjoy  educational  privileges  there  offered,  and  Clyde  E.  Summers 
spent  three  years  in  the  Moscow  high  school.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  entered 
the  United  States  railway  mail  service,  with  Spokane  as  his  headquarters,  and  for  a 
year  made  the  run  between  Spokane  and  Wallace.  He  then  resigned  and  learned  the 
undertaking  business  in  Spokane,  serving  his  apprenticeship  with  Smith  &  Company, 
the  largest  undertaking  firm  of  that  city.  In  1911  he  came  to  Boise  and  at  once  be- 
came one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Fry  &  Summers  undertaking  firm,  of  which  he 
was  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  but  on  the  1st  of  January,  1920,  the  firm  became 
Summers  &  Krebs.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  establishments  of  the  kind  in  Boise, 
the  business  having  been  originated  by  the  firm  of  Glover  &  Company  many  years  ago. 
The  present  proprietors  are  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage  and  conduct  their  business 
along  the  most  scientific  lines. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1913,  Mr.  Summers  was  married  to  Miss  Roxie  Loraine 
Dickson,  of  Boise,  and  they  have  a  little  daughter,  Mary  Adaline.  born  June  22,  1914. 
The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Christian  church.  Politically  Mr. 
Summers  is  a  republican  and  is  filling  the  office  of  county  coroner,  to  which  he  was 
elected  in  1914.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Masons,  having  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  while  with  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
he  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Grotto  and  to  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  is  an  Elk,  a  Modern  Woodman  of  America  and  a  Woodman 
of  the  World.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  he  turns  to 
hunting,  fishing  and  motoring  for  recreation  when  opportunity  permits.  His  inter- 
ests are  thus  broad  and  varied  and  he  is  a  typical  American  citizen,  alert  and  enter- 
prising, active  in  business  and  at  the  same  time  finding  opportunity  for  support  of 
measures  and  movements  which  make  for  individual  uplift  and  for  community  better- 
ment. 


CHARLES  H.  ELDRED. 

Among  the  representatives  of  farming  interests  in  Twin  Falls  county  is  Charles 
H.  Eldred,  who  resides  on  section  31,  range  9,  township  17.  He  was  born  in  Miami 
county,  Kansas,  February  26,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Richard  and  Harriett 
(Knowles)  Eldred.  The  father,  a  native  of  New  York,  enlisted  in  1861  as  a  drummer 


CLYDE  E.  SUMMERS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  849 

boy  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war  and  was  at  the  front  for  three 
years  and  three  months,  serving  for  the  last  two  years  as  a  private,  having  enlisted  in 
Illinois  for  active  duty  in  that  way.  Following  the  war  he  was  married  in  Illinois 
and  afterwards  removed  to  Miami  county,  Kansas.  Subsequently  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Labette  county,  Kansas,  and  later  became  a  resident  of  Barber  county,  fQllowing 
farming  throughout  these  various  periods.  He  at  length  passed  away  upon  his  farm 
in  Barber  county  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  He  had  learned  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade  in  Illinois  and  followed  that  pursuit  in  early  life,  but  his  attention 
was  later  given  to  the  development  of  the  soil.  In  politics  he  was  a  stalwart  republi- 
can. His  wife  passed  away  at  Bountiful,  Utah. 

Charles  H.  Eldred  spent  his  boyhood  in  Barber  county,  Kansas,  and  pursued  his 
education  in  one  of  the  old-time  schoolhouses  of  the  frontier,  built  of  logs.  He  was  but 
twelve  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  upon  him  largely  devolved  the  sdpport  of 
the  family.  It  was  a  heavy  burden  for  one  of  his  years  tc  assume,  but  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  take  up  the  work  which  fate  thus  thrust  upon  him.  In  1888  he  went  to  Rock- 
vale,  Colorado,  where  he  was  employed  by  a  coal  company,  and  later  he  worked  in  a 
sugar  factory  at  Medicine  Lodge,  Kansas,  spending  two  years  in  that  connection.  In 
1891  he  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  for  four  years  was  an  empltfye  of  the 
city.  He  afterward  spent  five  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Rio  Grande  ft  Western  Rail- 
road in  connection  with  the  water  service  department  and  during  the  next  four  years 
Jie  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Utah  Fuel  Company.  On  the  1st  of  September,  1904,  he 
arrived  in  Twin  Falls,  making  the  trip  by  stage  from  Shoshone,  Idaho.  Turning  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  he  invested  in  farm  land,  which  he  purchased  from 
the  Twin  Falls  Land  ft  Water  Company,  obtaining  eighty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  twenty- 
five  dollars  per  acre,  with  water  right  at  fifty  cents  per  acre.  He  at  first  built  a  shack 
upon  his  place  and  as  soon  as  possible  erected  a  substantial  modern  house  anfl  good 
barns,  carrying  on  the  improvement  of  the  farm,  which  he  has  converted  from  a  tract 
of  wild  land  producing  nothing  but  sagebrush  into  one  of  the  highly  developed  farm 
properties  of  the  district  There  were  but  one  hundred  people  in  Twin  Falls  at  the 
time  when  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  this  place.  Through  the  intervening  period  he 
has  carried  on  general  farming,  making  his  fields  very  productive,  so  that  he  annually 
harvests  good  crops,  and  he  also  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  Poland  China  hogs. 

In  1892  Mr.  Eldred  was  married  to  Miss  Clemence  Smithers  and  their  children  are 
Bessie,  Arthur,  Dora,  Melvin  and  Adeline.  The  family  is  now  well  known  in  Twin 
Falls  county,  where  Mr.  Eldred  has  carried  on  farming  from  early  pioneer  times,  con- 
tributing in  substantial  measure  to  the  agricultural  development  of  this  section  of  the 
state. 


THOMAS  P.  WOODCOCK. 

Thomas  P.  Woodcock,  general  manager  at  Boise  for  the  firm  of  Bissinger  ft  Com- 
pany, dealers  in  wool  and  hides,  was  born  at  Molalla,  Oregon,  on  the  22d  of  July,  1856, 
a  son  of  W.  D.  and  Allizana  (Cornelius)  Woodcock.  The  father  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  1844,  removing  from  Ohio  to  Oregon,  and  the  mother  accompanied  her  parents 
to  that  state  in  1843.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Absalom  Cornelius  and  both  families 
became  pioneer  residents  of  Oregon. 

Thomas  P.  Woodcock  was  chiefly  reared  in  Oregon  City,  Oregon,  and  in  his  youthful 
days  learned  the  butcher's  trade,  beginning  work  along  that  line  when  a  lad  of  fourteen. 
He  was  thus  engaged  until  1893  and  in  1879  removed  to  Boise,  where  he  conducted  a 
meat  market  on  Main  street,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth  streets.  In  1893  he 'became  the 
local  manager  for  the  large  hide  and  wool  concern  of  Bissinger  &  Company  of  San 
Francisco.  California.  He  installed  the  local  plant  at  Boise  and  has  been  the  directing 
head  at  this  point  continuously  since  1893  save  for  a  period  of  three  years,  from  1911 
to  1913  inclusive,  during  which  time  he  was  giving  his  attention  to  public  duties  as  one 
of  Boise's  city  commissioners,  his  specific  position  being  that  of  commissioner  of  safety. 
Elected  on  a  non-partisan  ticket,  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  commission  form  of 
government  in  Boise.  On  retiring  from  the  office  he  resumed  his  connection  with  Bis- 
singer &  Company  and  his  record  is  a  most  enviable  one.  He  has  served  the  concern 
continuously  for  a  period  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  save  for  the  three-year 
interval  and  his  record  has  been  marked  by  the  utmost  fidelity  to  duty  and  thorough 
appreciation  and  utilization  of  the  opportunities  which  have  come  to  him  in  this  con- 
nection for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  corporation  which  he  represents. 

Vol.  II— :.4  » 


850  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1884,  in  Boise,  Mr.  Woodcock  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Brodbeck,  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Brodbeck,  founder  and  owner  of  the  Boise 
Brewery,  who  died  in  1908.  They  became  parents  of  two  daughters:  Edith,  now  a 
musician  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  Mabel,  a  student  in  the  Boise  high  school  as  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1919.  The  elder  daughter  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high 
school  with  the  class  of  1905  and  has  made  a  special  study  of  piano  music  for  many 
years. 

Mr.  Woodcock  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  member- 
ship in  Ada  Lodge,  No.  3,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  since  1882,  and  he  is  a  past  grand.  In  politics 
he  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  although  he  served 
as  city  commissioner  as  previously  indicated.  In  community  affairs,  however,  he  has 
been  deeply  and  helpfully  interested.  He  served  for  many  years  as  a  member  of  the 
old  volunteer  fire  department  of  Boise  and  was  elected  its  first  chief  engineer,  in  which 
capacity  he  was  acting  at  the  time  Boise  had  her  biggest  fire,  which  occurred  on  the 
south  side  of  Main  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  streets,  many  years  ago.  Those 
who  know  him,  and  he  has  a  wide  acquaintance,  entertain  tor  him  warm  regard  because 
of  his  sterling  traits  of  character  as  a  business  man  and  citizen,  who,  free  from  ostenta- 
tion, is  nevertheless  loyal  to  every  interest  which  he  represents  and  cause  which  he 
espouses. 


.  EDWARD  C.  OSTNER. 

Edward  C.  Ostner,  one  of  the  well  known  young  business  men  of  Boise  who  for 
the  past  ten  years  has  had  the  sprinkling  contract  for  the  city,  was  born  in  Bellevue, 
Elaine  county,  Idaho,  February  13,  1885,  and  is  the  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert 
W.  Ostner,  of  this  city,  and  a  grandson  of  the  late  Charles  Ostner,  whose  name  is  in- 
seperably  linked  with  Idaho's  history,  for  he  was  a  pioneer  of  the  state  and  a  man  of 
marked  artistic  tastes  and  talents,  who  carved  the  George  Washington  statue  that  is 
now  seen  on  the  capitol  grounds. 

Edward  C.  Ostner  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  Boise 
and  in  1903  he  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school.  For  the  past  ten  years  he 
has  had  the  contract  for  street  sprinkling  in  Boise  and  previous  to  that  he  had  spent 
four  years  in  the  state  land  office  during  the  administration  of  Governor  Gooding.  His 
early  education  embraced  a  year's  study  in  the  Montana  School  of  Mines  and  it  was 
his  plan  then  to  become  a  mining  engineer,  but  his  fondness  for  horses  and  live  stock 
overcame  his  desire  and  he  entered  into  other  lines  of  activity.  On  the  1st  of  January, 
1911,  he  and  a  partner,  William  Howell,  of  Boise,  under  the  firm  style  of  Howell  & 
Ostner,  were  given  a  five  year  contract  for  street  sprinkling  in  Boise.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  period  Mr.  Ostner  purchased  his  partner's  interest  in  the  teams  and  equipment 
and  took  the  contract  for  another  five  years  on  his  own  account.  He  also  has  ranch 
and  cattle  interests  in  Elmore  county. 

In  November,  1918,  Mr.  Ostner  was  married  to  Miss  Fay  Griffith,  of  Moscow,  Idaho, 
and  in  Boise  they  have  a  wide  acquaintance  among  the  best  people.  His  chief  recrea- 
tion is  polo  and  he  is  also  fond  of  hunting  and  fishing.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
Avith  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


JESSE  WILSON  PARSONS. 

Jesse  Wilson  Parsons,  who  follows  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Burley,  was  born  at 
Versailles,  Ripley  county,  Indiana,  June  24,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Eliza  Ann 
(Hamilton)  Parsons,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  while  the  latter  was  born  in 
Indiana.  The  father  spent  his  early  boyhood  in  Kentucky  and  later  removed  to  Indiana, 
where  he  was  living  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  1861 
as  a  member  of  the  Eighty-third  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  and  died  from  wounds 
at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  September,  1862.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years 
and  passed  away  in  Florida.  When  the  republican  party  was  formed  to  prevent  the 
further  extension  of  slavery  he  had  joined  its  ranks  and  was  one  of  its  stalwart  ad- 
vocates until  his  demise. 

Jesse  W.  Parsons  was  but  a  year  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.     His  boy- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  851 

hood  days  were  passed  in  Indiana  where  he  pursued  his  education  and  then  took  fcp  the 
occupation  of  (arming.  He  left  that  state  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  removing  to 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  again  followed  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Chandlerville,  where 
he  lived  for  two  years.  He  next  went  to  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  settling  near 
Humboldt,  and  soon  afterward  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  hotel  at  that  place.  When 
twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  went  to  Aspen,  Colorado,  where  he  followed  mining,  and 
his  next  removal  took  him  to  Butte,  Montana,  from  which  place  he  came  to  Cassia 
county,  Idaho,  in  1891,  settling  at  Albion.  Again  he  resumed  the  occupation  of  farming,* 
which  he  followed  in  connection  with  mining  until  1907.  In  that  year  he  removed  to 
his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  securing  a  tract  of  sagebrush  land  which  has  now  been 
converted  into  rich  and  productive  fields,  supplied  with  all  modern  improvements  and 
equipments. 

In  1896  Mr.  Parsons  was  married  to  Miss  Mattie  Morris,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Martha  (Morgan)  Morris  and  a  native  of  Wales.  Her  father  engaged  in  mining.  He 
made  his  way  westward  from  the  Virginia  coal  fields  in  1854  and  settled  in  California, 
where  he  followed  mining,  while  later  he  became  a  resident  of  Albion.  Idaho,  where 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  passed 
away.  Their  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Parsons  at  Albion  and  two  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  J.  Wendell  and  Florence  Margaret. 

Mr.  Parsons  is  a  republican  in  his  political  views  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
He  has  always  manifested  loyalty  and  progressiveness  in  matters  of  citizenship,  how- 
ever, and  in  the  various  localities  in  which  he  has  lived  he  has  contributed  to  the  up- 
building and  development  of  the  district  and  has  stood  for  all  those  things  which  have 
been  most  worth  while  for  the  community. 


ALLEN  WINSLOW  PRIDE. 

Allen  Winslow  Pride,  a  prominent  citizen  and  representative  farmer  residing  four 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Boise,  on  the  Boise  Bench,  near  Spaulding  Station,  came  to 
Idaho  from  the  state  of  Maine  in  1889  and  has  since  been  a  'resident  of  Boise  or  of 
Ada  county.  He  has  therefore  lived  in  Idaho  for  thirty  years  and  has  ever  been  a  warm 
supporter  of  its  best  interests.  He  was  born  at  Westbrook,  Maine,  December  27,  1870, 
being  the  youngest  son  and  fourth  child  in  the  family  of  Allen  and  Emily  (Winslow) 
Pride.  The  father  died  when  his  son  Allen  was  but  four  years  of  age.  while  the 
mother  survived  until  1892.  After  the  death  of  his  father  Allen  W.  Pride  was  adopted 
by  his  uncle,  Edmond  B.  Pride,  of  North  Windham,  Maine,  who  was  the  father  of  the 
late  David  Porter  Baker  Pride,  formerly  a  well  known  lawyer  and  republican  leader 
of  Boise,  who  passed  away  March  21,  1894,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  having  been 
born  at  North  Windham,  Cumberland  county,  Maine,  in  1854.  David  P.  B.  Pride  was 
reared  in  Maine  and  studied  law  under  Eugene  Hale.  In  1882  he  was  sent  to  Idaho 
territory  by  President  Arthur  to  take  a  place  in  the  government  land  office  at  Boise, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1894,  serving  as  attorney  general  of  Idaho.  He 
was  a  prominent  representative  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  served  the  order  as 
grand  chancellor  of  the  state. 

Allen  W.  Pride  continued  to  live  at  the  home  of  his  uncle  at  North  Windham, 
Maine,  between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  years.  This  uncle  had  been  a  sea  captain 
in  his  younger  years  but  had  abandoned  the  sea  and  resided  upon  a  truck  farm  in  the 
suburbs  of  Windham.  Upon  this  farm  Allen  W.  Pride  worked  during  the  summer 
months  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  in  May,  1889.  he  left  New  England 
and  made  his  way  across  the  country  to  Boise,  Idaho,  at  the  request  of  his  cousin, 
David  P.  B.  Pride,  who  had  already  been  sent  to  this  state  and  had  secured  a  position 
for  his  cousin  as  a  melter  in  the  United  States  assay  office  at  Boise.  Allen  W.  Pride 
continued  to  occupy  that  position  until  the  fall  of  1893,  or  for  a  period  of  four  and 
a  half  years,  when  he  left  the  office  to  be  succeeded  by  a  democrat  under  the  Cleveland 
administration. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1895,  Mr.  Pride  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Marcel  la 
Spaulding,  the  only  daughter  of  Almon  W.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Spaulding.  who  now 
reside  at  Spaulding  Station,  west  of  Boise,  which  place  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
family.  The  Spaulding  farm  adjoins  the  Pride  farm  on  the  north.  Almon  W.  Spaulding 
and  his  wife  came  to  Ada  county  in  1890  and  in  1892  purchased  the  present  home  farm, 
to  which  they  removed  in  1896.  Prior  to  that  time  they  had  lived  in  Boise,  where  Dr. 


852  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mary  Elizabeth  Spaulding  had  become  an  active  and  prominent  physician.  Before  the 
removal  to  Idaho  she  had  practiced  for  a  time  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  for  many 
years  prior  to  her  removal  to  the  Pacific  coast  had  followed  the  profession  in  Eau 
Claire,  Wisconsin.  Her  daughter,  Mrs.  Allen  W.  Pride,  was  born  in  Eau  Claire,  Wis- 
consin, June  1,  1874.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  she  left  her  native  city  with  her 
parents,  the  family  removing  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  in  1890  she  came  with 
them  to  Boise,  then  a  young  woman  of  sixteen  years.  She  completed  her  education  in 
the  Boise  high  school,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1893 — two  years  prior  to  her 
marriage.  Mrs.  Pride  is  one  of  Idaho's  best  known  women,  having  been  very  prominent 
in  club  circles  and  in  connection  with  the  suffrage  movement  and  in  other  ways  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  She  has  membership  in  the  Columbian  Club  of  Boise,  of  which 
she  is  the  financial  secretary.  She  was  the  first  president  of  the  Ada  County  Federated 
Women's  Clubs,  commonly  known  as  the  Burbank  Federation.  She  has  been  very  active 
for  the  past  ten  years  in  the  suffrage  movement  in  Idaho  as  well  as  in  the  State 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  and  she  has  done  much  to  further  the  great  work  carried 
on  by  these  organizations. 

Since  1896  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pride  have  resided  largely  upon  ranches  in  Ada  county 
west  of  Boise  and  in  1910  located  upon  their  present  fine  ranch  of  forty  acres,  consti- 
tuting part  of  the  Almon  W.  Spaulding  ranch.  It  is  splendidly  improved  with  excellent 
buildings,  which  they  erected  in  1910.  The  house  is  thoroughly  modern  in  every  respect, 
is  supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water  on  all  three  floors,  with  electric  lights,  telephone 
service  and  in  fact  with  every  modern  convenience.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pride  have  two 
children.  The  son,  Porter  Spaulding,  born  October  27,  1897,  was  married  October  1, 
1917,  to  Mary  L.  Myers  and  they  reside  on  a  ranch  at  Meridian,  Ada  county.  The 
younger  child,  Mary  Elizabeth,  was  born  July  6,  1902,  and  is  now  a  young  lady  of 
eighteen  years.  She  was  graduated  from  the  Boise  high  school  in  June,  1919,  having 
made  an  excellent  record  and  won  many  honors  during  her  school  days.  She  has  also 
studied  shorthand,  typewriting  and  music  and  is  planning  to  enter  the  University  of 
California.  The  son,  Porter  Spaulding,  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Boise  high  school. 

For  recreation  Mr.  Pride  turns  to  a  social  game  of  cards,  to  fishing,  hunting  and 
motoring.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  preferring 
to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs  and  perform  his  public 
duties  as  a  private  citizen.  He  is  not  remiss  in  the  duties  of  citizenship,  however,  for 
he  gives  his  aid  and  support  to  all  plans  for  the  general  good.  Those  who  know  him 
esteem  him  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  while  his  wife  has  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
been  a  recognized  leader  in  social  and  club  circles,  especially  along  those  lines  leading 
to  civic  betterment  and  to  the  uplift  of  the  individual. 


MADISON   C.    SMITH. 

Madison  C.  Smith,  of  Boise,  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  the  northwest,  has 
passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  His  career  has  been  fraught  with 
many  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier  but  has  also 
been  brightened  by  the  opportunities  of  a  new  country  awaiting  the  developing  hand 
of  the  progressive  citizen.  These  opportunities  Mr.  Smith  has  fully  utilized  and  in 
the  course  of  years  has  won  a  fair  measure  of  success. 

He  was  born  in  the  old  town  of  Richmond,  in  Ray  county,  Missouri,  March  15, 
1839,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Emily  (Ringo)  Smith,  who  were  natives  of  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky  respectively.  Of  their  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  three 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  Madison  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  He  had  reached 
the  age  of  twelve  years  when  in  1851  the  family  bade  adieu  to  their  old  Missouri  home 
and  started  over  the  Oregon  trail  for  the  Willamette  valley.  The  trip  entailed  the 
usual  difficulties  and  hardships  while  en  route,  but  eventually  the  family  established 
their  home  upon  a  ranch  and  began  the  development  of  the  fields  in  preparation  for 
a  life  of  agricultural  activity  there.  The  father,  however,  fell  a  victim  to  Indian 
hostility  in  the  Indian  war  of  1855  and  1856  and  thus  the  children  had  to  take  up  the 
burden  of  family  affairs  and  responsibilities,  Madison  C.  Smith  being  at  that  time  a 
youth  of  seventeen  years.  Upon  him  devolved  the  care  of  his  mother  and  the  younger 
children  of  the  family  and  he  manfully  met  the  responsibilities  until  his  mother  was 
again  married. 

Mr.  Smith's  identification  with  Boise  dates  from  1864,  in  which  year  he  came  to 


MADISON  C.  SMITH 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  855 

Idaho,  traveling  with  a  pack  train.  For  some  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of  others 
and  during  the  early  years  when  every  settlement  in  the  northwest  sold  liquors,  which 
were  regarded  as  much  a  staple  commodity  as  groceries,  he  engaged  in  the  liquor 
business  but  after  a  few  years  retired  from  that  field  of  business.  He  has  lived  to 
witness  great  changes  in  Boise  and  the  state.  The  capital  city  was  a  little  village  at 
the  time  of  his  arrival,  its  population  numbering  only  a  few  hundred.  As  the  years 
have  passed  he  has  watched  the  replacement  of  the  pioneer  cabins  with  beautiful  and 
substantial  homes,  while  the  surrounding  country  has  been  converted  from  a  tract 
of  sagebrush  into  highly  cultivated  fields  and  orchards.  Something  of  the  development 
is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  land  which  was  regarded  as  almost  worthless  at  the 
time  of  his  arrival  now  sells  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars  or  more  per  acre.  Mr.  Smith 
has  met  with  a  fair  measure  of  prosperity  through  the  conduct  of  business  affairs  and 
wise  investments  and  is  pleasantly  situated  in  life.  His  political  allegiance  is  given 
to  the  democratic  party  but  he  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  preferring  that  his 
public  service  should  be  done  as  a  private  citizen.  He  has,  however,  always  been  an 
interested  witness  of  the  leading  events  of  the  times — those  which  have  left  their 
impress  upon  the  history  of  city  and  state.  He  knows  every  phase  of  pioneer  hard- 
ship and  of  modern-day  comfort  and  prosperity  and  he  remains  one  of  the  valued  and 
honored  pioneer  settlers  of  the  city  in  which  for  fifty-five  years  he  has  made  his  home. 


JOSEPH  C.  PIXTON,  Jr. 

One  of  the  attractive  commercial  interests  of  Burley  is  the  Pixton  Confectionery 
Store,  owned  and  conducted  by  him  whose  name  introduces  this  review.  Joseph  C. 
Pixton,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Taylorsville,  Utah,  May  7,  1890.  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  C.  and 
Emma  E.  (Ashby)  Pixton.  He  left  Utah  when  thirteen  years  of  aee  in  company  with 
his  parents,  who  settled  near  La  Grande,  Oregon,  in  the  town  of  Cove,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming  and  fruit  raising. 

Joseph  C.  Pixton,  Jr.,  supplemented  his  early  education  by  attending  the  Eastern 
Oregon  State  Normal  School  at  Weston,  Oregon.  He  afterward  became  a  student  in 
the  Brigham  Young  University  at  Logan,  Utah,  and  in  1912  he  removed  to  Burley, 
where  on  the  19th  of  March  he  established  a  confectionery  business  north  of  his  present 
location.  On  the  15th  of  September,  1914,  he  removed  to  another  building  and  on  the 
10th  of  July,  1919,  he  began  to  excavate  for  a  new  building,  which  is  twenty-five  by 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet.  This  was  completed  and  occupied  on  the  1st  of 
November,  1919,  and  he  has  a  very  pleasing  and  beautiful  confectionery  store,  well 
appointed  in  every  particular.  The  line  of  sweets  which  he  carries  is  most  attractive 
and  brings  to  him  a  ready  sale.  He  also  operates  a  farm  of  forty  acres  and  has  a 
homestead  property  in  addition.  He  is  likewise  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Burley 
National  Bank. 

In  1912  Mr.  Pixton  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Deane  Wardell  a  native  of  Parowan, 
Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Harriet  Wardell.  The  three  children  of  this  mar- 
riage are  Dick,  Barbara  and  Harriet.  In  1914  Mr.  Pixton  erected  a  beautiful  modern 
home  on  Oakley  avenue,  Burley,  where  his  family  is  most  comfortably  situated.  In 
politics  he  is  a  democrat,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  no  attraction 
for  him,  for  he  prefers  to  concentrate  his  efforts  upon  his  business  interests,  which 
have  gradually  developed  in  scope  and  importance  until  he  is  now  numbered  among 
the  leading  representatives  of  commercial  activity  in  Burley. 


ORSON  P.  BATES. 

Orson  P.  Bates,  who  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  in  Cassia 
county,  not  far  from  Oakley,  was  born  at  Tooele,  Utah,  June  7.  1857.  his  parents  being 
Orson  P.  and  Ann  E.  (Brower)  Bates  the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York 
and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  It  was  in  the  year  1852  that  the  father  traveled  westward 
across  the  plains  with  an  ox  team  and  wagon  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Tooele  county, 
Utah,  where  he  homesteaded  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  built  thereon 
a  log  house  with  a  dirt  roof  and  in  that  primitive  dwelling  began  life  in  the  west. 
As  the  years  passed  he  improved  and  developed  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 


856  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

excellent  land,  converting  it  into  arable  fields  which  annually  produced  good  crops. 
He  added  new  buildings  from  time  to  time  and  at  his  death  was  occupying 'an  attractive 
and  commodious  home  of  nine  rooms,  supplied  with  all  modern  conveniences  and  com- 
forts. He  passed  away  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  dying  in  the  faith  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  His  political  support  was  given  to  the 
republican  party.  He  had  beek  married  at  Salt  Lake  City  after  coming  to  the  west. 

Orson  P.  Bates  spent  his  boyhood  days  at  Tooele,  Utah,  with  his  father  upon  the 
home  farm  and  there  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  developing  the  fields.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Utah,  in  1878,  to  Miss  Emily  V.  Tuttle,  a  native  of  Utah  and  a  daughter  of 
Norton  R.  and  Helen  E.  (Utley)  Tuttle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bates  became  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children:  Bertha  E.,  Emily  V.,  Gertrude  M.,  Clara,  O.  Parley,  Glen  T.,  Sarah 
B.,  Leo,  Ada  R.,  Alice  M.,  Valera,  Norton  T.  and  Hector  G. 

It  was  in  the 'year  1881  that  "Mr,  Bates  removed  from  Utah  to  Idaho,  settling  at 
Marion,  near  Oakley.  'He  took, up  a  ranch  of 'one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  built 
thereon  a  log  house,  getting  out  'all  of  the  timbers  from  the  woods.  He  also  did  the 
work  of  constructing  the  little  primitive  dwelling  in  which  he  started  life  in  Idaho. 
In  1892  he  removed  to  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  has  since 
erected  thereon  new  buildings  until  he  now  has  an  attractive  and  substantial  home  and 
good  barns  and  outbuildings,  furnishing  splendid  'shelter  for  grain  and  stock.  He 
has  planted  trees  upon  his  place,  has  fenced  his  farm,  has  secured  the  latest  improved 
machinery  and  in  fact  has  all  of  the  facilities  and  equipments  of  a  model  farm  prop- 
erty of  the  twentieth  century,  all  of  which  is  indicative  of  his  progressive  spirit.  He 
has  carefully  handled  his  place  and  conducted  its  development  until  now  it  is  returning 
to  him  a  most  gratifying  annual  income. 

Mr.  Bates  is  identified  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  His 
political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party,  and  while  he  has  never  sought  or 
desired  political  office,  he  is  serving  as  a  school  trustee  and  is  interested  in  all  that 
has  to  do  with  the  educational  progress  of  the  community.  Indolence  and  idleness 
have  no  part  in  his  make-up.  He  has  led  a  most  active  and  useful  life  and  his  energy 
has  been  the  basis  upon  which  his  prosperity  has  been  built. 


WILLIAM  G.  MESSERSMITH. 

William  G.  Messersmith  is  prominently  connected  with  live  stock  interests  in  Ada 
county,  now  confining  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  breeding  of  pure  bred  Holstein 
cattle,  Hampshire  sheep  and  Poland  China  hogs.  He  was  formerly  a  well  known  figure 
in  real  estate  and  insurance  circles  in  Boise  but  disposed  of  his  interests  along  that 
line  on  the  1st  of  January,  1919,  to  concentrate  his  efforts  upon  his  live  stock  business. 

Mr.  Messersmith  is  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he  was  born  June  27,  1865,  a  son  of 
Frederick  W.  and  Barbara  (Rummell)  Messersmith,  also  natives  of  Germany,  in  which 
country  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  father  passed  away  in  July.  1906,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  and  the  mother  died  in  1900,  when  she  was  eighty  years  of  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  review  was  the 
eldest. 

William  G.  Messersjnith  resided  in  his  native  land  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
sixteen  years,  when  in  1881  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States,  having  in 
the  meantime  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Germany.  Landing  on 
American  shores,  he  made  his  way  to  Allegheny,-  Pennsylvania,  where  he  obtained  em- 
ployment in  a  glass  factory,  in  which  he  continued  until  1886.  In  that  year  he  removed 
to  the  west,  locating  in  Wyoming,  where  he  established  an  insurance  agency,  represent- 
ing the  United  States  Life  Insurance  Company  as  state  agent.  After  a  time  he  was 
transferred  to  Idaho,  where  for  two  years  he  continued  to  serve  as  state  agent  and 
then  resigned  to  establish  a  local  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  in  which  he  was 
engaged  continuously  from  1900  until  1919.  He  also  conducted  a  loan  department 
and  the  various  branches  of  his  business  proved  very  profitable.  He  bought  and  sold 
real  estate,  operating  in  this  field  for  twenty -one  years  and  enjoying  a  large  clientage 
which  he  won  through  enterprising  methods  and  well  known  reliability  in  business  af- 
fairs. Disposing  of  his  real  estate  and  insurance  business  on  the  1st  of  January,  1919, 
he  has  through  the  intervening  period  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  live 
stock  as  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred  Holstein  cattle,  Hampshire  sheep  and  Poland  China 
hogs  and  his  business  in  j^his  connection  is  steadily  and  profitably  growing.  He  is 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  857 

the  owner  of  a  number  of  farms  in  Ada  county  and  in  connection  with  his  other  business 
interests  Mr.  Messersmith  is  president  of  the  Ada  County  Diary  Company. 

In  1887  Mr.  Messersmith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Cecelia  Bandholz,  of 
Cheyenne,  Wyoming.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices,  and  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  likewise  has  membership  in  the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  his  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Christian  Science  church.  Long  residence  in  Boise  has  made  him 
widely  known,  while  the  sterling  traits  of  his  character  have  gained  him  favorable 
regard. 


EDWIN  GARLAND  HURT. 

Edwin  Garland  Hurt,  a  resident  of  Boise  since  1891,  is  now  giving  his  attention  to 
the  management  of  ranching  interests  but  came  to  the  city  as  local  manager  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  He  was  born  at  Barry,  Pike  county,  Illinois,  June 
12,  1866,  and  for  twenty  years  was  connected  with  railroad  interests  before  removing 
to  the  west,  acting  as  telegraph  operator,  as  train  dispatcher  and  station  agent  for 
various  railroads  and  in  many  states  of  the  Union.  He  took  up  the  study  of  telegraphy 
when  a  mere  lad  at  Barry,  Illinois,  and  was  a  telegraph  operator  from  1878  until  1893. 
He  made  steady  advancement  in  this  connection  and  at  length  was  sent  to  Boise  as 
local  manager  for  the  Western  Union,  which  position  he  continued  to  fill  for  two  years, 
but  in  the  meantime  he  recognized  the  opportunity  for  judicious  and  profitable  invest- 
ment in  ranching  interests  and  has  since  managed  his  ranch  properties  in  Ada  county. 
He  displays  sound  judgment  and  keen  sagacity  in  his  control  thereof  and  his  enterprise 
and  business  capability  have  brought  to  him  a  well  deserved  success. 

On  the  llth  of  October,  1895,  Mr.  Hurt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ada  Anna 
Lemp,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  Lemp,  who  are  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  The  marriage  was  celebrated  on«Mrs.  Hurt's  twenty-first  birthday  and  they 
now  reside  at  No.  1805  Harrison  boulevard,  where  they  have  an  attractive  home  which 
is  the  abode  of  warm-hearted  hospitality,  its  good  cheer  being  greatly  enjoyed  by  their 
many  friends.  Mrs.  Hurt  was  born  in  Boise,  where  since  1891  Mr.  Hurt  has  made 
his  home,  covering  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-eight  years.  He  is  therefore  largely 
acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  city  and  has  witnessed  much  of  its  growth  and  de- 
velopment. In  all  matters  of  business  he  has  manifested  a  progressive  spirit  and  at 
all  times  he  has  been  a  champion  of  all  measures  and  movements  which  have  looked 
to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  state. 


WILLIAM  HARRISON  BLUNT. 

William  Harrison  Blunt  has  since  1914  been  a  resident  of  Caldwell,  where  he 
is  manager  of  a  branch  of  the  Hazelwood  Creamery.  He  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Iowa,  October  19,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Harrison  and  Arrie  (Butler)  Blunt. 
The  father  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin  but  is  now  living  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age,  having  passed  the  ninetieth  milestone  on  life's  journey  March  31,  1919. 
His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Butler,  of  West  Union,  Fayette  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  settled  on  a  homestead  in  1841.  Her  death  occurred  in  1878. 

In  his  youthful  days  William  Harrison  Blunt  was  a  pupil  in  the  schools  of 
Farette  county,  Iowa,  pursuing  his  studies  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  when  he 
entered  the  creamery  business  at  Maynard,  Iowa,  where  was  establissed  one  of  the 
first  creameries  in  the  state.  After  remaining  there  for  two  years  he  went  to  Fair- 
bank,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  five  years  as  an  employe  of  the  Fairbank  Cooperative 
Creamery.  He  was  next  employed  for  four  years  at  Terril,  Icwa.  by  the  Cooperative 
Creamery  and  in  1902  went  to  Thief  River  Falls,  Minnesota,  where  he  resided  for 
four  years,  being  employed  in  a  creamery  there.  The  year  1906  witnessed  his  re- 
moval to  the  coast.  He  made  his  way  to  Spokane,  Washington,  where  he  became 
field  superintendent  for  the  Hazelwood  Creamery,  there  located,  his  work  covering 
Oregon,  eastern  Washington  and  all  of  Idaho.  In  1914  he  removed  to  Caldwell. 
Idaho,  as  the  manager  of  the  branch  here,  although  still  maintaining  his  home  in 
Spokane.  In  normal  times  he  employs  seven  people  at  this  branch  and  the  trade 


858  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

extends  throughout  the  Boise  valley,  most  of  the  product  being  shipped  to  Wash- 
ington. This  branch  expends  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  a  year  for  cream  and  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  profitable  business 
enterprises  of  the  district,  furnishing  a  market  for  the  dairymen  in  this  region. 
The  headquarters  of  the  business  at  Spokane  was  one  of  the  pioneer  enterprises  of 
the  kind  in  the  northwest,  having  been  established  in  1889.  The  Caldwell  branch 
manufactures  butter,  cheese  and  ice  cream,  and  of  the  last  named  product  about 
ten  thousand  gallons  are  yearly  made  for  local  consumption. 

In  1888  Mr.  Blunt  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  Potts,  of  Oelwein,  Iowa,  and 
they  have  three  children:  Floyd  H.,  who  is  married  and  is  a  bookkeper  for  C.  S. 
Idleman,  proprietor  of  the  Ford  Garage  at  Caldwell;  Harold  U.,  who  is  married  and 
is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  creamery;  and  Florence  K.,  who  is  assistant  book- 
keeper for  her  father.  One  son  died  in  December,  1915. 

Mr.  Blunt  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  be- 
longing to  Lodge  No.  294  at  Oelwein,  Iowa,  with  which  he  has  been  identified  for 
thirty-two  years.  He  also  has  membership  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
at  Spokane,  Washington,  while  his  wife  is  connected  with  its  ladies'  auxiliary — 
the  Royal  Neighbors.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  the 
teachings  of  which  he  loyally  adheres,  so  that  his  entire  course  has  been  that  of  an 
honorable,  upright  man,  commanding  for  him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  been  associated.  His  success  is  attributable  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  fact  that  he  has  never  dissipated  his  energies  over  a  broad  field  but  has  con- 
centrated his  attention  upon  the  line  which  he  took  up  in  early  manhood. 


MARTIN  JENSEN.. 

Martin  Jensen,  a  capable  business  man  of  Caldwell,  who  was  the  organizer  and 
promoter  of  the  Caldwell  Ice  &  Cold  Storage  Company  and  who  in  former  years  was 
closely  associated  with  sheep  and  cattle  raising  interests  in  Idaho,  was  born  at  Lol- 
land,  Denmark,  September  29,  1863.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  land  and  when  a  youth  of  seventeen  purchased  second  class  passage  to  America 
on  a  steamer,  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new  world.  He  paid  his  own  way 
with  money  that  he  had  earned  and  made  Wisconsin  his  destination.  This  was  his 
first  sea  voyage  and  the  trip  took  about  ten  days  from  Glasgow  to  New  York.  He 
landed  in  June,  1881,  and  made  his  way  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  for  a  year  and 
a  half  on  a  farm.  He  then  went  into  the  lumber  mills  at  Wausau,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
was  employed  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and  later  he  journeyed  across  the  continent  to 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  where  for  four  years  he  devoted  his  time  to  herding  sheep. 

In  1889  Mr.  Jensen  came  to  Caldwell,  Idaho,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Billy  Isaac 
as  a  herder,  Mr.  Isaac  being  at  the  time  one  of  the  largest  sheep  owners  in  the  state, 
Mr.  Jensen  continued  with  Mr.  Isaac  for  three  years,  and  in  the  meantime  began  buying 
sheep,  which  he  ran  with  those  of  his  employer.  When  he  severed  his  connection  with 
Mr.  Isaac  he  was  the  possessor  of  about  twenty-two  hundred  head  of  sheep  and  for  twelve 
years  thereafter  he  concentrated  his  efforts  and  energies  upon  the  care  and  develop- 
ment of  his  flocks.  He  then  sold  his  sheep,  which  at  that  time  numbered  about  twelve 
thousand  head,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  on  his  ranch 
on  the  Lower  Sucker  creek.  He  was  thus  active  as  a  stock  raiser  until  1913,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  ranching  and  cattle  interests  and  turned  his  attention  to  his  present 
business  at  Caldwell  under  the  name  of  the  Caldwell  Ice  &  Storage  Company,  handling 
ice,  cold  storage  and  poultry.  He  has  one  of  the  best  built  and  equipped  plants  in  the 
state  with  a  capacity  of  about  fifteen  tons  of  ice  per  day  and  handles  also 
a  large  amount  of  poultry  and  cold  storage  products.  He  gives  employment  to  six 
people  and  operates  three  trucks  in  the  conduct  of  the  business,  which  has  steadily 
grown  and  is  now  a  profitable  source  of  income.  Mr.  Jensen  has  also  become  a  direc- 
tor and  stockholder  in  the  Western  National  Bank,  with  which  he  has  been  associated 
since  its  inception.  He  likewise  owns  some  of  the  best  improved  business  property 
in  Caldwell,  from  which  he  derives  a  handsome  annual  rental. 

In  1899  Mr.  Jensen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mattie  Orr,  a  daughter  of 
John  Orr,  a  pioneer  of  Idaho,  who  came  to  this  state  when  the  Indians  were  so  hostile 
that  he  was  compelled  to  move  his  family  from  his  farm  to  the  town  of  Middleton. 
which  at  that  time  was  but  a  small  village.  Mrs.  Jensen  was  born  at  Rock  Creek, 


MARTIN  JENSEN 


MRS.  MATTIE  JEN?SEN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAIK)  863 

near  Boise,  and  her  parents  are  now  deceased,  as  are  the  parents  of  Mr.  Jensen.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jensen  have  been  born  three  children.  Ernest  J.,  eighteen  years  of  age, 
volunteered  for  army  service  and  was  in  the  trenches  on  the  western  front  from 
March  1  until  August  1,  1918.  He  joined  the  colors  as  a  private  but  was  soon  advanced 
to  corporal.  While  on  duty  he  was  gassed  and  seriously  wounded  but  stood  the  test 
like  a  veteran — another  proof  of  the  marked  heroism  and  courage  of  the  American 
forces,  who  .turned  the  tide  of  battle  and  brought  victory  to  the  allied  arms.  Jerry 
L.,  sixteen  years  of  age,  is  attending  school  in  Caldwell,  and  Marie  Elizabeth  is  a 
pupil  in  a  convent  at  Boise. 

Mr.  Jensen  is  today  a  most  substantial  American  citizen.  He  has  never  had  occas- 
sion  to  regret  his  determination  to  come  to  the  new  world,  for  here  he  found  the 
opportunities  which  he  sought  and  in  their  utilization  he  has  made  steady  progress, 
being  now  one  of  the  prosperous  and  leading  business  men  of  his  adopted  city. 


H.  M.  WEST. 

H.  M.  West,  an  apiarist,  who  has  done  much  to  advance  bee  culture  and  honey 
production  in  Idaho,  making  this  one  of  the  important  industries  of  the  state,  was  born 
in  Perry,  Lake  county,  Ohio,  May  2,  1885.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  went 
to  Kingsville,  Ohio,  there  completing  his  education  by  graduation  from  the 
high  school.  When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  concentrated  his  efforts  and 
attention  upon  work  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  spring  of  1908,  when  he  removed 
west,  becoming  a  resident  of  Parma,  Idaho.  He  is  now  in  partnership  with  H.  E. 
Crowther,  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  this  section  of  the  country  in  1906  to  enter  the  employ 
of  E.  A.  Atwater,  of  Meridian,  Idaho.  It  was  Mr.  Crowther's  report  concerning  the 
bee  industry  that  caused  Mr.  West  to  remove  to  this  state.  Here  he  took  charge  of  the 
interests  of  the  firm  while  Mr.  Crowther  returned  to  the  east  to  continue  in  the  raising 
of  bees  in  Ohio.  The  partners  in  Idaho  have  about  twelve  hundred  colonies  of  bees, 
producing  about  sixty  pounds  of  honey  to  the  hive.  Their  bees  are  mostly  located  in 
the  Boise  valley  and  their  honey  is  sold  to  the  Bee  Keepers'  Association. 

In  1913  Mr.  West  was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  Parker,  of  Michigan,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Evelyn  E.;  David  E.,  who. is  two  and  a  half  years  of  age,  and  Hugh 
Clinton,  who  is  a  year  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  West  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
Parma  and  the  hospitality  of  their  home  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  many  friends  whom 
they  have  won  since  their  removal  to  Idaho.  Mr.  West  is  regarded  as  a  very  energetic 
and  enterprising  young  business  man.  He  has  closely  studied  everything  that  has  to 
do  with  bee  culture  and  the  production  of  honey  and  conducts  his  business  along  most 
scientific  lines,  productive  of  substantial  results,  the  honey  now  commanding  a  good 
price  on  the  market,  so  that  the  incolne  derived  therefrom  is  very  gratifying. 


Five  miles  east  of  Nampa,  in  the  High  Line  district  of  Ada  .county,  Arnold  Mickels 
owned  and  operated  a  fine  farm  for  several  years.  It  comprised  one  hundred  and  one 
and  a  half  acres  of  fine  land,  but  on  the  17th  of  October,  1919,  he  sold  that  place  and 
removed  to  a  twenty  acre  tract  about  five  miles  from  Boise,  where  he  is  now  living  re- 
tired from  active  business.  Diligence  and  enterprise  characterized  his  farming  activities 
and  have  made  him  one  of  the  prosperous  residents  of  his  district. 

.Mr.  Mickels  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  between  De  Pere  and  Green  Bay,  June  4,  1862, 
and  there  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  when 
he  began  earning  his  living  by  working  in  the  lumber  camps  of  Menominee,  Michigan, 
there  remaining  for  between  five  and  six  years.  He  afterward  went  to  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota,  and  during  the  winter  months  was  employed  in  the  lumber  camps,  while  in 
the  summer  seasons  through  the  succeeding  six  years  he  worked  in  the  harvest  fields  of 
North  and  South  Dakota.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  became  a  resident  of  Mis- 
soula,  Montana,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Bonner  Lumber  Company  on  the 
Blackfoot  river.  He  was  with  that  company  tor  twelve  years  and  then  became  connected 
with  the  Elargie  estate,  consisting  largely  of  lumber  and  mining  interests.  The  lumber 


864  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

business  was  suffering  from  lack  of  efficient  management  when  Mr.  Mickels  took  charge 
and  he  brought  the  business  up  to  a  prosperous  condition. 

It  was  in  1899  that  Idaho  gained  Arnold  Mickels  as  a  citizen.  He  took  up  his  abode 
at  Star,  where  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  for  about  one  year  and  then  sold  his 
interests  there,  settling  about  a  half  mile  north  of  what  later  became  his  home  in  the 
High  Line  district,  where  he  resided  for  seven  and  a  half  years.  Disposing  of  that  prop- 
erty, he  then  went  to  Long  Valley,  where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising,  in  dairying  and 
in  the  raising  of  timothy  seed  for  a  period  of  more  than  nine  years.  He  owned  seven 
hundred  acres  of  land  there,  which  ultimately  he  sold  and  removed  to  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  one  and  a  half  acres  about  five  miles  east  of  Nampa,  in  the  High  Line  dis- 
trict. Here  he  raised  wheat  and  alfalfa  and  had  a  thirty-acre  blue  grass  pasture.  He 
milked  sixteen  cows  and  had  about  thirty  head  of  milk  stock. 

In  1895  Mr.  Mickels  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Belle  Chamberlain,  of  Idaho,  who 
lived  in  the  Jordan  valley  when  it  was  a  part  of  Oregon.  They  have  five  children: 
Henry  F.,  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  Frank  A.,  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  are  farm- 
ing with  their  father;  Elizabeth  Mary,  in  school;  and  Roger  Edward  and  Arnold  D.,  who 
are  not  yet  of  school  age.  Mr.  Mickels  and  his  wife  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
the  district  in  which  they  reside.  He  is  a  staunch  republican  and  represented  Boise 
county  in  the  house  of  representatives  during  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  sessions  of  the 
Idaho  legislature.  He  was  the  father  of  the  bill  to  divide  Valley  county  but  it  was 
vetoed  by  the  government  at  that  .time  and  not  passed  until  four  years  later  by  Gover- 
nor Alexander.  Throughout  his  entire  business  career  he  was  actuated  by  an  enter- 
prising spirit  that  has  prompted  him  to  accomplish  whatever  he  has  undertaken.  Ob- 
stacles and  difficulties  in  his  path  have  seemed  but  to  serve  as  an  impetus  for  renewed 
effort  on  his  part,  and  his  undaunted  energy  has  carried  him  to  a  creditable  place  in  the 
ranks  of  representative  farmers  of  Ada  county. 


ABRAHAM  MINTZER. 

Abraham  Mintzer  is  one  of  those  citizens  who  have  come  to  this  country  from 
Europe  in  order  to  avail  themselves  of  better  opportunities  and  here  he  has.  found  the 
fortune  which  he  sought,  or  at  least  the  chance  upon  which  to  build  that  fortune.  Largely 
through  his  enterprise  is  due  the  financial  success  which  already  has  accompanied  his 
efforts.  A  native  of  Zborof,  Austria,  he  was  born  in  August,  1888,  and  attended  the 
local  schools  in  the  acquirement  of  an  education.  Subsequently  he  assisted  his  father 
with  the  farm  work,  later  also  being  to  some  extent  engaged  in  merchandising. 

Mr.  MintzeV  so  continued  until  1906,  or  until  his  eighteenth  birthday,  when  he  de- 
cided to  seek  his  fortune  in  America.  He  was  largely  induced  to  take  this  step  because 
a  brother  had  preceded  him  by  three  years  and  had  established  himself  in  the  cigar 
and  tobacco  business  in  New  York.  He  joined  this  brother  and  for  one  year  continued 
along  that  line',  when  he  entered  the  manufacturing  business,  selling  condiments  to  the 
trade  for  two  years.  Disposing  of  his  stock,  he  then  worked  for  the  Heinz  Company  for 
a  short  time,  after  which  he  removed  west  in  order  to  avail  himself  of  the  greater  op- 
portunities offered  in  a  newer  country.  He  took  up  agricultural  pursuits  near  Fort 
Worth,  Texas,  but  sustaining  an  injury  to  his  back,  was  forced  to  give  up  that  occupa- 
tion and  for  a  short  time  was  engaged  in  the  locksmith's  business. 

Upon  his  removal  in  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Mintzer  entered  "the  cleaning  and  pressing 
business  and  so  continued  for  one  year,  after  which  he  removed  to  Chehalis,  Washing- 
ton, and  started  a  hide  and  junk  business,  but  after  one  year  came  to  Nampa  and  founded 
his  present  business,  trading  in  furs,  hides  and  junk,  under  the  name  of  the  Nampa  Hide 
&  Junk  House.  In  1918  Mr.  Mintzer  also  entered  the  tire  manufacturing  business.  He 
makes  new  tires  from  waste  stock  and  these  tires  are  sold  under  the  name  of  the 
Mintzer  tires.  He  uses  two  old  automobile  tires,  sewing  and  vulcanizing  them  together, 
the  product  being  a  sound,  good  tire.  He  soon  expects  to  install  another  vulcanizer  and 
will  then  be  able  to  turn  out  twenty  tires  a  day.  The  importance  of  his  business  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  he  was  the  first  to  ship  in  carload  lots  from  Nampa  both 
hides  and  junk  and  he  has  shipped  as  high  as  twenty-five  carloads  of  scrap  iron  in  one 
month,  the  average,  however,  being  about  ten  per  month.  Mr.  Mintzer  now  employs 
about  ten  people.  His  really  extraordinary. business  ability  has  already  made  him  one 
of  the  well-to-do  merchants  of  his  town.  In  1918  he  bought  seventy-five  acres  of  sage 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  865 

brush  land  near  Collopy  and  has  it  seeded  to  wheat  and  alfalfa,  besides  having  thereon 
sheep  and  cattle.  Upon  this  property  be  has  built  a  good  substantial  house. 

Mr.  Mintzer  brought  his  two  sisters  to  this  country:  Esther,  who  is  now  the  wife 
of  Harry  Prisand,  by  whom  she  has  four  children,  Minnie,  Sophie,  Anna  and  Philip;  and 
Sophie,  the  wife  of  Sam  Krantz,  by  whom  she  has  a  daughter,  Lilly. 

Mr.  Mintzer  takes  the  greatest  interest  in  the  growth  and  development  of  his  town 
and  district,  to  which  he  has  contributed  by  his  activities.  He  is  a  naturalized  American 
citizen  and  how  thoroughly  American  he  has  become  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he 
offered  his  services  to  the  government  in  the  late  war.  There  is  great  credit  due  him 
for  what  he  has  achieved  as  he  has  created  a  prosperous  business  out  of  practically 
nothing. 


JAMES  L.  BAKER. 

James  L.  Baker,  whose  name  is  synonymous  with  the  development  of  the  live 
stock  industry  in  Idaho  and  who  makes  his  home  in  Caldwell,  is  today  the  owner  of 
the  only  herd  of  Black  Aberdeen  Angus  cattle  in  Canyon  county.  Since  1891  he  has 
been  continuously  connected  with  live  stock  interests  at  Caldwell.  where  he  has  resided 
from  pioneer  times.  He  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Missouri,  November  2,  1875,  and 
there  acquired  his  early  education.  He  came  to  Idaho  when  it  was  yet  a  territory  and 
for  about  a  year  resided  at  Mountain  Home,  after  which  he  returned  to  Missouri.  A 
year  later,  however,  he  again  came  to  this  state  and  took  up  his  abode  at  Caldwell, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  being  numbered  among  its  pioneer  settlers  and  pro- 
gressive business  men.  He  has  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  ranching  and  the 
raising  of  live  stock  and  in  1891  shipped  from  Caldwell  the  first  carload  of  hogs  ever 
sent  from  the  town.  In  the  course  of  his  active  business  career  here  he  has  shipped 
stock  enough  to  fill  a  train  of  cars  over  a  hundred  miles  in  length  and  his  shipments 
go  to  all  stock  distributing  points  in  the  United  States.  His  firm  made  the  largest 
shipment  of  live  stock  ever  sent  into  Idaho,  being  shipped  from  Arizona  and  comprising 
one  hundred  and  fifty-six  carloads,  containing  more  than  four  thousand  head  of  cattle. 
In  an  earlier  day  Mr.  Baker  was  engaged  in  raising  range  cattle  but  now  confines  his 
stock  upon  his  own  ranch,  which  is  located  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Caldwell,  and 
on  this  he  is  extensively  and  profitably  engaged  in  raising  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep,  being 
the  owner  of  the  only  herd  of  Black  Aberdeen  Angus  cattle  in  Canyon  county.  These 
are  considered  the  best  beef  cattle  in  the  world  and  one  of  this  herd  was  recently  sold 
at  auction  for  two  dollars  and  a  half  per  pound,  the  total  sale  amounting  to  thirty- 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  These  were  shipped  to  France  for  the  Christmas 
dinner  of  President  Wilson  and  his  peace  delegates.  Ten  years  ago  Mr.  Baker  sold 
his  herd  of  Aberdeen  Angus  cattle  but  repurchased  them  in  the  year  1918.  They 
average  about  twelve  hundred  pounds  in  weight — a  herd  of  which  he  has  every  reason 
to  be  proud. 

Mr.  Baker  married  Miss  Lilly  H.  Goodwin,  of  Ridgeway,  Missouri,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Marie  L.  and  Pauline,  both  teachers  in  the  schools 
of  Caldwell.  The  family  il  prominent  socially,  while  Mr.  Baker's  position  in  live  stock 
circles  is  one  of  leadership.  He  deserves  much  credit  not  only  for  the  success  he  has 
attained  but  also  for  the  fact  that  he  has  done  much  to  improve  the  grade  of  stock 
raised  in  this  section,  his  own  example  stimulating  the  ambition  and  efforts  of  others. 


HENRY  DALRYMPLE. 

Henry  Dalrymple,  a  ranchman  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Ada  county  since  1889, 
at  which  time  he  removed  to  Idaho  territory  from  Cloud  county,  Kansas,  was  born  in 
the  latter  district  on  the  13th  of  October,  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  Hamilton  Dal- 
rymple, a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  who  served  in  the  Union  army.  He  was  born  in 
the  state  of  Illinois,  while  the  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Connors, 
was  likewise  a  native  of  that  state.  The  father  was  of  Scotch  descent  and  passed  away 
when  his  son  Henry  was  but  nine  years  of  age,  he  being  thus  left  an  orphan,  for  his 
mother  had  died  two  years  before.  Following  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Henry  H. 
Dalrymple  had  married  again  but  lived  only  a  year  after  his  second  marriage.  He 

Vol.  11—55 


866  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

passed  away,  leaving  a  widow  and  an  infant  son,  Ervin  Dalrymple,  now  a  resident  of 
Cloud  county,  Kansas.  By  his  first  marriage  there  were  four  sons  and  three  daughters 
and  with  the  exception  of  Henry  Dalrymple  of  this  review  all  are  living  in  Kansas  and 
are  prosperous  farming  people  of  that  state. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  Henry  Dalrymple  left  Kansas  and  came  to  Idaho,  where 
he  worked  for  seven  years  for  William  Bubb  on  the  same  farm  where  his  widow,  Mrs. 
Amelia  Eisley,  now  resides.  This  is  located  a  mile  or  more  east  of  South  Boise.  Later 
Mr.  Dalrymple  worked  for  David  Gekeler  for  two  years  and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in 
carpenter  work  in  Boise,  while  subsequently  he  spent  seven  years  as  a  ditch  rider  on 
the  Ridenbaugh  ditch.  For  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been  farming  on  his  own 
account.  For  several  years  he  cultivated  rented  land  but  in  1917  purchased  the  Gus 
Carlson  farm,  situated  ten  miles  west  of  Boise,  an  excellent  tract  of  fifty  acres,  well 
improved.  He  paid  one  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  per  acre  for  this  property  but  holds 
it  at  a  much  higher  figure  today  owing  to  the  substantial  advance  in  real  estate  in  this 
section. 

On  the  31st  of  August,  1905,  Mr.  Dalrymple  was  united  in  marriage  in  Boise  to  Miss 
Edith  Knox,  a  daughter  of  the  late  George  D.  and  Amanda  Knox,  the  latter  now  living. 
Mrs.  Dalrymple  was  born  in  Mitchell  county,  Kansas,  April  19,  1877,  and  came  to  Idaho 
with  her  parents  when  a  maiden  of  twelve  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalrymple  have  been 
born  three  children.  Ray  Dawson,  who  was  born  October  21,  1906,  died  of  an  operation 
for  appendicitis  on  the  19th  of  April,  1919.  The  others  are:  Dorothy  Edith,  born 
March  9,  1908;  and  Henry  E.,  born  September  9,  1912.  , 

Mr.  Dalrymple  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  at  one  time  was 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  but  is  not  a  member  at  present. 
In  politics  he  is  a  republican  but  is  apt  to  vote  independently  of  party  ties,  suporting 
at  local  elections  the  candidates  whom  he  regards  as.  best  qualified  for  office.  He  has 
never  sought  nor  desired  political  preferment,  as  he  has  given  his  attention  rather  to 
his  farming  interests,  in  which  he  has  won  substantial  success.  He  has  made  a  specialty 
of  the  production  of  alfalfa  and  keeps  dairy  cows  and  hogs.  His  ranch  interests  are 
well  managed  and  success  in  substantial  measure  is  rewarding  his  labors. 


CHARLES   M.    MILLINER. 

Charles  M.  Milliner,  conducting  a  profitable  business  under  the  name  of  the  Milliner 
Transfer  Company,  was  born  near  Peoa,  Summit  county,  Utah,  December  18,  1877,  and 
is  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah  A.  (Cossey)  Milliner,  the  former  a  native  of  England 
and  the  latter  of  Wales.  The  father  came  from  his  native  country  to  the  new  world  in 
1852,  making  his  way  at  once  to  Utah,  and  he  is  now  living  on  a  farm  a  short  distance 
from  Caldwell  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine.  The  mother  came  to  the  United  States  when 
eleven  years  old  and  she  also  survives. 

At  the  graded  schools  of  his  native  town  Charles  M.  Milliner  pursued  his  education 
to  the  age  of  twenty  years.  He  remained  with  his  father  upon  the  home  farm  until 
1901  and  then  accompanied  him  on  the  removal  to  Idaho  and  farmed  with  him  on  a 
ranch  located  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Caldwell.  On  the  6th  of  January,  1902,  how- 
ever, he  and  his  father  removed  to  the  old  Mclntyre  place,  comprising  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  about  four  miles  east  of  Caldwell,  on  the  Boise  river.  There 
Charles  M.  Milliner  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  for  another  five  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  was  married  and  removed  to  Caldwell,  where  for  three  years  he 
was  variously  employed.  He  then  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Martin  Wing  Transfer 
Company  and  conducted  the  business  for  six  years  under  the  name  of  the  Milliner 
Transfer  Company.  In  1916  he  bought  out  the  Westcott  Transfer  Company,  merging 
it  with  the  Milliner  Transfer  Company.  It  was  Mr.  Milliner  who  introduced  the  use 
of  trucks  in  connection  with  the  transfer  business,  for  when  he  first  became  connected 
with  the  business  there  was  in  use  in  Caldwell  but  one  small  truck.  He  is  now  ac- 
corded a  very  extensive  patronage,  necessitating  the  use  of  a  number  of  trucks  and  the 
employment  of  a  considerable  force  of  men.  He  is  the  agent  for  the  Continental  Oil 
Company  and  employs  one  team  for  exclusive  use  in  oil  delivery  in  the  city.  He  is  also 
distributor  for  the  following  Boise  companies:  the  Davidson  Wholesale  Company,  the 
Falk  Wholesale  Company  and  the  firm  of  Oakes  &  Company,  all  of  which  ship  goods  to 
this  point  which  he  redistributes  and  ships  to  the  respective  destinations.  He  has 
handled  more  sugar  for  these  firms,  reshipping  to  their  branch  houses  and  patrons,  than 


CHARLES  M.  MILLINER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  869 

any  other  transfer  company  of  the  state  and  has  handled  as  high  as  thirty  carloads  of 
miscellaneous  goods  in  a  year.  He  is  also  agent  for  the  Lion  Coal  Company  of  Ogden, 
Utah,  and  he  handles  large  shipments  of  wool,  amounting  in  1918  to  many  carloads. 

It  was  on  the  24th  of  December,  1906,  that  Mr.  Milliner  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Cora  E.  Wells,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  but  was  reared  in  Kansas,  and  they 
have  two  sons:  Charles  Ernest,  eleven  years  of  age;  and  George  A.,  a  lad  of  nine. 
From  early  manhood  Mr.  Milliner  has  been  identified  with  the  business  interests  and 
development  of  Canyon  county  and  in  his  present  connection  has  built  up  a  business 
of  extensive  proportions,  resulting  from  his  close  application,  his  undaunted  enterprise 
and  his  progressive  methods.  His  patrons  know  that  he  is  to  be  depended  upon  at  all 
times,  for  he  is  thoroughly  systematic  and  reliable  and  these  qualities  have  brought 
him  a  very  large  and  gratifying  business. 


WILLIAM  L.  EAMES. 

William  L.  Eames,  a  stockman  residing  at  Ahno,  Cassia  county,  was  born  at  Plain 
City,  Utah,  March  21,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Emma  (Beecroft)  Eames.  He 
remained  at  the  place  of  his  nativity  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and  then  with  his 
brother  Henry  oame  to  Almo,  Idaho.  Here  Henry  Eames  took  up  a  farm  and  William 
L.  assisted  his  brother  in  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  property.  On  at- 
taining his  majority  he,  too,  secured  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
and  the  first  building  which  he  erected  thereon  was  a  little  log  house.  He  at  once 
started  to  improve  the  ranch  and  concentrated  his  efforts  upon  its  cultivation  until 
1894,  when  he  joined  his  brother  Henry  in  the  conduct  of  a  merchandise  business  at 
Almo.  Later  he  took  up  the  live  stock  business,  in  which  he  is  now  engaged,  making 
a  specialty  of  Hereford  cattle,  his  herd  now  numbering  two  hundred  head.  He  also  has 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  fine  ranch  land  and  in  1901  he  erected  his  present  at- 
tractive and  commodious  brick  residence.  His  ranch  is  improved  with  all  modern 
equipments  and  indicates  his  careful  supervision  and  progressive  methods.  In  the 
fall  of  1912  he  took  his  family  to  Raymond,  Alberta,  Canada,  and  there  resided  for  two 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Idaho. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1896,  Mr.  Eames  was  married  to  Miss  Georgiana  R.  King, 
a  native  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  O.  and  Dorcas  (Debenham) 
King.  They  have  two  children,  Ottella  and  Bertha,  both  of  whom  are  attending  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Albion.  It  is  the  desire  of  the  parents  to  provide  them  with 
the  best  possible  educational  opportunities  and  thus  qualify  them  for  life's  practical 
and  responsible  duties. 

Mr.  Eames  has  ever  been  keenly  interested  in  the  cause  of  education  and  has 
served  on  the  school  board  for  a  number  of  years.  He  belongs  to  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  is  serving  on  the  committee  to  build  a  church 
and  amusement  hall  at  Almo.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and  was  elected  secretary 
of  the  first  Republican  Club  of  Almo.  His  aid  and  influence  are  always  on  the  side 
of  progress  and  advancement  and  he  stands  loyally  in  support  of  all  those  interests 
which  are  a  matter  of  civic  virtue  and  of  civic  pride. 


HON.  HYRUM  SEVERSON. 

Hon.  Hyrum  Severson,  a  farmer  and  merchant  miller  of  Jefferson  county,  was  born 
in  the  Salt  Lake  valley  of  Utah.  July  2,  1869,  a  son  of  Halvor  and  Matia  (Evans) 
Severson,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Norway.  They  crossed  the  Atlantic 
as  converts  to  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  1866  to 
become  residents  of  the  Salt  Lake  valley  of  Utah,  where  their  remaining  days  were 
passed,  the  mother's  death  occurring  there  in  1896,  while  the  father  departed  this  life 
about  1902.  Their  family  numbered  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
seven  are  yet  living. 

Hyrum  Severson  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  ten 
miles  from  Salt  Lake  City,  the  father  having  taken  up  a  homestead  in  Salt  Lake  county 
when  he  first  came  to  the  United  States  in  1866.  Upon  the  father's  death  in  1902,  his 
son  Hyrum  purchased  the  greater  part  of  the  old  home  property.  He  first  came  to  Idaho 


870  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

in  1897  and  here  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  live  stock  business  as  a  partner  of 
P.  G.  Johnston,  of  Blackfoot,  Idaho,  under  the  firm  name  of  Johnston,  Severson  &  Com- 
pany. That  business  relation  was  continued  for  more  than  twenty  years  and  they 
largely  devoted  their  time  and  energies  to  the  sheep  industry.  They  prospered  as  the 
years  passed  on  and  were  among  the  large  wool  producers  of  the  state,  sometimes  own- 
ing many  thousands  of  head  of  sheep.  Mr.  Severson  did  not  move  his  family  to  Idaho 
until  about  fifteen  years  ago.  In  the  meantime  he  sold  his  Utah  farm  and  purchased 
land  in  Jefferson  county,  near  Rigby.  He  now  has  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  con- 
stituting a  splendid  farm  property  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences  and  im- 
proved with  fine  buildings.  Since  1908  he  has  also  been  one  of  the  principal  owners 
of  the  Gem  State  Roller  Mills  at  Ucon,  Idaho,  two  and  a  half  miles  from  his  home 
ranch,  and  since  1910  he  has  been  the  president  and  manager  of  the  milling  company. 
His  business  affairs  are  carefully  and  wisely  conducted  and  success  is  attending  his 
efforts  in  substantial  manner. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  1898,  Mr.  Severson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie 
Olander,  who  was  also  born  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley  of  Utah  and  is  a  representative  of 
a  family  that  has  long  been  connected  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  They  now  have  six  children,  one  son  and  five  daughters,  namely:  Elva,  Ray- 
mond, Ethel,  Alice,  Lanorma  and  Geneva.  All  are  still  under  the  parental  roof. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  Mr.  Severson  thus  adhering  to.  the  belief  of  his  parents,  and  he  is  now  serving 
as  a  bishop  of  Garfield  ward  in  his  county,  a  position  which  he  has  occupied  for  eleven 
years.  His  study  of  the  political  questions  and  issues  of  the  day  has  led  him  to  give 
his  support  to  the  republican  party  and  he  is  a  recognized  leader  among  its  prominent 
representatives  in  the  state.  He  served  for  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  republican 
state  central  committee  and  his  opinions  have  always  carried  weight  in  party  councils. 
In  1918  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  Idaho  legislature  and  is  giving  his 
support  to  much  constructive  legislation,  while  of  four  of  the  principal  committees 
he  is  a  member. 


j.  H.  MCLAUGHLIN,  D.  v.  s. 

Dr.  J.  H.  McLaughlin,  of  Caldwell,  is  the  owner  of  valuable  farm  property  near 
the  city  and  since  1917  has  been  devoting  his  time  to  the  raising  of  registered  Holstein 
cattle.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  September  8,  1866,  and  when 
twelve  years  of  age  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska. 
His  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  McDermott,  is  a  native  of  Ireland  and 
is  now  living  in  Lincoln  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years,  but  the  father  has  passed 
away. 

Dr.  McLaughlin  attended  the  public  schools  of  Lincoln,  pursuing  a  high  school 
course  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  afterward  became  a  student  in  the  St.  Joseph 
Veterinary  School  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  in  Long  valley,  Idaho,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.  He  then  removed 
to  Caldwell,  where  he  has  practiced  for  the  past  twelve  years,  eighty  per  cent  of  his 
work  being  with  cattle.  He  is  extremely  successful  in  his  professional  work,  being 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  veterinary  surgeons  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
has  also  been  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  on  an  extensive  scale,  having  a  large  dairy 
about  two  miles  from  Caldwell,  where  he  kept  forty  head  of  Jersey  cows.  In  1917, 
however,  he  discontinued  the  dairy  business  in  order  that  he  might  devote  his  time 
to  registered  Holstein  cattle  and  thus  provide  an  interesting  occupation  for  his  grow- 
ing son.  He  also  owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  his  original  home,  from  which 
he  now  derives  an  excellent  annual  rental.  His  residence  on  South  Kimball  avenue 
in  Caldwell  is  a  modern  home  which  would  be  a  credit  to  any  city.  It  is  situated  op- 
posite the  home  of  Henry  Dorman,  manager  of  the  Caldwell  Cattle  Company,  in  the 
finest  residence  district  of  the  town,  and  altogether  Dr.  McLaughlin  pays  taxes  on 
thirty-three  acres  of  city  property. 

In  1897  Dr.  McLaughlin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Dailey,  a 
daughter  of  James  Dailey,  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  who  for  twenty-nine  years  was  road- 
master  with  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  Railroad.  They  have  become  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Hugh  J.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  who  while  attending  the 
Creighton  University  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  joined  the  army  but  on  account  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  871 

signing  of  the  armistice  was  not  sent  overseas;  James  A.,  a  high  school  pupil  in  ('aid- 
well;  Margaret,  Victor  V.  and  Mary,  who  are  attending  the  graded  schools  in  Caldwell: 
and  Morris  C.,  who  is  not  yet  of  school  age.  Dr.  McLaughlin  has  made  for  himself  a 
creditable  position  in  professional  circles  and  in  connection  with  the  stock  raising 
interests  of  his  section  of  the  state. 


THOMAS  MORAN. 

Thomas  Moran,  a  farmer  living  two  miles  south  of  Eagle,  took  up  his  abode  upon 
his  present  place  of  forty-seven  acres  in  1902.  Ten  years  before  he  had  removed  from 
Missouri  to  Idaho  and  has  since  lived  in  Ada  county.  His  time  and  energies  have 
always  been  devoted  to  agricultural  interests,  although  he  was  for  seven  years  super- 
intendent of  the  Settlers  ditch.  He  purchased  his  present  ranch  in  1900  at  a  low  figure 
as  compared  to  its  present  value,  which  is  about  three  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  After 
owning  the  property  for  two  years  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  it.  at  which  time  it  was 
a  wild  and  undeveloped  tract  of  land  producing  nothing  but  sagebrush.  He  has  put 
everything  upon  it,  including  the  buildings  and  the  fences,  the  orchards,  the  shade 
trees  and  the  shrubbery.  In  its  broad  and  level  fields  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  are  pro- 
duced to  the  acre.  Mr.  Moran  specializes  in  handling  dairy  cows  and  owns  a  fine  herd 
of  Jerseys,  including  both  registered  and  graded  stock. 

Mr.  Moran  is  numbered  among  the  citizens  that  Missouri  has  furnished  to  Idaho, 
for  his  birth  occurred  in  St.  Clair  county  of  the  former  state,  November  26,  1866,  his 
parents  being  William  and  Mary  (Newell)  Moran.  The  father  died  in  Arkansas  when 
the  son  Thomas  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  the  mother  is  now  living  with 
him  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Thomas  Moran  was  reared  in  Missouri  and  throughout  his  entire  life  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  farm  work.  For  twenty-eight  years  he  has  now  lived  in  Ada  county. 
He  was  married  on  the  23d  of  December,  1898.  to  Miss  Ida  Beasley,  who  was  born  in 
Canyon  county,  Idaho,  October  21,  1879,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah 
Elizabeth  (Tribune)  Beasley,  her  people  being  among  the  pioneer  families  of  Canyon 
county.  Her  father  was  born  in  Indiana  and  her  mother  in  Kentucky,  and  they  came 
to  the  northwest  about  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  Both  have  now  passed  away.  Mrs. 
Moran  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  Idaho  and  by  her  marriage  became  the  mother  of 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters:  Ethel,  the  wife  of  Porter  Biddle,  of  Ada 
county;  Elmer;  Mary;  and  Kenneth. 

Mrs.  Moran  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Moran  gives  his  political 
endorsement  to  the  republican  party  and  has  served  as  road  overseer  for  one  year  and 
ditch  superintendent  for  seven  years.  He  is  fond  of  hunting  and  fishing  but  has 
comparatively  little  leisure  time.  He  has  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon 
the  development  of  his  farm  and  the  improvement  of  his  herd  of  Jerseys  and  owns  some 
of  the  finest  stock  of  this  kind  to  be  found  in  Idaho. 


LEONIDAS   J.   NIELSEN. 

Leonidas  J.  Nielsen,  engaged  in  farming  and  wool  growing  in  Bonneville  county, 
his  business  interests  having  assumed  extensive  proportions,  was  born  at  Mantua. 
Boxelder  county,  Utah,  March  18,  1883,  a  son  of  Lars  P.  C.  and  Sarah  (Hansen)  Nielsen. 
The  mother  died  when  her  son  was  but  ten  years  of  age  and  the  father  now  lives  at 
Animon,  Idaho,  near  the  home  of  his  son  Leonidas.  Both  the  father  and  mother  were 
Danes.  The  former  was  born  in  Denmark  and  crossed  the  ocean  in  1867.  He  and  his 
mother  reached  Salt  Lake  City,  the  only  surviving  two  of  a  family  of  five,  the  father 
and  two  children  having  died  of  illness  while  en  route  and  were  buried  at  sea.  Leonidas 
J.  Nielsen  had  three  full  brothers,  but  one  died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  two  full 
sisters,  all  residents  of  Bonneville  county. 

Leonidas  J.  Nielsen  was  reared  in  Boxelder  county,  Utah,  upon  the  sheep  ranch 
owned  and  conducted  by  his  father.  He  had  a  good  education,  including  four  years 
spent  in  the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  Utah.  In  1903  he  came  to  Idaho  and 
purchased  a  farm  in  Bonneville  county,  which  he  still  owns.  He  at  first  acquired  a 
tract  of  only  forty  acres,  for  he  had  no  capital  when  he  came  to  Idaho.  As  the  years 


872  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

have  passed,  however,  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  has  become  one  of 
the  well-to-do  citizens  of  Bonneville  county.  He  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming 
and  to  the  raising  of  sheep  and  beef  cattle  and  he  also  owns  and  conducts  a  general 
store  at  Ammon.  It  is  near  this  place  that  he  has  his  two  ranches,  which  he  per- 
sonally operates,  and  he  likewise  owns  a  third  ranch  in  the  same  county.  He  has  a 
thousand  thoroughbred  Cotswold  sheep  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  wool  producers 
of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  works  persistently  and  energetically,  overcoming  all 
obstacles  by  determined  effort  and  pushing  steadily  forward  to  the  goal  of  prosperity. 

When  twenty  years  of  age  Mr.  Nielsen  was  married  at  Ammon,  Idaho,  on  the  23d 
of  May,  1903,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Campbell,  a  native  of  Bloomington,  Bear  Lake  county, 
Idaho,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  two,  Leon  and 
Eleanor,  are  deceased,  one  having  died  in  infancy  and  the  other  at  the  age  of  two 
years,  in  December,  1918.  Those  living  are  Trueman,  Beulah,  Leota,  Muriel,  Vincent 
and  Carma. 

The  religious  faith  of  the  Nielsen  family  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  and  Mr.  Nielsen  was  for  eleven  years  ward  clerk.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  republican,  active  in  the  work  of  the  party,  and  recognition  of  his  in- 
terest in  political  affairs  and  his  devotion  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  and 
state  led  to  his  selection  to  public  office.  For  two  years  he  was  county  commissioner 
of  Bonneville  and  for  eight  years  was  chairman  of  the  village  board  of  Ammon.  He 
likewise  served  as  clerk  of  the  school  board  for  ten  years  and  in  1918  was  elected  on 
the  republican  ticket  to  represent  his  county  in  the  state  legislature,  where  he  has 
been  made  chairman  of  the  irrigation  committee  and  a  member  of  the  county  lines 
and  boundaries  committee  and  of  the  railroad  committee.  He  is  likewise  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Progressive  Irrigation  District  of  Idaho  Falls  and  gives  generous  and  con- 
tinued aid  to  all  measures  and  movements  that  have  for  their  object  the  advance- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  community  and  state. 


JOHN  A.  BRIDGER. 

John  A.  Bridger,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Albion,  Cassia  county,  has  been  iden- 
tified with  this  section  of  the  state  since  1875  and  has  therefore  witnessed  practically 
its  entire  development  and  improvement.  For  a  long  period  he  was  actively  connected 
with  its  agricultural  progress  and  through  the  careful  conduct  of  his  business  affairs 
won  a  measure  of  success  that  now  enables  him  to  rest  from  further  labor.  He  was 
born  in  Greenbrier  county,  West  Virginia,  October  24,  1847,  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Mar- 
garet (Sea)  Bridger.  He  left  Virginia  with  his  parents  when  a  small  boy,  the  family 
removing  to  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  and  subsequently  to  Linn  county,  Kansas,  where 
the  father  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  as  a  homestead  claim. 
This  he  developed  and  improved  and  afterward  returned  to  Iowa,  where  he  again 
lived  for  two  years. 

When  John  A.  Bridger  left  Iowa  for  a  second  time  he  went  to  Macon  county, 
Missouri,  and  worked  on  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad.  Subsequently  he  was  in 
Kansas  and  on  leaving  the  Sunflower  state  came  to  Idaho  in  1875,  settling  on  what 
is  now  the  site  of  Albion,  although  there  was  no  town  here  at  the  time.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  wild  prairie  and  little  indication  of  what  the  future  had  in 
store  for  the  country.  He  took  up  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  built 
thereon  a  log  house,  after  which  he  began  the  work  of  improving  and  developing  the 
property.  He  also  engaged  in  freighting  from  this  district  for  a  number  of  years  and 
for  a  long  period  continued  in  active  agricultural  work.  Year  after  year  his  financial 
resources  increased  owing  to  his  excellent  business  ability,  close  application  and  inde- 
fatigable energy.  As  he  prospered  he  kept  adding  to  his  land  until  he  became  the 
owner  of  six  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  which  he  still  owns  and  which  is  now  a  highly 
improved  property,  returning  to  him  a  gratifying  annual  income.  He  continued  the 
cultivation  of  the  place  until  1916,  when  he  retired,  taking  up  his  abode  at  Albion, 
where  he  now  makes  his  home. 

In  1873  Mr.  .Bridger  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Nicholson,  a  native  of  Scott  county, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Alfred  O.  and  Mary  (Pierce)  Nicholson.  They  have  become 
parents  of  five  children:  A.  T.,  John,  Paul,  Virgil  and  James. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Bridger  has  always  been  a  democrat  but  has  never 
sought  or  desired  office,  always  preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  his  business  affairs. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  A.  BRIDGER 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  875 

He  deserves  mention  among  the  honored  pioneer  settlers  of  Cassia  county,  for  he 
arrived  here  at  a  time  when  the  Indians  were  numerous  in  the  district  and  he  is 
today  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  in  this  part  of  Idaho.  He  shared  in  all  the 
hardships  and  privations  incident  to  frontier  life  in  order  to  gain  a  start  upon  the 
western  frontier  and  he  has  lived  to  see  the  region  transformed  into  a  populous  and 
prosperous  district,  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  and  stock  raising  country. 


C.  P.  JENSMA. 

A  native  of  Friesland,  Holland.  C.  P.  Jensma  is  a  worthy  representative  of  that 
sturdy  stock  of  seafarers  and  merchants  in  this  country.  He  was  born  June  13,  1877, 
and  attended  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Friesland.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
took  up  dairying  with  his  father,  in  which  line  the  latter  was  successfully  engaged. 
Two  years  later,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  C.  P.  Jensma  came  to  the  United  States  and  made 
his  way  to  Galveston,  Texas,  although  at  that  time  he  did  not  expect  to  remain  in 
this  country,  but  to  some  extent  intended  to  study  it  and  its  history.  After  he  had 
become  acquainted  with  a  number  of  its  institutions,  interests  and  advantages,  how- 
ever, he  concluded  to  remain.  His  next  move  took  him  to  Chicago  and  from  there 
he  sought  the  far  west,  going  to  Spokane,  Washington,  where  he  became  connected 
with  the  Walla  Walla  Creamery  Company,  at  the  same  time  taking  a  course  in  agri- 
culture at  the  State  College  of  Washington  at  Pullman. 

The  year  1907  witnessed  Mr.  Jensma's  arrival  in  Nampa,  Idaho.  Here  he  found 
conditions  that  at  once  interested  him  because  of  his  thorough  experience  in  dairy- 
ing and  agriculture  not  only  in  this  country  but  in  the  old  world.  The  Cooperative 
Creamery,  which  had  completely  failed  under  its  previous  management,  was  revived 
under  the  name  of  the  Jensma  Creamery  and  it  has  become  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful enterprises  of  Nampa  and  vicinity.  A  considerable  amount  of  the  product  is 
shipped  outside  of  the  state,  in  fact  is  sold  throughout  the  entire  northwest  in  whole- 
sale lots.  The  company  ships  annually  about  five  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  butter, 
thousands  of  gallons  of  ice  cream  and  many  cars  of  produce,  including  poultry.  They 
employ  twenty-five  people.  Their  supplies  are  purchased  direct  from  the  farmers  and 
buying  stations  are  maintained  throughout  the  state.  Their  plant  is  located  at  the 
corner  of  Ninth  and  First  South  streets.  The  great  success  of  this  important  enterprise 
is  entirely  due  to  the  business  initiative  and  long  experience  of  Mr.  Jensma,  who 
found  here  a  productive  field  for  his  talents. 

Mr.  Jensma  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Hannan,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  to 
them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Elizabeth.  The  family  are  highly  esteemed  in  Nampa, 
where  they  have  many  friends.  The  father  and  mother  of  our  subject,  who  ever  re- 
mained residents  of  Friesland.  Holland,  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Jensma  has  become  a  public-spirited  and  valuable  American  citizen.  In  his 
political  affiliation  he  is  a  republican  and  he  has  taken  an  important  part  in  party 
work  although  he  has  never  sought  nor  desired  office.  There  is  great  credit  due  him 
for  what  he  has  achieved  as  he  has  made  his  way  in  this  country  practically  un- 
assisted and  now  occupies  an  important  position  in  Xan.pa  as  owner  of  one  of  the 
large  and  prosperous  industrial  enterprises  of  his  district. 


A.   H.    BLISS. 

Since  1904  A.  H.  Bliss  has  made  his  home  at  New  Plymouth,  where  he  follows 
the  occupation  of  farming,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  informed  men  on  the 
subject  of  irrigation  in  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Illinois,  August  2S, 
1849.  His  father,  Ambrose  Bliss,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  as  was  his  grandfather, 
whose  progenitors  came  from  England  during  the  period  of  early  colonization  in  the 
new  world.  The  mother  of  A.  H.  Bliss  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Esther  Varney  and 
was  likewise  a  native  of  Vermont,  being  of  Scotch  lineage,  the  surname  of  the  family 
being  originally  McVarney.  In  the  early  '40s  the  parents  of  A.  H.  Bliss  removed  to 
Illinois,  where  the  father  followed  farming  until  1856  and  then  took  his  family  to 
Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  making  the  journey  with  horse  teams  and  ox  teams.  In 
Wisconsin  he  purchased  land  for  fifty  cents  an  acre.  There  the  family  suffered  many 


876  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

privations  and  hardships  due  to  a  most  severe  winter  and  unavoidable  exposure,  and 
they  lost  nearly  all  of  their  stock  owing  to  the  intense  cold  of  that  first  winter.  This 
constituted  a  financial  loss  from  which  the  father  never  fully  recovered. 

A.  H.  Bliss  was  largely  reared  in  Wisconsin  and  shared  with  the  family  in  all  of 
the  difficulties  and  privations  of  life  on  the  frontier.  The  father  went  across  the  plains 
to  California  in  1849  and  there  followed  mining  with  meager  success  for  three  years, 
but  in  1853  returned  to  Illinois.  He  and  his  wife  died  upon  the  old  homestead  in 
Wisconsin.  A.  H.  Bliss  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming,  which  he  followed  in  Wis- 
consin, however,  without  any  notable  measure  of  success.  In  1880  he  married  Miss 
Emma  E.  Hunter,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Elizabeth  (Fry)  Hunter,  who  were  pioneers 
of  Fennimore  Center,  Wisconsin,  to  which  state  they  went  in  1852  from  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  they  both  passed  away.  In  1888  Mr.  Bliss,  his  wife  and  three 
children,  journeyed  westward  to  Cheyenne  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing for  three  years.  He  then  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  for  thirteen  years  in  the  city  of  Eaton,  and  in  1904  he  came  with  his  family 
to  Idaho.  After  a  month's  residence  at  Weiser  they  came  to  New  Plymouth,  where 
Mr.  Bliss  has  since  made  his  home  and  carried  on  truck  farming.  He  has  brought 
his  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  now  has  excellent  town  property,  which 
annually  yields  to  him  a  substantial  income.  He  has  closely  studied  the  subject  of 
irrigation  from  every  possible  standpoint,  knows  the  value  of  the  land  wheYi  water 
can  be  added  thereto  and  has  done  much  to  promote  irrigation  projects. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  have  become  the  parents  of  five  children.  Ora  G.,  thirty-six 
years  of  age,  is  a  printer  by  trade  and  resides  at  home.  Floyd  E.,  aged  thirty-four, 
married  Nell  A.  Henry,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  two  children,  Leal  and  Jay, 
aged  respectively  seventeen  and  fourteen  years.  Raymond  G.,  aged  thirty-three,  mar- 
ried Dorothy  L.  Merritt  and  they  have  three  children,  Leonard  D.,  Delbert  L.  and  an 
infant.  Alma  A.  is  the  wife  of  B.  H.  Hull  and  has  two  children,  Alice  and  Benita. 
Alice  B.  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Barrett  and  has  two  children,  Bessie  and  Hiram  B. 

Through  the  years  of  his  residence  in  Payette  county  Mr,  Bliss  has  become  widely 
and  favorably  known  as  the  result  of  his  spirit  of  enterprise  and  progress,  his  thorough 
reliability  in  business  and  his  determination  to  not  only  make  the  most  of  his  op- 
portunities in  the  acquirement  of  success  but  also  to  advance  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  at  large. 


E.  P.  GILBERT. 

E.  P.  Gilbert  is  engaged  in  farming  in  the  lower  Boise  valley,  occupying  a  farm 
not  far  from  the  old  homestead  upon  which  he  was  born  January  26,  1871.  He  is  a  son 
of  Frank  G.  and  Anna  (Hargrave)  Gilbert,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  while  the 
latter  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  They  were  among  the  earliest  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  Boise  valley  and  during  frontier  days  experienced  much  trouble  with  the  Indians 
and  many  times  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  old  fort  about  six  miles  from  their 
home.  It  was  in  1858  that  Frank  G.  Gilbert  secured  the  old  homestead  as  a  claim  and 
erected  the  first  house  built  of  lumber  in  the  lower  Boise,  this  being  the  birthplace  of 
E.  P.  Gilbert.  The  father  was  for  many  years  actively  identified  with  farming  but  is 
now  living  retired  and  makes  his  home  at  Caldwell. 

E.  P.  Gilbert  acquired  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  in  a  business  col- 
lege at  Boise.  He  afterward  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  with  his  father  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  his  marriage  in  1893.  The  following  year  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  property  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres,  which  at  that  time  was  raw  land  cov- 
ered with  sagebrush  but  which  is  now  all  under  cultivation.  He  turned  the  first  fur- 
rows upon  the  place  and  prepared  it  for  the  crops  and  is  now  extensively  engaged  in 
raising  alfalfa.  He  also  has  twenty-four  hundred  head  of  sheep  and  as  many  lambs, 
together  with  fourteen  head  of  cattle  and  fifteen  head  of  horses  and  mules.  He  has  his 
sheep  upon  the  range  in  the  summer  but  feeds  them  in  the  winter  and  through  the 
lambing  season.  Each  year  he  sells  the  lambs  and  keeps  the  ewes,  which  he  sells 
every  three  years  and  every  three  years  replenishes.  He  is  thus  conducting  his  farm- 
ing and  sheep  raising  interests  along  progressive  and  scientific  lines  productive  of 
splendid  results. 

In  1893  Mr.  Gilbert  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Ronan,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Ronan, 
a  farmer  of  Brantford,  Canada.  They  have  in  their  home  today  the  piano  which  was 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  877 

brought  by  Mrs.  Gilbert  from  Canada.  It  was  the  first  piano  in  the  Boise  valley  and 
the  inhabitants  of  an  early  day  would  come  from  miles  around  to  see  it  and  hear  her 
play  upon  it.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  have  become  parents  of  seven  children,  all  born 
upon  the  home  farm,  as  follows:  Gladys,  who  is  the  wife  of  G.  E.  McWilliam,  of  Cald- 
well;  Nina,  at  home;  Martin,  who  is  nine  years  of  age;  and  Katherine,  Edgar  P.,  Nellie 
Ethel  and  Kenneth  H.,  all  of  whom  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Gilbert  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  his  membership  be- 
ing in  the  lodge  at  Caldwell.  For  sixteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  in  his  district  and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  stalwart  champion.  He 
is  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  region  in  which 
he  lives  and  which  he  has  seen  converted  from  a  wild  and  unproductive  district  inro 
one  of  rich  fertility,  of  well  kept  fields  and  orchards  and  of  fine  stock  farms.  Many 
conditions  of  frontier  life  have  constituted  a  part  of  his  own  early  experience  and  he 
rejoices  in  what  has  been  accomplished  as  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement  has 
been  carried  steadily  forward. 


C.  F.  SMITH. 

It  is  a  matter  deserving  of  comment  and  of  credit  when  one  attains  to  a  posi- 
tion of  leadership  as  has  C.  F.  Smith,  whose  superiority  in  the  production  of  pota- 
toes in  a  state  that  is  famous  for  its  fine  and  remarkably  large  tubers  has  won  for 
him  the  nickname  of  "Potato  Smith."  He  is  of  a  nature  that  could  never  be  content 
with  mediocrity  and  he  would  not  be  satisfied  to  produce  anything  inferior  to  the 
crops  of  his  neighbors.  Accordingly  he  has  utilized  the  most  approved  modern 
methods  in  the  development  of  his  land,  which  was  a  tract  of  sagebrush  when  it 
came  into  his  possession  and  is  now  an  eighty  acre  farm  of  great  productivity. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Batavia,  Illinois,  March  2,  1862.  His  father,  Michael 
Smith,  came  from  Germany  to  America  in  early  youth,  settling  first  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  while  subsequently  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  was  employed  in  the 
steel  mills  of  the  latter  state.  He  left  Germany  to  escape  the  oppression  of  the 
military  class.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Rosenberg,  was 
also  a  native  of  that  country  and  they  were  married  before  leaving  for  the  new  world. 
To  them  were  born  nine  children:  Maggie,  deceased;  Sophia;  Frances;  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty -seven ; 
Mary,  who  has  passed  away;  C.  F. ;  Frank,  deceased;  and  Annie.  The  father  of 
this  family  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and  the  mother  died  at  the 
notable  old  age  of  ninety,  so  that  it  will  be  seen  that  C.  F.  Smith  comes  from  a 
family  noted  for  longevity. 

Reared  in  his  native  state  and  educated  in  its  public  schools,  C.  F.  Smith  went 
to  Colorado  on  his  twenty-first  birthday  and  located  at  Greeley,  where  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  potatoes  for  twenty-seven  years,  making  of  it  a  life 
study.  He  went  to  Colorado  with  his  blankets  on  his  back  and  at  first  worked  at 
digging  potatoes  for  others  in  order  to  gain  a  start.  Step  by  step  he  slowly  but 
surely  advanced  and  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  state  in  1909  he  had 
one  of  the  best  homes  and  farms  in  the  section  in  which  he  resided.  He  then  went 
to  Califronia  with  the  idea  of  finding  a  suitable  location  and  afterward  came  to 
Idaho,  settling  in  the  Deer  Flat  district  near  Appleton  station  along  the  interurban 
line  of  the  Caldwell  Traction  Company.  He  selected  this  region  as  best  adapted 
to  the  raising  of  fine  potatoes  and  although  the  land  was  covered  with  nothing  but 
sagebrush  time  has  proven  the  wisdom  of  his  judgment.  He  at  once  began  pre- 
paring the  soil  for  crop  production  and  is  today  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land 
which  through  his  cultivation  has  become  very  arable  and  valuable.  His  son  and 
his  two  sons-in-law  operate  this  farm,  together  with  three  other  places,  having 
two  hundred  acres  in  all.  In  1918  they  had  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  planted  to 
potatoes  and  gathered  a  crop  of  seventy-five  carloads,  or  nearly  four  hundred  bush- 
els to  the  acre.  Mr.  Smith  rotates  his  crops  from  alfalfa  to  potatoes  and  thus  keeps 
his  land  in  excellent  condition.  He  is  known  as  the  potato  king  of  this  section  of 
the  country  and  it  was  he  who  raised  and  shipped  the  first  carload  of  potatoes  from 
the  Boise-Payette  project.  In.  1919  he  and  his  son  and  sons-in-law  expect  to  ship 
at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  carloads  of  potatoes.  Many  of  these  are  of 
mammoth  size  and  are  equally  fine  in  quality,  thus  commanding  the  highest  market 


878  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

price.  Mr.  Smith's  partners  in  the  undertaking  are  his  son,  Irving  Lloyd,  and  his 
two  sons-in-law,  G.  H.  Davis  and  George  L.  Vogt. 

It  was  on  the  5th  of  January,  1892,  that  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lucy  Stephenson,  a  native  of  Kansas  but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  a  resi- 
dent of  Greeley,  Colorado.  To  them  were  born  six  children:  Irving  Lloyd,  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  who  is  now  farming  near  Wilder  and,  as  indicated,  is  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father;  Edith  May,  the  wife  of  Glenn  H.  Davis;  Alma,  the  wife  of 
George  Vogt;  Mary,  living  at  home;  Ruth,  at  home;  and  Dorothy,  who  completes 
the  family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vogt  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Wilma,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Davis  have  two  sons,  Glenn  Howard  and  Stewart  Lloyd. 

For  ten  years  the  family  has  been  represented  in  this  section  of  the  state  and 
throughout  the  entire  period  they  have  been  ranked  with  the  representative  busi- 
ness men  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  region.  In  all  that  he  has  undertaken 
Mr.  Smith  has  displayed  marked  thoroughness  and  enterprise.  When  he  turned 
his  attention  to  potato  raising  he  studied  the  question  not  only  from  the  standpoint 
of  practical  experience  but  from  the  scientific  side  as  well,  and  there  is  no  question 
relative  to  the  production  of  potatoes  on  which  he  cannot  speak  authoritatively. 


ALBERT  C.  KITCHING. 

The  automobile  industry,  which  has  practically  taken  a  foremost  place  in  the  in- 
dustrial life  of  the  nation,  is  represented  in  Boise  through  Albert  C.  Kitching,  presi- 
dent of  the  Boise  Motor  Car  Company.  Mr.  Kitching  was  born  near  Greenville,  Texas, 
February  20,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Louisa  Jane  (Walker)  Kitching,  na- 
tives of  Missouri,  their  wedding  ceremony,  however,  being  performed  in  Texas.  The 
father  was  only  a  small  boy  when  he  removed  to  that  state  with  his  parents  and  there 
he  was  reared,  later  giving  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising  and  being  quite 
successful  in  those  pursuits.  Throughout  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Confederate  army.  The  parents,  who  have  now  passed  away,  both  died  in  California. 
They  removed  from  Texas  to  Oregon  in  1872  and  later  became  residents  of  Saratoga, 
California,  where  they  spent  their  last  days.  Of  their  family  six  sons  and  two  daughters 
are  living,  Mr.  Kitching  of  this  review  being  the  only  one  to  make  his  home  in  Idaho. 

He  was  reared  in  Oregon,  first  in  Lane  county  and  later  in  Crook  county,  spending 
his  boyhood  days  upon  a  sheep  ranch.  In  the  acquirement  of  an  education  he  attended1 
the  common  schools  and  later  betteT  prepared  himself  for  life's  arduous  duties  by  at- 
tending a  business  college  in  Portland,  Oregon.  He  then  followed  the  sheep  business 
in  Oregon,  Idaho  and  Wyoming  until  1913,  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every 
phase  and  being  quite  successful  in  that  line.  In  the  last  mentioned  year,  however,  he 
came  to  Boise  and  in  1915,  after  carefully  looking  over  the  business  situation,  he  be- 
came one  of  the  founders  and  incorporators  of  the  Boise  Motor  Car  Company,  of  which 
he  has  since  been  president.  They  are  distributors  of  the  Pierce  Arrow,  Hudson,  Reo 
and  Dodge  cars  and  under  the  able  direction  of  Mr.  Kitching  the  business  has  greatly 
prospered.  His  partner  in  the  company  is  the  Hon.  Arthur  Hodges,  formerly  mayor 
of  Boise,  who  is  mentioned  at  greater  length  on  other  pages  of  this  work. 

In  the  state  of  Washington,  May  26,  1907,  Mr.  Kitching  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Nye,  n6e  Steiner,  her  first  husband  having  been  Colonel  M.  C.  Nye.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kitching  are  popular  in  the  social  circles  of  Boise,  where  they  have  many 
friends.  In  his  political  affiliation  he  is  a  republican  but  has  not  aspired  to  public 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  his  business  affairs.  He  finds  his  chief 
recreation  in  fishing  and  hunting  and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the  hon- 
orable and  helpful  principles  underlying  that  organization  ever  guiding  him  in  his 
conduct  toward  his  fellowmen. 


PHILIP  A.  SHAW. 

Philip  A.  Shaw  is  a  retired  cattleman  of  Oakley  who  occupies  an  attractive 
brick  residence,  in  which  he  enjoys  all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries 
of  life.  His  success  has  come  to  him  as  the  direct  result  of  earnest  effort  intelli- 
gently guided.  For  many  years  he  was  identified  with  ranching  and  cattle  rais- 


ALBERT  C.  KITCHING 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  881 

ing  in  Cassia  county  but  in  1916  put  aside  active  business  cares  and  has  since  lived 
retired.  He  has  now  passed  the  seventy-third  milestone  on  life's  Journey,  his 
birth  having  occurred  at  Commerce,' Scott  county,  Missouri.  March  15.  1847,  his 
parents  being  Thomas  M.  and  Isabelle  (Kile)  Shaw.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed 
in  his  native  state  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools  of  Missouri.  After 
leaving  home  he  became  a  telegraph  operator  on  the  Iron  Mountain  Railroad  and 
was  thus  employed  for  eleven  years. 

In  1884  Mr.  Shaw  made  his  way  to  the  northwest  and  took  up  his  abode  on 
Trapper  creek,  about  seven  miles  southwest  of  Oakley,  in  Cassia  county.  Here 
he  homesteaded  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  built  thereon  a  log 
house.  It  was  necessary  in  those  days  to  go  to  Bellevue  or  Hailey  in  the  Wood 
River  country  to  market.  The  country  was  wild  and  there  was  little  to  indicate 
the  rapid  strides  that  were  soon  to  be  made  toward  developing  it  into  the  rich 
agricultural  district  which  it  is  today.  He  bent  his  energies  to  the  development 
and  improvement  of  his  ranch  property  and  shipped  his  products  by  wagon.  As 
the  years  passed  on  he  added  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to  his  ranch  and  thereon 
dealt  in  cattle.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  sheep  raising  but  returned  to  cattle 
and  as  the  years  passed  found  his  stock  raising  interests  an  important  source  of 
revenue.  While  in  the  early  days  he  experienced  many  of  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier,  in  time  all  these  conditions  passed 
away  and  his  farm  became  one  of  a  highly  cultivated  district.  He  built  a  flne 
frame  residence  upon  his  land  and  added  many  modern  improvements  which  were 
indicative  of  his  progressive  spirit  and  also  of  the  practical  methods  which  he 
ever  followed  in  the  development  of  his  farm.  He  remained  thereon  until  1916, 
when  he  removed  to  Oakley,  having  previously  purchased  the  substantial  brick 
residence  that  he  now  occupies. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  democrat  and  has  staunchly  supported 
the  party  since  age  conferre'd  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  For  thirty-six  years  he 
has  lived  in  Cassia  county,  witnessing  its  growth  and  development  through  this 
period  and  taking  helpful  part  in  promoting  the  work  of  general  progress.  His 
success  illustrates  what  can  be  accomplished  through  individual  effort,  for  he 
started  out  in  the  business  world  empty-handed  and  through  his  industry  and 
diligence  has  attained  a  substantial  measure  of  prosperity. 


JOHN  L.  BARDSLEY. 

It  is  said  that  there  is  no  man  in  the  state  who  is  better  informed  regarding 
the  dairy  business  than  John  L.  Bardsley,  of  Caldwell,  or  one  who  has  worked  harder 
for  the  promotion  of  the  industry.  His  efforts  have  been  far-reaching  and  resultant 
in  this  direction,  and  he  has  thus  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  wealth  and 
upbuilding  of  the  state.  He  makes  his  home  in  Caldwell,  where  he  is  at  the  head 
of  the  implement  business  of  J.  L.  Bardsley  &  Company  and  at  the  same  time  he 
has  valuable  farming  and  dairy  interests  near  the  city. 

He  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  March  19,  1868,  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Rosa  (Marcoot)  Bardsley.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  served  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  has  now  passed  away.  The  mother,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  is  now  living  in  Gooding,  Idaho,  but  spends 
a  portion  of  her  time  with  her  son,  John  L.,  in  Caldwell.  Her  children  include: 
S.  J.,  who  is  an  attorney  and  was  a  member  of  the  Oklahoma  legislature;  William, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  live  stock  at  Gooding,  Idaho;  and  Agnes  H., 
who  is  the  wife  of  James  Black,  of  Oklahoma,  and  who  was  a  successful  school 
teacher  for  fifteen  years. 

Reared  in  his  native  state,  John  L.  Bardsley  supplemented  his  public  school 
education  by  study  in  McKendree  College  at  Lebanon,  Illinois,  to  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  He  came  to  Idaho  in  1889,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  Is  thus  num- 
bered among  the  pioneer  residents  of  the  state.  For  two  years  he  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  and  then  took  up  a  homestead  near  Caldwell.  at  once  beginning  the 
development  and  improvement  of  the  property  and  at  the  same  time  teaching  school 
for  a  year.  He  had  previously  taught  school  in  Illinois  for  two  years  before  his 
removal  to  the  west,  but  as  he  brought  his  farm  into  condition  he  abandoned  the 

Vol.  II—  56 


882  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

work  of  the  schoolroom  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  general  agri- 
cultural interests  and  dairying,  constantly  improving  his  herd  and  bringing  his  land 
more  and  more  largely  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  At  the  present  time  he 
has  twenty-five  head  of  Jersey  and  Holstein  cows  upon  his  place  which  he  uses  for 
dairy  purposes.  His  farm  is  situated  near  Caldwell,  where  he  is  also  identified  with 
mercantile  interests,  being  at  the  head  of  a  successful  implement  business  conducted 
under  the  firm  style  of  J.  L.  Bardsley  &  Company.  He  owns  a  ranch  of  eight  hun- 
dred acres  on  Lost  river,  where  he  is  raising  shorthorn  cattle  for  beef,  having  there 
ninety  head.  It  is  perhaps  as  a  dairyman,  however,  that  Mr.  Bardsley  is  best  known, 
for  he  has  made  a  Close  and  discriminating  study  of  that  business  and  is  particularly 
qualified  to  handle  all  kinds  of  dairy  machinery  and  agricultural  implements.  His 
thorough  understanding  of  the  scientific  processes  of  dairying  enables  him  to  speak 
with  authority  upon  the  question,  and  his  labors  in  promoting  this  industry  in  the 
state  certainly  deserve  public  recognition.  He  was  the  first  in  the  state  to  adopt 
the  use  of  silos  and  thus  provide  green  feed  for  his  stock  throughout  the  winter. 
He  has  a  place  in  the  town  of  Caldwell  upon  which  he  keeps  six  thoroughbred  Jerseys 
on  six  acres  of  land. 

In  Reynolds  county,  Missouri,  near  Salem,  Mr.  Bardsley  was  united  in  marriage 
in  1887  to  Miss  Josie  Parker,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  nine  children:  Hattie 
Agnes,  the  wife  of  George  Robinson,  of  Caldwell;  Charles  M.,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  an  automobile  company  in  Caldwell;  Homer  Logan,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Engineers  Corps  during  the  great  war  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chateau 
Thierry,  after  which  he  was  promoted  to  top  sergeant  for  his  gallantry  and  bravery 
and  has  recently  returned  home;  Bonnie,  who  is  attending  high  school;  Fannie,  Lydia 
and  Marie,  who  are  pupils  in  the  grades;  and  Johnnie  Bud  and  Walter,  aged  six  and 
four  years  respectively. 

Mr.  Bardsley's  interest  centers  in  his  home  and  he  counts  no  personal  effort  or 
sacrifice  on  his  part  too  great  if  it  will  promote  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  his 
wife  and  children.  He  has  ever  recognized  his  obligations  and  duties  of  citizenship 
and  for  two  terms  served  Caldwell  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  while  for  one 
term  he  served  as  deputy  assessor.  He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  has  been  prominent  in  the  organization  for  many  years.  This,  and  his 
activity  as  a  dairyman,  have  made  him  widely  known  throughout  Idaho,  where  he 
has  an  extensive  circle  of  friends. 


JOHN  F.  WEIRMAN. 

John  F.  Weirman  is  a  farmer  whose  fine  ranch  of  forty-one  acres  is  situated  two 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Boise.  On  coming  to  Idaho  from  Nebraska  in  1912  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property.  He  was  born  about  thirty  miles  north  of  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  7th  of  March,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Catherine 
(Fisher)  Weirman,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  state,  both  born  in  1825, 
and  both  are  now  deceased.  The  mother  passed  away  in  Philadelphia  when  her  son 
John  was  about  twelve  years  of  age,  she  being  then  fifty  years  of  age.  The  father 
died  in  Nebraska,  May  20,  1904.  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine. 

John  F.  Weirman  was  the  youngest  of  three  children,  having  one  sister  and  one 
brother.  The  sister  is  Mrs.  Susan  F.  Rowland,  now  a  widow  living  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  brother  was  Charles  F.  Weirman,  who  was  born  August  20,  1854,  and  died 
in  1893,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children. 

When  John  F.  Weirman  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  he  removed  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  with  his  father  and  brother,  the  mother  having  already  passed  away 
in  Pennsylvania.  A  few  years  later  he  and  his  father  went  to  Marion  county,  Kansas, 
and  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  they  returned  to  Illinois;  but  he  soon 
afterward  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  resided  until  1912,  when  he  came  from  that 
state  to  Idaho.  He  has  followed  farming  throughout  his  entire  life  save  for  a  year 
and  a  half  when  he  drove  a  stage.  While  in  Nebraska  he  prospered  through  the 
advance  in  real  estate  prices  and  through  his  operations  as  a  dealer  in  cattle  and 
hogs.  He  won  a  substantial  sum  of  money  there,  which  he  brought  with  him  to 
Idaho.  He  had  just  sold  a  farm  in  Nebraska  for  more  than  nine  thousand  dollars. 
After  reaching  Idaho  he  purchased  forty-one  acres  of  choice  improved  land  on  the 
Bench,  paying  four  hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  this  property,  or  more  than  sixteen 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  883 

thousand  dollars.  Today,  however,  he  would  not  sell  this  for  less  than  five  hundred 
dollars  per  acre. 

It  was  on  the  14th  of  April,  1904,  that  Mr.  Weirman  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Margaret  Riley,  who  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  July  3,  1869,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Harrison  and  Sarah  Ann  (Amlong)  Riley  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weirman  have  a  daughter,  Wilma  Garnet,  who  was  born  January  24,  1906, 
and  is  now  attending  the  Franklin  school. 

Mr.  Weirman  maintains  an  independent  attitude  in  politics.  His  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Neighbors.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Mrs.  Weirman  is  a  member 
of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  In  the  front  yard  of  their  home  is  a  magnificent  silver 
poplar  whose  branches  extend  out  over  a  large  part  of  the  lawn.  The  tree  itself 
has  an  interesting  history.  Mr.  Weirman  purchased  the  land  from  M.  F.  Eby,  a 
pioneer,  who  had  homesteaded  it.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  when  Mr.  Eby 
returned  to  his  ranch  from  a  mining  property  which  he  owned,  he  carried  with  him 
a  small,  green,  silver  poplar  walking  stick  which  he  casually  stuck  down  on  the  brink 
of  a  small  irrigation  ditch.  To  his  surprise  the  stick  sprouted  and  grew.  That  was 
thirty-five  years  ago  and  today  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  shade  trees  to  be 
found  in  this  section  of  the  state.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weirman  is  a  most 
hospitable  one  and  this  worthy  couple  have  gained  the  warm  regard  of  all  with  whom 
they  have  been  brought  in  contact. 


CLYDE   E.    KURD. 

About  five  miles  south  and  two  miles  west  of  Fruitland,  in  Payette  county,  is 
situated  the  home  farm  of  ninety  acres  owned  by  Clyde  E.  Hurd,  who  took  up  his 
abode  thereon  in  1904.  He  is  one  of  Idaho's  native  sons,  having  been  born  at 
Washoe,  when  Payette  county  was  a  part  of  Ada  county,  his  natal  day  being  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1882.  His  father,  F.  E.  Hurd,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  in  1881  came 
west  to  Idaho  accompanied  by  his  wife,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Phyanna  Clement 
and  was  born  in  Michigan.  They  made  the  long  journey  across  the  plains  after  the 
primitive  manner  of  travel  at  that  time  and  took  up  their  abode  on  the  Washoe  bot- 
tom, between  the  Snake  and  Payette  rivers.  There  the  father  homesteaded  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  devoted  to  general  farming.  There  was 
nothing  on  the  land  but  sagebrush  when  it  dame  into  his  possession.  The  rabbits 
and  coyotes  were  numerous  and  destroyed  crops  and  the  small  farm  animals.  The 
Indian  still  lived  in  the  district  and  there  was  every  evidence  of  frontier  life.  The 
soil  was  as  yet  untouched  by  the  plow  and  it  was  some  time  before  they  could  make 
it  profitable  to  farm.  F.  E.  Hurd  worked  in  the  vicinity  of  Boise  and  Emmett  in 
order  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  His  father,  F.  F.  Hurd,  came  to  Idaho  in  1882 
and  homesteaded  near  Payette,  on  the  Payette  river,  after  which  he  worked  with 
his  son,  F.  E.  Hurd.  He  died  upon  the  old  homestead  property  and  his  wife,  who 
in  her  maidenhood  was  Permila  Walters,  is  now  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  more 
than  eighty  years  with  her  son,  Dr.  R.  B.  Hurd,  in  Payette.  F.  E.  Hurd,  the  father 
of  Clyde  E.  Hurd,  sold  his  homestead  and  purchased  a  part  of  his  father's  land  and 
thereon  still  resides  with  his  wife,  having  occupied  that  place  for  the  past  thirty 
years.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and  to  some  extent  engages  in  dairying  but 
is  practically  living  retired,  enjoying  a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly 
deserves.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children:  Clyde  E.,  of  this  review; 
Claude  A.,  thirty-six  years  of  age;  Glenn  F.,  aged  thirty;  Earl  C.,  aged  twenty-five; 
and  Stella  G.,  the  wife  of  Robert  L.  Jimerson,  who  follows  horticultural  pursuits 
near  Weiser.  Earl  C.  was  married  in  1916  to  Miss  Marian  E.  Arment,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  and  they  reside  upon  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  his  brother  Clyde.  They  have 
two  children,  Frank  Grant  and  Jocelyn.  Claude  A.  does  general  farming  and  dairy- 
ing, having  fifty  acres  of  land,  and  in  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  his  fields  he 
raises  a  few  horses  and  has  twenty  head  of  cattle. 

The  father,  F.  E.  Hurd.  was  a  constable  in  the  early  days  of  Payette  and  at  that 
period  it  took  a  real  man  to  fill  the  job,  as  in  the  execution  of  the  duties  of  the  office 
it  required  great  fearlessness  and  bravery. 

Clyde  E.  Hurd  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof  upon  the  old  homestead  and 
while  acquiring  a  public  school  education  devoted  his  vacation  periods  to  work 
upon  the  farm.  He  purchased  his  present  place  of  ninety  acres  in  1904  and  has  an 


884  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

excellent  farm  property  near  Fruitland.  It  was  unimproved  when  it  came  into  his 
possession  and  still  is  without  irrigation  facilities,  but  it  is  believed  that  water  can 
be  secured  in  1920.  He  now  raises  cattle,  having  eleven  head  upon  the  place,  and 
he  has  fifty  acres  of  his  land  planted  to  grain.  When  a  child  he  lived  upon  the  farm 
which  he  now  occupies,  as  his  father  worked  on  the  ranch  for  Lash  Bellar,  who 
was  at  that  time  the  owner  of  the  property.  The  poplar  grove  which  surrounds  the 
home  is  over  forty-five  years  old  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  grove  in  the  state. 
The  trees  are  over  one  hundred  feet  in  height  and,  measuring  one  of  the  trees,  Mr. 
Hurd  found  it  to  have  a  circumference  of  eleven  feet. 

In  1912  Clyde  E.  Hurd  was  married  to. Miss  Effie  Adams,  of  Oklahoma,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Clyde  E.,  Jr. 


NEPHI  LARSEN. 

Nephi  Larsen,  who  is  engaged  in  ranching  on  Rock  Creek  in  Twin  Falls  county, 
was  born  in  the  Cache  valley  of  Utah,  April  7,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Lars  and  Ellen  M. 
Larsen.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  Utah  to  the  age  of  eleven  years,  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Rock  Creek,  in  Twin  Falls  county,  Idaho. 
In  the  latter  district  he  grew  to  manhood,  spending  his  youthful  days  upon  the  old 
home  farm  with  his  brother,  Hans  P.  Larsen,  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  years.  The  two  brothers  then  began  operating  the  ranch  and  gave  their  attention 
to  its  further  development  and  cultivation  for  some  years.  In  1901  Nephi  Larsen  be- 
came a  partner  of  his  brother-in-law,  Christian  Peterson,  in  the  purchase  of  the  farm 
upon  which  Mr.  Larsen  now  resides.  In  1909  they  divided  the  property,  Mr.  Larsen 
taking  his  present  place  of  fifty-seven  acres,  also  forty  acres  near  the  schoolhouse  and 
forty  acres  on  the  tract  near  Hansen,  together  with  eighty  acres  of  grazing  land  in 
Rock  Creek  canyon.  Mr.  Larsen  homesteaded  the  land  and  has  greatly  improved  the 
farm,  converting  it  into  one  of  the  fine  places  of  the  district.  In  1900  he  engaged  in 
shipping  horses  to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  and  in  1892  he  trailed  a  bunch  of  horses 
through  to  Dakota.  He  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  phase  of  agricultural  life  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  He  has  witnessed  the  transformation  of  wild  and  arid  land 
into  productive  fields  that  annually  bring  forth  large  harvests  and  he  has  borne  his 
full  share  in  this  work  of  development  and  improvement.  His  excellent  farm  property 
is  the  visible  evidence  of  his  life  of  well  directed  energy  and  thrift. 

In  1909  Mr.  Larsen  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  Atkins,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  M. 
and  Shettie  (Roberry)  Atkins  and  a  native  of  Utah,  where  her  parents  were  connected 
with  farming  interests.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larsen  have  one  child,  Margaret  S.  Mr.  Larsen 
votes  with  the  republican  party,  being  a  stalwart  advocate  of  its  principles  and  policy. 
He  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  however,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts 
and  attention  upon  his  business  affairs,  and  his  close  application  and  industry  have 
gained  him  a  well  deserved  reputation  as  a  representative  farmer  of  Twin  Falls  county. 


GEORGE   W.    FRY. 

George  W.  Fry  is  now  living  retired  from  active  business  cares  but  for  a  long 
period  was  connected  with  the  farming  and  live  stock  interests  of  Ada  county  and 
has  done  much  to  improve  the  grade  of  sheep  raised  in  this  section  of  the  state,  being 
the  first  to  introduce  Shropshire  sheep  into  this  neighborhood.  Mr.  Fry  is  a  native 
of  Iowa,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Oakdale,  February  18,  1855.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Annie  (Deal)  Fry.  The  father  was  born  in  Strassburg,  Germany, 
and  when  thirteen  years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Iowa,  where  for 
many  years  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  continuing  active  in  that  business 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  Occurred  when  he  was  sixty-one  years  of  age.  His 
wife  was  a  native  of  France  but  they  were  married  in  Georgetown,  Indiana,  and  their 
son  George  was  but  seven  weeks  old  when  the  mother  was  killed  by  lightning. 

George  W.  Fry  had  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  when  his  father  died  and  was 
thus  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  In  fact  during  his  youth  he  worked — a 
barefoot  boy — in  order  to  provide  for  his  own  support,  and  he  utilized  as  far  as 
possible  the  opportunities  of  attending  school,  thus  qualifying  himself  for  life's  prac- 


NEPHI  LARSEN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  887 

tical  and  responsible  duties.  When  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  he 
wedded  Mary  Robinson,  of  Monroe,  Iowa,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  on  the  28th 
of  February,  1879.  Her  parents  were  Joseph  and  Indiana  (Funk)  Robinson,  the 
former  for  many  years  a  farmer  of  Monroe  county,  Iowa.  The  latter  was  named  in 
honor  of  her  native  state  of  Indiana,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fry  have  become  the  parents  of  two  sons:  Otto  J.,  thirty-eight  years  of  age;  and 
Russell,  aged  twenty.  The  elder  son  wedded  Bessie  Baker  and  they  have  one  child. 
Homer,  a  lad  of  nine  years.  The  younger  son  lives  at  home  and  cultivates  a  portion 
of  his  father's  farm,  having  now  nine  acres  planted  to  cantaloupes  and  watermelons. 

It  was  in  the  year  of  his  marriage  that  Mr.  Fry  came  to  Idaho,  making  his  way 
to  Boise,  after  which  he  was  employed  at  breaking  horses  by  John  Hailey  and  also 
did  some  farming  on  what  was  known  as  the  Peck  ranch.  He  afterward  leased  from 
John  Hailey  the  property  that  is  known  as  the  Moore  ranch,  being  sold  by  Mr.  Hailey 
to  C.  W.  Moore  a  year  after  Mr.  Fry  took  up  his  abode  upon  that  place.  With  the 
transfer  of  the  property  Mr.  Fry  became  foreman  for  Mr.  Moore  and  so  continued 
until  1882,  when  he  and  his  wife  returned  to  the  old  Fry  home  in  Iowa,  where  they 
remained  until  1885.  But  the  lure  of  the  west  was  upon  them  and  in  that  year  they 
removed  to  Cornucopia,  in  eastern  Oregon.  When  another  year  had  passed  they 
returned  to  Idaho  and  for  a  year  Mr.  Fry  was  employed  by  Mr.  Place.  He  next 
homesteaded  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  situated  five  miles 
northwest  of  Eagle.  His  nearest  neighbor  was  at  that  time  a  mile  distant.  The 
country  was  all  wild  and  undeveloped  and  the  land  bore  nothing  but  a  crop  of  sage- 
brush. Mr.  Fry  then  set  to  work  to  develop  his  place.  He  built  a  house,  for  which 
he  hauled  the  lumber  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  from  Walker's  Mills  on  Dry  Buck, 
and  in  the  meantime  he  and  his  family  lived  upon  the  Moore  place.  After  the  house 
was  completed  he  cleared  twelve  acres  of  land  and  during  the  second  year  in  which 
the  family  lived  upon  the  land  he  raised  his  first  crop  of  corn,  the  yield  being  about 
thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  this  he  sold  at  a  dollar  per  bushel.  By  the  third 
year  he  had  cleared  twenty-five  acres,  which  he  planted  to  alfalfa,  and  he  also  added 
a  few  head  of  stock  to  his  place  but  he  sold  most  of  his  hay  to  the  sheepmen.  In 
1901,  in  connection  with  the  operation  of  his  farm,  he  conducted  a  dairy  for  a  year 
in  Boise,  his  family,  however,  remaining  upon  the  farm.  From  the  time  when  they 
located  upon  their  ranch  Mr.  Fry  and  his  family  were  only  absent  from  the  place  two 
nights  in  a  period  of  seven  years,  when  he  received  his  patent  for  the  property.  He 
could  have  received  the  patent  in  five  years,  but  the  government  gave  him  the  benefit 
of  seven  years'  residence  by  remitting  all  payments  of  taxes.  In  1902  he  purchased 
twelve  hundred  head  of  ewes  from  William  Howell  and  the  following  year  sold  them 
at  a  fine  profit.  He  afterward  purchased  another  twelve  hundred  head  from  Andy 
Johnson,  which  he  kept  for  two  years  and  then  sold.  It  was  Mr.  Fry  who  Introduced 
Shropshire  sheep  in  this  neighborhood,  purchasing  a  carload,  on  which  he  made  a 
good  financial  return,  and  the  introduction  of  these  sheep  did  much  to  improve  the 
breed  of  sheep  raised  in  Ada  county. 

In  1906  he  retired  from  active  business  and  rented  his  farm  to  his  son,  Otto  J.. 
who  has  built  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  the  state  upon  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land 
which  he  owns  adjoining  that  of  his  father.  Mr.  Fry's  present  affluent  circumstances 
are  in  marked  contrast  to  his  condition  when  as  a  barefoot  boy  he  was  laboring  to 
provide  the  necessaries  of  life.  He  has  prospered  as  the  years  have  passed  and  his 
energy  and  industry  have  been  the  basis  of  his  advancement.  His  labors  have  ever 
been  intelligently  directed  and  he  has  made  good  use  of  his  time,  talents  and  oppor- 
tunities, thus  winning  a  substantial  measure  of  success  as  the  years  have  gone  by. 


EDWARD  STOCKTON. 

A  life  of  intense  activity  is  bringing  a  substantial  measure  of  success  to  Edward 
Stockton,  who  follows  farming  near  New  Plymouth.  Payette  county.  He  was  born 
at  Geneva,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  March  19,  1859.  His  father,  Edward  Stockton,  was 
a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Illinois.  At  one  time  he  refused 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  half  block  now  located  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
city  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  young  man  when  he  settled  in  that  state.  He  there 
married  Maria  Updyke,  who  was  also  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  both  parents  passed 
away  at  Geneva,  Illinois. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Edward  Stockton  acquired  his  education  in  the  town  of  his  birth  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  began  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  eight 
years.  He  was  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  during  the  boom  days  of  1885  to  1887 
and  saw  that  country  develop  from  the  raw.  He  also  spent  some  time  in  the  state 
of  Nevada  and  at  Lake  Tahoe  in  the  high  Sierras.  Commodore  Stockton  and  the 
Stockton  for  whom  the  city  of  Stockton,  California,  was  named  were  cousins  of  his 
father.  In  the  year  1893  Edward  Stockton  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  build- 
ings for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children  and  the  only  one  who  has  become  identified  with  the  far  west. 

Twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Stockton  came  to  New  Plymouth  and  settled  at  his 
present  home  a  half  mile  north  of  the  town.  Here  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  sage- 
brush land  at  ten  dollars  per  acre  and  it  seemed  then  as  though  the  price  was  consid- 
erably more  than  the  property  was  worth.  The  struggle  during  the  first  five  years  was 
a  most  difficult  one  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stockton,  who  had  left  a  good  home  in  Illinois 
for  the  wilds  of  the  west,  and  homesickness  was  one  of  their  worst  ills.  They  adhered 
to  their  purpose,  however,  and  today  they  have  a  fine  home  and  a  ten  acre  orchard 
which  is  a  most  beautiful  picture  in  the  landscape,  for  among  the  trees  grows  a 
carpet  of  rich  green  alfalfa.  He  was  offered  five  thousand  dollars  for  his  crop  of 
apples  in  the  year  1919.  In  addition  to  his  fruit  production  he  likewise  cultivates 
grain  and  had  eight  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  in  the  present  year.  He  also  raises  hay 
and  horses  and  cattle,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Northwestern  Fruit  Growers 
Association,  which  organization  has  proven  of  inestimable  value  to  the  fruit  growers 
of  the  northwest  and  has  really  been  the  vital  factor  that  has  enabled  them  to  grow 
and  market  their  fruit  at  a  profit. 

In  1900  Mr.  Stockton  was  married  to  Miss  Alta  Conley,  of  Iowa,  the  wedding 
ceremony  being  performed  at  the  home  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  Rebecca  (Hodyshell) 
Conley.  They  now  have  three  children:  Helen  N.,  Richard  E.  and  Mildred  B.  The 
family  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  locality,  with  which  the  parents  have 
been  connected  from  the  period  of  pioneer  development.  Mr.  Stockton  is  a  man 
of  agreeable  personality,  of  courteous  and  refined  manner  and  of  business  ability 
that  has  enabled  him  to  take  advantage  of  existing  conditions  here  and  use  his  oppor- 
tunities in  a  most  excellent  way  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  own  fortunes  and  the  care 
of  his  family. 


H.  A.  YOUNG. 

H.  A.  Young  represents  important  commercial  interests  in  Nampa  and  Canyon 
county,  being  at  the  head  of  the  Crystal  Ice  Company,  a  prosperous  enterprise.  He 
was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  June  18,  1867,  but  in  his  early  youth  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  the  harness  business,  being  numbered  among  the  successful  merchants  of  his 
community.  He  was  a  New  Englander  by  birth  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  his 
district  in  Iowa.  He  married  Molly  Agnes  McBeth,  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  both  he 
and  his  wife  are  now  deceased.  The  father  and  his  brother  fought  in  the  Civil  war, 
the  former  being  on  the  side  of  the  north  and  the  latter  with  the  south.  Both 
survived  the  conflict  but  were  unable  to  locate  each  other  until  just  previous  to 
the  brother's  death,  although  our  subject's  father  had  employed  every  means  at  his 
command  in  order  to  find  his  brother.  He  was  finally  located  through  the  war 
department  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  the  father  reached  his  brother's  bedside  just 
before  his  death. 

H.  A.  Young  attended  the  common  schools  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  rounding 
out  his  education  by  one  year's  attendance  at  Carthage  College  of  Carthage,  Illinois. 
Thus  well  prepared  for  life's  arduous  duties,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  found 
employment  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  After  three  years 
however,  he  joined  the  firm  of  Goldsmith  &  Joseph  of  Missouri,  railroad  contractors, 
and  in  a  short  time  found  recognition  of  his  ability  by  becoming  their  foreman.  As 
they  did  construction  work  he  moved  with  them  to  various  points  from  Spokane, 
Washington,  to  the  Bear  RiA'er  irrigation  canal,  Utah,  and  remained  on  that  work 
until  its  completion.  In  1890  Mr.  Young  came  to  Nampa,  Idaho,  and  was  connected 
with  the  construction  of  the  Phyllis  irrigation  canal  until  it  was  completed.  He 
then  had  charge  of  the  New  York  canal,  north  of  Boise,  on  the  Boise  river,  which, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  889 

however,  was  not  completed  for  several  years.  He  next  engaged  in  the  contracting 
business  in  Nampa  until  the  beginning  of  construction  on  the  Boise-Payette  project, 
when  he  joined  Ferris  &  Kesl,  who  had  a  contract  for  a  portion  of  this  work.  There 
he  remained  until  the  completion  of  the  project  and  a  year  later  again  joined  Ferris 
&  Kesl  in  the  work  on  the  Milner  dam  of  the  Twin  Falls  South  Side  project.  They 
were  engaged  for  four  years  on  the  south  side  project,  two  years  on  the  north  side 
project,  one  year  on  the  Twin  Falls  Salmon  River  project  and  two  years  on  the  Twin 
Falls  Oakley  project.  The  importance  of  Mr.  Young's  work  in  connection  with  thes«- 
constructive  enterprises  is  quite  evident.  On  their  completion  he  returned  to  Nampa 
and  took  charge  of  the  Young  Transfer  &  Storage  business,  which  he  had  previously 
founded.  Of  this  he  remained  the  head  until  March,  1917,  when  he  sold  out  and 
entered  the  coal  and  ice  business  under  the  name  of  the  Crystal  Ice  Company,  which 
he  now  conducts,  largely  controlling  the  retail  trade  of  Nampa.  He  is  not  only  an 
eminent  construction  engineer  who  has  done  valuable  work  in  regard  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  state,  but  he  also  is  a  reliable  and  trustworthy  business  man,  who,  at 
the  head  of  the  Crystal  Ice  Company,  enjoys  the  full  confidence  and  trust  of 
his  patrons. 

Mr.  Young  was  married  in  1907  to  Eliza  Woodall,  of  Albion,  Idaho,  and  they 
have  a  son,  Harry  Lloyd,  eight  years  of  age.  The  family  are  very  popular  in  the 
social  circles  of  their  city,  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  enjoy  the  hospitality  of 
the  best  homes  of  their  neighborhood,  while  they  often  entertain  their  many  friends 
at  their  own  fireside. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Young  is  an  Odd  Fellew  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  has  gone 
through  the  chairs  of  both  organizations.  He  was  one  of  the  district  managers  of 
the  Red  Cross  drives  previous  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice  and  has  in  every  way 
supported  all  war  measures,  being  thoroughly  in  agreement  with  the  policy  of  the 
government  in  its  prosecution  of  the  war  toward  a  successful  end,  in  fact  in  every 
way  he  has  proven  himself  a  public-spirited  citizen  who  has  at  heart  the  welfare  of 
his  community,  county  and  state. 


DANIEL  L.   BARKER. 

Daniel  L.  Barker,  devoting  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  numbered 
among  the  highly  respected  citizens  in  the  vicinity  of  Meridian,  was  born  in  Suffolk. 
England,  April  3,  1851,  and  acquired  his  early  education  there,  while  later  he 
attended  a  private  school  at"  Bingen  6n  the  Rhine.  He  was  in  Germany  when  the 
war  of  1870  broke  out  and  the  town  was  the  center  of  the  rush.  While  there  he 
learned  to  speak  the  German  language  and  he  also  speaks  French  as  well  as  his 
native  tongue.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  new  world,  making 
his  way  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  first  employed  in  a  brickyard  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  had  accumulated  sufficient  money  to  purchase  a 
team  and  wagon  and  in  that  manner  he  drove  across  the  country  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  took  up  a  homestead  on  the  Loup  river  in  Howard  county  in  1874.  After  living 
upon  that  place  for  five  years  he  sold  the  property  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  the  Pawnee  reservation  when  it  was  thrown  open  for  settlement.  He 
had  engaged  in  farming  in  Nebraska  for  twenty  years  when  he  removed  to  Idaho 
in  January,  1895,  and  settled  on  his  present  home  near  Meridian.  Here  he  pur- 
chased sixty  acres  of  land  covered  with  sagebrush,  not  a  furrow  having  been  turned 
nor  an  improvement  made  upon  the  place.  He  employed  help  to  assist  him  in 
clearing  the  land  and  he  has  today  one  of  the  model  farms  of  Idaho.  He  raised 
fruit  and  cereals  until  recent  years  but  is  now  giving  his  attention  to  general 
farming  and  to  the  raising  of  pure  bred  Hampshire  sheep.  In  all  of  his  business 
affairt  he  has  been  actuated  by  a  most  progressive  spirit  that  has  led  to  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  his  purpose.  Not  only  is  he  numbered  among  the  representative 
farmers  of  the  district  but  has  also  done  important  work  in  other  directions.  He 
helped  to  organize  the  Nampa  and  Meridian  Irrigation  District  for  the  purpose  of 
putting  water  on  seventy-five  thousand  acres  in  1905  and  acted  as  managing  director 
thereof  until  January  1,  1919,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his  undivided  attention 
to  his  private  farming  interests.  The  irrigation  project  was  beset  with  great  compli- 
cations and  It  was  the  arduous  duty  of  Mr.  Barker  to  straighten  all  this  out,  which 
he  did  to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  and  the  project  is  today  one  of 


890  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

the  most  successful  irrigation  interests  of  the  state.  He  has  made  a  scientific  study 
of  irrigation,  reading  broadly  everything  relating  thereto  throughout  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  in  Idaho. 

In  1879  Mr.  Barker  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  Walker,  of  Valley  county, 
Nebraska,  who  passed  away  leaving  three  children:  Jennie  M.,  who  is  married  and 
resides  in  Oregon;  Daisy  L.,  who  is  married  and  makes  her  home  northwest  of 
Meridian;  and  John  W.,  who  was  an  attorney  of  Lewistown,  Montana,  until  America 
entered  the  war.  He  received  his  first  commission  at  San  Francisco,  California,  being 
made  first  lieutenant,  was  afterward  promoted  to  captain,  and  later  was  major 
of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry  in  the  Eighth  Division,  stationed  at  Brest,  Prance,  in  the 
inspector's  department.  In  1886  Mr.  Barker  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mrs.  Addie  M.  Egbert,  of  Austin,  Minnesota,  who  by  her  former  marriage 
had  two  children:  E.  Channing  Egbert,  who  is  married  and  resides  at  Rupert, 
Idaho;  and  Lee  L.,  who  is  also  married  and  has  three  children,  his  home  being  a 
mile  south  of  the  Barker  farm.  To  Mr.  Barker's  second  marriage  there  have  been 
born  three  children.  Anna  E.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  California  at 
Berkeley  of  the  class  of  1914,  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Curtis,  living  in  Meridian. 
Daniel  L.,  aged  twenty-nine  years,  has  a  homestead  in  British  Columbia.  He  has 
just  returned  from  overseas  duty  with  the  Canadian  troops,  having  been  a  member 
of  the  Forty-ninth  Battalion.  He  was  in  all  of  the  hard  fighting  with  that  command, 
and  although  he  escaped  wounds,  he  was  gassed.  His  homestead  is  situated  in  the 
Peace  River  country.  Guy  A.,  who  is  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  is  married  and 
lives  in  San  Francisco,  California.  He  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia at  Berkeley  in  1914  and  has  recently  returned  from  France,  where  he  served 
as  a  captain  of  the  Sixty-second  Coast  Artillery.  J.  H.  Curtis  enlisted  in  the  Tank 
Corps  but  did  not  get  across.  Two  of  Mr.  Barker's  sons,  Daniel  L.  and  John  W., 
visited  the  old  home  of  their  father  in  England  while  there  during  the  war,  but  the 
only  landmark  which  was  left  was  an  old  pear  tree. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker  occupy  a  fine  modern  residence  that  stands  on  a  prominence, 
commanding  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  Mr.  Barker  is  a 
man  of  liberal  education  and  culture,  a  wide  reader  and  deep  thinker,  who  has  made 
wise  use  of  his  time,  talents  and  opportunities  not  only  to  the  betterment  of  his 
individual  fortunes  but  also  for  the  development  of  the  community  in  which  he 
has  cast  his  lot. 


M.   F.   ALBERT. 

For  seventeen  years  M.  F.  Albert  has  been  a  well  known  figure  in  financial  circles  in 
Payette,  where  he  is  now  the  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank.  The  story  of  his 
life  is  the  story  of  earnest  endeavor  and  close  application,  resulting  in  the  attain- 
ment of  success  and  an  honored  name.  He  was  born  at  Dushore,  Pennsylvania,  July  18, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Eliza  (Bartch)  Albert.  The  father  was  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  this  country  when  twenty  years  of  age  to  escape  military 
service  in  his  native  land.  He  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in  1890.  His  wife  is  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years  is  acting  as  housekeeper  for  her 
son,  M.  F.  Albert,  during  the  absence  of  his  wife  on  a  visit,  showing  that  she  is  a 
remarkably  well  preserved  woman. 

M.  F.  Albert  acquired  his  education  in  the  graded  school  of  his  native  town, 
in  the  Shenandoah  high  school  and  in  the  Bloomsburg  State  Normal  School.  Follow- 
ing his  graduation  from  the  last  named  institution  in  1880  he  taught  school  for  eleven 
years,  the  most  of  that  time  being  spent  at  Laporte,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  also  filled 
the  position  of  postmaster.  The  year  1892  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Albert  in 
Payette,  Idaho,  being  influenced  to  take  this  step  by  the  favorable  reports  made  by  his 
two  uncles  concerning  the  country.  His  uncles  had  arrived  one  year  before  and  were 
homesteading.  On  reaching  Payette,  Mr.  Albert  again  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching 
and  became  superintendent  of  the  Payette  schools,  which  position  he  occupied  for  ten 
years.  He  was  then  offered  the  cashiership  in  the  new  Bank  of  Commerce  in  1902  and 
thus  entered  upon  his  career  as  a  financier.  He  and  his  bank  associates  conducted 
the  business  for  four  years,  when  the  Bank  of  Commerce  was  consolidated  with  the 
present  First  National  Bank,  and  in  June,  1919,  Mr.  Albert  completed  thirteen  years' 
service  as  cashier  of  the  bank,  of  which  he  is  also  a  stockholder.  As  the  years  have 


M.  P.  ALBERT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  893 

passed  he  has  extended  his  business  efforts  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Idaho  Canning 
Company,  in  the  Payette  Valley  Land  &  Orchard  Company,  in  the  Payette  Valley  Rex 
Spray  Company  and  in  all  of  these  is  likewise  a  director,  thus  having  voice  in  their 
management  and  control.  He  is  likewise  engaged  in  fruit  raising  in  the  Payette  Heights 
irrigation  district.  He  assisted  in  promoting  and  was  a  director  of  the  Noble  Ditch 
Company,  which  was  to  furnish  water  for  the  New  Plymouth  bench  lands,  this  being 
one  of  the  first  enterprises  put  forth  for  the  public  good  of  Payette — a  work  that  was 
accomplished  over  twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Albert  has  also  owned  and  sold  a  great  deal 
of  land  in  the  Payette  Valley  and  Twin  Falls  districts  and  Is  still  interested  in  real 
estate  In  both  places.  His  uncles  have  both  retired  from  business  as  a  result  of  the 
success  which  they  have  achieved  in  this  country.  Mr.  Albert  is  associated  with 
Peter  Pence,  W.  A.  Coughanour  and  General  L.  V.  Patch  in  a  number  of  important 
business  enterprises  and  was  also  connected  with  the  late  Hon.  A.  B.  Moss. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1888,  Mr.  Albert  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie  Troup. 
of  Newport,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  four  children.  Lester  F.,  thirty  -years 
of  age,  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Idaho  Power  Company  when  he  enlisted  for  service 
in  the  World  war.  He  was  severely  wounded  In  the  battle  of  Chateau  Thierry,  losing 
both  legs  and  a  part  of  his  right  hand.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  David  W.t 
the  second  son,  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  was  also  in  military  service,  having  been 
a  sergeant  on  the  Mexican  border,  and  was  greatly  disappointed  that  he  was  not  sent 
across  for  overseas  service.  Both  sons  were  volunteers  and  are  graduates  of  the 
University  of  Idaho  at  Moscow.  Marvin  D.,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  has  for  two  years 
been  a  student  at  Moscow.  Marjorie,  the  only  daughter,  is  now  a  Sophomore  in  the 
University  of  Idaho,  and  all  are  graduates  of  the  Payette  high  school. 

Mr.  Albert  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  they  occupy 
a  very  prominent  position  in  social  circles.  A  spirit  of  marked  progressiveness  has 
actuated  Mr.  Albert  at  all  points  in  his  business  career  and  he  is  a  leading  officer  in  the 
Payette  Valley  Commercial  Club,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  Through 
this  and  other  avenues  he  does  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and 
insure  the  further  development  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  also  a  Mason 
of  high  rank.  During  the  entire  period  of  the  war"  he  did  everything  possible  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  government  and  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers  at  home 
and  overseas.  He  was  a  campaign  manager  during  the  first  and  second  Liberty  Loan 
drives  and  was  also  one  of  the  Four-Minute  Men.  at  the  same  time  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  National  Defense.  He  became  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Payette,  of  which  he  is  now  the  president 
and  one  of  the  directors.  In  every  possible  way  he  has  contributed  to  the  material,  in- 
tellectual, social  and  moral  development  of  the  district  and  his  labors  have  been  far- 
reaching  and  resutlant.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  but 
he  is  not  strongly  partisan,  and  he  has  served  on  the  city  council  for  one  term,  while 
for  three  terms'  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  occupying  the  posi- 
tion of  president  for  the  past  four  years.  He  is  likewise  the  president  and  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Payette  Mills. 


CHARLES  S.  GAMBLE. 

Charles  S.  Gamble  is  now  a  retired  rancher  and  hotel  man  living  at  Malta. 
There  is  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  and  development  in  the  west  with  which  he  is  not 
familiar.  He  has  lived  at  various  points  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi  when  such 
points  were  frontier  districts  and  has  witnessed  the  tide  of  civilization  steadily  flowing 
westward  until  the  wild  land  has  been  claimed  and  cultivated  and  the  work  of 
development  and  improvement  has  been  introduced  into  every  section  of  this  great 

«rn  country. 

Mr.  Gamble  was  born  in  Kent  county,  Maryland,  March  7,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Anna  C.  (Miller)  Gamble.  He  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  state 
to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  afterward  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  there  in  early  life  and  later  removed  to  Fort 
Riley,  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  government  for  two  years.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1868,  he  made  his  way  to  Fort  Hall  on  the  Indian  reservation  in  connection 
with  J.  Q.  Shirley  and  drove  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  head  ot  steers,  these  being 
the  first  Texas  cattle  which  were  driven  across  the  trail.  The  following  spring  he 


894  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

made  his  way  to  the  Raft  river  valley  of  Idaho  and  entered  the  employ  of  Shirley  & 
Sweetser,  prominent  cattlemen,  with  whom  he  remained  as  a  cow  puncher  for  thirty 
years.  His  experiences  in  this  connection  were  broad  and  varied,  making  him 
familiar  with  every  phase  of  the  frontier  development  of  this  section  of  the  country. 

In  1880  Mr.  Gamble  took  up  a  ranch  on  Cassia  creek  comprising  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  thereon  he  engaged  in  raising  cattle  on  his  own  account 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  afterward  removed  to  Malta,  where  he  erected  log 
buildings  and  conducted  a  hotel.  The  buildings  which  he  put  up  in  an  early  day 
are  still  in  use  but  Mr.  Gamble  is  now  living  retired,  having  through  the  careful 
and  successful  conduct  of  his  business  affairs  accumulated  a  handsome  competence 
which  enables  him  now  to  rest  from  further  labors.  He  was  long  identified  with 
ranching,  stock  raising  and  hotel  keeping  and  is  one  of  the  old-time  settlers  of  his 
section  of  the  state. 

In  March,  1874,  Mr.  Gamble  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Cotrell,  a 
native  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elinor  (Taylor)  Cotrell. 
Her  parents  came  from  England,  making  the  trip  to  the  new  world  on  a  sailing 
vessel  in  1854.  They  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
and  a  desire  to  join  the  people  of  their  faith  in  Utah  led  them  to  come  to  the 
United  States  and  make  the  trip  westward.  For  a  time  they  were  at  Nauvoo  and 
Kaneville,  Illinois,  later  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and 
eventually  they  continued  their  westward  journey  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  There 
the  father  worked  on  the  temple,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  Farming- 
ton,  Utah,  in  1879.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gamble  have  been  born  five  children:  Mary 
Elizabeth,  who  died  in  infancy;  Charles  Scott;  Leona  A.;  Clara  G. ;  and  Leroy,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and  six  months. 

Mr.  Gamble  has  always  been  a  supporter  of  the  democratic  party  but  not  a 
politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  His  life  history  if  written  in  detail  would 
present  a  complete  history  of  western  development  as  the  emigrants  slowly  made 
their  way  across  the  plains  to  take  up  wild  land  and  reclaim  for  the  purposes  of 
civilization  nature's  rich  bequests  to  her  children.  All  of  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions of  frontier  life  are  known  to  him,  with  its  attendant  opportunities  and  its 
pleasures,  and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  seen  the  work  of  progress  and 
improvement  carried  steadily  forward  as  the  land  has  been  claimed  and  cultivated, 
as  towns  and  villages  have  sprung  up,  and  as  every  modern  advantage  of  the  older 
east  has  been  introduced  into  the  west. 


GENERAL  ALBERT  H.  WILSON. 

General  Albert  H.  Wilson,  a  well  known  farmer  and  adjutant  general  of  the 
state  of  Idaho,  to  which  position  he  was  appointed  in  December,  1918,  was  born  at 
Lizton,  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  June  25,  1874,  a  son  of  William  J.  Wilson,  who 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  became  a  contractor  and  builder,  devoting  his  life  to 
that  occupation.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  however,  he  put  aside  all  business 
and  personal  considerations  and  served  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private,  being  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  Fort  Henry.  He  participated  in  many  other  important  engagements 
and  after  the  close  of  the  war  made  his  home  in  Indiana  until  1878,  when  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Nebraska. 

It  was  in  the  latter  state  that  General  Wilson  was  reared  in  the  town  of 
Tekamah,  Burt  county,  and  there  the  father  passed  away  in  1899.  The  mother,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emeline  R.  Jeger,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  spent  her 
last  years  in  the  home  of  her  son,  Albert  H.,  at  Lewiston,  Idaho,  there  passing  away 
in  1914. 

General  Wilson  acquired  a  good  public  and  high  school  education  but  was  obliged 
to  put  aside  his  textbooks  while  still  in  his  teens  on  account  of  the  necessity  of 
entering  business  life — a  necessity  occasioned  by  the  death  of  his  father. 

General  Wilson  has  manifested  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  and  bravery  that  caused 
his  father  to  join  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  For  more  than  twenty  years 
he  has  been  a  National  Guardsman  and  he  saw  service  with  the  Nebraska  volunteers 
in  the  Spanish-American  war.  For  one  year  he  was  a  member  of  Company  B  of 
the  Second  Regiment  of  the  Indiana  National  Guard  and  for  nine  years  he  was  with 
the  Nebraska  National  Guard,  spending  six  years  of  that  time  as  a  member  of 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  895 

Company  H  and  three  years  as  a  member  of  Company  L  of  the  Second  Regiment, 
serving  as  battalion  sergeant  major.  He  served  as  battalion  sergeant  major  in  the 
Second  Nebraska  Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  war  with  Spain  in  1898.  Following 
his  removal  to  Idaho  he  Joined  the  National  Guard  of  this  state  and  was  commissioned 
a  second  lieutenant  of  the  Second  Infantry  on  the  2d  of  May,  1903.  He  wag  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  on  the  19th  of  September  following  and  on  the 
1st  of  November,  1904,  he  was  made  battalion  adjutant.  On  the  10th  of  March,  1910, 
he  was  appointed  aide  de  camp  on  the  governor's  staff  with  the  rank  of  first  lieu- 
tenant and  was  again  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  the  Second  Infantry,  Idaho 
National  Guard,  November  3,  1913,  from  which  he  retired  on  application  Decem- 
ber 24,  1914.  Two  weeks  after  America  had  declared  war  on  Germany,  in  April, 
1917,  Lieutenant  Wilson  was  commissioned  captain  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
of  the  United  States  Army  and  was  ordered  on  active  duty  as  assistant  quarter- 
master at  Fort  Snelling.  Minnesota,  on  the  9th  of  May.  There  he  served  until  the 
27th  of  December  of  that  year,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  of 
adjutant  general  of  Idaho.  Before  he  was  discharged  he  was  recommended  for  a 
commission  as  major  by  the  commanding  officer  and  for  a  commission  in  the 
quartermaster's  department  of  the  regular  army  by  the  commanding  general  of 
the  Central  Department,  receiving  his  commission  as  major  December  20,  1919,  as 
major  in  the  Quartermaster  Department  in  United  States  Army  Reserve. 

In  the  meantime  General  Wilson  had  done  important  service  in  other  capacities 
outside  of  military  ranks.  He  was  appointed  to  the  United  States  immigration 
service  in  the  Chinese  branch  at  Payette,  Idaho,  in  1903  and  was  stationed  at 
Port  Townsend,  Washington.  He  served  in  that  department  from  1903  until  1906 
and  in  the  latter  year  was  appointed  inspector  of  meat  and  meat  food  products  in 
connection  with  the  bureau  of  animal  industry  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
and  stationed  at  Seattle,  Washington.  In  1907  he  was  transferred  to  Lewiston, 
Idaho,  in  charge  of  the  packing  plant  of  the  Inland  Meat  Company  and  served  in 
that  capacity  from  1907  until  1912.  He  then  resigned  his  position  with  the  govern- 
ment to  accept  the  appointment  of  deputy  pure  food  inspector  of  the  state  of  Idaho 
under  James  H.  Wallis  and  occupied  that  position  in  1913  and  1914.  In  the  succeed- 
ing year  he  became  deputy  pure  food  inspector  under  J.  K.  White  and  held  the  office 
through  1916.  As  previously  stated,  he  entered  the  army  in  1917  and  continued  in 
that  connection  until  resigning  to  become  adjutant  general  of  Idaho  under  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Davis,  assuming  the  duties  of  the  position  on  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1919.  He  resigned  from  the  adjutant  general's  office  to  accept  the  appointment 
of  chief  inspector  of  Public  Welfare  Department. 

In  Wellsville,  Missouri,  in  1897,  General  Wilson  was  married  to  Miss  Elsie  May 
Kirn,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  they  have  become  parents  of  eight  children,  three 
sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living:  Ruby,  William  T.,  Emma 
Louise,  Barbara  Elizabeth,  Albert  H.,  Jr.,  Elsie  May,  Neika  Julia  and  Robert  Lee. 

General  Wilson  turns  to  hunting  and  fishing  for  recreation  and  greatly  enjoys 
those  trips  in  the  open.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  Elk  and  is  also  an  exemplary 
representative  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  loyally 
adhering  to  the  teachings  of  the  craft  concerning  the  brotherhood  of  mankind  and 
the-  obligation::  thereby  imposed.  He  has  ever  held  to  high  standards  and  his  record 
in  both  civic  and  military  circles  is  most  commendable,  being  characterized  by  the 
utmost  fidelity  to  duty  in  every  connection.  He  possesses  much  literary  ability,  being 
the  author  of  many  popular  poems  which  have  been  widely  published. 


JAMES  ARTHUR  BAKER. 

James  Arthur  Baker,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Star  Grocery  at  No.  115  North 
Tenth  street  in  Boise  and  well  kno~wn  in  the  commercial  circles  of  the  city  for 
twenty-nine  years,  was  born  at  Mount  Pulaski,  Illinois,  October  22,  1875,  a  son  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Schriver)  Baker,  both  of  whom  are  living.  They  removed 
to  Kansas  when  their  son,  James  A.,  waa  but  a  year  old  and  he  was  reared  in  that 
state.  He  first  became  connected  with  the  grocery  trade  when  but  ten  years  of  age. 
When  a  lad  of  eleven  he  quit  school  and  was  afterward  steadily  employed  in  a 
grocery  store  at  Clay  Center,  Kansas,  for  some  time.  Mr.  Baker  removed  from  that 
place  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in  1890,  arriving  in  the  year  in  which  this  state  was  admitted 


896  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

to  the  Union.  Throughout  all  the  intervening  period  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
retail  grocery  trade.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  grocery  house  of 
Nelson  P.  Kimball  and  when  the  business  was  purchased  by  Frank  A.  Nourse,  Mr. 
Baker  was  made  the  manager.  The  business  had  been  established  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  '80s,  probably  about  1886.  Mr.  Baker  became  manager  for  Mr.  Nourse  in 
1898  and  so  continued  until  1906,  when  he  and  his  brother,  Henry  W.  Baker,  pur- 
chased the  business  from  Mr.  Nourse  and  have  owned  and  conducted  it  continuously 
since.  In  the  spring  of  1915  they  removed  the  Star  Grocery  to  its  present  location 
at  No.  115  North  Tenth  street  and  theirs  is  the  second  oldest  house  of  the  kind  in 
Boise  in  continuous  operation  and  under  the  same  name,  the  grocery  department 
of  Falk's  being  the  oldest.  Mr.  Baker,  however,  is  today  the  pioneer  in  the  grocery 
trade  of  Boise,  having  been  continuously  connected  therewith  since  1890,  and  no 
one  now  in  the  business  can  equal  his  record.  The  Star  Grocery  is  one  of  the  three 
or  four  exceptionally  fine  grocery  houses  of  Boise,  carrying  an  extensive  line  of  staple 
and  fancy  groceries.  The  house  is  most  neat  and  attractive  in  its  arrangement  and 
the  business  methods  followed  commend  the  establishment  to  the  support  of  the 
general  public. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1900,  in  Boise,  Mr.  Baker  was  married  to  Miss  Mae 
McPherson,  a  native  of  San  Francisco,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Carlos  Harry  and 
James  Aiden.  The  former  is  widely  known  in  musical  circles  as  an  expert  jazz 
drummer.  The  latter  is  attending  high  school. 

Mr.  Baker  is  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  lodge  and  encampment, 
and  is  a  past  grand  and  past  chief  patriarch  in  the  order.  He  is  also  connected  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  fond  of  motoring  and  fishing  and 
thus  spends  his  leisure  hours.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party 
but  without  desire  for  office  as  a  reward  for  party  fealty.  He  has  made  for  himself 
a  most  creditable  name  and  place  in  commercial  circles  of  Boise  and  all  who  know 
him  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  respect  and  warm  regard. 


WILLIAM  G.  JENKINS,  JE. 

Among  the  prosperous  commercial  houses  of  Boise  is  the  Jenkins  Furniture  Com- 
pany at  Eleventh  and  Main  streets,  of  which  William  G.  Jenkins,  Jr.,  is  the  secretary- 
treasurer  and  manager.  Born  in  Seattle,  Washington,  February  8,  1890,  he  is  a  product 
of  the  west  and  thoroughly  imbued  with  western  enterprise  and  energy.  He  is  yet 
a  young  man  who  already  has  displayed  rare  commercial  ability.  His  father,  William 
G.  Jenkins,  Sr.,  is  president  of  the  Jenkins  Furniture  Company  although  he  gives  most 
of  his  attention  to  ranching  interests,  specializing  in  the  breeding  of  thoroughbreds 
in  Malheur  county,  Oregon.  The  Jenkins  ranch  in  the  above  county  is  located  about 
sixty  miles  from  Boise.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenkins,  Sr.,  located  in  Malheur  county,  Oregon, 
in  1900,  removing  there  from  Dawson,  Alaska.  Mr.  Jenkins  went  to  that  far  northern 
city  from  Seattle  in  1895  and  the  family  there  joined  him  in  1897.  The  father  became 
the  owner  of  a  rich  gold  claim  his  success  in  the  mining  line  making  him  wealthy. 
He  and  his  associates  cleared  up  about  a  third  of  a  million  dollars  before  the  claim 
became  exhausted.  In  1900  Mr.  Jenkins,  Sr.,  returned  to  the  States  and  has  since  been 
very  successful  in  ranching,  specializing  in  thoroughbred  racehorses.  He  has  exhibited 
his  horses  on  the  California  tracks  and  elsewhere. 

William  G.  Jenkins,  Sr.,  was  borri  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  is  a  descendant 
of  an  old  Tar  Heel  family.  His  wife  before  her  marriage  was  Jennie  Plunkett,  who 
was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  Their  wedding  ceremony  was  performed  in 
Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  in  the  early  '80s,  and  our  subject  is  their  only  child.  After 
the  year  1900  William  G.  Jenkins,  Jr.,  spent  his  youth  on  his  father's  ranch  in  Oregon, 
later  receiving  his  college  education  at  Santa  Clara  College  of  Santa  Clara,  California. 
He  then  completed  a  technical  course  in  the  Polytechnic  Business  College  of  Oakland, 
California,  and  in  1910  came  to  Boise,  where  he  embarked  in  the  furniture  business  as 
a  partner  in  the  Pugh-Jenkins  Furniture  Company.  Later  Mr.  Jenkins  took  over 
all  of  Mr.  Pugh's  interests  and  in  1913  incorporated  the  present  Jenkins  Furniture 
Company,  the  stock  of  which  is  owned  by  himself  and  his  parents,  the  father  acting 
as  president,  Mr.  Jenkins  of  this  review  as  secretary-treasurer  and  manager,  while 
the  mother  fills  the  position  of  vice  president.  The  Jenkins  Furniture  Company  is 
located  at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Main  streets  and  occupies  one  hundred  lineal 


WILLIAM  G.  JENKINS,  JB. 


Vol.  II— 5 T 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  899 

feet  on  Main  street  having  four  large  sales  rooms  fronting  that  thoroughfare.  It  la 
one  of  Boise's  important  mercantile  concerns  and  one  of  the  largest  furniture  estab- 
lishments in  the  city.  Mr.  Jenkins  of  this  review  has  thoroughly  proved  his  executive 
ability  in  its  management  and  is  now  doing  an  extensive  installment  business,  to 
which  department  he  has  particularly  given  his  close  attention.  The  success  of  the 
company  is  largely  due  to  his  untiring  efforts. 

On  the  llth  of  November,  1914,  William  G.  Jenkins,  Jr.,  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Cora  Taylor,  of  Oroville,  California,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  sons: 
William  G.  Ill,  whose  birth  occurred  on  thte  25th  of  December,  1915;  and  Robert  D'- 
Orville,  born  February  19,  1917.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenkins  are  popular  among  the 
younger  social  set  of  Boise,  having  many  friends  in  the  city.  He  is  a  devotee  of  golf, 
being  a  member  of  the  Boise  Golf  Club,  and  also  finds  recreation  in  fishing.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Elks  and  also  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Rotary  Club,  the 
Boise  Polo  Club  and  the  Commercial  Club,  in  the  projects  of  which  he  ever  takes  an 
active  interest. 


ALBERT  HARVEY. 

Albert  Harvey,  who  began  life  in  Idaho  as  one  of  its  pioneer  settlers  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  property  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
on  which  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  fruit  and  also  of 
sheep  and  cattle,  was  born  in  Dekalb  county,  Illinois,  November  29,  1855.  During 
his  infancy  his  parents,  John  and  Grace  Harvey,  removed  to  Chicago  but  after  a 
short  time  spent  there  took  up  their  abode  at  Kankakee,  Illinois.  A  few  years  later 
they  returned  to  Chicago  and  Albert  Harvey,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been  acquir- 
ing a  public  school  education,  soon  afterward  began  working  at  farm  labor  and  was 
also  employed  in  the  shingle  mills  near  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin.  On  the  4th  of 
July,  1876,  he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account 
and  also  for  others  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  Idaho  and  settled  on  his  present 
place,  which  is  pleasantly  and  conveniently  located  about  three  miles  east  of 
Middleton. 

Mr.  Harvey  first  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  most  of  which  was 
covered  with  sagebrush,  and  here  he  began  his  life  as  an  Idaho  pioneer,  meeting  all 
the  hardships,  trials  and  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  of  the  frontier.  He 
afterward  sold  eighty  acres  of  his  land  to  J.  L.  Shaffer  and  subsequently  acquired  a 
tract  of  forty  acres,  thus  increasing  his  place  to  its  present  size  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  His  daughters,  Grace  and  Maude,  also  own  sixteen  acres  each, 
constituting  what  was  the  old  Clendenen  place,  and  this  their  father  cultivates  for 
them,  their  land  being  just  across  the  road  from  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Harvey  has 
upon  his  place  one  hundred  and  six  prune  trees,  which  are  the  only  trees  that  have 
been  profitable,  the  remainder  of  the  orchard  being  cut  down.  In  four  years  he 
has  taken  in  cash  from  these  prune  trees  nine  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and  yet 
the  trees  are  nearly  twenty-five  years  old.  He  also  has  sixty  head  of  sheep  upon 
his  ranch  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  head  of  cattle,  two  of  which  are  registered 
shorthorn  heifers.  His  farm  was  at  one  time  the  property  of  Pleasant  Latham,  who 
had  resided  thereon  from  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  Harvey  has  in  his  posses- 
sion an  old  rawhide  bottom  chair  which  Mr.  Latham  brought  with  him  across  the 
plains  and  in  which  his  wife  would  sit  and  knit  before  the  camp  fire  when  they  made 
camp  for  the  night.  She  felt  real  grief  at  not  being  able  to  take  this  with  her  when 
they  left  the  farm,  but  had  to  leave  it  behind,  as  there  was  not  sufficient  room  for 
it  on  the  wagon  which  carried  away  their  belongings.  This  chair. possesses  all  the 
crude  marks  of  being  homemade  more  than  a  century  ago  and  should  be  preserved 
in  a  state  museum  as  a  relic  of  pioneer  times. 

In  1886  Mr.  Harvey  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Calhoun.  a  native  of 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  'David  Calhoun,  a  farmer.  They  have  ten  chil- 
dren: Maude  and  Grace,  both  of  whom  attended  the  preparatory  school  at  Caldwell 
and  are  at  home;  Amos  L.,  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm;  James  A.  and  Clarence 
D.,  who  are  farming  near  Nampa;  Cecil,  who  is  assisting  his  brothers  at  Nampa. 
and  they  are  this  year  seeding  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  grain;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Grove,  who  was  in  the  motor  transport  service  in  France;  Olive,  the 


900  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

wife  of  Claude  Grove,  a  farmer  near  Caldwell;   Elbert  E.,  twelve  years  of  age;  and 
Kenneth,  aged  eleven. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  a  number  of  interesting  souvenirs  which  were  sent 
to  them  by  their  son-in-law  in  France,  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Frank  Grove,  living  at 
home  while  her  husband  was  overseas.  Mr.  Harvey  had  an  exhibit  of  Ben  Davis 
apples  at  the  St.  Louis  exposition  in  1904  and  received  first  prize  and  a  silver  medal 
for  the  finest  individual  exhibit.  He  is  a  man  modest,  quiet  and  unassuming  in 
demeanor,  finding  his  greatest  joy  in  the  companionship  of  a  happy  family  and  of 
his  grandchildren,  who  are  the  joy  of  his  life.  He  occupies  a  beautiful  modern 
home  situated  at  the  base  of  the  foothills,  his  place  constituting  an  attractive  picture 
in  the  landscape. 


W.  H.  CONWAY. 

W.  H.  Conway  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Idaho.  For  more  than  a  half 
century  he  has  been  a  witness  of  the  growth  and  development  of  Boise  and  this 
section  of  the  state  and  has  contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  the  business  advance- 
ment of  the  district.  He  was  born  in  Boise,  September  6,  1868.  His  father,  Henry 
B.  Conway,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  enlisted  in  Illinois  for  service  in  the 
Mexican  war,  later  becoming  a  sergeant.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to 
California  and  thence  to  Oregon,  where  he  took  part  in  the  Rogue  River  Indian  war, 
holding  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  During  his  service  in  the  Mexican  war  he  had 
sustained  bullet  and  saber  wounds  and  he  was  awarded  a  medal  of  honor  by  General 
Scott  for  his  gallantry.  Before  coming  to  Oregon  he  acted  as  guide  over  the  Santa 
Fe  trail  for  emigrants  going  to  the  west  and  there  was  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  or 
experience  with  which  he  was  not  familiar.  At  the  close  of  the  Indian  war  in  Oregon 
he  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  located  permanently.  He  had  previously  visited  the 
state,  having  followed  the  thousands  who  were  attracted  by  the  mineral  discoveries 
in  this  section  of  the  country.  In  1862  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Boise 
for  a  short  time  and  then  homesteaded  what  is  now  known  as  the  Wood  place.  He 
served  as  one  of  the  early  sheriffs  of  Idaho  when  the  seat  of  government  was  at 
Idaho  City.  During  the  Bannock  war  of  1878  the  farmers  were  all  very  nervous 
but  were  reassured  by  Captain  H.  J.  G.  Maxon,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
legislature  and  was  prominent  in  public  affairs.  Captain  Maxon  told  the  farmers 
that  he  would  warn  them  when  things  proved  dangerous  and  finally  one  night  about 
twelve  o'clock  the  warning  was  given  and  they  all  went  into  Boise  for  protection, 
the  Conway  and  Maxon  families  being  the  last  to  leave  for  the  capital  city,  and 
when  the  scare  subsided  they  immediately  returned.  The  volunteers  were  the 
fighters  whom  the  Indians  feared  and  not  the  regular  soldiers.  Billy  West,  an  uncle 
of  W.  H.  Conway  and  a  former  sheriff  of  Ada  county,  was  accidentally  killed  by  the 
discharge  of  his  rifle  in  removing  his  pack  from  his  back  as  he  was  getting  away 
from  Brownlee  ferry,  on  the  Snake  river,  to  escape  an  anticipated  Indian  raid.  He 
died  in  Boise  from  the  effects  of  the  wound  and  lack  of  proper  medical  attention. 
The  death  of  Henry  B.  Conway  occurred  at  the  Old  Soldiers  Home  in  1909.  The 
parents  of  W.  H.  Conway  had  secured  a  legal  separation,  and  his  mother  afterward 
became  the  wife  of  John  B.  Wood,  who  died  in  1904.  Mrs.  Wood  survives  and  now 
resides  at  Long  Beach,  California. 

W.  H.  Conway  attended  the  country  schools  and  the  city  schools  of  Boise  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  mother 
and  stepfather  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  the  place  being  at  Edgewood 
Station  but  a  short  distance  from  his  present  home.  He  located  on  the  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  acres  on  which  he  now  lives  in  the  year  1891.  This  was 
school  land  and  he  purchased  it  from  the  state,  having  twenty-one  years  in  which 
to  pay  for  it,  the  price  being  seventeen  dollars  and  a  half  per  acre.  It  was  then 
covered  with  a  valuable  growth  of  timber,  so  that  it  was  worth  the  price,  although 
it  sold  at  a  higher  figure  than  any  other  land  at  that  date.  On  the  same  day  on 
which  Mr.  Conway  made  the  purchase  the  land  where  the  old  depot  stood  in  Boise 
was  sold  at  ten  dollars  per  acre.  Having  acquired  his  farm,  Mr.  Conway  at  once  set 
about  to  clear  the  place  and  make  improvements.  Some  of  the  old  stumps  are  still 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation  although  twenty-five  years  old.  Mr.  Conway  has 
carried  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  has  a  splendidly  developed  prop- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  901 

erty.  Upon  his  farm  are  two  fine  silos  and  he  raises  a  large  quantity  of  corn  for 
silage,  having  filled  a  one  hundred  and  eighty  ton  silo  from  ten  acres.  By  those 
well  qualified  to  judge  this  corn  was  said  to  be  the  best  silo  corn  ever  produced. 
.Mr.  Conway  keeps  on  hand  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  stock,  which 
he  raises,  and  his  business  affairs  are  being  carefully  and  profitably  conducted. 
His  home  is  a  comfortable  residence  and  there  are  substantial  outbuildings  upon 
the  place,  providing  ample  shelter  for  grain  and  stock.  On  first  leaving  home  Mr. 
Conway  tried  mining  and  sheep  shearing  and,  as  he  states,  "was  a  brilliant  failure." 
That  he  has  displayed  excellent  business  ability  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  how- 
ever, is  indicated  by  his  present  affluence,  for  he  is  numbered  among  the  substantial 
farmers  of  the  Boise  valley,  and  he  is  also  interested  in  the  Bank  of  Eagle  and  in 
tht  Boise  Valley  Packing  Plant,  located  at  Eagle. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1892,  Mr.  Conway  was  married  to  Miss  Frances 
Brashears,  a  native  of  Pike  county,  Missouri,  who  passed  away  October  2,  1904. 
They  had  a  family  of  four  children:  Ella  May,  the  wife  of  Edgar  Joplin,  a  farmer; 
Mary  Ethel,  who  attended  the  high  school  at  Eagle  and  is  now  acting  as  house- 
keeper for  her  father;  Frances  Elizabeth,  in  school;  and  John  Bryan,  eighteen  years 
of  age,  who  was  a  member  of  Troop  E  of  the  First  Utah  Cavalry  and  served  on  the 
Mexican  border,  being  one  of  the  few  who  were  under  fire  there.  This  was  the  first 
National  Guard  unit  to  get  into  action  on  the  border,  the  scene  of  the  encounter  with 
the  Mexicans  being  at  Stone  House,  about  seventy-five  miles  from  Nogales,  Just  over 
the  border.  He  later  became  a  member  of  Company  Three  Hundred  and  Nineteen 
of  the  Tanks  Corps  and  was  sent  to  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  being  ready  to  go 
overseas  at  the  time  the  armistice  was  signed.  He  received  his  discharge  December 
5,  1918.  When  he  first  enlisted  in  Utah  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Conway  has  always  been  a  democrat  but  never  an 
office  seeker,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business 
affairs.  He  has  never  been  remiss  in  the  duties  of  citizenship,  however,  and  cooper- 
ates in  all  carefully  planned  projects  for  the  substantial  development  and  upbuilding 
of  the  community  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  welfare  of  Idaho.  In  business  he 
has  made  steady  progress,  his  success  being  due  to  close  application  and  unfaltering 
industry,  which  after  all  is  the  basis  of  all  honorable  success. 


JOSEPH  F.  PLATZ. 

Joseph  F.  Platz  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  that  the  little  republic  of 
Switzerland  has  furnished  to  Idaho.  He  now  makes  his  home  in  New  Plymouth, 
where  he  follows  farming.  He  was  born  in  Graubinden,  Switzerland,  February  25, 
1861,  a  son  of  Martin  and  Marie  Ursula  (Poltera)  Platz,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Graubinden  and  were  married  at  Roffna,  where  the  father  was  a  drayman.  There 
he  was  killed  while  hauling  a  load  of  tiling  which  had  become  loose  on  the  dray 
and  fell  on  his  head. 

Joseph  F.  Platz  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country  and  served 
his  time  in  the  army  of  Switzerland,  which  he  believes  the  finest  in  the  world,  his 
military  training,  therefore,  being  of  excellent  character.  He  is  also  an  expert  horse- 
man, becoming  proficient  in  that  line  while  still  in  his  native  land.  He  came  to 
America  in  1883  and  later  two  brothers  and  a  sister  also  crossed  the  Atlantic.  They 
settled  in  Iowa  and  it  was  in  that  state  that  Joseph  F.  Platz  took  up  his  abode  on 
reaching  the  United  States. 

In  1903  Mr.  Platz  came  to  Idaho  and  settled  on  his  present  place  of  forty-seven 
acres  a  mile  and  a  quarter  northwest  of  New  Plymouth.  He  planted  a  fine  orchard 
of  ten  acres  and  his  trees  are  now  in  excellent  bearing  condition.  He  also  carries  on 
dairying  in  a  small  way  and  raises  alfalfa  and  some  grain.  In  1919  he  had  eighty 
tons  of  hay  and  he  sold  his  apples  for  fifty  dollars  a  ton,  putting  upon  the  market 
about  seventy-two  tons.  His  industry  and  perseverance  are  producing  excellent 
results  and  he  is  adding  to  his  property  as  the  years  go  by. 

About  twenty-eight  years  ago,  in  Nebraska,  Mr.  Platz  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Emelia  Marie  Ackerman,  whose  parents,  Antone  and  Anna  Marie  Ackerman, 
were  natives  of  Switzerland  and  became  pioneers  of  Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Platz  have 
ten  living  children.  Martin  Antone,  twenty-six  years  of  age,  married  Mildred  Blay- 
den,  a  native  of  Idaho,  and  they  have  one  child,  Richard.  Thresa  Veronica  is  at 


902  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

home.  John  Joseph,  twenty-two  years  of  age,  was  a  memher  of  the  Twelfth  Regi- 
ment and  was  stationed  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  during  the  World  war.  Clarence 
George,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  is  at  home  with  his  father.  Clara  Marie  is  also  at 
home.  Don  Albert,  aged  sixteen,  Arnold  Frank,  fifteen,  Carrol  Christian,  aged  twelve, 
born  on  Christmas  day,  Leonard  Paul,  aged  eleven,  and  Antone  Francis,  nine,  are  all 
in  school.  Glenn  William  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Platz  has  an  interesting  family  who 
are  a  credit  to  his  name.  He  has  never  regretted  his  determination  to  try  his 
fortune  in  America  for  here  he  found  the  opportunities  which  he  sought  and  is 
today  the  owner  of  a  valuable  property  worth  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre. 


THOMAS    K.    HARRIS. 

Since  1898  Thomas  K.  Harris  has  been  a  resident  of  Payette  county  and  is  now 
devoting  his  attention  to  farming  on  Whitney  bottom,  in  the  Fruitland  district.  He 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  August  26,  1857.  His  father,  Archibald  Wood  Harris,  also 
a  native  of  that  state,  removed  to  Arkansas  with  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  Klepper,  in  the  year  1872.  A  year  and  a  half  later  they  took  up 
their  residence  in  the  Willamette  valley  of  Oregon,  where  Mr.  Harris  followed  farm- 
ing for  four  years  and  then  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  The  Dalles,  where  he  again 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  There  the  mother  passed  away. 

Thomas  K.  Harris  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  various  removals  during  the 
period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  and  in  1898  came  to  Payette  county,  Idaho,  where 
he  became  identified  with  the  sheep  industry.  He  devoted  ten  years  to  that  busi- 
ness and  then  sold  out  and  removed  to  his  present  place  of  eighty  acres,  which  he 
secured  as  a  desert  claim  fifteen  years  ago.  It  is  planted  to  alfalfa  and  to  general 
grain  crops  and  the  place  is  pleasantly  and  conveniently  located  four  miles  southwest 
of  Fruitland. 

In  1896  Mr.  Harris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Edith  Craft,  a  native  of 
Vernon  county,  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Rosanna  (Decker)  Craft. 
Her  father  was  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  large  owners  of  town  property  in 
Vernon  county  and  was  also  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  have  become  parents  of  six  children.  Edna  Rae  is  the  wife  of  Earl  Hobbs 
and  the  mother  of  one  child,  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  is  with  her  parents  at  Cornelius, 
Oregon.  Benjamin  F.,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  was  with  the  Medical  Corps  of 
the  Forty-first  Division  in  France  during  the  World  war.  Robert  B.,  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  is  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm.  Kate  Marie  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Divish  and  the  mother  of  one  son,  Donald  Joseph,  nicknamed  Buster.  Thomas 
A.  and  Bonnie  Madge  are  at  home,  the  latter  now  a  high  school  pupil.  The  family 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  their  section  of  Payette  county,  where  they  have 
many  friends.  Mr.  Harris  is  accounted  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the  dis- 
trict and  is  a  self-made  man  whose  enterprise  and  industry  have  constituted  the 
basic  elements  of  his  present-day  success. 


JOSEPH  E.  WEEKS. 

For  forty  years  Joseph  E.  Weeks  was  a  resident  of  Idaho  and  enjoyed  the  good- 
will and  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him  throughout  Canyon  county.  He  passed 
away  April  5,  1919,  at  Jennings  Lodge,  Oregon,  being  then  about  sixty-five  years  of  age. 
He  was  born  in  eastern  Canada  on  the  16th  of  November,  1853,  and  was  but  three 
months  old  when  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Weeks,  removed  to  Linn  county, 
Iowa.  There  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  that 
locality  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  nearly  ninety  years  of 
age. 

Joseph  E.  Weeks  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Linn  county,  Iowa,  and 
when  twenty-four  years  of  age  went  to  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  where  he 
remained  for  a  year  and  then  removed  to  Idaho.  He  rented  the  Davis  farm  on  Eagle 
Island,  near  the  town  of  Eagle,  and  continued  its  cultivation  for  three  years,  after 
which  he  removed  to  the  Simpson  ranch,  about  fifteen  miles  west  of  Boise,  where  he 
engaged  in  stock  raising  in  connection  with  Charlie  Simpson,  to  whom  he  afterward 


JOSEPH  E.  WEEKS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  905 

traded  his  stock  for  the  ranch.  He  then  took  up  farming  in  a  general  way  and  also 
engaged  in  sheep  raising  on  an  extensive  scale  for  eighteen  years,  when  he  disposed 
of  the  ranch  property  and  secured  a  homestead  of  eighty  acres  sixty  miles  west  of 
Boise.  There  he  again  engaged  in  general  farming  and  sheep  raising  for  seven  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  Caldwell  in  order  to  provide  his  children  with 
better  educational  opportunities.  After  one  year  spent  at  Caldwell  he  purchased  a 
farm  at  Eugene,  Oregon,  and  there  established  his  home.  He  sold  the  eighty-acre 
homestead  in  1918.  He  remained  in  Oregon  for  one  year  and  then  traded  his  property 
there  for  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Alberta,  Canada,  near  Monitor,  where 
his  son  Ralph  now  resides  and  carries  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Weeks  and  his  family  spent  the  summer  of  1918  in  Alberta  and  then  returned 
to  the  home  of  his  son  at  Wilder,  Idaho.  In  1918  he  disposed  of  all  his  interests  in 
this  state  but  retained  the  ownership  of  his  home  at  Eugene,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Weeks  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Fannie  Ingle,  he  had  four  children.  Cecil  L.,  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  married  Alta 
Griggs,  of  Boise,  and  has  one  child,  Leon,  and  an  adopted  daughter,  Josephine.  He  was 
associated  with  his  father  from  his  eighteenth  birthday  in  sheep  raising  and  is  at 
present  connected  with  the  sheep  industry.  Cassie  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 
Joseph  Waldo,  thirty-four  years  of  age  and  a  farmer  and  sheepman  of  Wilder,  mar- 
ried Belle  Keith,  of  Star,  Idaho,  by  whom  he  has  two  children:  Lola,  who  is  attending 
school;  and  Waldo  Ingle.  Joy  I.,  thirty-two  years  of  age,  married  Grace  Look,  of 
Wilder,  and  has  four  children:  Joseph  William,  Harvey  Lee,  Cassie  M.  and  Donald 
Joy.  Joy  I.  Weeks  is  also  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  near  Wilder. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  August,  1889,  that  Joseph  E.  Weeks  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Alice  Oglesby,  of  Clay  county,  Illinois,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five 
children.  Ralph,  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  married  Wilma  Zeisler,  of  Kansas,  and  has 
one  child,  Byrle,  aged  five.  Edgar  passed  away  when  two  and  half  years  of  age.  Harlan, 
aged  twenty-five,  was  in  France  with  the  Quartermaster's  Corps,  operating  the  steriliza- 
tion plant,  with  the  Eighty-second  Division.  Blanche  is  the  wife  of  L.  L.  Hurst,  a 
bookkeeper  at  Wilder.  Clair  O.  is  attending  school  at  Wilder. 

Mr.  Weeks  led  a  very  active  and  useful  life  and  his  death,  which  was  occasioned  by 
hemorrhage  of  the  brain  on  the  5th  of  April,  1919,  at  Jennings  Lodge,  Oregon,  was  a 
great  shock  and  blow  to  his  many  friends  as  well  as  to  his  immediate  family.  He 
was  always  very  considerate  for  the  welfare  of  others,  was  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  the  members  of  his  own  household  and  his  many  sterling  traits  of  character  natu- 
rally made  him  greatly  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  widow  is  at  present  residing 
at  their  old  home  in  Wilder. 


PATRICK   HANNIFAN. 

Patrick  Hannifan,  of  Pocatello,  whose  worth  in  public  affairs  was  widely  ac- 
knowledged and  whose  death  accordingly  was  a  matter  of  deep  regret,  was  born  at 
Freeport,  Illinois,  May  18,  1854.  He  acquired  his  education  there  and  when  six- 
teen years  of  age  went  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  while  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  thirty, 
he  came  to  Pocatello.  He  was  first  employed  here  as  fireman  by  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  Railroad  and  worked  in  that  way  for  about  four  years,  when  he  was  made 
engineer  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  an  equal  period.  He  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  transfer  and  storage  business,  which  he  conducted  until  he  retired  from 
business  in  1916  on  account  of  failing  health.  He  was  one  of  the  early  residents 
of  Pocatello.  On  his  arrival  here  there  was  but  a  field  of  sagebrush  where  the  Reuss 
building  now  stands,  and  he  and  other  railroad  men  lived  in  tents,  the  sagebrush 
being  higher  than  their  tents.  It  was  necessary  to  employ  someone  to  watch  their 
belongings  during  their  absence  on  account  of  the  thieving  propensities  of  the 
Indians.  With  every  phase  of  pioneer  life  and  later  development  in  the  district 
Mr.  Hannifan  was  familiar. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  1889,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hannifan 
and  Miss  Rose  E.  Burke,  of  Baraboo,  Wisconsin,  who  passed  away  March  7,  1905. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  children.  Prudence  is  the  wife  of  Ambrose  Clemo, 
of  Helena,  Montana.  Leo  P.  is  conducting  the  transfer  and  storage  business  estab- 
lished by  his  father.  Nell  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  H.  Smerke,  a  railroad  man. 
She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Academy  of  Idaho,  where  she  completed  a  course  in 


906  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

household  economics.  James  William  was  in  France  as  a  member  of  the  trans- 
portation service,  acting  as  chauffeur.  He  was  hut  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he 
joined  the  army  and  had  to  tell  a  "white  lie"  in  order  to  be  accepted,  but  so  strong 
was  his  patriotic  spirit  that  he  left  nothing  undone  that  would  enable  him  to  aid  in 
the  World  .war  for  democracy  and  he  was  on  duty  at  Nevers,  Prance.  Isabel  Mar- 
garet, after  spending  two  years  in  high  school,  became  a  student  in  a  business 
college  at  Helena,  Montana.  Frank  H.  Smerke,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  son-in-law  of 
Mr.  Hannifan,  entered  the  service  of  Uncle  Sam  as  a  railroad  engineer,  sustained 
wounds  in  battle  in  France  and  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  transportation 
service. 

Mr.  Hannifan  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Woodmen,  also  held  membership 
with  the  Brotherhood  of  Engineers  &  Firemen,  was  a  member  of  the  Royal  High- 
landers and  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles.  He  took  a  most  active  part  in  every- 
thing that  would  further  the  interests  of  the  government  during  the  period  of  the 
war,  being  an  energetic  worker  and  a  most  loyal  American.  His  services  for  the 
nurses  of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Sisters  of  Charity  will  long  be  remembered  by  those 
organizations.  He  met  an  accidental  death,  being  struck  by  a  railroad  train  when 
crossing  the  track  on  the  4th  of  June,  1918.  His  demise  was  the  occasion  of  the 
deepest  regret  to  those  with  whom  he  had  been  associated,  and  in  his  passing  Poca- 
tello  lost  one  of  its  valued  citizens. 


N.  RUSTON  SHAW. 

Among  those  who  have  assisted  in  the  agricultural  development  of  Payette 
county  is  N.  Ruston  Shaw,  whose  enterprise  and  activity  along  agricultural  lines 
are  producing  substantial  results.  Iowa  claims  him  as  a  native  son.  He  was  born 
in  Fayette  county  on  the  9th  of  November,  1882,  his  parents  being  J.  M.  and  Mary 
Jane  (Slocum)  Shaw,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  Their 
family  numbered  seven  children:  Reuben  E.,  who  married  Philla  M.  Weatherby,  a 
native  of  Minnesota,  by  whom  he  has  four  children;  Anna  Gertrude,  who  is  the  widow 
of  H.  B.  Cragin  and  has  one  son;  Eleanor  S.,  the  wife  of  R.  L.  Ringer  and  the  mother 
of  two  children;  N.  Ruston;  Alice,  who  is  living  with  her  parents  in  Boise;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Minden  and  has  one  child,  Maribeth;  and  Loraine 
B.,  the  wife  of  John  Lane,  of  San  Francisco,  California. 

It  was  in  the  year  1896  that  J.  M.  Shaw  brought  his  family  to  Idaho,  becoming 
one  of  the  original  colonists  of  New  Plymouth  and  acting  as  one  of  the  committee 
who  passed  upon  the  plans  for  the  townsite,  the  town  being  laid  out  in  the  shape 
of  a  horseshoe.  From  that  period  to  the  present  the  father  has  been  a  most  promi- 
nent and  influential  factor  in  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  During  the  first  year  of  their  residence  here  the  family  put  in  a  thirty  acre 
orchard  and  later  established  the  Citizens  Lumber  Company,  with  headquarters  at 
Emmett.  The  father  conducted  the  retail  department  of  the  business,  while  Reuben 
E.  had  charge  of  the  manufacturing  and  sales  department  and  now  makes  his  home 
at  Emmett.  J.  M.  Shaw  and  his  son  Reuben  E.  were  interested  in  the  Nobel  ditch 
and  N.  Ruston  also  assisted  in  its  construction.  In  connection  with  the  lumber 
business  they  operated  a  mill  on  the  Payette  river  that  was  later  burned,  but  they 
still  own  a  large  tract  of  timber  there.  At  the  time  the  mill  was  burned  the  father 
owned  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  the  state  at  New  Plymouth  and  it  was  noted  for 
its  warm-hearted  hospitality,  but  the  building  was  also  destroyed  by  fire. 

N.  R.  Shaw  was  a  youth  of  fourteen  years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Idaho.  His  education  had  largely  been  acquired  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  after  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  became  the  active  assistant  of  his  father 
in  the  conduct  of  his  business  interests  in  Payette  county.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  and  in  the  raising  of  beef  and  dairy  stock.  He  has  sixty  acres  of  land, 
thirteen  acres  of  which  lie  within  the  corporation  limits  of  New  Plymouth,  while 
the  remainder  is  a  mile  southwest  of  the  town.  He  is  leading  a  busy  life  in  the 
conduct  and  further  development  of  his  farm,  which  he  has  brought  under  a  very 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  which  is  now  one  of  the  valuable  properties  of  the 
district. 

In  1906  Mr.  Shaw  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Kittie  Ransom  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Edith  and  Margaret.  Mr.  Shaw  has  served  as 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  907 

a  member  of  the  school  board  and  is  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare, 
development  and  progress  of  the  district  in  which  he  has  now  made  his  home  for 
twenty-three  years.  Throughout  this  entire  period  the  family  has  taken  a  most 
active  and  helpful  part  in  promoting  the  material  development  of  the  community  and 
in  shaping  its  history  along  various  lines,  their  worth  being  widely  acknowledged. 


H.  F.  MESSECAR. 

H.  F.  Messecar,  who  follows  farming  near  Eagle,  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada, 
in  1864  and  in  1887,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  crossed  the  border  into  the 
United  States.  He  made  his  way  to  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years,  raising  stock  and  following  farming.  In  1891  he  removed 
to  Idaho,  settling  on  a  claim  in  Long  valley.  The  country  had  not  at  that  time  been 
surveyed.  The  winters  were  very  severe  and  civilization  was  advanced  to  so  slight 
a  degree  in  the  locality  that  he  and  his  wife  left  Long  valley  and  removed  to  Boise 
in  1893.  In  the  spring  of  1894  they  filed  on  their  present  place  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  securing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  this  place  as  a  homestead,  while 
the  remainder  has  since  been  purchased.  At  that  time  there  was  no  water  for  irriga- 
tion purposes  and  the  land  was  all  covered  with  the  native  growth  of  sagebrush.  Mr. 
Messecar  built  the  first  station  to  hold  the  right  of  way  for  the  Farmers  Union  ditch. 
This  station  covered  one  hundred  feet  and  indicated  that  they  were  actually  doing 
work  on  the  ditch.  The  farmers  were  all  poor  and  the  work  of  construction  was  a 
difficult  task  to  perform  as  it  was  necessary  for  the  men  to  provide  a  living  for  their 
families  at  the  same  time  while  attempting  to  push  forward  the  work  on  the  ditch. 
By  the  second  year,  however,  they  got  water  and  a  small  crop.  It  required  five  years 
to  complete  the  ditch,  which,  however,  has  proven  a  wonderful  success.  Mr.  Messecar 
has  most  carefully  and  profitably  conducted  his  farming  interests  and  now  produces 
about  two  hundred  tons  of  hay  a  year  besides  raising  some  grain  and  stock. 

In  1889,  in  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  Mr.  Messecar  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Nellie  Allen,  of  Norfolk  county,  Ontario,  Canada.  They  passed  through 
many  hardships  and  trials  while  living  in  the  Black  Hills  and  often  had  to  hide  in 
caves  and  other  places  to  escape  being  killed  by  the  Indians.  They  have  no  children 
of  their  own  but  have  reared  an  adopted  son,  Arthur  B.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meseecar 
purchased  a  home  in  Boise,  where  they  lived  for  a  short  time  and  which  they  still 
own,  its  location  being  on  Hayes  and  Ninth  streets.  They  preferred  to  return  to  the 
farm,  where  they  built  a  house  of  the  bungalow  type  on  a  prominence  overlooking 
the  valley  and  the  town  of  Eagle,  their  new  residence  being  situated  just  across  the 
road  from  their  former  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Messecar  are  widely  known  in  their  section 
of  the  state,  having  remained  in  Ada  county  for  twenty-six  years  and  their  carefully 
directed  labors  have  gained  them  place  among  the  substantial  representatives  of  ag- 
ricultural interests  in  the  state. 


JAY   GALLIGAN. 

Jay  Galligan,  manager  of  the  Caldwell  Flour  Mills  and  thus  actively  connected 
with  one  of  the  important  productive  industries  of  Canyon  county,  was  born  March 
2,  1867,  in  Buffalo,  New  York.  His  youthful  days  were  spent  in  the  east  and  after 
completing  his  high  school  course  in  his  native  city  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western  Railroad  Company  and 
served  in  that  connection  for  a  decade.  It  was  in  1900  that  he  first  became  identified 
with  the  west,  making  his  way  to^Loveland,  Colorado,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  for  eight  years. 

In  1908  Mr.  Galligan  came  to  Boise,  Idaho,  where  he  served  as  manager  of  the 
Boise  Mill  &  Elevator  Company,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Caldwell  Flour  Mills,  occupying 
that  position  for  eight  years.  On  the  6th  of  June,  1917,  he  assumed  the  position  of 
district  manager  with  the  Caldwell  Flour  Mills  and  its  subsidiary  branches,  which 
are  located  at  Boise,  Palmer,  Nampa,  Meridian  and  Arling,  in  Long  valley.  This 
company  handled  approximately  one  million  bushels  of  wheat  in  Caldwell  and  the 
other  branches  in  1918,  milling  about  forty  thousand  barrels  of  flour,  while  a  large 


908  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

percentage  of  the  remainder  of  the  wheat  was  shipped  to  Milwaukee  and  Chicago. 
Following  the  opening  of  the  season  on  the  20th  of  August,  1918,  the  Caldwell  Flour 
Mills  operated  continuously  for  twenty-four  hours  a  day,  sending  out  an  extensive 
output,  two-thirds  of  which  has  been  shipped  to  other  states.  Bakers  claim  that 
the  Caldwell  flour  is  equal  to  the  best  grade  of  flour  that  is  shipped  in  from  Kansas 
and  Minnesota.  The  Caldwell  mills  employ  altogether  from  fifty  to  seventy  people. 
The  parent  institution  is  the  Colorado  Milling  &  Elevator  Company  of  Denver, 
Colorado,  which  established  the  Caldwell  Flour  Mills  in  1908.  This  is  not  only 
the  largest  industry  of  Caldwell  but  with  one  exception  is  perhaps  the  largest  in  the 
state  and  Caldwell  has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  enterprise.  It  is  Mr.  Galli- 
gan's  opinion  that  Idaho  is  perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  clover  producing  states  in 
the  Union.  His  company  paid  in  1918  in  the  neighborhood  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  farmers  for  clover  seed  which  was  raised  in  the  district. 
The  seed  and  grain  industry  in  Idaho  is  yet  in  its  infancy  and  the  farmer  who 
turns  his  attention  to  the  business  now  is  certain  to  prosper  and  Caldwell  is  des- 
tined to  become  the  center  of  this  industry  as  a  distributing  point. 

Mr.  Galligan  was  married  to  Miss  Irma  Bentley,  a  daughter  of  Linn  Bentley,  of 
Columbus,  Ohio,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children:  Ruth  Claire, 
William  Bentley  and  Robert  Jay.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Galligan  are  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  Caldwell,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  sagacious 
business  men  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  closely  associated  with  the  work  of 
development  and  improvement  here  and  has  been  the  leader  in  many  movements  that 
are  proving  of  inestimable  value  to  his  community  and  will  continue  a  substantial 
force  in  its  later  growth. 


E.  A.  TALBOT. 

E.  A.  Talbot,  residing  near  Notus,  in  Canyon  county,  has  been  closely  associated 
with  farming  interests  and  with  the  development  of  his  section  of  the  state.  He 
may  well  be  called  a  self-made  man,  for  he  started  out  to  provide  for  his  own  support, 
when  a  youth  of  fourteen  years  and  has  since  been  dependent  upon  his  own  exertions. 
He  was  born  in  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada,  on  the  12th  of  October,  1859,  a  son  of  George 
and  Mary  (Blanchett)  Talbot.  The  father  was  born  near  the  city  of  Quebec  and  was 
of  French  and  Scotch  descent.  He  always  spoke  the  French  language.  His  wife  was 
born  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  of  French  parents. 

E.  A.  Talbot  of  this  review  worked  upon  his  father's  farm  to  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  and  in  early  life  learned  and  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1880,  when  a 
young  man  of  aBout  twenty-two  years,  he  crossed  the  border  into  the  United  States 
and  made  his  way  to  Minnesota,  working  at  his  trade  in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  for 
a  period  of  five  years.  He  then  removed  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  was  employed  at 
his  trade  by  the  Oregon  Railway  &  Navigation  Company  for  another  period  of  five 
years.  He  arrived  in  Idaho  in  1890  and  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Notus.  His  life  has  since  been  one  of  earnest  activity,  crowned  with  success.  When 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  this  locality  it  was  a  wild  region  of  sagebrush.  He  cleared 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the  land  himself,  and  after  his  sons  had  reached 
an  age  where  they  could  help  they  together  cleared  the  other  forty  acres.  About  two 
years  after  locating  on  his  farm  Mr.  Talbot  got  water.  He  has  given  his  two  sons, 
George  Ernest  and  David  Earl,  eighty  acres  each  of  the  old  home  place,  and  he  resides 
with  them.  There  are  two  residences  upon  the  homestead,  one  on  each  eighty,  and  the 
improvements  are  among  the  best  in  the  state,  having  been  put  thereon  at  a  cost  of 
more  than  forty  thousand  dollars. 

In  1886  Mr.  Talbot  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May  Gorron,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  their  two  children  are  the  sons  previously  mentioned.  George  Ernest,  who 
is  now  thirty-one  years  of  age,  married  Eunice  Fallwell,  of  Iowa,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Gerald  and  Ora.  David  Earl,  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  married  Myrtle  A. 
Moreland,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  their  two  children  are  Geraldine  Ha  and  Donald 
Edward. 

The  sons  carry  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  They  breed  from  two  Aber- 
deen Angus  bulls,  as  the  Aberdeen  Angus  are  considered  the  best  beef  cattle  on  the 
market.  David  Earl  is  arranging  to  go  into  the  registered  live  stock  business  on  an 
extensive  scale  in  the  near  future,  and  George  E.  expects  to  do  the  same,  specializing 


E.  A.  TALBOT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  911 

in  the  breed  of  cattle  which  they  now  handle.  These  sons  raise  everything  that  will 
grow  in  the  Idaho  climate  and  they  can  produce  almost  any  crop  as  their  soil  is  of  the 
best  in  the  state.  In  addition  to  their  cattle  they  likewise  raise  Poland  China  hogs, 
and  both  branches  of  their  business  are  proving  very  profitable.  They  are  most  enter- 
prising young  men,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  father,  who  has  been  actuated 
by  a  most  progressive  spirit  in  his  business  career  and  has  thus  reached  a  place  among 
the  leading  agriculturists  of  his  section  of  the  state. 


THOMAS  BOWEN  LEE. 

Thomas  Bowen  Lee  was  born  at  Tooele,  Tooele  county,  Utah,  June  20,  1878,  he 
being  the  eldest  of  ten  children  in  the  family  of  Thomas  Wolkitt  Lee  and  Martha 
Louisa  Bowen,  the  other  members  of  the  family  being  as  follows:  Lewis  Albert 
Lee;  Mary  Ann  Lee  Hansen;  Arthur  Wolkitt  Lee;  Blanche  Newell  Lee;  Eugene 
Harris  Lee;  Ernest  Lee;  Alice  Ottella  Lee  Guptill;  Franklin  Bracken  Lee  and 
Wilford  DeLoy  Lee. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch'  received  the  foundation  of  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Tooele  and  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  under  the  old  tuition  system, 
and  in  the  schools  of  Wyoming  and  Idaho  later  on  in  life.  As  a  child  he  was 
unusually  precocious,  was  an  apt  student  and  at  a  very  tender  age  developed  remark- 
able taste  for  music  and  ability  to  master  musical  problems.  His  natural  ability 
as  a  musician  was  soon  recognized  and  he  became  a  brilliant  performer  and  an 
unusually  efficient  musical  director  and  teacher  which  marked  his  life  from  his 
early  childhood  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  capacity  as  a  musician  he  organized 
and  directed  a  number  of  choirs  and  musical  organizations,  among  which  were  the 
lona  ward  choir,  the  Lewisville  ward  choir,  the  Star  Valley  stake  choir  with  head- 
quarters at  Afton,  Wyoming,  and  the  Mesa  stake  choir,  with  headquarters  at  Mesa. 
Arizona.  His  musical  ability  caused  him  to  be  in  great  demand  on  every  sort  of 
an  occasion  and  wherever  he  went  his  services  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  his 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  his  energies  were  bent  toward  'the  development  of 
musical  talent  among  the  people  wherever  he  lived.  Many  of  the  young  people  of 
the  state  of  Idaho  owe  something  to  this  man's  ability  for  their  knowledge  and 
appreciation  of  music. 

Mr.  Lee  was  also  a  great  lover  of  -sports  and  was  an  athlete  of  no  mean  ability 
and  often  contested  in  such  sports  as  wrestling,  boxing,  foot  racing  and  baseball, 
and  also  interested  himself  in  developing  himself  and  others  in  athletic  sports  and 
events  and  wherever  he  went  was  prominently  connected  with  things  of  this  sort 
and  eventually  lost  his  life  as  a  result  of  an  accident  received  while  playing  baseball 
with  his  men  in  an  army  camp.  He  also  liked  dramatics  and  was  always  promi- 
nently connected  in  the  organization  and  directing  of  dramatic  associations  and  was 
known  to  be  very  clever  in  impersonating  characters  on  the  stage.  While  residing 
in  Afton,  Wyoming,  Mr.  Lee  organized  a  ladies'  baseball  club  and  under  his  efficient 
leadership  trained  them  to  a  point  where  they  were  able  to  go  out  and  meet  organiza- 
tions of  the  opposite  sex  and  on  several  occasions  decidedly  defeated  them. 

In  1890,  when  Mr.  Lee  was  twelve  years  of  age,  he  moved  with  his  parents,  to 
Salt  river  valley  (Lower  Star  valley),  Wyoming,  where  his  father  had  taken  a  home- 
stead. Six  years  of  his  life  were  spent  here,  during  which  time  many  experiences 
common  to  pioneers  of  a  new  country  came  to  him.  Located  in  a  country  where  the 
nearest  neighbor  lived  two  miles  away,  the  nearest  store  twelve  miles  and  the 
nearest  railroad  seventy-five  miles  over  a  great  range  of  mountains  and  where  the 
people  were  snowbound  for  from  four  to  six  months  in  the  year,  experiences  came 
to  this  boy.  as  well  as  to  his  brothers  and  sisters,  which  gave  to  him  and  them  the) 
self-reliance  and  courage  which  is  so  necessary  to  the  life  of  men  and  women. 
Here  the  family  buried  Eugene,  aged  three,  and  Ernest,  newly  born,  in  the  winter 
of  1890,  both  in  one  grave,  the  people  of  the  valley  having  to  break  a  road  to  the 
snow-bound  family  to  attend  the  last  rites.  At  this  time  young  Thomas  nearly  lost 
his  life  by  freezing  while  making  a  long  trip  by  team  over  the  almost  impassable 
roads  for  medicine  and  assistance. 

In  1896  the  family  moved  to  lona,  Idaho,  where  the  parents  still  live.  The 
year  following  Mr.  Lee  was  called  by  his  church  to  fill  a  mission  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  left  his  home  for  that  purpose,  spending  twenty-eight  months  in  this 


912  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

work  in  Texas.  Upon  his  return  from  his  labors  as  a  missionary  he  maintained  his 
activity  in  church  work  and  held  numerous  responsible  positions  but  was  especially 
prominent  in  his  work  with  church  choirs. 

On  February  5,  1913,  Mr.  Lee  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Kinghorn,  of 
Lewisville,  Idaho,  the  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Jane  Kinghorn,  they  being  married 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  immediately  took  up  their  residence  in  Mesa,  Arizona 
and  on  July  4,  1914,  a  son,  Thomas  Harold,  was  born. 

Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  Mesa,  Mr.  Lee,  following  his  natural  inclinations, 
became  identified  with  the  local  company  of  the  Arizona  National  Guard,  he  having 
enlisted  April  24,  1914.  Shortly  afterward  he  was  chosen  as  second  lieutenant 
of  the  company  and  February  9,  1915,  resigned  as  second  lieutenant  to  accept  a 
commission  as  first  lieutenant  of  the  company.  Soon  after  his  appointment  as  first 
lieutenant  of  his  company  he  was  called  out  on  strike  duty  and  served  at  Bisbee, 
Arizona,  for  about  six  months  and  owing  to  the  unusual  tact  of  Lieutenant  Lee  as 
well  as  the  other  officers  and  men  of  the  company,  this  work  was  done  without  the 
slightest  friction  between  the  army  men  and  the  miners.  The  company  had  only  been 
back  a  short  time  when  the  United  States  government  called  out  the  First  Arizona 
Regiment  for  duty  on  the  Mexican  border  and  Lieutenant  Lee  with  his  company 
responded  to  this  call  May  12,  1916,  being  one  of  the  very  first  regiments  to  respond. 
They  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  May  27,  1916.  This  service 
extended  continuously  for  about  one  and  one-half  years,  during  which  time  the  men 
experienced  almost  every  phase  of  guard  duty  and  Lieutenant  Lee,  showing  himself 
to  be  an  unusually  efficient  officer,  was  assigned  during  this  period  to  many  important 
tasks.  In  October,  1917,  he  with  his  regiment,  was  ordered  to  Camp  Kearney,  Cali- 
fornia, where  the  regiment  was  designated  as  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth 
Infantry,  a  part  of  the  Fortieth  Division  under  command  of  Major  General  Strong. 
The  regiment  was  here  brought  up  to  war  strength,  the  veterans  of  this  regiment 
being  unusually  well  prepared  to  bring  the  organization  up  to  the  highest  standard 
of  efficiency  from  the  fact  that  the  men  were  veterans  from  a  long  campaign  previous 
to  going  to  camp.  Among  his  other  duties  Lieutenant  Lee  was  assigned  to  train  the 
expert  riflemen  or  sharpshooters  of  the  regiment  in  company  with  English  and  French 
officers.  He  also  had  charge  of  special  athletic  activities  in  his  company  which  was 
under  his  supervision  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  wonderfully  efficient 
officer,  his  natural  tact  and  early  training  having  been  very  useful  to  him  in  this 
work  and  for  several  months  prior  to  his  death  and  up  to  the  last  he  was  assigned 
as  the  special  instructor  of  all  of  the  officers  in  the  regiment  in  their  night  school 
work.  During  the  last  two  months  of  his  life  he  was  in  active  command  of  the 
company  and  was  the  senior  first  lieutenant  of  the  regiment.  Some  time  shortly 
prior  to  his  death  he  was  called  up  for  promotion  to  a  captaincy,  passed  every 
examination,  both  physical  and  otherwise,  and  undoubtedly,  had  he  lived,  would  have 
forged  ahead  very  rapidly  in  his  promotions. 

About  May  1,  1918,  while  engaged  in  playing  a  game  of  baseball,  Lieutenant 
Lee  fell  and  slightly  injured  his  knee.  He  immediately  had  the  regimental  surgeon 
care  for  the  wound  but  evidently  all  of  the  foreign  matter  was  not  removed  and 
the  following  week  an  infection  developed  which  resulted  in  blood-poisoning  and  on 
the  evening  of  May  12,  1918,  Lieutenant  Lee  passed  away  in  the  base  hospital  at 
Camp  Kearney,  California.  His  brother,  Lewis  A.  Lee,  arrived  at  the  hospital  about 
twelve  hours  before  his  death  and  was  at  his  bedside  when  the  end  came.  Mrs.  Lee, 
who  had  been  living  in  San  Diego  for  about  six  months  previously  was  not  at  the 
bedside  but  arrived  about  one-half  hour  after  the  Lieutenant's  demise. 

Funeral  arrangements  were  immediately  made,  it  having  been  decided  to  ship 
the  remains  for  burial  to  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho.  Mr.  Lee  was  accorded  full  military 
honors  at  the  camp,  the  funeral  being  held  at  the  base  hospital.  The  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-eighth  Infantry  regimental  band,  the  officers  of  the  regiment  with  side 
arms  and  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  Infantry,  Lieutenant  Lee's 
company,  with  arms,  formed  the  guard  of  honor  while  six  first  lieutenants  of  the 
regiment  were  the  special  pall-bearers.  The  regimental  chaplin  had  charge  of  the 
services  and  four  Latter-day  Saint  missionaries  assisted.  After  the  services  the 
procession  formed  and  marched  to  the  railroad  station,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles, 
the  regimental  band  leading,  followed  by  the  regimental  officers;  then  came  the 
hearse  carrying  the  body  while  the  pall-bearers  marched  by  the  side.  The  hearse 
was  followed  by  Lewis  A.  Lee,  the  deceased's  brother,  and  Chief  Mechanician  Marion 
S.  Lee,  a  cousin  of  the  deceased,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Artillery;  next 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  913 

in  line  was  the  four  Latter-day  Saint  missionaries  and  the  men  of  Company  D 
completed  the  procession.  Along  the  line  of  march  other  companies  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  were  drawn  up  and  saluted,  each  in  their  turn,  as  the 
procession  passed.  At  the  railroad  station  the  procession  was  met  by  General 
Richard  W.  Young  and  a  number  of  other  officers.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  cortege 
at  the  station  the  bugler  sounded  taps.  The  body  was  then  left  in  charge  of  a  guard 
until  turned  over  to  the  railroad  authorities  for  shipment. 

Mrs.  Lee  was  unable  to  be  present  at  the  funeral,  but  in  San  Diego,  those  of 
the  officers'  wives  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  who  were  living  there,  called 
in  a  body  upon  Mrs.  Lee,  offering  their  most  sympathetic  condolence  to  the  bereaved 
widow.  The  remains  were  shipped  to  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Lee 
and  her  son  Harold  and  the  brother,  and  on  the  Sunday  folowing  the  funeral  was 
held  in  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  at  the  Latter-day  Saints  auditorium,  where  a  large  con- 
course of  people  met  to  pay  their  last  respects  to  the  departed  soldier.  At  this 
funeral  six  service  men  acted  as  pall-bearers  and  the  remains  were  deposited  in  Rose 
Hill  cemetery  at  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  taps  being  sounded  at  the  open  grave  by 
another  service  man,  thus  concluding  the  funeral  services.  Wilford  D.  Lee,  who 
was  serving  with  the  Sixty-sixth  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  stationed  at  Camp  Laurel. 
Maryland,  was  the  only  member  of  the  family  unable  to  be  present  at  these  services. 

Lieutenant  Lee  was  essentially  a  man  of  action,  and,  in  his  way,  made  an  envi- 
able record  for  himself,  endearing  himself  to  all  classes  by  his  personality  and 
unusual  gifts.  He  did  much  to  help  develop  Idaho  and  it  is  fitting  that  he  be  called 
a  son  of  Idaho.  His  widow  and  son  are  now  residing  at  Rigby,  Jefferson  county, 
Idaho. 


HENRY  W.  DORMAN. 

Henry  W.  Dorman  is  a  prominent  farm  and  live  stock  dealer  of  Canyon  county 
who  became  the  pioneer  land  and  town-site  man  of  Caldwell,  for  the  farm  which 
he  homesteaded  upon  his  arrival  in  Idaho  is  now  in  the  midst  of  the  residential 
section  of  the  city.  As  the  years  have  passed  he  has  developed  his  interests  along 
most  progressive  lines  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Caldwell  Cattle  Company  as 
its  president.  His  life  story  is  one  of  earnest  endeavor  guided  by  sound  judgment 
and  leading  to  the  goal  of  success.  Mr.  Dorman  was  born  in  Illinois  but  was  quite 
young  when  his  parents  removed  with  their  family  to  Iowa,  where  he  acquired  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  thus  pursuing  his  studies  to  the  age  of  fourteen. 
He  then  entered  a  flour  mill  and  learned  the  milling  business.  In  1883  he  removed 
westward  to  Idaho  Springs,  Colorado,  and  there  engaged  in  mining  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  located  at  Ketchum,  Idaho,  where  he  resumed  mining  operations  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  1885. 

In  that  year  Mr.  Dorman  came  to  Caldwell  and  for  nine  years  occupied  a 
clerical  position  in  the  mercantile  house  of  M.  B.  Gwinn,  of  which  he  ultimately 
became  the  manager.  He  resigned  his  position  in  1894  in  order  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  other  interests.  While  employed  by  Mr.  Gwinn  he  had  preempted  what  is 
known  today  as  the  Dorman  addition  to  Caldwell,  on  a  block  of  which  now  stands 
the  fine  Caldwell  high  school.  In  1886  he  purchased  a  farm  three  miles  west  of 
'Caldwell,  comprising  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  this  is  one  of  the  oldest  ranches 
on  the  Boise  river.  He  devoted  his  energies  and  attention  to  its  development  and 
improvement  until  1918  and  then  disposed  of  the  property,  although  he  says  it  was 
much  like  losing  an  old  friend.  In  1894  he  began  the  business  of  buying  and  selling 
acreage  and  also  operated  the  I.  X.  L.  mines  at  Pearl.  He  has  ever  been  a  most 
interested  witness  of  and  participant  in  the  growth  and  development  of  Caldwell 
and  the  old  homestead  which  he  secured  upon  his  arrival  in  the  city  is  now  in  the 
midst  of  a  fine  residential  district.  He  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  general 
progress  and  improvement,  his  business  activities  being  of  a  character  that  have 
contributed  much  to  the  development  of  this  section.  In  1913  he  organized  the 
Caldwell  Cattle  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  president,  this  company  being  the  first 
in  the  northwest  to  sell  stock  to  the  farmers,  giving  them  two  years  in  which  to 
make  payment.  Their  business  has  grown  to  such  proportions  that  today  they 
handle  nothing  but  pure  bred  shorthorns,  which  they  are  now  placing  on  the  farms 
on  a  two  years'  basis.  At  present  they  have  thirty  registered  cows  and  a  pure  bred 

Vol.  II— 58 


914  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

bull  for  which  they  have  refused  two  thousand  dollars.  In  1918  they  sold  two  bulls 
— one  at  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  the  other  at  one  thousand  dollars.  Mr. 
Dorman  has  always  been  interested  in  thoroughbred  stock  and  was  the  first  man  to 
ship  a  registered  hog  or  a  registered  bull  into  Caldwell  or  vicinity.  In  1885  he 
shipped  from  Iowa  a  registered  shorthorn  bull,  a  registered  Hereford  bull  and  cow, 
twenty-five  registered  Poland  China  hogs  and  several  coops  of  Plymouth  Rock 
chickens.  There  is  no  man  perhaps  who  has  contributed  so  largely  to  the  material 
development  and  improvement  of  this  section  of  the  state  as  has  Mr.  Dorman 
through  his  introduction  of  fine  stock  and  his  demonstration  of  the  possibilities 
of  the  district  for  the  production  of  fine  fruit,  for  he  is  a  successful  fruit  grower 
as  well  as  stock  raiser,  having  cultivated  fruit  throughout  the  entire  period  of  his 
residence  here.  In  fact  this  work  has  brought  him  national  prominence,  for  in  1908 
his  home  apple  orchard  won  the  first  prize  over  competitors  from  forty-three  states. 
In  fact  he  won  seven  prizes  out  of  a  possible  eight  at  the  national  fruit  show  in 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Dorman  has  labored  most  untiringly  to  stimulate  the  interest  of  farmers 
and  fruit  raisers  in  improved  methods  and  has  inspired  many  others  with  much 
of  his  own  zeal  and  interest  in  these  branches  of  labor.  In  1913  he  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Caldwell  and  put  forth  effective  effort  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  city  and  the  maintenance  of  its  high  civic  standards.  He  has  been  the 
president  of  the  Caldwell  Fruit  Growers'  Association  and  in  1914  and  1915  was 
president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Board,  after  having  previously  served  for  four 
years  as  a  member  of  the  board.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Idaho  State  Shorthorn 
Breeders  Association.  He  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Canyon  County  Farm 
Bureau  and  with  his  assistance  in  the  early  stages  of  the  organization  succeeded  in 
building  up  the  membership  in  the  county  until  there  are  now  six  hundred  farmers 
connected  with  it.  He  was  a  member  of  its  first  board  and  it  is  noteworthy  that 
Mr.  Dorman  and  an  associate  borrowed  the  first  one  thousand  dollars,  which  amount 
the  government  required  to  be  in  the  treasury  before  organizing.  This  note  was 
secured  by  three  men.  The  purpose  of  this  organization  is  to  educate  the  farmers 
in  modern  methods  and  it  has  developed  into  one  of  the  biggest  and  most  important 
institutions  of  the  state,  the  influence  thereof  being  absolutely  immeasurable.  At 
one  time  Mr.  Dorman  owned  the  right  of  way  of  the  Boise  Valley  Traction  Company, 
operating  into  Caldwell,  which  he  gave  to  the  present  company  in  order  to  promote 
the  future  of  the  city. 

On  the  5th  of  August,  1893,  at  Caldwell,  Mr.  Dorman  was  married  to  Miss  Ida 
Frost,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Matilda  Frost,  the  former  one  of  the  best  known 
pioneers  of  the  west.  He  was  a  forty-niner  of  California  and  also  a  very  early 
settler  of  Idaho,  where  for  many  years  he  followed  stock  raising  and  farming.  Mr. 
Dorman's  father,  William  Dorman,  now  makes  his  home  in  Louisiana,  but  his  mother, 
Mrs.  Caroline  (Leffel)  Dorman,  passed  away  in  1911.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorman  have 
become  parents  of  two  children:  Henry,  Jr.,  who  is  attending  the  Moscow  Univer- 
sity of  Idaho;  and  Ada  May,  a  pupil  in  the  schools  of  Boise. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorman  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  he  gives  his 
political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party.  In  1888  he  became  a  charter  member 
of  Mount  Gem  Lodge,  K.  P.,  at  Caldwell,  and  is  still  connected  with  that  organization. 
His  life  has  indeed  .been  one  of  utmost  value  to  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
Recognizing  the  possibilities  and  opportunities  of  this  section  of  the  state,  he  has 
labored  untiringly  for  its  development,  spending  much  of  his  time  and  effort  in 
educational  work  that  the  people  might  know  what  Idaho  had  to  offer  and  what 
could  be  accomplished.  His  teaching,  his  labors  and  his  example  have  at  all  times 
been  an  inspiration  to  others  and  he  has  long  occupied  a  central  place  on  the  stage  of 
activity  in  Idaho  in  connection  with  its  agricultural  and  horticultural  development. 


ARTHUR  J.  SWAIN. 

Thirty-seven  years  have  come  and  gone  since  Arthur  J.  Swain  arrived  in  Idaho — 
years  marked  by  steady  and  substantial  progress  in  the  business  world.  He  became 
a  resident  of  Boise  in  September,  1899,  and  has  since  been  active  in  the  development 
of  business  enterprises  which  have  proven  of  great  value  to  the  community  as  well 
as  a  source  of  individual  profit.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Boise  Cold  Storage 


ARTHUR  J.  SWAIN 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  917 

Company,  of  the  Orchard  Company  and  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company.  Michigan  claims 
Mr.  Swain  as  a  native  son.  He  was  born  at  Flushing,  Owassie  county,  that  state. 
August  6,  1862,  his  parents  being  Peter  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Whitney)  Swain.  The 
father  was  born  in  New  York  but  during  the  early  '50s  removed  to  Michigan,  whert 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  the  country  called  for  its  patriotic  men  to  defend  the 
I'nion  and  he  joined  a  volunteer  Michigan  regiment.  He  fell  in  the  hard  fighting  before 
Vicksburg.  thus  laying  down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  liberty.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Swain,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  returned  with  her  children  to  her  old 
home  in  Pitchburg,  that  state,  where  she  still  resides,  active  and  vigorous,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine  years. 

Arthur  J.  Swain  was  there  reared  in  the  home  of  his  paternal  grandfather,  the 
Rev.  Aurora  M.  Swain,  a  Baptist  minister.  His  educational  opportunities  were  those 
afforded  by  the  public  schools  and  when  quite  young  he  began  work  as  a  farm  hand, 
at  first  receiving  only  six  dollars  and  a  quarter  per  month.  His  industry  and  fidelity 
soon  won  him  a  wage  of  twelve  dollars  per  month  and  when,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  he  announced  his  intention  of  removing  to  the  west,  his  employer  offered  him 
twenty  dollars  per  month,  which  was  considered  a  very  excellent  wage  at  that  time. 
This,  however,  he  refused,  for  the  opportunities  of  the  west  proved  to  him  an  irresistible 
lure.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  mining  in  Boulder  county,  Colorado,  and  in  1882 
took  up  his  abode  at  Wood  River,  Idaho,  where  he  followed  mining  until  1890.  In 
that  year  he  became  a  resident  of  Coeur  d'Alene,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  on  his 
own  account  with  fair  success. 

His  most  rapid  and  substantial  progress,  however,  has  been  made  since  he  became  a 
resident  of  Boise  in  September,  1899.  His  carefully  saved  earnings  were  invested  in  an 
interest  in  the  hardware  store  of  Loree  &  Franz,  and  with  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Franz  the  firm  style  of  Loree  &  Swain  was  adopted.  In  this  field  Mr.  Swain  found  a 
business  that  was  not  only  congenial  but  one  for  which  nature  seemed  to  have  specially 
adapted  him,  and  during  the  years  of  his  connection  with  the  business  he  was 
largely  instrumental  in  making  it  one  of  the  leading  hardware  establishments  of  the 
city.  On  selling  his  interests  to  the  Eastman  Teller  .Company  he  became  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Boise  Cold  Storage  Company  in  1903  and  was  active  in  the  develop- 
ment of  what  was  the  only  business  of  the  kind  in  Boise  until  1910  and  which  has 
ever  remained  in  a  position  of  leadership  in  its  line.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the 
Orchard  Company,  formed  of  orchard  owners  of  Ada  county  for  the  protection  and 
development  of  their  mutual  interests.  In  1916  he  became  a  prominent  factor  in 
industrial  circles  of  the  city  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Boise  Stone  Company, 
now  a  large  and  important  concern,  of  which  he  is  the  president,  with  Gus  Carlson  as 
vice  president  and  Thomas  McMillan  as  the  secretary  and  treasurer. 

While  residing  at  Wood  River,  Mr.  Swain  was  married  to  Miss  Jean  Terry,  a 
native  of  Canada,  reared,  however,  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  and  a  daughter  of  George 
Terry.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  one  child.  Edna  Beatrice,  born  in  1887.  Mr. 
Swain  and  his  wife  attend  the  Baptist  church.  He  has  membership  in  Ada  Lodge.  I.  O. 
O.  F.:  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Boise  Lodge  of  Elks,  and  a  member  of  the  Boise 
Commercial  Club.  His  political  endorsement  is  given  to  the  republican  p^rty  and  from 
1901  until  1903  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  in  1902.  In  recent  years,  however,  he  has  felt  no  inclination  to  hold  public 
office,  for  his  time  and  energies  are  fully  occupied  by  his  developing  business  interests. 
He  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  youthful  determination  to  trv  his  fortune 
in  the  west,  for  in  this  land  of  opportunity  he  found  conditions  which  he  sought  and 
his  ability  and  even-paced  energy  have  carried  him  into  important  business  relations. 


FRANK  E.  SEELEY. 

Frank  E.  Seeley,  manager  of  the  Pfcyette  Valley  Rex  Spray  Company,  is  a  most 
alert  and  energetic  business  man,  proving  a  dynamic  force  in  the  development  and 
progress  of  the  section  of  the  state  in  which  he  lives.  He  readily  recognizes  oppor- 
tunities which  others  pass  heedlessly  by  and  his  laudable  ambition  prompts  him  to 
take  advantage  of  these.  He  was  born  at  Amherst,  Ohio.  February  7,  1875,  and 
there  acquired  his  early  education,  while  later  he  studied  in  Kansas,  to  which  state 
he  removed  with  his  parents  in  1884.  There  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  farm  until  1891,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  followed  commercial  pur- 


918  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

suits  until  1900.  He  then  became  a  commercial  traveler  and  was  upon  the  road 
for  sixteen  years,  during  thirteen  of  which  he  traveled  out  of  Cleveland,  while 
during  the  remaining  three  years  he  represented  the  General  Chemical  Company 
of  San  Francisco,  California.  Thus  he  became  identified  with  the  far  west. 

On  the  expiration  of  that  period  Mr.  Seeley  removed  to  Payette,  Idaho,  where 
he  has  since  been  manager  of  the  Payette  Valley  Rex  Spray  Company,  manufacturing 
fruit  tree  sprays.  This  is  the  only  factory  of  the  kind  in  the  state  and  their  trade 
extends  throughout  Utah,  southern  Idaho  and  eastern  Oregon,  while  the  volume  of 
their  business  amounts  annually  to  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  They 
employ  four  people  all  of  the  time  and  twelve  people  during  the  spraying  season. 
Their  factory  is  located  at  Washoe,  about  two  miles  south  of  Payette,  where  it  was 
established  in  1910.  This  is  one  of  nine  Rex  Spray  factories  which  are  scattered 
throughout  the  United  States.  F.  O.  Moburg  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  is  the  president, 
M.  F.  Albert,  of  Payette,  vice  president,  with  Mr.  Seeley  as  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  company  is  capitalized  for  thirty  thousand  dollars  and  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
stock  is  owned  locally.  The  spray  has  stood  the  test  of  over  twenty-three  years 
of  use  and  is  a  most  valuable  asset  in  successful  fruit  raising.  The  Payette  Valley 
Rex  Spray  Company  also  handles  coal  for  the  retail  trade. 

In  1897  Mr.  Seeley  was  married  to  Miss  Lucia  L.  Clement,  of  Strongsville,  Ohio, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Robert  H.,  now  about  four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Seeley  is 
quite  active  and  prominent  in  community  affairs,  being  a  director  and  a  member 
of  the  executive  board  of  the  Payette  County  Commercial  Club,  which  was  recently 
formed  with  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  has  expectations  of  a  membership 
of  five  thousand  before  the  end  of  the  year  1919.  The  directorate  of  the  club  is 
made  up  of  members  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  its  purpose  being  the  fostering  of 
home  industries  and  attracting  new  industries  to  the  county.  This  is  the  only  county 
commercial  club  in  the  state,  and  back,  of  it  are  representative  business  men  such 
as  Mr.  Seeley,  who  have  a  vision  as  to  future  development  here. 


L.  G.  ROSE. 

L.  G.  Rose  is  conducting  a  blacksmithing  business  at  Parma,  where  he  has  also 
given  his  attention  to  invention,  resulting  in  placing  upon  the  market  the  Parma 
water  lifter,  a  valuable  adjunct  to  irrigation  interests.  Mr.  Rose  was  born  at  Butler, 
Dekalb  county,  Indiana,  November  9,  1855,  and  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when 
he  left  his  native  state  in  company  with  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Rose,  who 
removed  with  their  family  to  southern  Minnesota.  The  father  engaged  in  black- 
smithing  at  Troy,  Minnesota,  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to  Indiana,  where  he  spent 
another  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  settled  at  Cherry  Grove,  Min>- 
nesota. 

L.  G.  Rose  made  all  these  trips  with  his  father  and  ultimately  entered  into 
partnership  with  him,  learning  the  blacksmith's  trade  under  his  direction.  In  1883 
they  removed  to  Fort  Ripley,  Minnesota,  where  L.  G.  Rose  resided  for  a  period  of 
twenty-four  years,  while  his  father  remained  there  until  his  death  in  1902. 

It  was  in  May,  1907,  that  L.  G.  Rose  removed  from  Minnesota  to  Idaho,  settling 
at  Parma,  where  he  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  as  an  employe  for  three  months. 
He  then  bought  out  Ben  Ross,  and  became  sole  owner  of  the  business.  In  this  line 
he  has  since  continued  and  his  success  has  been  of  a  substantial  and  gratifying 
character.  That  he  has  prospered  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  is  the  owner  of  a 
fine  home  in  Parma  and  also  the  property  where  his  business  is  located.  He  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  invention  and  is  the  patentee  of  the  Parma  water 
lifter,  of  which  he  sold  forty  in  1917  and  eighty-one  in  1918.  The  Parma  water 
lifter  is  a  device  whereby  water  is  pumped  for  irrigation.  The  pumps  are  of  the 
vertical  type  and  when  in  operation  stand  submerged  in  from  twenty  to  thirty  inches 
of  water,  while  the  shaft  must  be  long  enough  to  come  up  on  a  level  with  the 
driving  pulley  of  the  engine.  The  standard  length  of  the  shaft  is  ten  feet  and  may 
be  longer  or  shorter  as  needed.  The  efficiency  of  the  Parma  water  lifter  is  demon- 
strated in  the  testimonials  of  many  of  its  users,  who  from  all  parts  of  the  northwest 
have  written  to  Mr.  Rose,  expressing  their  satisfaction  over  the  results  achieved. 
A  four  inch  Parma  water  lifter  will  lift  a  thousand  gallons  of  water  per  minute. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  919 

It  is  plain  and  simple  in  design,  strong  and  substantially  constructed  and  as  durable 
as  high  grade  metal  can  be  made. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  1878,  Mr.  Rose  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  N.  Cook, 
a  native  of  Lime  Springs,  Iowa,  atfR  they  have  become  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Nellie,  deceased;  Bert  R.,  thirty-four  years  of  age,  who  is  with  his  father  in  the 
shop;  Fred  W.,  thirty-two  years  of  age,  a  ship  carpenter  and  interior  finisher  of 
Portland,  Oregon;  Edna  M.,  who  is  teaching  school  at  Parma;  Henry  L.,  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  who  is  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  government  in  reclamation 
work;  Merritt  C.,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  who  on  the  22d  of  February,  1919, 
returned  from  Camp  Lewis,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Field  Artillery; 
and  Minerva  M.,  who  was  graduated  from  high  school  in  1918  and  is  now  at  home. 

Mr.  Rose  has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  has  never  paid  house 
rent  but  two  years  in  his  life,  always  owning  property,  a  fact  indicative  of  his 
industry  and  enterprise  in  business,  whereby  he  has  won  success.  An  Indianian  by 
birth,  an  Idahoan  by  choice,  he  has  so  directed  his  efforts  that  close  application  and 
diligence  have  made  rapid  advancement  toward  the  goal  of  prosperity  and  the  north- 
west accounts  him  a  valuable  addition  to  its  citizenship. 


CHARLES  E.  PAINE. 

Charles  E.  Paine  is  one  of  the  extensive  chicken  raisers  of  the  Boise  valley 
and  is  also  meeting  success  as  a  horticulturist.  His  home  is  in  the  Roswell  district, 
two  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Roswell,  and  he  is  there  successfully  conducting  his 
business  interests,  which  are  of  an  important  character.  Mr.  Paine  is  a  native  son 
of  Minnesota.  He  was  born  in  Watonwan  county  on  the  6th  of  February,  1873, 
and  acquired  a  common  school  education  while  spending  his  boyhood  days  in  the 
home  of  his  parents,  Emerson  and  Abby  (Robinson)  Paine,  who  were  natives  of 
Maine.  The  father  was  a  master  mechanic  and  lived  in  Minnesota  till  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1879.  The  mother  passed  away  in  Minnesota. 

Charles  E.  Paine  was  reared  in  Minnesota  and  in  1897,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-four  years,  came  to  Idaho.  Making  his  way  to  Roswell,  he  purchased  forty 
acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivated  for  a  period  of  four  years  and  then  rented  the 
property,  taking  charge  of  the  John  Steel  orchards,  of  which  he  was  manager 
through  the  succeeding  twelve  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  sold  his  forty-acre 
tract  of  land  and  bought  forty-five  acres  where  he  now  resides,  two  miles  west  of 
Roswell.  Thirty  acres  of  this  land  is  in  fruit,  ten  acres  being  planted  to  prunes 
and,  twenty  acres  to  apples.  The  other  fifteen-acre  tract  is  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  White  Leghorn  and  Ancona  chickens.  At  the  present  writing  he  has  six  hundred 
and  fifty  fine  chickens  upon  his  place  and  during  March,  1919,  he  sold  eggs  to  the 
value  of  nearly  four  hundred  dollars.  He  expects  to  engage  in  the  chicken  business 
on  a  much  more  extensive  scale  and  within  the  next  two  years  will  have  increased 
the  number  to  two  thousand.  At  present  he  gathers  about  four  hundred  eggs  per 
day.  He  has  seven  incubators  with  a  combined  capacity  of  two  thousand  eggs  and 
on  one  day  alone  he  sold  as  high  as  eight  hundred  one-day-old  chicks.  His  breeding 
pens,  in  which  he  has  about  two  hundred  breeders,  cover  half  an  acre.  In  this  pen 
there  is  not  one  hen  that  does  not  lay  two  hundred  or  more  eggs  each  year.  In  his 
laying  pens  he  has  about  three  hundred  hens  and  selects  his  breeders  from  ^these. 
He  has  paid  as  high  as  two  dollars  each  for  his  Ancona  eggs  and  is  testing  this 
breed,  so  that  if  they  prove  as  good  as  he  anticipates,  he  will  specialize  on  them 
exclusively.  He  has  been  engaged  in  chicken  raising  in  this  way  for  ten  years  and  is 
fast  gaining  a  wide  reputation  in  this  connection.  Mr.  Paine  was  also  fruit  inspector 
for  the  North  Pacific  Fruit  Distributors,  who  had  five  hundred  orchards.  He  traveled 
inspecting  these  orchards  most  of  the  time,  averaging  one  hundred  miles  a  day  by- 
automobile,  and  one  month  hie  traveled  over  four  thousand  miles.  He  has  had  a  very 
wide  experience  in  connection  with  the  fruit  industry,  including  planting,  growing, 
packing  and  shipping,  and  there  is  no  one  in  the  state  who  better  understands 
fruit  raising  than  he.  His  broad  experience  and  his  close  study  of  horticultural 
magazines  and  books  enable  him  to  speak  with  authority  upon  the  question.  He 
was  also  a  director  of  the  Boise-Payette  project  for  nine  years  and  Mr.  Paine,  J.  H. 
Lowell  and  Sylvester  Hill  were  sent  as  delegates  to  Nampa  to  meet  the  secretary  of 
the  interior,  who  came  to  Idaho  as  a  representative  of  the  government,  and  show  him 


920  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

over  the  project  with  the  idea  of  inducing  the  government  to  take  up  this  reclama- 
tion work.  Mr.  Paine  also  assisted  in  developing  the  Roswell  Fruit  Park  Tract, 
where  he  now  resides,  and  he  likewise  owns  some  city  property  in  Caldwell. 

In  1895  Mr.  Paine  was  united  in  marriage  to  Aliss  Jessie  M.  Day,  of  Blue  Earth 
county,  Minnesota.  They  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  section  of  the 
state  and  the  hospitality  of  their  own  home  is  greatly  enjoyed  hy  their  many  friends. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Paine  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  All 
who  know  him,  and  he  has  a  wide  acquaintance,  esteem  him  highly  as  •  a  man  of 
genuine  worth,  loyal  and  progressive  in  citizenship,  alert  and  enterprising  in  busi- 
ness. There  are  few  men  who  have  so  fully  demonstrated  the  possibilities  for  hor- 
ticultural development  in  Idaho  and  none  who  have  labored  more  diligently  and 
effectively  in  advancing  the  breed  of  poultry  raised  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
His  work  has  been  of  real  worth  and  value  to  his  fellow  townsmen,  showing  what 
can  be  accomplished  along  these  lines  and  serving  as  a  stimulus  to  the  efforts 
of  others. 


JAMES  T.  TAYLOR,   Su. 

There  are  few  residents  who  have  for  a  longer  period  made  their  home  in 
Cassia  county  than  has  James  T.  Taylor,  Sr.,  who  arrived  in  1878  and  who  through 
the  intervening  period  has  been  identified  with  ranching  interests  in  the  vicinity 
of  Almo.  He  was  born  in  Hampshire,  England,  June  28,  1844,  a  son  of  James  and 
Mary  (Lowder)  Taylor.  He  was  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  when  in  1861  he  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  who  settled  first  in  New  York  city,  where  they 
resided  for  two  years.  They  then  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  from  that 
point  made  their  way  across  the  country  with  ox  teams  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
where  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaking  and  James  T.  Taylor  of  this 
review  secured  employment  as  a  ranch  hand. 

In  1878  he  removed  to  Idaho  and  took  up  the  Edwards  ranch  north  of  Almo. 
Later,  however,  he  returned  to  Blue  Creek,  Utah,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his 
wife,  but  in  1880  again  came  to  Idaho  and  secured  his  present  ranch  as  a  home- 
stead claim,  obtaining  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  and  apparently  unpro- 
ductive land.  He  built  thereon  a  log  house  and  at  once  began  the  arduous  task  of 
developing  the  fields  and  rendering  the  farm  a  productive  one.  In  1903  he  was 
able  to  add  another  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to  his  place  and  as  the  years  passed 
he  made  of  this  a  well  improved  ranch,  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences  and 
the  latest  improved  farm  machinery.  He  concentrated  his  efforts  and  attention  upon 
cattle  raising,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  In  late  years  he  has  given  most  of  his 
land  to  his  children  but  still  retains  a  sufficient  amount  to  bring  him  a  gratifying 
annual  income. 

In  1866  Mr.  Taylor  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Louise  Cottle,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Clara  Cottle  and  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
with  her  parents  in  early  life,  the  family  settling  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  where  she 
was  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  become  parents  of  seven  children:  James 
T.,  George,  Harry,  Edward,  Herman  H.,  Edith  L.  and  Clara  Ruth. 

In  politics  Mr.  Taylor  maintains  an  independent  course.  At  one  time  he  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  preferring  to  concen- 
trate his  efforts  and  attention  upon  his  business,  affairs,  which  have  been  capably 
directed  and  have  constituted  the  basis  of  his  present-day  prosperity. 


JOSEPH  DICKENS. 

Joseph  Dickens  is  one  of  the  partners  in  the  Caldwell  Sales  &  Commission  Com- 
pany and  also  in  the  firm  of  Dickens  &  Miller,  auctioneers.  In  both  branches  his  busi- 
ness has  attained  extensive  and  substantial  proportions,  his  success  resulting  from 
indefatigable  enterprise  and  industry.  Mr.  Dickens  is  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Ontario, 
Canada,  where  his  birth  occurred  February  12,  1869.  He  there  attended  the  common 
schools  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where 
he  worked  for  himself  and  for  others  in  and  around  the  stock  yards  for  a  period  of 

* 


JOSEPH  DICKENS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  923 

nine  years.  Later  he  was  connected  with  the  stock  yards  at  Denver,  Colorado,  for 
seven  years  and  subsequently  bought  a  ranch  in  Greeley  county,  Colorado,  where  he 
engaged  in  raising  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs. 

In  1906  Mr.  Dickens  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  came  to  Caldwell,  Idaho, 
where  he  took  up  the  business  of  buying  and  selling  stock  and  of  auctioneering.  After 
two  years  of  activity  in  these  lines  he  organized  the  Caldwell  Sales  ft  Commission 
Company  for  the  purpose  of  selling  anything  that  can  be  auctioned,  their  specialty, 
however,  being  farm  and  live  stock  sales  and  the  sale  of  pure  bred  stock.  His  first 
sales  eleven  years  ago  amounted  to  nine  hundred  and  eighty-seven  dollars.  The  busi- 
ness now  has  reached  a  volume  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  year. 
During  the  period  of  the  World  war  this  firm  handled  between  forty  and  fifty  carloads 
of  horses  and  mules  a  month.  They  also  conduct  sales  outside  of  the  state  of  Idaho, 
these  sales  aggregating  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  year.  Their  sales  yards  at 
Caldwell  are  most  modern  and  will  accommodate  any  kind  of  stock,  the  plant  being 
valued  at  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars.  Aside  from  this  business  Mr.  Dickens  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock  in  the  Boise  valley  and  the  careful  management 
which  he  displays  in  the  conduct  of  his  affairs  has  been  one  of  the  salient  features  in 
his  growing  success. 

In  1893  Mr.  Dickens  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Patton,  of  Missouri, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Anna,  the  wife  of  Ben  Hagonsen,  of  Cald- 
well, who  is  a  rancher  in  the  Boise  valley  and  by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Roy;  Rattle, 
the  wife  of  Clarence  Farris,  of  Caldwell,  now  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  and 
they,  too,  have  one  child;  and  Katie  and  Ellen,  who  are  attending  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Lewiston  Idaho. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Dickens  is  a  democrat  and  is  now  filling  the  office  of 
alderman  at  Caldwell.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  the  pioneer  irrigation 
district  for  six  years.  Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  three,  he  has  made  his  own  way 
in  life  from  young  boyhood  and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  entirely  attribut- 
able to  his  earnest  labor.  He  attacks  everything  with  a  contagious  enthusiasm  and 
his  zeal  and  energy  conquer  all  difficulties  and  obstacles  that  are  in  his  path.  His  life 
should  serve  to  inspire  and  encourage  others,  showing  that  upon  individual  effort  de- 
pends success  and  that  prosperity  and  an  honored  name  may  be  won  simultaneously. 


OREL   H.    SOVEREIGN. 

With  administration  interests  in  Caldwell,  Orel  H.  Sovereign  is  closely  con- 
nected, having  been  made  chief  of  the  fire  department  in  May,  1917,  and  also  serv- 
ing as  building  inspector  of  the  city.  He  was  born  at  Marysville,  Missouri,  April 
28,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  Walter  and  Minerva  J.  (Haggard)  Sovereign.  The  father 
was  born  in  Iowa  and  is  now  conducting  a  confectionery  story  at  Beulah,  North 
Dakota.  His  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  through  three  generations  in  America. 
The  mother  is  a  native  of  Indiana  and  she,  too,  survives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sovereign 
being  well  known  residents  of  Beulah,  North  Dakota. 

Their  son,  Orel  H.  Sovereign,  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  the  family  home 
was  established  at  Central,  Nance  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  attended  the  common 
schools.  At  that  time  the  section  of  the  state  in  which  they  lived  was  a  frontier 
region,  much  of  the  land  being  still  unclaimed  and  uncultivated,  while  conditions 
of  frontier  life  existed  on  every  hand.  He  continued  his  education  to  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  and  then  left  school,  after  which  he  followed  farming  for  about  two 
years.  He  later  joined  Company  C  of  the  United  States  Infantry  and  was  located  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  After  two  years  had  passed  he  was  made  corporal  and 
at  the  end  of  the  third  year  he  was  serving  as  sergeant,  although  he  had  not  been 
officially  promoted  to  that  rank  On  the  completion  of  his  term  of  enlistment  he 
resumed  the  occupation  of  farming  but  in  the  meantime  pursued  a  course  in  elec- 
tricity, and  when  he  again  left  the  farm  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  as  a  fireman,  remaining  in  that  connection  for  a  brief  period.  He  then 
went  to  North  Dakota  and  took  up  a  homestead,  on  which  he  fived  for  five  years, 
after  which  he  sold  his  farm  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  auto  livery  business 
at  Glen  Ullin,  North  Dakota,  continuing  there  for  a  year. 

Mr.  Sovereign  arrived  in  Caldwell  in  1912  and  here  obtained  employment  as 
engineer  in  the  fire  department.  In  May,  1917,  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of 


924  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

chief  of  the  department  and  during  his  incumbency  in  the  office  but  one  serious  fire 
has  occurred.  He  is  also  serving  as,  building  inspector  of  the  city  and  has  exerted 
every  endeavor  to  prevent  fires.  In  the  case  of  new  buildings  he  is  continually 
on  the  job,  offering  suggestions  and  in  every  way  doing  all  within  his  knowledge  to 
eliminate  the  possibility  of  fires.  He  also  inspects  all  debris  and  promotes  all  neces- 
sary measures  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of  fires.  If  on  private  property,  the  owners 
or  renters  are  warned  about  being  careless.  His  method  has  proven  almost  one 
hundred  per  cent  efficient.  When  Mr.  Sovereign  first  became  connected  with  the 
department,  it  was  a  volunteer  system  and  was  proving  both  very  unsatisfactory  and 
very  costly  to  the  city.  During  his  administration  a  paid  call  system  was  organized 
and  the  hand  apparatus  which  was  then  in  use  has  been  supplanted  by  a  motor 
engine,  which  is  a  triple  combination  machine,  and  other  up-to-date  fire-fighting 
apparatus.  There  are  ten  men  in  the  department.  A  modern  siren  has  just  been 
installed  which  cannot  be  confounded  with  the  school  bell. 

In  1906  Mr.  Sovereign  was  married  to  Miss  Helen  Maud  Abbey,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  Abbey,  of  North  Dakota,  and  they  have  an  interesting  little  son,  Ralph. 
Mr.  Sovereign  has  always  been  a  resident  of  the  western  country  and  the  spirit  of 
western  enterprise  and  progress,  which  has  been  the.  dominant  factor  in  the  upbuild* 
ing  of  the  great  section  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  has  ever  found  exemplification 
in  his  life.  He  regards  his  present  duties  most  seriously,  recognizing  how  much  de- 
pend upon  his  care  and  efficiency,  and  his  labors  have  been  most  satisfactory  to  the 
city  at  large. 


GEORGE   W.    HARVEY. 

George  W.  Harvey,  proprietor  of  the  Palace  Market  in  Boise,  was  born  in 
Bridgeport,  Crawford  county,  Wisconsin,  on  Christmas  day  of  1870,  the  only  son 
of  Louis  E.  and  Amanda  (Sellick)  Harvey.  The  father  was  born  in  Canada  and 
was  killed  by  highwaymen  on  the  plains  of  Kansas  in  January,  1877,  while  on  his 
way  home  with  a  load  of  supplies  for  his  family.  He  was  driving  a  four-horse  team 
and  three  of  the  horses  were  killed  at  the  time  Mr.  Harvey's  life  was  taken.  The 
family  removed  from  Wisconsin  to  Kansas  in  1874,  thus  becoming  identified  with  the 
pioneer  settlement  of  the  state. 

George  W.  Harvey  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Kansas,  in  Nebraska  and  Wyo- 
ming and  during  that  period  followed  farming,  rode  the  range  and  did  all  the  work 
incident  to  farm  and  ranch  life  on  the  western  frontier.  In  1893  he  went  to  Alaska 
and  spent  nine  years  in  the  far  north,  devoting  six  years  to  mining  and  three  years 
to  the  butchering  business.  In  1902  he  returned  to  the  States  and  for  four  years 
was  a  resident  of  Everett,  Washington,  during  which  period  he  was  engaged  in  the 
butchering  business.  Later  he  spent  three  years  in  Seattle,  where  he  was  active 
along  the  same  line,  and  in  1909  came  to  Idaho  and  since  1911  has  made  his  home 
in  Boise.  He  established  the  Palace  Market  at  No.  724  Main  street  in  1913  and  is 
today  the  owner  of  one  of  the  best  equipped  and  largest  meat  markets  of  Boise, 
which  has  brought  to  him  a  liberal  patronage. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1896,  at  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming,  Mr.  Harvey  was  married 
to  Ellen  Crofts  and  they  have  become  parents  of  five  children:  Florence,  now  the 
wife  of  Walter  Tucker,  of  Boise;  George  W. ;  Grace  Lee;  Oliver  W. ;  and  Herbert 
Louis.  The  religious  faith  of  the  family  is  that  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Mr. 
Harvey  has  his  own  home  at  2105  North  Fourteenth  street,  which  he  built  in  1914 
— an  attractive  frame  bungalow. 


FLOYD  J.  CREASEY. 

Floyd  J.  Creasey,  a  resident  farmer  of  Payette  county,  his  home  being  near 
New  Plymouth,  was  born  in  Pulteney,  Steuben  county,  New  York,  May  30,  1865. 
His  father,  James  Creasey,  was  born  in  Suffolk  county,  England,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emma  Emerson.  They  crossed  the 
Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel  in  1852,  being  seven  weeks  and  four  days  on  the  voy- 
age. Settling  in  the  state  of  New  York,  the  father  there  followed  the  occupation 

• 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  923 

of  farming  for  fifteen  years  and  in  1867  removed  to  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  six  years.  He  next  took  up  his  abode  In  Sauk 
county,  that  state,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  until 
June,  1902,  or  Just  fifty  years  after  he  had  left  the  old  country.  He  then  came  to 
Idaho  and  spent  his  remaining  days  in  the  home  of  his  son  Floyd  J.,  who  had  ar- 
rived in  this  state  in  1898  with  his  brother,  Fred  D. 

The  latter  was  born  in  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  April  5,  1871,  but  during  his 
infancy  the  family  removed  to  Sauk  county,  where  he  attended  the  district  schools 
in  the  acquirement  of  his  education.  He  engaged  in  general  farm  work  until  he 
attained  his  majority  and  then  followed  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Richland 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  rented  land  until  1898.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Idaho 
and  located  at  Plymouth.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  others  for  four  years  after  his 
arrival  here  and  then  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  state  land,  which  now  comprises 
the  farm  on  which  he  and  his  brother  Floyd  reside.  He  is  unmarried. 

Another  brother,  James  F.,  is  also  living  in  the  Payette  valley,  where  the 
three  brothers  have  become  widely  and"  favorably  known  as  representative  citizens. 
James  F.  married  Anna  Meyer,  a  native  of  Nebraska  and  a  daughter  of  Arthur  and 
Elizabeth  (Miller)  Meyer,  who  came  to  Idaho  in  1903,  settling  at  New  Plymouth. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  F.  Creasey  have  two  children,  Emma  E.  and  Gerald  A.  Twof 
other  sons  of  the  family,  brothers  of  Floyd  J.  Creasey,  are  yet  living  in  Wisconsin. 

Floyd  J.  Creasey  was  about  thirty-three  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Idaho. 
He  settled  in  New  Plymouth,  which  at  that  time  was  almost  a  sagebrush  waste. 
There  were  not  more  than  twenty-four  houses  between  New  Plymouth  and  Payette, 
a  distance  of  thirteen  miles.  The  region  today  is  a  succession  of  beautiful  orchards, 
farms  and  homes.  For  about  six  years  Mr.  Creasey  followed  the  carpenter's  trade 
and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  raw  land,  a  portion  of  which  he  improved.  Be- 
cause of  impaired  health  he  sold  seventy  acres  of  the  place,  retaining  only  ten  acres, 
on  which  he  makes  his  home.  His  ranch  is  located  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  New- 
Plymouth  and  he  carries  on  general  farming  in  a  small  way  and  also  keeps  a  few 
stands  of  bees  and  sojme  cows.  His  parents  lived  with  him  until  they  were  called  to 
the  home  beyond.  In  addition  to  his  farming  interests  Mr.  Creasey  has  served  on 
the  board  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Ditch  Company  and  was  at  one  time  its  presi- 
dent. He  has  lived  to  see  many  changes  during  the  years  of  his  residence  in -Pay- 
ette county,  witnessing  the  development  of  the  district  from  a  wild  and  unimproved 
region  to  one  of  rich  fertility,  into  which  has  been  introduced  every  advantage  and 
opportunity  of  the  older  east. 


ANDREW  W.    SMITH. 

Andrew  W.  Smith,  who  follows  farming  in  the  Huston  district  of  Canyon  county, 
was  born  in  Genesee,  Waukesha  county,  Wisconsin,  April  20,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of 
the  Rev.  George  and  Agnes  Smith,  the  latter  a  native  of  Canada.  The  father  was 
born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1833,  and  came  to  America  with  his  father,  Andrew 
Smith,  prior  to  the  Civil  war,  the  family  home  being  at  that  time  established  in 
Wisconsin.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  born  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Lillian  D.,  Margaret  J.,  Anna  E.,  May  B.,  Andrew  W.  and  George  Wells, 
who  owns  a  farm  near  that  of  his  brother  Andrew.  The  children  were  all  given 
splendid  educational  opportunities.  George  Wells  is  a  graduate  of  the  Beloit  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin;  May  B.  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Beloit  University  and  now  a 
teacher  in  the  Frances  Shinier  School,  a  school  for  girls  at  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois, 
largely  patronized  by  the  wealthy.  Lillian  D.  is  a  graduate  of  Milton  College  of 
Wisconsin  and  of  the  Chicago  University,  the  latter  institution  conferring  upon  her 
the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree,  since  which  time  she  has  been  teaching  In  a  high  school 
in  Chicago.  Margaret  J.  is  a  teacher  in  a  school  for  cripples  at  Chicago.  Anna  E. 
is  a  teacher  of  domestic  science  in  the  Indiana  University.  They  were  reared  in  a 
household  In  which  there  was  felt  the  keenest  appreciation  for  the  advantages  of 
education  and  social  and  moral  culture,  and  everything  was  done  to  direct  the 
trend  of  their  interests  and  thoughts  in  childhood,  with  results  that  must  have  been 
highly  satisfactory  to  the  parents. 

Andrew  W.  Smith  had  the  benefit  of  an  excellent  home  environment  and  liberal 
educational  advantages,  being  a  crrnduftto  of  the  high  school  at  Whitewater.  Wls- 


926  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

consin.  He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  through  the  period  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  His  mother  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1905,  after  which  the  farm  on  which 
the  family  had  lived  was  sold  and  the  father  went  to  Chicago,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1910. 

It  was  after  his  mother's  death  that  Andrew  W.  Smith  first  came  to  Idaho, 
arriving  in  the  fall  of  1906.  He  later  returned  to  Chicago  with  the  firm  conviction 
that  Idaho  was  the  place  where  he  wished  to  locate  and  accordingly  in  the  following 
year  he  returned  and  homesteaded  eighty  acres,  sixty-eight  of  which  are  accessible 
to  water.  He  took  off  his  first  crop  in  1909  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
alfalfa  and  grain.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and  he  has  an  excellent  orchard 
upon  his  place.  He  was  one  of  those  farmers  who  for  a  number  of  years  were 
placed  at  a  disadvantage  while  waiting  for  water  and  during  that  period  of  waiting 
they  suffered  real  hardships,  but  with  the  development  of  the  irrigation  system  Mr. 
Smith  brought  water  to  his  land  and  has  converted  it  into  rich  and  productive  fields. 
His  business  is  carefully  carried  on,  his  industry  being  guided  by  sound  judgment, 
and  good  results  are  now  attending  his  efforts. 

In  1913  at  Houston,  Idaho,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Thirza  Culter,  a 
daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Katie  B.  (Sparling)  Culter.  Her  mother  died  at  Great  Bend, 
Kansas,  in  January,  1890,  and  the  father  afterward  married  Mrs.  Harper,  a  widow. 
In  1909  he  came  with  his  family  to  Idaho  and  is  now  farming  on  forty  acres  of  land 
at  Huston.  In  the  paternal  line  Mrs.  Smith  comes  of  Irish  ancestry,  while  her 
maternal  grandfather  was  of  Holland  stock  although  born  on  the  Emerald  isle. 
Mrs.  Smith  has  a  stepsister,  Mrs.  Ralph  Kirkpatrick,  who  is  living  in  the  Huston 
district  of  Canyon  county.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Kansas  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school  of  Santa  Ana,  California.  After  completing  the  course  there  she  took 
the  county  examination  and  received  a  teacher's  certificate.  She  then  taught  school 
in  southern  California  for  five  terms  and  for  one  term  in  Long  Valley,  Idaho.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Canyon  county,  and  his  per- 
sistency of  purpose  and  indefatigable  energy  are  at  length  winning  a  merited  reward. 
He  is  recognized  as  a  capable  business  man,  and  his  diligence  and  perseverance  well 
merit  the  success  that  is  now  coming  to  him. 


S.   D.   LITTLE. 

S.  D.  Little  is  one  of  the  prominent  sheepmen  of  Canyon  county,  the  extent  and 
importance  of  his  business  interests  making  him  a  valuable  citizen  of  the  community 
in  which  he  makes  his  home.  He  was  born  in  the  southern  part  of  Scotland  on  the 
12th  of  November,  1881,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Janet  (Dalgleish)  Little,  who  are  now 
deceased.  He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  land  of  hills  and  heather  and  in 
1900,  when  a  youth  of  nineteen  years,  came  to  America,  making  his  way  to  Emmett, 
Idaho,  where  his  brother  Andrew  had  preceded  him.  He  worked  for  his  brother  in  the 
sheep  business  for  three  years  and  in  1903  began  business  on  his  own  account  with 
twelve  hundred  head  of  sheep.  He  now  has  sixteen  thousand  head  of  mixed  sheep, 
which  he  raises  for  wool  and  mutton.  He  markets  his  mutton  in  Omaha  and  Chicago, 
where  he  finds  a  ready  sale  for  the  product.  He  ranges  his  sheep  on  government 
ranges  but  also  raises  hay  on  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  near  Middleton, 
where  he  feeds  his  sheep  during  the  winter  and  keeps  them  through  the  lambing 
season.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of  five  hundred  acres  in  Washington  county,  Idaho. 
Something  of  the  volume  of  the  business  that  he  has  developed  is  indicated  in  the 
fact  that  his  pay  roll  amounts  to  about  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  his  feed  and 
grocery  bill  to  about  fifty  thousand  dollars  annually,  all  of  which  money  is  spent 
in  Canyon  county,  thus  contributing  to  the  material  development  and  prosperity  of 
this  section  of  the  state.  He  started  in  the  business  with  practically  no  capital  but 
had  previously  gained  valuable  experience,  as  his  father,  Andrew  Little,  had  been  a 
sheepman  in  Scotland  and  the  family  had  followed  the  business  for  generations.  He 
thus  had  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  handling  sheep  when  he  started  out  inde- 
pendently. His  brother  Andrew,  who  had  reached  Idaho  six  years  before  S.  D.  Little, 
is  the  largest  individual  sheepman  in  the  state,  being  interested  in  about  one  hundred 
thousand  head,  which  he  ranges  over  seven  counties,  and  his  income  tax  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  state.  He  makes  his  home  at  Emmett,  Idaho. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1915,  S.  D.  Little  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sadie  P. 


S.  D.  LITTLE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  929 

tAlvey)  Brown,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  was  reared,  however,  in  Idaho,  her  mother 
being  still  a  resident  of  Nam  pa.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Little  have  two  daughters,  Mary  O.* 
Janet  and  Betty  Jean. 

Mr.  Little  owns  a  fine  home  at  No.  1409  Dearborn  street  in  Caldwell.  where  he  and 
his  family  are  most  pleasantly  located,  his  success  in  business  enabling  him  to  enjoy 
all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Elk  and  his 
political  support  is  given  to  the  republican  party.  Mr.  Little  is  keenly  alive  to  the  op- 
portunities of  the  state.  He  recognizes  what  a  future  there  is  in  store  for  this  great 
and  growing  section  of  the  northwest  and  he  is  so  directing  his  efforts  as  to  utilize 
the  natural  resources  offered  and  through  legitimate  channels  of  business  win  pros- 
perity. He  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to  come  to  the  new 
world,  for  here  he  has  found  the  opportunities  which  he  sought  and  in  their  utilization 
has  won  a  most  creditable  place  among  the  successful  sheepmen  of  Canyon  county. 


J.  C.  McPHERSON. 

J.  C.  McPherson,  leading  a  busy  life  as  a  representative  farmer  of  Ada  county, 
his  home  being  near  Eagle,  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Iowa,  November  4,  1884. 
His  father,  Alexander  Doke  McPherson,  died  during  the  Infancy  of  his  son,  who 
remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  ac- 
quiring his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Iowa  and  having  the  usual 
experiences  of  the  farm-bred  lad.  On  leaving  home  he  made  his  way  to  this  state, 
settling  at  Nampa,  after  which  he  was  employed  in  various  ways  until  1910,  when 
he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Long  Valley.  He  was  joined 
by  his  mother,  his  brother,  George  Wilbur,  and  his  two  sisters,  Pansy  and  Myrtle, 
three  years  after  his  arrival  in  Idaho.  His  mother  also  homesteaded  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  near  Roseberry,  in  Valley  county,  and  since  that  time  J.  C.  Mc- 
Pherson and  his  brother  have  been  partners  in  the  live  stock  business  and  have 
developed  the  two  farm  properties.  They  also  own  two  hundred  acres  of  land  about 
six  miles  northeast  of  Star  but  make  Eagle  their  post  office.  On  their  land  they 
have  raised  hay  and  grain,  which  they  largely  feed  to  their  stock  in  the  winter 
season.  In  the  summer  months  they  range  their  stock  in  the  mountains,  having 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  head  of  cattle  and  twenty-five  horses. 

The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Bridget  Dawson,  remained  with 
her  children  until  her  death,  which  occurred  about  seven  years  ago  in  Long  Valley. 
The  brother,  George  Wilbur,  was  married  four  years  ago  to  Miss  Nellie  Adams,  of 
Boise,  and  they  have  two  children:  Wesley,  two  years  of  age;  and  Burris,  who  is 
but  a  year  old.  The  sister  Pansy  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Van  Horn,  of  Kansas, 
where  he  follows  farming,  while  Myrtle  is  the  wife  of  Will  Estes,  of  Moscow,  Idaho, 
and  has  three  children.  The  McPhersons  have  for  a  number  of  years  been  classed  / 
with  the  substantial  and  representative  agriculturists  and  stock  raisers  of  Ada 
county,  J.  C.  McPherson  having  lived  in  this  section  for  nineteen  years.  His  suc- 
cess is  attributable  entirely  to  his  persistency  of  purpose  and  his  indefatigable  energy. 
He  has  always  been  a  hard  worker  and  has  thus  become  the  owner  of  valuable  farm 
property. 


MRS.   SARAH  ELIZA  ASH. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Eliza  Ash,  residing  at  No.  1822  State  street,  Boise,  is  the  widow 
of  Henry  L.  Ash,  who  passed  away  September  2,  1902.  She  was  born  in  Grayson 
county,  Kentucky,  July  5,  1857,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  C.  Pearman,  who  is  now 
living  in  Litchfield,  Illinois,  at  the  notable  old  age  of  ninety-two  years.  Her  mother, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Atterbury,  passed  away  in  Illinois  in  1869. 

Mrs.  Ash  was  reared  in  Montgomery  county,  Illinois,  to  which  place  h«r  par- 
ents removed  from  Kentucky  when  she  was  but  a  year  old.  She  was  graduated 
from  the  Litchfield  high  school  and  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which  she 
followed  for  seven  years  in  Illinois  both  before  and  after  her  marriage.  It  was 
on  the  19th  of  March,  1879,  that  Sarah  Elizabeth  Pearman  became  the  wife  of 
Henry  L.  Ash,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Illinois,  January  21,  1856,  a  son  of  Jesse 

Vol.  H— 59 


930  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

M.  and  Esther  (Valentine)  Ash.  In  1897  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Ash  removed  from 
Illinois  to  Emmetsburg,  Iowa,  and  in  1902  Mr.  Ash  came  to  Boise,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  three  miles  west  of  Boise,  now  known 
as  Ash  Park.  He  passed  away,  however,  in  St.  Alphonsus  Hospital  in  Boise,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1902.  Mrs.  Ash  was  with  him  to  the  end  but  afterward  returned  to  Iowa 
and  in  1903  she  again  came  to  Idaho,  bringing  with  her  three  sons  and  a  daughter. 
Her  children  are:  Leila,  now  the  wife  of  D.  R.  Turner,  a  farmer  residing  west  of 
Boise;  Homer  E.;  William  G.;  and  Russell  M.  Mrs.  Ash  located  on  the  ranch  and 
resided  there  for  three  years.  She  then  rented  the  ranch  property  and  removed  to 
Boise,  while  later  she  disposed  of  her  farming  interests.  About  1906  she  built  a 
splendid  home  at  No.  1822  State  street,  Boise,  and  has  since  occupied  this  place. 

Throughout  his  active  business  life  Henry  L.  Ash  was  a  farmer  and  was  very 
successful,  leaving  a  most  comfortable  competence  to  his  widow  and  children.  In 
Illinois  and  in  Iowa  he  had  specialized  in  the  raising  of  registered  Poland  China 
hogs.  In  all  of  his  business  affairs  he  was  enterprising  and  progressive,  and  his 
actions  never  at  any  time  required  disguise.  His  life  measured  up  to  high  standards 
and  he  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  to  which  his  widow  also 
belongs.  She  is  active  in  church  societies  and  in  missionary  work  and  does  every- 
thing in  her  power  to  advance  the  moral  progress  of  the  community  in  which  she 
resides.  Her  sons  are  now  owners  and  active  managers  of  the  Boise  Overland  Com- 
pany and  are  prominent  in  the  business  and  fraternal  circles  of  the  city. 


WILLIAM  G.  ASH. 

William  G.  Ash,  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Boise  Overland 
Company,  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Montgomery  county,  Illinois,  May  27,  1889,  a 
son  of  Henry  L.  and  Sarah  E.  (Pearman)  Ash,  the  former  a  native  of  Illinois,  while 
the  latter  was  born  in  Kentucky.  When  their  son  William  was  but  seven  years  of 
age  they  removed  to  Palo  Alto  county,  Iowa,  and  he  was  there  reared  upon  a  farm 
to  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  when  he  came  to  Boise  with  his  mother,  brothers  and 
sister  in  the  year  1903.  The  father  visited  Idaho  in  1902  and  purchased  a  ranch 
near  Boise  but  died  before  he  removed  his  family  to  the  northwest.  There  were 
four  children  in  the  family,  the  eldest  being  Leila,  now  the  wife  of  D.  R.  Turner, 
of  Ada  county.  The  sons  are  Homer  E.,  William  G.  and  Russell  M.,  the  last  named 
being  the  treasurer  and  sales  manager  of  the  Boise  Overland  Company. 

After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  the  west  William  G.  Ash  was  graduated, 
from  the  Boise  high  school  on  the  completion  of  a  course  in  the  commercial  depart- 
ment in  1906.  He  also  attended  Link's  Business  College  of  Boise  and  for  several 
years  after  his  school  days  were  over  was  employed  as  a  bookkeeper  with  different 
business  houses  of  the  city.  For  two  years  he  was  bookkeeper  with  the  Gooding 
Town  Site  Company  of  Gooding,  Idaho,  and  then  returned  to  Boise  in  the  fall  of 
1910,  at  which  time  he  became  actively  interested  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business,  in  which  he  continued  for  a  year.  Since  1911  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  distribution  of  the  Overland  automobiles  through  the  Boise  establishment.  In 
May,  1911,  he  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Intermountain  Auto  Company,  a  concern 
which  was  then  local  distributor  for  the  Overland  cars.  He  acted  as  its  manager 
until  1914,  when  he  became  chiefly  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Boise  Overland 
Company,  which  took  over  all  of  the  plant  and  property  of  the  Intermountain  Auto 
Company,  which  concern  went  out  of  existence  on  the  1st  of  September,  1914.  Since 
that  date  the  Boise  Overland  Company  has  continued  with  William  G.  Ash  as  vice 
president  and  manager,  while  his  mother,  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Ash,  is  the  president.  The 
business  is  capitalized  for  thirty  thousand  dollars,  the  stock  being  entirely  owned 
by  the  Ash  family  with  the  exception  of  about  eight  per  cent.  The  Boise  Overland 
Company  has  had  a  remarkably  successful  career  since  it  came  into  existence.  It 
has  the  distribution  of  the  Overland  cars  throughout  southwestern  Idaho  and  east- 
ern Oregon  and  its  trade  has  reached  extensive  proportions. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1911,  in  Gooding,  Idaho,  Mr.  Ash  was  married  to  Misa 
Gertrude  M.  Johnson,  who  at  that  time  was  residing  in  Gooding  but  is  a  native 
of  Illinois.  They  have  two  children,  William  Henry,  born  December  24,  1913;  and 
Mildred  Marion,  born  September  22,  1915. 

Mr.  Ash  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club,  to  the  Boise  Gun  Club  and  to 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  931 

the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  fishing  and  hunting,  but  his  business 
occupies  the  major  part  of  his  time  and  it  has  been  by  reason  of  his  close  application 
and  unfaltering  diligence  that  he  has  won  the  success  that  is  now  his. 


RUSSELL  M.  ASH. 

Russell  M.  Ash,  treasurer  and  sales  manager  of  the  Boise  Overland  Company, 
was  born  at  Raymond,  Illinois,  August  12,  1892,  the  youngest  of  the  three  sons  of 
the  late  Henry  L.  Ash,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  was  a  lad  of 
but  eleven  years  when  the  family  removed  from  Iowa  to  Idaho  and  he  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Boise,  passing  through  consecutive  grades  to  the  high  school, 
while  later  he  was  graduated  from  Link's  Business  College  as  bookkeeper  and  ste- 
nographer, completing  his  course  there  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  For  five  years 
he  was  in  the  electrical  business  in  Boise  as  an  electrician  and  in  1912  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  automobile  trade  as  sales  manager  of  the  Intermountain  Auto 
Company.  In  1914  this  business  was  succeeded  by  the  Boise  Overland  Company, 
several  members  of  Mr.  Ash's  family,  including  himself,  purchasing  practically  all 
of  the  stock  of  the  Intermountain  Company  and  reorganizing  the  business  under  the 
present  name.  Russell  M.  Ash  has  been  the  treasurer  and  sales  manager  since  the 
organization.  He  has  three  times  been  awarded  prizes  by  the  Willys-Overland  Com- 
pany of  Toledo,  Ohio,  because  of  his  ability  and  success  as  a  salesman.  In  1912 
the  old  Intermountain  Auto  Company  employed  but  two  men  and  today  the  Boise 
Overland  Company  has  in  its  employ  twenty-five  men.  The  company  operates  ita 
own  garage,  repair  shop  and  parts  and  accessories  department,  also  a  storage  bat- 
tery department,  a  paint  shop  and  sales  department.  The  plant  is  equipped  to 
rebuild  cars  from  the  bottom  up  and  its  motto  is  one  hundred  per  cent  service  to  the 
public — a  slogan  that  finds  constant  exemplification  in  the  relation  of  the  company 
to  its  customers. 

On  the  12th  of  December,  1916,  Mr.  Ash  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  E.  Lund- 
gren,  of  Swedish  descent,  who  was  born  in  Nebraska.  They  have  one  child,  Betty 
Lou,  who  was  born  September  13,  1917.  Mr.  Ash  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial 
Club  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
has  also  taken  the  Royal  Arch  degrees  in  the  York  Rite  and  he  belongs  as  well  to 
the  Grotto.  He  is  wide-awake  and  energetic,  alert  to  every  business  opportunity 
that  is  presented  in  the  development  of  the  automobile  trade,  and  his  indefatigable 
effort  has  advanced  him  far  on  the  highroad  to  success. 


CHARLES   W.    WHITE. 

When  Charles  W.  White  filed  on  ninety-three  acres  of  land  in  1903  he  came 
into  possession  of  a  tract  of  sagebrush  destitute  of  all  improvements.  That  his 
life  has  been  one  of  intense  and  well  directed  activity  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that 
he  is  now  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  property,  and  in  the  conduct  of  his  grain 
and  stock  raising  interests  he  is  meeting  with  substantial  success.  Mr.  White  was 
born  in  Iowa,  October  15,  1868.  His  father,  S.  F.  White,  was  a  native  of  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  the  state  of  Idaho,  coming  here  with  his  son, 
Charles  W.,  in  1902.  The  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  A.  Mahan 
and  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  in  which  state  they  were  married.  On  reaching  Idaho 
th"  father  and  son  settled  at  Fayette  and  entered  the  contracting  business,  in 
which  they  continued  for  five  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  F.  White  spent  their 
last  years  in  Salem,  Oregon,  where  the  mother  passed  away  in  January,  1917,  the 
father  surviving  only  until  February,  1918. 

Charles  W.  White  first  came  to  Idaho  just  after  the  completion  of  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  Railroad  and  is  well  known  in  railroad  circles,  having  worked  on  vari- 
ous lines  in  earlier  days.  He  was  property  man  in  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific 
for  two  years  and  afterward  became  a  fireman  on  the  road.  Before  his  removal 
to  the  west  he  had  worked  for  the  Illinois  Central,  the  Wisconsin  Central,  the 
Great  Northern,  the  Northern  Pacific,  the  Burlington  and  the  Missouri.  Kansas 


932  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

&  Texas.  He  also  worked  on  the  interurban  line  between  Milwaukee  and  Wauke- 
sha,  Wisconsin.  Success  did  not  attend  his  ventures  in  railroad  circles,  however, 
and  in  1902  he  arrived  at  Payette,  Idaho,  with  a  cash  capital  of  but  seven  dollars 
and  a  half.  This  was  followed  by  five  years'  connection  with  the  contracting 
business  at  Payette,  but  in  the  meantime  he  was  making  preparations  for  active 
connection  with  agricultural  interests.  In  1903  he  filed  on  ninety-three  acres  of 
land,  forty-nine  acres  of  which  constitute  his  present  home  property.  He  has 
become  the  owner  through  subsequent  investments  of  four  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  and  is  planning  in  1920  to  erect  electric  pumping  plants  so  as  to 
irrigate  the  entire  tract.  He  now  has  fifteen  acres  in  alfalfa  and  he  also  raises 
various  grains  besides  beef  and  dairy  stock,  but  it  is  his  purpose  to  plant  his 
entire  acreage  to  alfalfa  in  1920.  His  land  is  located  on  the  Snake  river,  four 
miles  south  of  Fruitland.  His  brother,  G.  W.  White,  made  the  map  of  this  coun- 
try. Another  brother,  W.  W.  White,  owns  a  large  ranch  at  Nyssa,  Oregon,  and 
is  a  civil  engineer.  It  was  he  and  his  brother,  Charles  W.  White,  who  established 
the  sawmill  at  Payette. 

In  1888  Charles  W.  White  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  K.  Lamboy,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  five  children.  Logan  A.,  nineteen  years 
of  age,  went  to  France  as  a  member  of  the  Forty-first  Division,  Machine  Gun  Corps, 
and  was  transferred  to  the  Forty-second  Division.  He  was  in  the  engagement 
at  Chateau  Thierry,  where  lie  was  wounded,  and  this  incapacitated  him  for  a 
month.  He  was  wounded  a  second  time  in  a  subsequent  engagement  and  was  in 
the  hospital  for  three  months.  He  was  gassed  twice  and  altogether  spent  six 
months  in  the  hospital  out  of  the  twelve  months  when  he  was  at  the  front.  He 
said  when  he  enlisted  that  he  had  never  done  harm  to  anyone  and  was  not  afraid 
to  die.  .He  is  a  splendid  representative  of  the  young  American  manhood  that 
risked  life  and  was  willing  to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice  on  the  battlefields  of 
France.  He  still  remains  in  that  country,  where  he  is  doing  postal  service.  Lottie 
A.,  the  second  member  of  the  family,  is  the  wife  of  Roy  Johns  and  lives  near  her 
father's  place.  Louisa  A.,  Dorothy  A.  and  Minerva  M.  are  all  at  home. 

Mr.  White  is  actuated  by  a  most  progressive  spirit  and  his  energy  and  indus- 
try are  proving  potent  forces  in  the  attainment  of  success.  Recognizing  the  oppor- 
tunities offered  in  this  section  of  the  country,  he  is  working  effectively  in  the  de- 
velopment of  a  valuable  farm  property,  and  with  the  introduction  of  water,  each 
year  will  see  an  increase  in  the  worth  of  his  land  and  its  productiveness. 


WILLIAM  R.   GRAY. 

William  R.  Gray  makes  his  home  at  Oakley,  from  which  point  he  supervises  im- 
portant ranching  and  cattle  raising  interests  in  Boxelder  county,  Utah.  He  is  also 
identified  with  mining  and  financial  affairs  and  js  altogether  regarded  as  one  of  the 
representative  business  men  of  his  section  of  the  state.  He  was  born  in  Albany 
county,  New  York,  December  4,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  William  R.  and  Gertrude  (Hil- 
ton) Gray.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  the  Empire  state  and  to  its  educational 
system  he  is  indebted  for  the  opportunities  which  he  had  to  qualify  for  life's  prac- 
tical and  responsible  duties.  He  came  to  the  west  in  1886,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-one  years,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Sparks  &.  Tinnin  in  Elko  county,  Nevada. 
He  worked  as  a  cow  puncher  for  four  years  and  then,  seeing  the  opportunity  for 
the  attainment  of  success  along  those  lines,  he  took  up  land  in  Boxelder  county,  Utah, 
and  to'  his  holdings  has  added  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres  there.  He  first  built  a  log  house  and  began  the  work  of  improving  his  ranch. 
From  time  to  time  he  added  other  buildings,  secured  the  latest  improved  machinery 
to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  fields  and,  specializing  in  cattle  raising,  converted  his 
place  into  one  of  the  fine  stock  ranches  of  this  section  of  the  country.  Upon  it  he  has 
four  hundred  head  of  white-faced  cattle.  He  also  raises  horses  and  is  an  excellent 
judge  of  live  stock,  so  that  he  makes  most  judicious  purchases  and  profitable  sales. 
He  has  also  become  interested  in  the  Grape  Creek  mine,  a  silver  and  copper  pro- 
ducing property,  and  he  is  a  director  in  the  Oakley  State  Bank. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1903,  Mr.  Gray  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Edith 
Elison,  a  native  of  Utah  and  a  daughter  of  Eric  and  Christina  (Anderson)  Elison. 
They  have  become  parents  of  three  children:  W.  R.,  Kenneth  L.  and  Russell  E. 


WILLIAM  R.  GRAY 


MRS.  WILLIAM  R.  GRAY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  937 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Gray  removed  to  Oakley,  where  he  built  his  present 
home,  and  he  also  owns  another  residence  property  in  the  town.  His  political  en- 
dorsement is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  who  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  loyally  follows  the  teachings  and  purposes  of  the  craft  and  is  in 
hearty  sympathy  with  its  beneficent  spirit  and  its  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of 
mankind.  His  business  associates  find  him  thoroughly  reliable  aa  well  as  enterpris- 
ing and  his  friends  recognize  in  him  a  man  of  the  utmost  stability  of  character — one 
who  can  be  counted  upon  to  do  what  he  says  and  who  in  all  relations  of  life  stands 
for  progress  and  improvement. 


8.  O.  TUCKER. 

S.  G.  Tucker  is  actively  identified  with  farming  in  Canyon  county  and  is  num- 
bered among  its  most  progressive  citizens,  his  aid  and  influence  being  on  the  side 
of  every  project  or  plan  that  has  to  do  with  the  public  welfare.  He  was  born  March 
5,  1879,  about  one  mile  from  his  present  residence,  which  is  situated  in  township 
5  north  and  4  west,  not  far  from  Notus.  His  father,  James  N.  Tucker,  was  born 
in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  in  1833  and  when  but  a  young  lad  accompanied  his 
father  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  reared.  In  1850,  with  three  companions,  he  made  a 
trip  to  Eldorado,  California.  Each  had  thirty  dollars  in  cash  and  their  equipment 
consisted  of  six  hundred  pounds  of  provisions,  a  wagon  and  six  horses.  From 
that  time  forward  Mr.  Tucker  was  identified  with  the  west  and  in  1861  came  to 
Florence,  Idaho,  but  the  following  year  returned  to  California.  However,  later  in 
the  same  year  he  once  more  made  his  way-  to  Idaho,  with  the  Boise  basin  as  his 
destination,  and  engaged  in  business  in  Boise.  In  1864  he  settled  on  a  ranch  east 
of  Parma,  which  has  since  been  known  as  the  Tucker  ranch.  In  the  '70s  he  was 
told  to  go  immediately  to  the  fort  at  Parma  or  he  would  be  killed.  He  declined 
to  go,  however,  saying  that  he  would  remain  at  home  and  defend  his  family,  and 
if  he  was  to  be  killed,  he  preferred  that  it  should  be  in  his  own  home.  On  one 
occasion  he  followed  the  Indians  at  'night.  They  had  cut  his  clothesline  and  car- 
ried it  away  and  he  followed  them  out  into  the  field  but  could  only  hear  their  soft 
footsteps  and  in  the  morning  found  only  their  tracks.  For  years  he  successfully 
developed  and  improved  his  farm,  but  in  1909,  his  health  failing,  he  removed  to 
Caldwell  and  made  his  home  wfth  his  son,  John  A.,  although  still  retaining  the 
ownership  of  the  home  place.  He  died  in  1911,  much  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him.  In  1873  he  had  married  Ellen  Jane  Andrews,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  at 
the  home  of  her  brother,  Thomas  Andrews.  They  had  a  son,  James,  who  was  killed 
by  a  derrick  falling  upon  him  in  1901,  and  their  only  daughter,  Mamie,  the  wife 
of  S.  J.  Barnum,  passed  away  in  1909. 

S.  G.  Tucker  was  reared  upon  the  old  homestead,  only  about  a  mile  from  his 
present  residence,  his  father  having  traded  a  third  interest  in  a  livery  business, 
which  was  located  where  the  Owyhee  Hotel  in  Boise  now  stands,  for  the  relln- 
quishment  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  township  5  north  and  5  west. 
Upon  that  place  S.  G.  Tucker  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  sharing 
with  the  family  in  the  experiences  of  life  on  the  frontier,  and  he  can  tell  many* 
interesting  incidents  concerning  that  period  when  conditions  were  in  marked  con- 
trast to  those  found  at  the  present  day.  He  has  always  followed  farming  and  in 
1900  purchased  his  present  home  place  of  one  hundred  acres,  to  which  in  190J| 
he  added  eighty  acres.  He  raises  fine  registered  shorthorn  and  Durham  cattle,  of 
which  he  has  twenty  head,  and  also  some  hogs.  In  the  conduct  of  his  business 
affairs  he  follows  most  progressive  methods,  utilizing  every  opportunity  that  will 
lead  to  legitimate  success. 

Mr.  Tucker  is  recognized  as  a  stalwart  champion  of  the  cause  of  education. 
He  first  attended  school  himself  in  the  old  granary  which  his  father  had  given  to 
the  district  for  school  purposes,  and  he  finished  his  schooling  in  the  little  white 
schoolhouse  standing  upon  a  site  that  was  also  given  by  his  father  and  which  can 
now  be  seen  from  his  own  front  door.  Mr.  Tucker  has  ever  realized  the  value  of 
educational  training  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  which  erected  the  pres- 
ent splendid  district  school  building.  It  is  a  fine,  substantial  structure,  the  first 
floor  of  concrete  blocks  and  the  second  story  built  of  shingles  in  artistic  design; 


938  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

and  it  was  S.  G.  Tucker  who  gave  the  site  for  this  school.  The  three  schools  men- 
tioned are  all  within  a  small  radius  and  the  present  fine  modern  school  is  not  more 
than  two  city  blocks  from  his  own  home.  It  has  no  superior  among  the  district 
schools  of  Idaho  and  would  be  a  credit  to  any  city.  It  is  in  fact  very  superior  to 
the  average  country  schoolhouse  and  it  furnishes  accommodations  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  pupils. 

In  1900  Mr.  Tucker  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  E.  Stafford,  who  was  born  July 
27,  1879.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children.  George  N.,  who  is 
born  on  the  day  on  which  Mr.  Tucker's  brother  James  was  killed,  is  now  attending 
high  school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  Grace  and  Anna  are  also  in  school. 
Dudley  Grant,  six  years  of  age,  was  born  on  the  anniversary  of  his  father's  birth. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Tucker  is  a  stalwart  republican  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  politics.  He  has  been  offered  the  nomination  for  several  public  posi- 
tions but  has  always  declined  the  honor.  For  nineteen  years  he  has  been  a  loyal 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  entire  life  has  been  passed 
in  the  locality  in  which  he  resides  and  he  can  well  remember  the  building  of  the 
first  railroad  through  the  district  and  many  other  events  which  have  left  their  im- 
press upon  the  history  of  the  state.  Those  who  know  him,  and  he  has  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance, recognize  in  him  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth  and  a  man  whom  to  know 
is  to  respect  and  honor. 


JOHN  K.  MORRISON. 

John  K.  Morrison,  proprietor  of  the  Morrison  Automobile  Repair  Shop  at  the 
corner  of  Twelfth  and  Idaho  streets  in-  Boise,  was  born  in  Alabama,  January  24, 
1877,  a  son  of  Robert  J.  Morrison,  who  died  in  Birmingham,  Alabama,  in  1916, 
while  the  mother  passed  away  when  her  son  John  was  but  two  years  of  age.  Reared 
in  his  native  state,  he  there  learned  the  machinist's  trade  in  Anniston,  beginning 
work  along  that  line  when  a  youth  of  eighteen  years.  His  entire  life  has  been 
devoted  to  business  of  that  character  and  he  has  developed  expert  skill  along 
mechanical  lines.  In  1900  he  left  Alabama  and  came  to  the  northwest,  making  his 
way  first  to  Prescott,  Washington,  where  he  had  an  uncle  living.  He  spent  several 
years  in  the  state  of  Washington,  working  at  his  trade  in  various  connections,  and 
for  four  years  he  operated  a  threshing  machine. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  married  in  Spokane,  Washington,  February  4,  1904,  to  Miss 
Frances  Reratt,  a  native  of  Washington.  In  1906  they  took  up  their  abode  in 
Walla  Walla,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  repair  shop,  and  in  1907  they  came  to 
Idaho.  Mr.  Morrison  establishing  the  first  garage  at  Coeur  d'Alene  and  also  oper- 
ating a  repair  shop  in  connection  therewith.  In  1908  he  admitted  William  Sullivan 
to  a  partnership  in  the  business  and  in  1909  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner  and 
came  to  Boise,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Intermountain  Company  as  fore- 
man of  the  repair  department.  In  1910  he  purchased  the  shop  feature  of  the  busi- 
ness, calling  it  the  Intermountain  Repair  Shop.  His  business  was  located  at  the/ 
corner  of  Bannock  and  Tenth  streets.  In  May,  1916,  he  sold  this  shop  to  the  Boise 
Overland  Company  and  then,  purchasing  a  new  car,  he  started  with  his  family  to 
drive  across  the  country  td  Alabama  to  visit  his  father  and  other  relatives.  They 
left  Boise  on  the  4th  of  July,  1916,  and  reached  Birmingham,  Alabama,  on  the 
4th  of  August  after  traveling  thirty  days  and  spending  fully  twelve  days  in  rest 
and  sightseeing  while  en  route,  stopping  at  Denver  and  other  points.  In  November 
they  returned  to  Boise  and  for  a  few  months  Mr.  Morrison  was  employed  as  an 
automobile  salesman.  When  he  sold  to  the  Boise  Overland  Company  he  agreed  that 
he  would  not  again  engage  in  business  in  Boise  for  at  least  a  year  and  on  the 
expiration  of  that  period  or  in  August,  1917,  he  reestablished  himself  in  the  auto- 
mobile repair  business,  opening  a  shop  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Front  streets, 
and  on  the  15th  of  September,  1918,  removing  to  his  present  location  at  the  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  Idaho  streets,  where  h'e  occupies  a  splendid  new  solid  concrete 
building  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet,  which  was  especially  erected  for  his  use  by 
Frank  H.  Parsons,  one  of  the  well  known  citizens  of  Boise.  The  building  is  equipped 
with  a  modern  pump  and  filling  station  and  all  machinery  necessary  for  the  work 
that  he  carries  on.  There  is  also  a  ladies'  rest  room  and  altogether  the  Morrison 
Automobile  Repair  Shop  is  one  of  the  best  in  Boise. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  939 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison  have  become  parents  of  an  only  daughter,  Charlotte, 
now  fourteen  years  of  age,  a  student  in  the  high  school.  Mr.  Morrison  belongs  to 
the  Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce,  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  also  an  Elk, 
being  a  member  of  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  is  well  known  in  the 
business  circles  of  the  city,  where  he  has  now  made  his  home  for  a  decade. 


CHARLES  MONROE  GRAY. 

Forty-five  years  have  been  added  to  the  centuries  since  Charles  Monroe  Gray, 
now  deceased,  took  up  his  abode  in  Cassia  county,  where  for  many  years  he  figured 
as  a  successful  rancher  in  the  vicinity  of  Albion.  He  was  born  in  Clay  county. 
Missouri,  August  8.  1832,  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Gray.  His  boyhood  days 
were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  the  year  1875  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Idaho-, 
at  which  time  he  took  up,  his  abode  upon  the  ranch  that  is  now  occupied  by  his 
widow.  He  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land,  upon  which 
not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made,  and  with  characteristic 
energy  he  began  the  development  of  the  property.  His  first  home  was  a  little  log 
cabin  which  he  built  and  he  faced  all  of  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer 
life  in  the  early  days.  It  was  an  arduous  task  to  transform  the  wild  land  into 
highly  cultivated  fields,  but  with  resolute  purpose  he  undertook  the  work  and  in 
the  course  of  years  his  labors  brought  to  him  substantial  success. 

In  1873  Mr.  Gray  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Stevenson,  a  native  of 
Clay  county,  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Phoebe  (Baxter)  Stevenson. 
They  were  married  in  Andrew  county,  Missouri.  They  became  the  parents  of 
eight  children:  Theodore,  Sidney,  Laura,  Peter,  Calvin,  Lizzie,  Cora  and  May. 
They  shared  with  each  other  in  the  experiences  that  came  to  them  through  the 
pioneer  life  of  the  west,  Mrs.  Gray  proving  of  great  assistance  to  her  husband  by 
her  careful  management  of  household  affairs  and  the  wisdom  which  she  displayed 
in  rearing  their  children. 

Mr.  Gray  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1861  he  enlisted  at  Pattonsburg, 
Missouri,  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Twenty-third  Regiment  of  Missouri  Volun- 
teers, and  served  for  three  years,  six  months  and  ten  days.  He  participated  in 
many  hotly  contested  engagements,  including  the  battles  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
Lookout  Mountain,  Chattanooga  and  others,  and  also  went  with  Sherman  on  the 
celebrated  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  which  proved  that  the  strength  of  the 
Confederacy  was  almost  exhausted,  the  troops  having  been  drawn  from  the  interior 
to  defend  the  border.  When  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Gray  returned  to  his  home  in 
Missouri  with  a  most  creditable  military  record.  In  1875  he  removed  with  his 
wife  to  Idaho. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Gray  was  a  democrat,  interested  in  the  success  of 
his  party  because  of  his  firm  belief,  in  its  principles.  He  filled  the  office  of  county 
commissioner  for  six  years.  Fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Masons  and 
was  a  faithful  follower  of  the  beneficent  teachings  and  purposes  of  the  craft.  He 
passed  away  September  25,  1894,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him 
and  most  of  all  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  indicating  that  his  was  an  upright 
and  honorable  life.  Mrs.  Gray  still  makes  her  home  in  Cassia  county,  where  she  has 
now  lived  for  forty-five  years,  and  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  worthy  pioneer  women 
of  this  part  of  the  state. 


JOHN  W.   HARDIN. 

John  W.  Hardin,  identified  with  both  farming  and  grain  interests,  being  now 
manager  of  the  Kimberly  elevator  at  Kimberly,  Twin  Falls  county,  was  born  on  a 
farm  about  twelve  miles  from  Springfield,  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  February 
13,  1872,  his  parents  being  R.  T.  and  Mary  C.  (Starr)  Hardin,  both  of  whom  are 
now  living  at  Taylorville,  Illinois.  The  Hardins  are  an  old  Kentucky  family,  promi- 
nent in  that  state,  where  the  grandfather  of  John  W.  Hardin  followed  farming  in 
early  life  and  afterward  removed  to  Illinois.  His  wife  belonged  to  the  Baird  family, 
also  well  known  in  Kentucky  from  pioneer  times,  and  both  passed  away  in  Illinois. 


940  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

R.  T.  Hardin  was  born  near  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  was  six  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  left  that  state,  removing  to  Menard  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
reared  to.  manhood.  He  took  up  farming  as  a  life  work  and  later  removed  to  Sanga- 
mon  county,  where  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  C.  Starr.  They  have  continued  residents 
of  Illinois  to  the  present  time,  now  making  their  home  in  Taylorville. 

John  W.  Hardin  obtained  his  early  education  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois, 
and  was  reared  to  farm  life,  passing  through  the  usual  experiences  of  the  farm- 
bred  boy.  He  early  began  work  in  the  fields,  assisting  his  father  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  home  farm,  and  he  also  taught  school.  In  the  spring  of  1907  he  left 
his  native  state  and  removed  to  Spink  county,  South  Dakota,  where  he  purchased 
four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  cultivated  for  three  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1910  he  removed  to  Kimberly,  Idaho,  and  purchased  a  ranch  a  half 
mile  east  of  the  town,  comprising  eighty  acres.  His  attention  was  devoted  to  farm- 
ing alone  until  the  fall  of  1916,  when  he  accepted  his  present  position  as  manager 
of  the  Kimberly  elevator,  and  at  the  same  time  he  still  conducts  his  farm  of  eighty 
acres  and  also  cultivates  a  tract  of  forty  acres  south  of  Twin  Falls.  He  is  an 
energetic  man,  wisely  utilizing  every  opportunity  that  comes  to  him,  and  his  per- 
sistency of  purpose  and  keen  sagacity  in  business  affairs  are  bringing  to  him  sub- 
stantial success. 

In  1894  Mr.  Hardin  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Jacobs,  a  native  of  Christian 
county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  S.  J.  and  Frances  (Smith)  Jacobs,  both  of 
whom  passed  away  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardin  have  become  the  parents 
of  three  children,  J.  R.,  Herbert  and  Wayne.  The  second  son  joined  the  officers 
training  school  of  the  Eighth  Division  at  San  Francisco  during  the  World  war. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Hardin  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  his  political  allegiance 
is  given  to  the  republican  party.  He  stands  loyally  in  support  of  all  those  plans 
and  projects  which  he  deems  of  worth  to  the  community,  and  his  cooperation  can 
be  counted  upon  at  all  times  to  further  public  progress.  He  is  an  alert  and  progres- 
sive business  man,  thoroughly  reliable,  and  Kimberly  counts  him  as  a  valued  addi- 
tion to  its  citizenship. 


MIKKEL  FROSIG. 

Mikkel  Frosig,  engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  and  produce  business  at  Wilder, 
was  born  in  Denmark,  November  27,  1871.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1897,  when 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  in  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  1903.  He  then  removed  westward  to  Dillon,  Beaver- 
head  county,  Montana,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  dairy  business,  supplying 
the  town  of  Dillon  with  dairy  products  for  twelve  years.  He  arrived  there  in  February, 
1903,  and  on  the  22d  of  December,  1915,  left  that  place  for  California.  He  did  not  find 
what  he  considered  suitable  conditions  in  California,  however,  and  went  to  Washing- 
ton, where  he  was  equally  unsuccessful  in  search  of  a  location.  He  therefore  returned 
to  Montana  and  spent  some  time  in  making  a  trip  through  Yellowstone  Park,  finally 
selecting  some  land  in  the  Teton  basin.  It  was  necessary  to  go  to  Boise,  Idaho,  in 
order  to  get  the  information  necessary  for  further  proceedings  in  regard  to  the  land 
and  while  in  Idaho  he  found  his  present  location  and  decided  to  remain  in  this  state. 
He  bought  eighty  acres  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Wilder  and  has  since  owned  and  devel- 
oped the  property.  In  1916,  associated  with  J.  C.  Jacobson,  of  Idaho  Falls,  he  estab- 
lished a  wholesale  produce  business  in  Wilder,  and  in  1919  they  extended  the  scope  of 
their  activities  by  the  establishment  of  a  wholesale  grocery  department.  In  order  to 
house  their  business  they  have  erected  a  two-story  building,  of  which  a  section  forty  by 
forty  feet  is  used  for  the  wholesale  grocery,  while  the  remainder,  sixty  by  forty  feet, 
is  used  for  the  produce  business,  with  the  second  floor  utilized  as  a  rooming  house. 

In  the  fall  of  1918  Mr.  Frosig  disposed  of  his  farm,  as  he  found  it  necessary  to 
devote  his  entire  time  to  his  growing  wholesale  business.  On  the  1st  of  April,  1919, 
he  opened  a  retail  department  and  is  now  enjoying  an  excellent  trade.  He  is  devoting 
his  entire  attention  at  the  present  time  to  the  grocery  and  provision  business.  When 
he  arrived  in  Wilder  in  1916  the  town  was  very  small,  but  owing  to  climatic  conditions 
and  the  nature  of  the  soil  here  he  predicts  a  great  future  for  the  place.  Land  that  then 
sold  at  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre  is  now  selling  at  from  one 


MIKKEL  FROSIG 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  943 

hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  Mr.  Frosig  has  met  with  substantial  success 
in  the  conduct  of  his  business,  has  erected  a  handsome  bungalow  and  expects  to  make 
Wilder  his  future  home. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1918.  Mr.  Frosig  was  married  to  Miss  Nina  Boiles,  of 
Wilder,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Ina  Caren.  Mr.  Frosig  is  an  energetic 
and  enterprising  business  man  who  readily  recognizes  and  utilizes  opportunities.  He 
has  for  sixteen  years  lived  in  the  west  and  the  spirit  of  western  development  and  pro- 
gress! veness  finds  expression  in  his  career.  What  he  undertakes  he  carries  forward  to 
successful  completion  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  representative  business  men  of  Canyon 
county. 


LEO  EDWARD  MARSTERS. 

.  Leo  Edward  Marsters  is  identified  with  farming  and  auctioneering  in  Ada 
county,  being  the  junior  partner  in  the  firm  of  E.  Marsters  &  Son  of  Meridian. 
The  father  resides  upon  a  fine  and  highly  improved  ranch  a  mile  and  a  half  north 
of  Meridian,  comprising  sixty  acres  of  land,  while  the  son  is  living  on  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  four  miles  north  of  Meridian.  He  was  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  Nebraska,  May  22,  1886,  and  is"  the  only  son  of  Colonel  Elias 
Marsters,  who  is  mentioned  at  length  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Leo  E. 
Marsters  came  to  Idaho  with  his  parents  in  1897,  when  a  lad  of  eleven  years,  and 
his  education,  which  was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state,  was 
continued  in  Idaho.  He  became  a  student  in  the  Boise  high  school,  from  which  he 
was  graduated,  and  later  he  entered  the  University  of  Idaho.  After  his  textbooks 
were  put  aside  he  became  an  active  factor  in  ranching  and  on  attaining  his  majority 
his  father  gave  to  him  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  of  land  which  he  had 
purchased  on  removing  to  this  state  in  1897.  He  also  received  training  from  his 
father  in  the  work  of  auctioneering  and  the  firm  of  E.  Marsters  &  Son  is  now  welj 
known  not  only  throughout  Ada  county  but  also  throughout  southern  Idaho  and 
southeastern  Oregon,  where  they  conduct  many  sales.  In  fact  it  is  said  that  they 
have  ninety  per  cent  of  the  sales  of  Ada  county.  He  received  his  training  under 
his  father  and  his  father  had  in  turn  been  instructed  in  auctioneering  methods  by 
his  father,  and  thus  three  generations  of  the  family  have  carried  on  the  business. 

On  the  3d  of  February,  1911,  Mr.  Marsters  was  married  to  Miss  Edith  Huntley, 
of  Nampa,  Idaho,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  October  9,  1887.  They  have  three 
children:  Clyde;  Gladys;  and  Leo  Elias,  who  is  six  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Marsters  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  loyal  follower  of 
the  craft.  He  has  recently  completed  upon  his  ranch  a  fine  modern  country  home, 
adding  several  thousand  dollars  to  its  value.  The  ranches  which  are  owned  and 
occupied  by  himself  and  father  .are  excellent  properties,  the  land  being  of  rich 
fertility  and  responding  readily  to  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  They  have 
good  buildings  of  every  kind,  including  silos,  barns  and  sheds  thoroughly  adequate 
to  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock,  and  there  is  much  fruit  and  beautiful  shrubbery 
upon  their  places,  making  them  fine  country  homes. 


W.  F.  RINGER. 

A  well  improved  dairy  farm  of  fifty  acres  situated  about  a  mile  west  of  New 
Plymouth,  is  the  property  of  W.  F.  Ringer,  who  is  meeting  with  well  deserved 
success  in  his  business  interests.  He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  January  1,  1869,  and 
is  a  son  of  A.  C.  and  Sarah  M.  (Merrett)  Ringer,  who  were  also  natives  of  Nova 
Scotia,  where  the  father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  1880  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  there,  with  the  assistance  of  his  son,  W.  F. 
Ringer,  he  engaged  In  the  ice  business  for  eighteen  years,  selling  to  both  the  whole- 
sale and  retail  trades. 

W.  F.  Ringer  had  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  was  actively  connected  with  the  ice  business  in  Chicago  until  1901,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  interest  there  and  came  to  New  Plymouth,  his  father  and  mother 


944  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

having  preceded  him  four  years.  His  father  died  in  New  Plymouth  in  1905.  The 
family  numbered  eight  children. 

On  coming  to  this  state  W.  F.  Ringer  settled  about  a  mile  west  of  the  town 
of  New  Plymouth  and  there  still  makes  his  home.  He  has  fifty  acres  of  land  and 
is  conducting  a  dairy  ranch,  having  fifteen  head  of  milk  cows.  He  has  just  installed 
a  milking  machine  and  is  building  a  ninety-two  ton  silo.  In  connection  with  his 
farm  work  he  has  followed  well  drilling  for  many  years,  recently  selling  his  drilling 
outfit  to  his  sons,  Wilford  and  Ernest. 

Mr.  Ringer  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  married  Louise  McCumber,  of 
Chicago,  who  was  born  in  Michigan.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children. 
Wilford,  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  was  a  member  of  the  marines  during  the 
World  war.  Violet  L.  is  the  next  of  the  family.  George  A.,  twenty- two  years  of 
age,  is  a  first  class  petty  officer  in  the  United  States  navy.  Hazel  M.,  Ernest  R.f 
Milton  I.  and  Bertha  May  are  at  home.  Phoebe  R.  is  attending  school.  The  mother 
of  these  children  passed  away  in  1906  and  Mr.  Ringer  was  later  married  to  Meta 
Day,  a  native  of  England.  They  have  become  parents  of  two  children,  May  and 
Frederick  William. 

When  Mr.  Ringer  arrived  in  Idaho  everything  was  in  a  crude  condition  and 
even  making  a  living  was  a  problem.  He  has  witnessed  the  work  of  development 
here  as  the  transformation  of  Idaho  into  a  rich  and  productive  state  has  been 
accomplished,  and  he  has  borne  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  progress  in  Payette 
county,  where  he  has  won  a  substantial  measure  of  success,  being  one  of  the  largest 
hay  shippers  of  the  state,  while  his  dairy  interests  are  also  bringing  to  him  sub- 
stantial profits. 


BYRON  J.  DUNTEN. 

Byron  J.  Dunten  is  occupying  an  excellent  property  of  twenty  acres  of  highly 
improved  land  at  Onweiler  Station,  one  mile  north  of  Meridian,  known  as  the  old 
George  Rogers  place.  It  is  a  fine  country  home,  modern  to  the  last  word  and  in- 
dicating the  progressive  and  enterprising  spirit  of  the  owner,  who  is  a  well  known 
resident  of  Ada  county.  He  came  to  Idaho  from  Grant  county,  Oregon,  in  1915  and 
purchased  the  place  upon  which  he  has  since  resided.  Oregon  numbers  him  among 
her  native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Lane  county,  September  3,  1884,  his 
parents  being  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Martha  (Williams)  Dunten,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  The  father  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  December  25,  1830, 
and  went  to  California  with  the  gold  rush  in  1849,  making  the  trip  across  the 
plains  from  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  was  then  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years. 
Later  he  proceeded  northward  to  Oregon  territory  from  California  and  spent  his 
remaining  days  in  Lane  county,  that  state,  being  there  engaged  in  farming  and 
in  the  cultivation  of  hops,  becoming  one  of  the  prominent  representatives  of  the 
hop  industry  of  the  state.  At  one  time  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Lane  county 
and  he  also  filled  the  position  of  marshal  in  Eugene,  Oregon.  He  died  June  21, 
1892,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  survived  by  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  August  7,  1843,  and  passed  away  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  October  14,  1907. 

Byron  J.  Dunten  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  six  sons  and 
four  daughters,  eight  of  whom  are  yet  living,  the  three  in  Idaho  being:  Mrs.  Lola 
May  Hillegas,  of  Boise;  Roy  G.  and  Byron  J.,  the  former  residing  about  a  half  mile 
north  of  the  latter. 

Byron  J.  Dunten  was  reared  upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Lane  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  acquired  a  good  common  school  education.  Throughout  his  entire  life 
he  has  followed  farming  and  cattle  raising,  being  formerly  extensively  engaged  in 
the  latter  pursuit  in  Grant  county,  Oregon.  At  times  he  had  large  herds  of  cattle 
and  his  business  was  one  of  extensive  proportions,  yielding  substantial  profits.  In 
1914  he  closed  out  his  cattle  interests,  selling  one  thousand  head  of  cattle  and 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  hay  land.  He  then  came  to  Ada  county,  Idaho,  and  pur- 
chased the  highly  improved  twenty-acre  ranch  a  mile  north  of  Meridian  upon  which' 
he  now  resides,  and  here  he  has  one  of  the  finest  country  homes  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  The  residence  is  thoroughly  modern  and  in  its  equipment  is  equal  to  that 
of  any  city  home,  containing  electric  light,  bath,  hot  and  cold  water  system,  furnace 
and  electric  motor.  There  is  a  large  amount  of  fruit  upon  the  place  and  the  lawn 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  945 

• 

ia  adorned  with  beautiful  shade  trees  and  shrubbery.  In  fact  it  is  a  home  that  in 
every  line  and  feature  expresses  comfort  and  convenience.  His  orchards  are  a  very 
profitable  source  of  income,  for  he  has  splendid  apple  trees  which  are  now  in  their 
best  bearing  stage.  His  former  success  has  enabled  him  to  make  large  and  profit- 
able investments  in  bonds,  notes  and  other  valuable  commercial  paper  and  he  is 
now  one  of  the  men  of  affluence  in  his  section  of  the  state. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1914,  at  Nampa,  Idaho,  Mr.  Dunten  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Maudie  A.  Hyde,  who  was  born  at  Prineville,  Crook  county,  Oregon, 
December  28,  1879.  Her  parents  were  John  and  Mary  (Bunton)  Hyde,  the  former 
a  native  of  Harrisburg,  Oregon,  while  the  latter  was  also  born  in  that  state.  Mr. 
Hyde  is  still  living,  but  his  wife  passed  away  October  17,  1915,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years  and  sixteen  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunten  now  have  a  daughter,  Pauline, 
who  was  born  on  the  3d  of  November,  1918. 

Mr.  Dunten  is  a  Master  Mason  and  in  politics  is  a  republican.  His  has  been  an 
active  and  useful  life,  fraught  with  honorable  purposes,  and  his  indefatigable  energy 
and  industry  have  been  the  basis  of  the  prosperity  which  is  now  his. 


THOMAS  OWEN  KING. 

Thomas  Owen  King,  a  retired  ranchman  residing  at  Almo,  Cassia  county,  has 
now  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  has  led  an  active,  busy 
and  useful  life  and  it  is  meet  that  in  the  evening  of  his  days  he  should  rest  from 
further  labor.  He  was  born  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  April  27,  1840,  and  is 
a  son  of  Tffomas  and  Hannah  (Tapfield)  King.  He  was  but  twelve  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  came  with  their  family  to  the  United  States  in  1853  as  passengers 
on  the  Golconda,  a  sailing  ship  that  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  Orleans. 
They  then  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis,  where  they  outfitted  for 
further  travel  westward.  They  next  made  their  way  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where 
Thomas  King,  Sr.,  put  his  wagons  together  and  purchased  oxen,  and  they  proceeded 
with  a  company  of  fifty  wagons  across  the  country  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  He 
crossed  the  Missouri  river  and  proceeded  westward  over  the  plains  until  he  arrived 
in  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  28th  of  September,  1853.  He  purchased  a  farm  west  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  Jordan  river,  obtaining  eighty  acres  which  he  cultivated  and 
developed,  but  made  his  home  in  the  city.  Both  the  father  and  mother  died,  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  Mr.  King  in  1875,  when  seventy-five  years  of  age,  while  the  mother 
passed  away  on  the  25th  of  September,  1886,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

In  May,  1855,  Thomas  Owen  King,  then  a  lad  of  but  fifteen  years,  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  guards  to  escort  Orson  Hyde  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  the  Carson 
valley  to  hold  court,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  was  sent  with  a  party  to  capture 
a  murderer,  Alfred  Hawes,  whom  they  caught.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  went  on  a  gov- 
ernment survey  trip,  proceeding  to  Nephi  and  south  to  the  Sevier  river,  then  up  the 
river  and  back  to  Sanpete  county,  Utah,  surveying  the  Sanpete  valley.  From  that 
point  they  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City.  In  1857  he  again  went  on  a  government  sur- 
veying trip  which  consumed  six  weeks,  surveying  the  lower  part  of  the  Sevier  river 
and  the  surrounding  country,  returning  then  to  Salt  Lake  City.  In  the  following 
May  he  went  out  with  Young's  Express  Company  to  Deer  Creek,  seventy-five  miles 
west  of  Fort  Laramie,  on  the  North  Platte  river,  and  built  forty-six  houses  in  the 
form  of  a  fort  and  stockade  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers  against  the  Indians. 
During  President  Buchanan's  administration  he  ordered  United  States  troops  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  being  misinformed  concerning  the  condition  of  the  Mormon  people. 
Brigham  Young,  then  governor  of  Utah  territory,  sent  out  a  number  of  men  to 
intercept  the  soldiers  and  among  this  number  was  Mr.  King.  In  1858  Mr.  King 
was  in  the  employ  of  Major  Brockie  in  putting  up  government  hay  in  the  Cache 
valley  of  Utah.  In  1859  he  engaged  in  trading  with  the  Indians  and  immigrants 
at  Hawes  Fork,  now  known  as  Granger.  In  1860  he  rode  the  pony  express  from 
the  Weber  river  in  Utah  to  a  point  twelve  miles  beyond  Fort  Bridger  and  later  rode 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Bear  river.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  Eng- 
land on  a  mission,  crossing  the  plains  with  mule  teams  and  arriving  in  England  in 
the  following  December,  there  continuing  his  labors  until  June  3,  1864.  When 
released  from  his  mission  he  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City,  again  making  the  trip 
westward  by  ox  team  and  acting  as  guard  to  the  cattle  at  night,  for  there  wer» 
vol.  n— BO 


946  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

plenty  of  hostile  Indians  along  the  road,  rendering  life  and  property  somewhat 
unsafe.  In  the  year  1864  the  Indians  were  very  aggressive  and  hostile. 

In  1865  Mr.  King  followed  farming  in  the  Cache  valley  of  Utah  and  in  1866 
engaged  in  the  commission  and  trading  business  at  Salt  Lake  City,  selling  his  prod- 
ucts at  various  points  in  Utah.  Later  he  bought  a  farm  on  the  Bear  river  in  Utah, 
now  called  Collinston,  and  subsequently  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he  was 
employed  by  Zion's  Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution  until  1878.  In  the  latter 
year  he  made  his  way  to  the  narrows  on  Raft  river  for  Governor  Emery  of  Utah  to 
act  as  foreman  on  his  ranch,  being  thus  employed  until  the  spring  of  1880,  when  Mr. 
King  homesteaded  a  ranch  property  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  under  the  Desert 
act.  Later  he  built  a  log  house  of  six  rooms  and  began  the  task  of  developing  and 
improving  his  ranch,  which  he  still  owns.  He  makes  his  home,  however,  at  the  pres- 
ent time  in  Almo.  He  has  given  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep 
and  his  ranching  interests  have  been  carefully  and  successfully  conducted.  He  is 
now  largely  living  retired  and  occupies  a  comfortable  brick  residence  at  Almo. 

In  1868  Mr.  King  was  married  to  Miss  Dorcas  Debenham,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Sarah  (Larter)  Debenham  and  a  native  of  England.  She  came  to  the  United 
States  in  early  life  with  friends,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  1864  and  making  her  way 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  later  she  was  married.  Her  parents  came  to  the  new 
world  in  1868  and  they,  too,  settled  at  Salt  Lake  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have 
seven  children:  Thomas  O.,  Louis  D.,  Georgiana,  Harold  T.,  Nellie  H.  L.,  Andrew 
and  Hannah  T. 

Mr.  King  has  always  remained  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  he  served  as  bishop  in  Cassia 
county.  His  political  endorsement  has  always  been  given  to  the  republican  party. 
There  is  no  phase  of  pioneer  life  and  development  in  this  section  of  the  country 
with  which  he  is  not  familiar  and  his  life  history,  if  written  in  detail,  would  give 
an  accurate  picture  of  pioneer  conditions  here.  In  1867  he  participated  in  a  battle 
with  the  Indians  at  South  Pass,  the  head  of  Sweetwater  river,  Wyoming.  He  was 
associated  with  Myron  B.  Durfee  in  naming  the  town  of  Almo,  which  was  built 
by  the  Mormons  of  this  state  in  1904.  In  1867  Mr.  King  and  William  Corless 
went  out  to  the  South  Pass,  taking  passengers  with  them,  and  were  surrounded  by 
a  band  of  Crow  Indians.  Four  of  the  party  were  killed  and  thirty  head  of  their 
horses  were  driven  away  by  the  red  men.  "Mr.  King  early  became  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  methods  of  warfare  and  knew  what  it  was  for  many  years  to  remain 
constantly  on  the  alert,  fearing  Indian  attack.  He  has  witnessed  the  entire  growth 
and  development  of  this  section  of  the  country  and  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work 
of  general  progress  and  improvement.  His  memory  forms  a  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  primitive  past,  with  all  of  its  attendant  hardships  and  privations,  and  the 
progressive  present  with  its  opportunities  and  advantages. 


FRANK    E.    JOHNESSE. 

Frank  E.  Johnesse,  whose  forcefulness  and  resourcefulness  are  manifest  in  the 
substantial  success  which  he  has  attained  as  a  mining  engineer  and  promoter  of  mining 
interests  in  Idaho,  is  now  field  engineer  and  general  manager  of  the  Metals  &  General 
Development  Company  and  makes  his  home  in  Boise.  He  was  born  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1869,  in  Montrose,  Iowa,  a  son  of  W.  M.  and  Adaline  (Johnson)  Johnesse. 
The  father  was  of  early  Canadian  French  ancestry  and  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
Frank  E.  Johnesse  served  in  the  French  revolution.  W.  M.  Johnesse  became  a  ship 
carpenter  and  contractor  and  for  many  years  was  identified  with  the  building  of 
Mississippi  river  steamboats.  He  became  a  resident  of  Iowa  during  the  early  '50s 
and  there  remained  until  called  to  his  final  rest.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
put  aside  all  business  and  personal  considerations  and  responded  to  his  country's  call 
for  military  aid,  serving  for  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  Tenth  Illinois  Regiment. 
He  was  married  at  Fort  Montrose,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Adaline  Johnson,  a  native  of  Wheel- 
ing, West  Virginia,  whose  parents  were  pioneer  settlers  of  that  place,  locating  there 
during  the  early  '40s. 

Frank  E.  Johnesse,  the  third  of  the  children  of  W.  M.  and  Adaline  Johnesse,  ac- 
quired his  early  education  in  the'  public  schools  of  Iowa  and  then  in  the  continuance 
of  his  studies  made  a  specialty  of  applied  science,  particularly  chemistry  and  mineral 


FRANK  E.  JOHNESSE 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  949 

analysis.  Turning  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  to  the  west,  he  soon 
became  well  known  as  a  mining  engineer.  He  first  mined  in  the  Black  Hills  of  South 
Dakota,  acquiring  an  early  experience  that  constituted  the  foundation  upon  which  he 
has  huilt  his  later  progress  and  success.  From  1889  until  1893  he  was  employed  in 
that  district  on  a  salary  and  then  left  the  Black  Hills  for  mining  regions  farther  west. 
He  first  made  his  way  to  the  Wood  River  district  of  Idaho,  where  for  a  year  he  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  then  spent  a  similar  period  as  plateman  and  engineer  with  the 
Hailey  Sampling  Works.  On  leaving  Hailey  he  went  to  Silver  City,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  machinery  of  the  Tip-Top  Mining  Company,  and  with  the  development 
of  the  mining  boom  at  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  he  became  a  prospector  in  that  region 
and  also  followed  his  profession.  After  six  months,  however,  he  returned  to  the 
Idaho  fields  and  through  the  greater  part  of  the  intervening  period  his  labors  have 
been  directed  in  this  state.  He  followed  mining  in  the  Elk  City  country  of  northern 
Idaho  until  1902  but  in  the  meantime  made  several  trips  to  the  Cripple  Creek  fields 
of  Colorado  and  to  the  mining  district  of  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  as  well  as  to 
various  other  mining  towns.  In  1898  he  was  connected  with  the  Buffalo  Hump  ex- 
citement and  was  at  Thunder  Mountain  in  1902.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  a  per- 
manent resident  of  Boise,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  practicing  as  a  mining 
engineer,  and  he  is  well  known  also  as  field  engineer  and  general  manager  of  the  Metals 
&  General  Development  Company.  He  has  also  been  called  upon  to  fill  various  offices 
of  public  trust,  largely  along  the  line  of  his  profession.  In  1904  Governor  Morrison 
appointed  him  superintendent  of  the  Wagon  Road  construction  and  in  1905  he  or- 
ganized the  Blue  Jacket  Mining  Company  on  the  Snake  river,  in  Idaho  county.  This 
was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the  copper  mines  of  that  region,  resulting 
in  one  of  the  largest  and  most  practical  mining  enterprises  in  central  Idaho.  He 
received  federal  appointment  to  the  position  of  mineral  inspector  and  capably  served 
in  that  capacity  from  1909  until  1911  inclusive.  In  December  of  the  latter  year,  how- 
ever, he  resigned  the  position  to  give  his  attention  to  mining  projects  in  which  he 
is  directly  interested.  The  Metals  &  General  Development  Company,  with  which 
he  is  so  intimately  and  actively  connected,  was  organized  for  the  development  of  the 
mining  industry  In  the  northwest,  with  offices  at  Boise.  The  purpose  of  the  com- 
pany includes  the  exploiting  and  mining  of  all  kinds  of  gems  and  minerals  in  the 
state,  the  development  of  its  own  mining  properties  and  the  development  on  contracts 
of  mining  properties  of  other  corporations.  Mr.  Johnesse  as  representative  of  the 
company  purchased  the  Rock  Flat  placer  mines  in  Idaho  and  at  once  began  work  in 
the  development  of  its  gold  and  silver  deposits  and  gems. 

In  1900  Mr.  Johnesse  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Patten,  daughter 
of  F.  D.  and  Emily  Patten,  who  were  then  residents  of  Iowa  but  are  now  living  in 
Portland,  Oregon.  Her  father  was  born  in  the  former  state  and  for  several  years 
before  his  removal  to  the  Pacific  coast  was  a  chief  engineer  on  the  Mississippi  river. 
Mrs.  Johnesse  is  a  granddaughter  of  Colonel  Bryan  Whitfleld  and  a  descendant  of 
Adjutant  William  Whitfleld  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  who  had  the  distinction  of 
capturing  General  McDonald,  the  British  commander,  at  the  battle  of  Morris  Creek 
in  North  Carolina.  Another  member  of  the  family  was  George  Whitfleld,  the  dis- 
tinguished evangelist  associated  with  John  Wesley.  Mrs.  Johnesse  is  also  descended 
from  the  William  Whitfield  family  of  Whitfield  Hall  in  Cumberland,  England.  Tra- 
dition has  it  that  the  first  member  of  the  Whitfleld  family  went  from  Denmark  into 
England  about  the  same  time  as  William  the  Conqueror  made  his  way  from  Nor- 
mandy into  Britain.  On  the  pages  of  family  history  appear  many  distinguished 
names.  A  daughter  of  Robert  Whitfield  of  Newborough  in  County  Sussex,  England, 
became  the  wife  of  the  famous  Whittington,  who  seemed  to  hear  the  bells  say  "Turn 
apain.  Whittington,"  thrice  lord  mayor  of  London.  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  John 
Whitfield,  whose  name  also  appears  in  the  ancestral  records,  in  1634  married  Sir 
Edward  Culpepper  of  Surrey,  wno  became  prominent  in  forwarding  the  early  settle- 
ment of  America.  In  1707  William  Whitfleld  came  to  the  new  world  and  became  the 
progenitor  of  a  large  branch  of  the  family  that  lived  in  Virginia  in  early  days  and 
has  since  become  widely  scattered  throughout  the  country.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnesse 
have  been  born  two  children.  Adaline  and  Mary  Louise.  The  family  occupy  a  beauti- 
ful home  in  Boise  which  is  the  center  of  a  cultured  society  circle. 

They  are  communicants  of  the  Episcopal  church,  in  which  Mr.  Johnesse  has 
served  as  vestryman,  and  in  the  various  branches  of  the  church  work  they  take  an 
active  and  helpful  interest.  Mr.  Johnesse  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is 
a  member  of  Boise  Lodge,  No.  310,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  of  the  American  Society  of 


950  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Mining  Engineers.  His  political  allegiance  has  usually  been  given  to  the  republican 
party  but  he  does  not  hold  himself  bound  by  party  ties.  He  was  elected  to  represent 
his  district  in  the  state  legislature,  where  he  gave  earnest  consideration  to  all  vital 
questions  which  came  up  for  settlement.  His  wife  has  been  very  prominent  in  war 
work  and  is  the  president  of  the  Columbia  Club,  the  leading  woman's  club  of  Boise. 
In  all  that  makes  for  good  citizenship,  for  municipal  and  cultural  progress  and  for 
the  material  development  and  upbuilding  of  the  state  the  Johnesse  famijy  are  deeply 
interested  and  for  many  years  Mr.  Johnesse  has  held  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of 
his  profession  in  the  northwest  and  has  made  valuable  contribution  to  those  interests 
and  activities  which  have  figured  very  largely  in  connection  with  the  development  of 
the  natural  resources  of  Idaho. 


WALTER   G.    SMITHERMAN. 

Walter  G.  Smitherman,  conducting  business  under  the  name  of  the  Boise  Auto 
Supply  Company  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  Idaho  streets  in  Boise,  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  capital  city  for  twenty-five  years,  coming  to  this  state  from 
Oregon.  He  was  born  upon  a  farm  in  Cass  county,  Missouri,  December  31,  1874, 
a  son  of  Jesse  M.  and  Matilda  E.  (Barnard)  Smitherman,  both  now  deceased.  The 
parents  came  to  Boise  from  Oregon  in  1895  and  spent  their  remaining  days  in  the 
capital.  They  were  accompanied  by  their  son  Walter,  who  had  been  reared  and 
educated  in  Missouri.  He  has  now  been  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
Idaho  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  associated  with  W.  H.  Ridenbaugh  in 
the  lumber  business  for  fifteen  years  and  later  was  in  the  furniture  business  for 
several  years.  In  April,  1918,  he  purchased  the  establishment  of  the  Boise  Auto 
Supply  Company  and  has  since  engaged  in  handling  automobile  supplies  of  every 
kind,  also  doing  vulcanizing,  battery  and  ignition  work.  In  this  connection  he  has 
built  up  a  business  of  substantial  proportions. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1917,  Mr.  Smitherman  was  married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Wil- 
liams, a  native  of  Seattle,  Washington,  whose  early  life,  however,  was  largely  passed 
in  Alaska.  She  was  educated  chiefly  at  St.  Helen's  Hall  in  Portland. 

Mr.  Smitherman  belongs  to  the ''Boise  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  much  in- 
terested in  the  plans  of  that  organization  for  the  development  and  upbuilding  of 
the  city.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Yeoman  and  when  leisure  permits  he  enjoys 
a  fishing  trip  as  a  means  of  rest  and  recreation.  In  the  business  circles  of  his 
adopted  city  he  has  ever  maintained  an  unassailable  reputation,  and  his  progress 
toward  the  goal  of  success  has  resulted  from  close  application  and  unfaltering 
energy. 


EDWARD  E.  BUTLER. 

Edward  E.  Butler  is  a  prominent  and  representative  farmer  of  Ada  county 
who  owns  and  occupies  an  excellent  ranch  property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
eleven  miles  west  of  Boise  and  three  miles  northwest  of  Meridian.  He  was  born 
in  Martin,  county,  Indiana,  November  25,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Hiram  C.  and  Mary 
(Walker)  Butler.  The  mother  died  when  her  son  Edward  was  but  one  year  old. 
The  father  afterward  married  again  and  with  his  second  wife  and  his  children 
removed  to  Sedalia,  Missouri,  in  1878,  Edward  E.  Butler  there  remaining  until 
twenty  years  of  age.  At  that  time,  attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  growing 
northwest,  he  came  to  Idaho  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Boise  and  Ada  county. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1890  that  Mr.  Butler  reached  this  state,  just  a  few 
months  before  Idaho's  admission  to  the  Union.  He  spent  fifteen  years  in  the  capital 
city  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  has  been  passed  on  ranches  west  of  Boise,  in 
the  neighborhood  in  which  he  still  lives.  He  removed  to  his  present  place  in  1908, 
first  purchasing  eighty  acres  of  land  and  later  investing  in  another  eighty-acre 
tract.  He  has  now  one  of  the  finest  quarter-section  ranches  in  the  Boise  valley.  He 
erected  thereon  a  beautiful  residence  in  1913 — a  two-story  structure  containing 
eight  rooms  and  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences  and  accessories. 

On  the  28th  of  July,   1891,  Mr.  Butler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elvie 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  951 

May  Knox,  a  daughter  of  the  late  George  D.  and  Amanda  Martha  Knoz,  who  are 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  have  one  living  child, 
James  William,  who  was  born  March  18,  1893,  and  is  now  assisting  his  father  in 
the  management  and  conduct  of  the  ranch,  forty  acres  of  which  belongs  to  him. 
In  February,  1919,  he  returned  home  from  six  months'  service  in  the  training 
camps  of  the  American  army. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Butler  is  a  republican  but  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  office,  preferring  to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  private  interests.  For 
the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  the  secretary  of  the  Settlers  Irrigation  District. 
He  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  They  are  people  of  sterling  worth  whose  many  admirable  quali- 
ties have  gained  them  the  friendship  and  kindly  regard  of  all  who  know  them, 
Everywhere  they  are  spoken  of  in  terms  of  high  respect,  while  they  are  loyal  to  all 
those  interests  which  make  for  the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  progress  of 
the  community. 


GEORGE  F.  NESBITT. 

George  F.  Nesbitt,  a  successful  farmer  of  the  New  Plymouth  district,  is 
numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Payette  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
the  banks  of  the  Payette  river,  on  the  old  homestead,  about  two  miles  from  his 
present  residence,  on  the  31st  of  December,  1884.  His  father,  J.  F.  Nesbitt,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  progressive  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  state  and  has  con- 
tributed in  notable  measure  to  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  region. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  promoting  agricultural  development,  in  establishing 
and  successfully  conducting  banking  interests  and  in  promoting  irrigation  projects. 

George  F.  Nesbitt  thus  had  an  excellent  example  to  stimulate  and  encourage 
him.  He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  district  school  near  his  birthplace  and 
for  two  years  was  a  student  in  the  University  of  Idaho,  there  pursuing  a  course  in 
agriculture  and  language.  The  day  after  he  attained  his  majority  he  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  he  now  resides  and  he  has  recently  added  forty 
acres  to  his  original  holdings,  his  place  being  situated  five  and  a  quarter  miles 
northeast  of  New  Plymouth.  He  has  developed  his  land,  which  is  today  highly 
productive,  and  he  now  has  one  hundred  acres  planted  to  alfalfa  and  grain,  harvest- 
ing about  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  alfalfa  in  1919.  He  also  has  upon  his 
place  about  two  hundred  head  of  graded  cattle  and  two  registered  shorthorn  bulls. 

In  1909  Mr.  Nesbitt  married  Priscilla  Highbotham,  a  native  of  Elgin.  Oregon, 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  Highbotham,  who  with  his  wife  crossed  the  plains 
in  an  emigrant  wagon.  They  are  now  living  on  Manns  creek,  in  Washington  county, 
Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbitt  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  their  section  of 
the  state,  enjoying  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all.  As  a  business  man  he  has 
made  steady  progress  since  starting  out  in  life  on  his  own  account  and  Is  today 
the  owner  of  valuable  and  productive  property. 


HOMER   CHENEY. 


Within  recent  years  bee  culture  has  developed  into  one  of  the  important  Indus- 
tries of  Idaho  and  along  this  line  of  activity  Homer  Cheney,  a  resident  of  New 
Plymouth,  is  directing  his  energies,  being  now  a  prominent  and  successful  apiarist 
of  the  district.  He  has  resided  continuously  in  New  Plymouth  since  1904.  He  is 
a  native  of  Michigan,  his  birth  having  occurred  near  Lansing,  September  26,  1866. 
His  father,  Charles  Cheney,  was  a  farmer  in  Michigan,  in  which  state  he  was  born, 
and  there  he  married  Charlotte  Groves,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 

Homer  Cheney  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  while  spending 
his  youthful  days  under  the  parental  roof  and  in  Michigan  he  followed  farming 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  western  Nebraska  and  took  up 
a  homestead.  There  he  met  with  almost  every  misfortune  that  nature  could  in- 
flict, from  hail  and  drought  to  grasshoppers.  Accordingly  he  left  the  homestead 
in  disgust  and  made  his  way  to  the  Grand  Ronde  valley  of  Oregon,  where  he 


952  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  a  year,  but  was  beaten  out  of  his  wages.  He  then 
returned  to  Michigan,  but  the  lure  of  the  west  was  upon  him  and  after  a  year  he 
made  his  way  to  the  Payette  valley  of  Idaho  and  in  1904  took  up  his  abode  near 
Fred  French,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east  and  a  half  mile  south  of  New  Plymouth. 
There  he  had  forty  acres  of  land,  of  which  he  afterward  sold  ten  acres,  and  upon 
that  place  he  raised  fruit  and  alfalfa.  He  now  leases  the  property,  however,  and 
gives  his  time  to  bee  culture,  in  which  industry  he  is  interested  on  an  extensive 
scale.  He  has  five  hundred  hives,  distributed  into  nine  yards,  and  he  finds  the 
business  pleasant  and  profitable.  He  utilizes  the  most  scientific  methods  in  bee 
culture  and  the  care  of  honey,  and  his  business  is  conducted  along  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  lines. 

In  1909  Mr.  Cheney  was  married  to  Miss  Nora  Timmerman,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, and  ^they  have  become  parents  of  five  children:  Martin,  Douglas  Harrison, 
Edna  Lucile,  Edith  Marie  and  Robert  Woodrow.  The  family  occupies  a  fine  home 
on  East  boulevard,  New  Plymouth.  In  politics  Mr.  Cheney  maintains  an  independ- 
ent course,  voting  for  men  and  measures  rather  than  for  party  but  at  all  times 
standing  for  those  measures  and  interests  which  are  most  conducive  to  public  wel- 
fare and  progress. 


C.  L.  BURT. 

C.  L.  Burt  occupies  an  attractive  home,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  grove 
of  trees  of  his  own  planting.  His  farm  is  a  valuable  property  supplied  with  all  modern 
improvements  and  equipment,  but  when  it  came  into  his  possession  in  1891  it  was  a 
tract  of  wild  land,  covered  with  a  native  growth  of  sagebrush.  Mr.  Burt  has  made  his 
home  in  Payette  county  since  1891.  He  was  born  in  Iowa,  November  3,  1863,  a  son  of 
Calvin  L.  and  Harriet  (Brown)  Burt.  The  father  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and 
was  of  Scotch  and  Irish  descent.  He  removed  to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  afterward 
to  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  where  he  followed  blacksmithing  and  farming  until  his  son, 
C.  L.  Burt,  was  six  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Cedar  county,  Missouri. 
Six  years  later,  however,  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  in  1884  went  to  Vancouver,  Wasting- 
ton,  where  he  remained  for  only  a  year,  after  which  he  again  took  up  his  abode  in 
Iowa.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  both  are  now  deceased. 

C.  L.  Burt  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  various  removals  and  was  reared  in 
the  usual  manner  of  the  farmbred  boy,  who  learns  many  lessons  from  the  school  of 
experience  and  from  nature  as  well  as  in  the  schools  where  the  common  branches  of 
learning  are  taught.     When  he  returned  from  Washington  to  Iowa  with  his  parents  he 
married  Miss  S.  M.  Guffey,  a  daughter  of  T.  H.  and  Emeline   (Roberts)    Guffey.     He 
then  outfitted  a  traveling  conveyance  and  with  his  wife  started  for  Oklahoma  but  they 
met  parties  from  there  who  discouraged  them  regarding  that  country  and   they  pro- 
ceeded instead  to  Florence,  Colorado,  where  they  spent  the  winter  of  1888.     The  follow- 
ing spring  they  started  for  New  Mexico,  but  when  they  reached  Grand  Junction,  Colo- 
rado, they  changed  their  plans  and  made  their  destination  North  Yakima,  Washington. 
They  were  traveling  by  way  of  Idaho  and  when  they  reached  this  state  and  saw  its 
wonderful  possibilities  they  decided  to  go  no  further.     Mr.  Burt  and  his  father-in-law 
homesteaded  in  the  section  where  Mr.  Burt  now  resides.     The  place  at  that  time  was  a 
wild  sagebrush  waste  without  water  for  irrigation  purposes  and  they  had  to  wait  four 
years  before  water  could  be  turned  onto  the  land.     They  arrived  in  the  year  1891  and 
at  once  resolutely  set  to  work  to  reclaim  the  land  which  they  secured  and  convert  it 
into  fertile  fields.     The  beautiful  trees  which  now  surround  the  house  were  planted  in 
that  year  and  were  watered  by  Mr.  Burt,  who  carried  the  water  for  that  purpose  from 
a  well.     Although   this  was   a  difficult   task  he  feels  well  repaid  with   the  fine  trees 
which  are  now  seen  upon  the  place.     Mr.  Burt  gives  great  credit  to  his  wife  for  his 
success,  stating  that  through  all  the  early  years  with  their  many  hardships,  privations 
and  difficulties  she  kept  up  the  courage  of  both  and  never  lost  her  faith  in  the  future. 
Mr.  Burt  today  has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  remaining  from  his  original 
homestead.    The  homestead  claim  of  Mr.  Guffey  joined  that  of  Mr.  Burt,  but  he  sold  his 
land  and  now  resides  with  his  daughter  and  son-in-law.     Mr.  Burt  is  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  hay,  grain,  prunes  and  peaches  and  in  the  year  1919  he  raised  about  fifty 
tons  of  prunes,  producing  a  net  profit  of  one  hundred  dollars  per  ton;  fifteen  hundred 
baskets  af  Elberta  peaches,  which  sold  at  two  dollars  per  basket,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  tons  of  hay,  which  brought  sixteen  dollars  per  ton.     All  this  has  been  raised  on 


MR.  AND  MRS.  C.  L.  BURT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  955 

forty  acres  of  land.  By  trade  Mr.  Burt  is  a  carpenter  and  he  has  worked  along  that 
line  to  a  considerable  extent  since  becoming  a  resident  of  Idaho. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burt  have  been  born  five  children.  Olive  Blanche,  the  eldest,  Is 
the  wife  of  Eben  F.  Gove,  a  landscape  artist.  Lawrence  Ernest,  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
was  in  the  field  hospital  service  in  France  for  fourteen  months.  Dallas,  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  was  also  in  the  field  hospital  service  in  France,  was  promoted  to  sergeant 
and  is  a  fine  specimen  of  young  manhood.  Eunice  Maude,  living  at  home,  is  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  Clarke  Earl,  eighteen  years  of  age,  is  also  at  home. 

Mr.  Burt  has  ever  been  keenly  interested  in  the  cause  of  education  and  was  & 
member  of  the  school  board  of  his  district  for  many  years.  He  stands  for  progress  and 
improvement  along  all  lines  that  have  to  do  with  the  substantial  development  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  closely  associated  with  irrigation  interests  and  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Enterprise-Reed  and  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Ditch  Companies,  while  for  the 
past  four  years  he  has  been  the  president  of  the  Canyon  county  drainage  district,  No.  1. 
There. is  no  phase  of  the  county's  development  In  which  he  has  not  been  keenly  inter- 
ested, and  to  all  he  has  given  his  aid  and  cooperation  to  the  extent  of  his  ability.  «» 


JOHN  B.  FTSHER. 

John  B.  Fisher,  engaged  in  farming  in  New  Plymouth,  his  business  affairs 
being  wisely,  carefully  and  profitably  conducted,  was  born  in  Russia,  March  29, 
1870,  and  came  to  America  in  1884,  settling  in  Hamilton  county,  Nebraska.  The 
following  year  his  parents,  John  and  "Dorothy  (Schlichenmeyer)  Fisher,  came  to 
the  United  States  and  made  their  way  to  Redwillow  county,  Nebraska,  where  they 
were  then  joined  by  their  son  John,  who  had  been  quietly  sent  out  of  the  country 
ahead  of  his  parents  that  he  might  escape  the  tyranny  of  military  service.  The 
father  homesteaded  near  the  town  of  Indianola,  Nebraska,  securing  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  in  a  country  where  settlers  were  few.  Their  home 
was  a  sod  house,  in  which  they  resided  for  twenty-one  years,  the  father  there  carry- 
ing on  general  farming,  specializing  in  the  raising  of  corn,  cattle  and  hogs. 

John  B.  Fisher  had  acquired  a  thorough  education  in  his  native  country 
which  was  of  great  assistance  to  him  in  obtaining  a  further  education  in  English. 
He  has  a  scholarly  mastery  of  the  English  language  as  manifest  in  his  speech  and 
in  his  writings  and  has  developed  splendid  business  qualifications.  In  1901  his 
mother  died  and  in  the  same  year  John  B.  Fisher  and  his  family,  accompanied 
by  his  father,  made  their  way  westward  to  Snohomish,  Washington,  where  Mr. 
Fisher  followed  logging  in  the  lumber  district  for  two  years.  Then,  owing  to  ill 
health,  he  removed  to  Idaho  in  1903  and  bought  eighty-five  acres  of  sagebrush  land 
one  and  a  quarter  miles  southwest  of  New  Plymouth.  He  cleared  this  land  and 
built  thereon  a  good  house  of  six  rooms  and  also  the  necessary  outbuildings  for 
the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock.  For  days  he  was  engaged  in  clearing  away  the 
sagebrush  before  he  could  get  into  the  place  with  a  team,  for  up  to  that  time  not 
a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  on  the  place  and  in  fact  there 
was  little  promise  that  the  land  would  be  of  any  worth  as  a  farm.  Today  the  place 
is  now  all  in  orchard,  being  devoted  to  the  raising  of  apples  and  prunes.  At  the 
present  time  Mr.  Fisher  is  leasing  the  land  to  a  renter,  who  in  1919  had  a  crop 
of  about  twenty-five  thousand  boxes  of  apples.  Mr.  Fisher  is  living  upon  a  place 
of  seventeen  acres  which  is  but  a  short  distance  from  his  orchard  tract.  He  had 
sold  his  former  home  to  a  party  who  defaulted  in  his  payments,  so  that  he  had 
to  take  back  the  property  and  now  owns  both  places.  On  the  seventeen  acre  tract 
he  has  built  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  up-to-date  homes  in  the  country  and 
there  are  seven  rooms  and  four  sleeping  porches.  It  is  lighted  with  electricity  and 
supplied  with  running  water  throughout  and  is  heated  with  a  furnace.  He  has 
also  installed  a  complete  sewerage  system.  Most  of  his  seventeen  acre  tract  of  land 
is  intensively  cultivated  save  a  small  portion  used  as  pasture.  He  has  twelve  Hoi- 
stein  cows,  which  he  milks,  and  eleven  thoroughbred  Durham  cows  and  calves. 
He  also  raises  some  hogs  and  sold  twenty-two  head  a  short  time  ago  for  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  In  addition  to  his  other  property  he  has  a 
four  hundred  and  eleven  acre  stock  ranch  in  Long  valley  and  is  planning  soon 
to  engage  extensively  in  stock  raising. 

In  1893  Mr.  Fisher  was  married  to  Miss  Rosa  Conrad,  a  native  of  Russia  and 


956  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Rosa  (Lutz)  Conrad,  who  in  1884  became  residents  of 
Nebraska.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  have  become  parents  of  two  children:  William 
Henry,  who  married  Adalaide  Oster,  a  native  of  Payette,  her  parents  being  also 
natives  of  Russia  but  now  residents  of  Payette  county;  and  Lydia  Catherina,  who 
is  at  home. 

Mr.  Fisher  has  always  taken  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  everything  per- 
taining to  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  community  in  which  he  makes  his  home. 
He  was  actively  interested  in  the  election  of  Governor  Davis  and  worked  hard  to 
promote  his  success.  He  has  served  as  school  director  in  his  district  and  has  ever 
been  a  stalwart  champion  of  Idaho  and  its  possibilities  and  opportunities.  He  is 
ever  willing  to  assist  a  neighbor  in  any  possible  way,  is  a  progressive  citizen,  and 
his  efforts  have  been  a  helpful  factor  in  the  development  of  the  district  in  which 
he  makes  his  home. 


HENRY  D.  DURFEE. 

Forty-one  years  have  come  and  gone  since  Henry  D.  Durfee  became  a  resident 
of  Idaho  and  he  is  now  engaged  in  ranching  near  Almo.  He  was  born  at  Mound 
Fort,  Utah,  now  Ogden,  February  6,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Jane  (Bar- 
ker) Durfee,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  while  the  latter  was  born  in  England. 
The  father  crossed  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  in  1848  and  afterward  made 
several  trips,  assisting  immigrants  on  the  long  journey  over  the  plains  to  Utah. 
After  a  time  he  settled  at  Ogden  and  subsequently  removed  to  the  Cache  valley, 
where  he  took  up  government  land,  built  a  log  house  and  began  the  development 
of  a  ranch  upon  which  he  lived  for  ten  years.  He  then  went  to  Beaver  Dam,  Utah, 
in  Boxelder  county,  where  he  resided  for  a  period  of  six  years,  giving  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  during  that  period.  He  next  went  to  Connor  Springs,  Utah,  and 
in  1882  removed  to  Almo,  Cassia  county,  Idaho,  where  he  took  up  school  land. 
He  proved  up  on  this  property  and  spent  his  remaining  days  thereon,  his  death 
occurring  when  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years.  He  was  a 
democrat  in  his  political  views  and  his  religious  faith  was  long  that  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  The  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years. 

Henry  D.  Durfee  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  various  removals  and  in 
1879  came  to  Idaho,  where  he  took  up  a  ranch  at  Shirley's  Cove,  north  of  Almo, 
obtaining  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  tilled  and  improved.  Year  after 
year  he  continued  the  work  of  cultivating  and  managing  his  ranch  and  resided 
thereon  until  fifteen  years  ago,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  obtained  his  present 
place  under  the  desert  act,  acquiring  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres.  He  has 
largely  given  his  attention  to  stock  raising. 

Thirty-two  years  ago  Mr.  Durfee  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Nicholas, 
a  native  of  Willard,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Allen)  Nicholas, 
who  went  to  Utah  from  Ohio  at  an  early  day  in  the  development  of  the  former 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durfee  have  become  parents  of  ten  children:  Ivy  N.,  Jennie, 
Joseph,  Vere,  Hazel,  Myrtle,  Melvin,  Ralph,  Ada  and  Clifford. 

The  family  adhere  to  the  teachings  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  in  politics  Mr.  Durfee  is  a  republican.  He  has  served  as  school 
trustee  and  as  water  commissioner  and  he  is  keenly  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do 
with  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  section  of  the  state,  lending  hearty  aid  and 
support  to  all  measures  and  movements  which  he  believes  will  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare. 


WILLIAM  BROWER  CONNER. 

William  Brower  Conner,  a  well  known  pioneer  clothing  merchant  of  Boise) 
who  is  proprietor  of  the  Toggery  on  Main  street,  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, near  Reading,  March  3,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Willoughby  Conner,  a  Civil 
war  veteran,  who  was  born  in  the  Keystone  state  and  throughout  his  life  was 
employed  as  an  iron  worker  and  smelter,  passing  away  in  Pennsylvania  many  years 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  957 

ago  at  the  age  of  fifty.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Amanda 
Brower,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died  in  that  state  in  June,  1918,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  On  both  sides  the  family  comes  of  Revolu- 
tionary war  ancestry  and  William  Conner,  an  uncle  of  William  B.  Conner  of  this 
review,  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war.  William  B.  Conner  was  one  of  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  four  daughters  and  all  are  yet  living  in  Pennsylvania  with  the  exception 
of  William  B.  and  his  brother,  Brower  Conner. 

In  the  schools  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  William  Brower  Conner  pursued 
his  education  and  when  twenty  years  of  age  made  his  way  westward  to  Chicago, 
where  he  was  employed  by  Marshall  Field  &  Company  for  a  period  of  seven  years. 
He  then  continued  his  westward  journey  with  Boise  as  his  destination  and  for 
thirty  years  he  has  resided  In  this  city,  being  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
throughout  the  entire  period.  With  two  partners,  he  established  the  first  exclusive 
dry  goods  store  in  Boise  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  owned  and  conducted  the 
Toggery,  being  sole  proprietor  of  this  well  known  and  popular  clothing  establish- 
ment. He  carries  a  large  and  attractive  line  and  his  progressive  and  reliable  busi- 
ness methods  are  bringing  to  him  substantial  success. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1889,  Mr.  Conner  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Lemp,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Lemp,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  Conner  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  filled 
all  of  the  chairs  and  is  a  past  noble  grand.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the 
republican  party  but  he  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office,  preferring  to  con- 
centrate his  attention  upon  his  business  interests.  Aside  from  his  clothing  store 
he  is  active  in  agricultural  lines,  he  and  his  wife  having  a  four  hundred  acre  ranch 
about  nine  miles  west  of  Boise,  on  the  Boise  bench,  of  which  two  hundred  acres 
is  planted  to  wheat.  He  also  raises  alfalfa  and  hogs  and  his  careful  conduct  of 
his  farming  interests  has  made  the  ranch  property  a  very  profitable  one.  Mr. 
Conner  deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished.  His  entire  success  is 
the  direct  outcome  of  his  industry  and  perseverance,  for  be  started  out  empty- 
handed  and  has  earned  the  prosperity  which  is  now  his. 


JAMES  H.  BOOR. 

Six  miles  southwest  of  Fruitland  is  a  farm  property  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  that  is  owned  by  James  H.  Boor.  The  land  was  raw  sagebrush  when 
it  came  into  his  possession,  but  through  patient  labor  he  has  made  it  a  beautiful 
field  of  alfalfa.  A  spirit  of  undaunted  industry  and  perseverance  has  actuated  him 
at  every  point  in  his  career  and  steadily  he  has  worked  his  way  upward,  advancing 
step  by  step  until  he  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the  district.  He  was 
born  in  Missouri,  October  30,  1873,  a  son  of  J.  W.  and  Mary  E.  (Slocum)  Boor. 
The  father,  a  native  of  Indiana,  removed  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  when  a  youth 
of  eighteen  years  and  there  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father,  who  passed  away 
in  1894.  In  1907  J.  W.  Boor  removed  to  Idaho  and  passed  away  at  his  home  near 
Fruitland  in  1918.  The  mother  survives  and  is  now  living  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
L.  E.  Wells,  near  Fruitland. 

James  H.  Boor  spent  his  youthful  days  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Missouri,  but 
attracted  by  the  opportunities  of  the  northwest,  came  to  Idaho  in  1904,  when  thirty 
years  of  age.  He  first  took  up  his  abode  east  of  Fruitland,  where  he  carried  on 
farming  for  six  years,  and  then  purchased  his  present  place  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  six  miles  southwest  of  Fruitland.  His  Tabors  have  wrought  a  marked 
transformation  in  the  appearance  of  the  place,  which  was  all  wild  and  undeveloped 
land  when  it  came  into  his  possession.  Today  he  raises  large  crops  of  alfalfa  and 
also  devotes  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Holstein  cattle,  keeping  a 
registered  bull  for  breeding  purposes.  He  also  carries  on  dairying.  With  the 
assistance  of  two  men  he  cleared  and  seeded  ninety  acres  of  his  land  the  first  year 
and  he  has  since  continued  the  work  of  development  with  excellent  results  until 
he  now  has  a  splendidly  improved  property. 

In  1899  Mr.  Boor  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  L.  Horton,  of  Iowa,  a  daughter 
of  E.  B.  and  Sarah  Jane  (Davenport)  Horton,  who  were  pioneers  of  the  Hawkeye 
state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boor  have  five  children:  Carl  H.,  fourteen  years  of  age; 
Florence  M.;  James  William,  aged  seven;  Howard  D.,  aged  five;  and  Mabel  I. 


958  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Boor  takes  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  and  is  widely 
known  as  a  champion  of  the  public  school  system.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the 
school  board  and  assisted  in  organizing  the  school  district,  doing  everything  in  his 
power  to  advance  and  uphold  the  standards  of  education.  He  is  a  very  large  man 
and  of  marked  force  of  character  and  has  proven  a  dynamic  power  in  the  agricul- 
tural development  of  the  region  in  which  he  lives. 


HANS  P.  LARSEN. 

Hans  P.  Larsen,  who  is  engaged  in  ranching  and  stock  raising  at  Rock  Creek 
in  Twin  Falls  county,  was  born  in  Denmark,  February  25,  1862,  a  son  of  Lars  and 
Ellen  M.  Larsen.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Denmark,  where  they  were  reared 
and  married.  The  father  was  a  weaver  by  trade  and  was  also  a  musician.  In  1863 
he  came  with  his  family  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  the  Cache  valley  of 
Utah,  where  he  homesteaded  land  and  carried  on  farming  until  the  spring  of  1877. 
He  then  started  across  the  country  with  La  Grande,  Oregon,  as  his  destination 
but  met  some  of  his  country  men  on  Rock  Creek,  in  Twin  Falls  county,  and  they 
persuaded  him  to  remain  in  this  district.  He  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
on  which  he  built  a  log  house  and  then  began  the  improvement  of  the  farm,  which 
he  converted  into  a  rich  and  productive  tract,  continuing  his  residence  thereon  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1905,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years.  His  wife  survived  until  1908  and  thus  passed  away  two  of 
the  worthy  pioneer  residents  of  their  section  of  the  state. 

Hans  P.  Larsen  passed  his  boyhood  upon  the  ranch  on  Rock  Creek  and  obtained 
his  education  in  the  schools  near  his  father's  farm.  In  his  youth  he  worked  as 
a  farm  hand  for  others  and  afterward  took  up  a  tract  of  land  six  miles  north  of 
his  present  ranch,  comprising  eighty  acres.  This  he  cultivated  and  improved  for 
a  period  of  five  years  and  then  made  investment  in  his  present  ranch  property, 
containing  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  has  erected  thereon  new  buildings 
and  has  greatly  improved  the  farm.  The  land,  owing  to  the  care  and  cultivation 
which  he  has  bestowed  upon  it,  has  become  rich  and  productive  and  all  of  the 
equipments  and  accessories  of  a  model  farm  property  have  been  added. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1888,  Mr.  Larsen  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Jensen, 
a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Anna  M.  Jensen  and  a  native  of  Denmark,  whence  she 
came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  when  but  eight  years  of  age.  The  fam- 
ily home  was  first  established  in  Utah  and  later  a  removal  was  made  to  Rock 
Creek,  Idaho,  in  1876.  The  father  passed  away  at  Evanston,  Wyoming,  while  the 
mother  died  on  Dry  creek.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larsen  have  become  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Ellen,  Anna,  Howard,  Florence  and  Russell. 

Mr.  Larsen  has  membership  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His  polit- 
ical allegiance  is  given  to  the  democratic  party,  which  he  has  supported  since  age 
conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise,  but  he  neither  seeks  nor  desires  office, 
preferring  to  concentrate  his  efforts  and  undivided  attention  upon  his  ranching 
interests,  which  have  constantly  developed  in  importance,  making  him  one  of  the 
representative  farmers  of  Twin  Falls  county. 


HON.   SAMUEL  W.   ORME. 

Hon.  Samuel  W.  Orme,  member  of  the  state  senate  from  Fremont  county,  his  home 
being  on  a  ranch  near  Wilford,  is  a  native  of  Utah.  He  was  born  at  Tooele  City, 
Tooele  county,  Utah,  September  19,  1858,  a  son  of  Samuel  W.  and  Sarah  (Cross)  Orme, 
both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  July  4,  1832,  but 
when  he  was  a  mere  child  his  parents  returned  with  their  family  to  England,  from 
which  country  they  had  come  to  the  United  States.  There  the  grandfather  died  but 
in  1856  Samuel  W.  Orme,  Sr.,  accompanied  by  his  mother,  again  came  to  the  new 
world  and  made  his  way  to  Tooele,  Utah,  where  his  mother  spent  her  remaining 
days.  Samuel  W.  Orme,  Sr.,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  continued  a  resident 
of  Tooele  county,  Utah,  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  fifty-seven  years. 


HON.  SAMUEL  W.  ORME 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  961 

His  son  and  namesake,  Samuel  W.  Orme  of  this  review,  was  reared  upon  his 
father's  ranch  and  pursued  his  education  In  the  public  schools  nearby.  He,  too,  took 
up  the  occupation  of  farming  and  stock  raising  and  has  followed  that  pursuit  through- 
out his  entire  life.  He  remained  a  resident  of  Utah  until  1897  and  since  then  has 
made  his  home  in  Fremont  county,  Idaho.  Here  he  purchased  a  good  ranch  near  Wil- 
ford  and  is  today  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  property  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  devoted  chiefly  to  the  cultivation  of  wheat  and  the  raising  of  sheep.  He  also 
carries  on  dry  farming  on  adjacent  land  which  he  leases.  His  business  affairs  have 
always  been  carefully  and  successfully  managed  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative agriculturists  of  the  community. 

In  February,  1885,  Mr.  Orme  was  married  in  Salt  Lake  City  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Smith, 
a  native  of  Utah,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  nine  living  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  namely:  Samuel  J.,  Mary  A.,  Milo  S.,  Joseph  R.,  Sarah  C.,  Edwin 
D.,  Luetta.  Elva  and  Reed.  Of  these  Samuel,  Mary,  Milo  and  Sarah  are*  all  married 
and  there  are  now  eight  grandchildren. 

Mr.  Orme  has  always  been  fond  of  horseback  riding  and  although  now  past  sixty 
years  of  age  can  take  a  ride  of  sixty  miles  without  any  ill  effects.  He  has  adhered  to 
the  religious  faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  that  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  served  for  fourteen  years  as  bishop  of  Wilford  ward.  In 
politics  he  is  a  republican  and  has  served  for  one  term  as  county  commissioner.  He 
was  also  a  school  trustee  and  a  member  of  the  local  canal  board.  On  the  5th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1918,  he  was  elected  state  senator  from  his  county  and  is  serving  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  county  boundaries  and  lines.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Live 
Stock  Commission  of  Idaho  and  is  interested  in  many  plans  and  projects  which  have 
to  do  with  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  state. 


A.  H.   SUXDLES. 

A.  H.  Bundles  is  now  living  retired  in  New  Plymouth.  For  a  long  period  he 
was  connected  with  farming  interests,  which  he  carefully  promoted  and  developed, 
winning  thereby  a  measure  of  success  that  now  enables  him  to  rest  from  further 
labor.  He  was  born  in  Dalton,  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  July  13,  1856,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Eliza  Bundles,  who  were  likewise  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state,  the 
former,  however,  of  German  lineage,  while  the  latter  was  of  American  ancestry. 

A.  H.  Sundles  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio 
while  living  upon  his  father's  farm  and  in  vacation  periods  and  after  his  school  days 
were  over  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields  upon  the  home  place.  He  also 
worked  as  a  farm  boy  for  others  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Cleveland,  Akron  &  Columbus  Railroad  Company,  running  the  en- 
gine in  the  shop.  He  remained  with  that  corporation  for  fifteen  years,  when,  owing 
to  the  ill  health  of  his  wife,  he  came  to  the  west  on  the  advice  of  her  physician. 

It  was  on  the  13th  of  March,  1896,  that  Mr.  Sundles  arrived  in  New  Plymouth, 
at  which  time  the  town  contained  no  business  house  and  only  five  dwellings.  There 
were  but  eight  farmers  between  Payette  and  Falk's  store  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  Mr.  Sundles  purchased  forty  acres  near  where 
the  town  now  stands  and  still  owns  the  property,  which  at  that  time  was  a  tract 
of  raw  land  but  which  he  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  raised  hay 
and  grain  most  successfully  and  is  now  renting  the  place  to  a  tenant.  On  the  7th 
of  June,  1913,  while  mowing  with  a  hand  scythe  the  grass  that  grew  along  the 
ditch  in  places  where  the  mowing  machine  could  not  reach,  he  saw  a  wire  which 
would  obstruct  his  progress.  He  picked  it  up  to  remove  it  and  to  his  horror  found 
it  a  live  wire.  He  was  almost  burned  to  death  and  was  unconscious  for  over 
three  hours.  One  arm  was  burned  off  just  below  the  elbow,  while  the  thumb, 
index  and  little  fingers  were  burned  off  the  other  hand,  making  him  a  cripple  for 
life.  Since  that  time  he  has  lived  retired  in  a  very  good  home  on  the  avenue  in 
New  Plymouth.  For  many  years  he  operated  a  dairy,  milking  eight  cows. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1888,  Mr.  Sundles  was  married  to  Miss  Clara 
Masteller,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Benoy)  Mas- 
teller,  both  now  deceased.  The*  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
mother  of  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sundles  have  become  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren: Esther,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  New  Plymouth  high 
vol.  n— el 


962  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

school;   and  Henry,   seventeen  years  of  age,   who  was  born  in  New  Plymouth   and 
is  attending  high  school. 

There  is  no  feature  of  pioneer  life  nor  of  later  development  in  New  Plymouth  • 
with  which  Mr.  Bundles  is  not  familiar.  When  he  first  located  in  this  section  of 
Idaho  the  settlers  had  to  get  all  their  mail  and  supplies  from  Payette  and  the 
residents  would  take  turns,  one  each  day,  in  making  the  trip  and  bringing  the 
mail  and  supplies  for  the  community.  There  was  then  but  one  covered  wagon  in 
the  valley  and  the  trip  had  to  be  made  over  a  sagebrush  trail  with  a  two-horse 
wagon.  The  first  church  services  were  held  here  in  a  house  fourteen  by  twenty 
feet,  a  shack  which  was  weather-boarded  on  the  outside  and  without  windows. 
Nail  kegs  over  which  boards  were  laid  were  used  for  seats.  In  those  days  there 
were  four  denominations  here  and  all  were  good  Christian  people.  The  first  minis- 
ter was  a  Methodist,  known  as  Father  Burns,  but  he  passed  away  many  years  ago. 
Following  him  came  the  Rev.  Clemmens,  a  United  Presbyterian,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing on  a  ranch  near  Caldwell.  For  the  first  three  years  there  were  no  schools 
because  there  were  no  children.  The  first  public  hall  built  here  is  now  used  as 
the  Baptist  church  but  was  formerly  used  for  all  public  services,  school  purposes 
and  church  services.  In  winter  they  used  sagebrush  for  fuel  and  for  evening  serv- 
ices they  took  the  lamps  from  their  homes  to  furnish  light.  Each  resident  took 
his  turn  as  janitor  and  as  supplier  of  wood.  Father  Burns  and  Rev.  Clemmens 
preached  alternately,  so  that  there  would  be  a  service  of  different  denominations 
each  Sunday.  Each  Thanksgiving  day  the  whole  community  took  their  dinner  at 
the  town  hall,  a  splendid  evidence  of  community  friendship,  which  made  them  like 
one  big  family.  When  Mr.  Sundles  first  came  here  the  country  was  infested  with 
Jack  rabbits  and  coyotes,  range  horses  and  cattle  by  the  hundreds.  The  latter 
would  tear  the  fences  down  and  destroy  the  crops.  The  rabbits, 'despite  "rabbit 
proof"  fences,  destroyed  the  trees  until  a  chemical  was  discovered  that  was  proof 
against  the  pests.  The  first  crop  put  in  by  Mr.  Sundles  was  twenty  acres  of  grain, 
all  of  which  was  lost,  as  the  water  would  not  defy  the  law  of  gravitation  and  run 
up  hill.  It  was  after  this  loss  that  he  decided  the  farm  must  be  developed,  which 
he  immediately  proceeded  to  do.  For  several  winters  he  and  his  family  were 
actually  cold  from  lack  of  fuel.  Now  that  the  dangers  have  been  passed  and  a 
quiet  harbor  has  been  reached  the  memory  of  those  days  has  become  a  pleasure. 
There  has  never  been  a  saloon  in  New  Plymouth,  as  that  was  one  of  the  early 
restrictions,  and  the  community  on  the  whole  has  held  to  high  ideals,  making  it 
a  most  desirable  place  in  which  to  live.  Mr.  Sundles  was  one  of  the  builders  of 
the  Noble  canal  and  at  all  times  has  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  general  progress 
and  improvement.  He  enjoys  in  the  fullest  measure  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
his  fellowmen  and  is  one  of  the  honored  and  representative  residents  of  New 
Plymouth. 


JOHN   FREDERICK   BARNES. 

John  Frederick  Barnes,  in  whose  death  Nampa  lost  one  of  its  foremost  citi- 
zens, was  prominently  connected  with  commercial  interests  of  the  state  as  the 
head  of  the  Nampa  Live  Stock,  Loan  &  Commission  Company  but  also  had  to  his 
credit  a  long  and  honorable  railroad  career,  in  which  he  rose  to  the  position  of 
general  superintendent.  A  native  of  New  York,  Mr.  Barnes  was  born  at  Plattsburg, 
October  18,  1866,  but  when  two  years  of  age  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Madison, 
Wisconsin.  There  he  attended  the  graded  schools  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen,  when 
the  family  removed  to  South  Dakota.  There  James  W.  Barnes,  the  father,  en- 
gaged in  farming,  his  efforts  being  crowned  with  varying  success  according  to  con- 
ditions, and  the  son  there  finished  his  education.  Subsequently  the  father,  while 
still  retaining  the  management  of  his  farms,  his  interests  having  grown  to  be 
quite  extensive,  removed  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  there  he  passed  away  in  1905. 
He  was  favorably  known  in  the  different  localities  in  which  he  resided  not  only 
because  of  his  personal  worth  but  also  on  account  of  his  straightforward  business 
dealings.  He  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  as  was  his  wife,  who  in  her  maiden- 
hood was  Sarah  Rooney  and  who  passed  away  4n  1902. 

John  F.  Barnes  when  about  twenty  years  of  age  went  to  Montana  and  secured 
a  position  as  conductor  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1894,  in  connec- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  963 

tion  with  a  strike,  he  gave  up  his  position  and  returned  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  where 
two  years  later  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  E.  Frazier,  of  Medina,  Ohio. 
During  this  period  he  was  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  for  one  year  and 
also  conducted  a  large  laundry,  but  in  1898  he  sold  his  laundry  interests  and 
returned  to  Montana,  where  he  became  a  conductor  in  the  service  of  the  Groat 
Northern  Railroad,  his  family  following  him  shortly  afterward  and  taking  ttp 
their  residence  at  Glasgow,  Montana.  Six  months  later,  however,  Mr.  Barnes 
removed  to  Pocatello,  Idaho,  and  for  eighteen  months  was  a  conductor  with  the 
Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  was  transferred  to 
Boise,  where  his  family  lived,  his  run  at  that  time  being  to  Huntington,  Oregon. 
One  year  later  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Boise,  Nampa  &  Oregon  Railroad, 
which  was  at  that  time  the  property  of  Colonel  W.  H.  Dewey,  now  deceased.  In 
this  connection,  upon  the  death  of  the  superintendent  he  was  made  his  successor 
and  later  became  general  superintendent,  a  fact  which  stands  as  incontrovertible 
evidence  of  his  ability,  circumspection,  fidelity  and  trustworthiness.  He  held  this 
important  position  until  the  road  was  sold  to  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  when  he 
was  made  assistant  superintendent  of  the  district.  Two  years  later,  however,  he 
resigned,  although  he  was  offered  a  permanent  position  in  Pocatello.  Deciding, 
however,  to  strike  out  in  the  business  field,  he  then  organized  the  Nampa  Live 
Stock,  Loan  &  Commission  Company,  which  became  one  of  the  important  indus- 
trial enterprises  of  his  city.  He  remained  as  the  executive  head  until  death  claimed 
him  August  17,  1917,  his  widow  closing  out  the  business  shortly  afterward. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  were  born  three  children:  Marion  J.,  a  graduate  of 
the  Nampa  high  school  and  later  a  student  at  Moscow  College;  Burton  S.,  who 
is  in  the  marine  service  of  the  United  States  and  was  sent  from  Mare  Island,  Cali- 
fornia, to  the  Philippines;  and  John  Frederick,  attending  school  at  Nampa.  Mrs. 
Barnes  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  that  city,  where  she  and  her  children  reside 
in  a  beautiful  home  which  was  left  to  them  by  the  provident  husband  and  father. 

Mr.  Barnes  ever  took  a  lively  interest  in  political  and  public  affairs  and  gave 
his  support  to  valuable  measures  undertaken  in  the  communities  in  which  he 
resided.  Along  political  lines  he  held  the  position  of  judicial  clerk  of  the  legis- 
lature at  Boise  but  resigned  in  order  to  enter  the  service  of  Colonel  Dewey  in  con- 
nection with  the  Boise,  Nampa  &  Oregon  Railroad.  Fraternally  he  was  connected 
with  the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Elks,  and  the  honorable  and  helpful 
principles  underlying  those  organizations  always  guided  him  in  his  conduct  toward 
his  fellowmen.  His  memory  not  only  lives  with  his  family  but  with  many  who 
learned  to  appreciate  him  in  various  walks  of  life  through  his  career  as  a  faith- 
ful official,  an  able  business  man  and  a  true,  loyal  and  public-spirited  citizen. 


MRS.  L.  M.  SNYDER. 

Mrs.  L.  M.  Snyder  is  one  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Idaho  deserving  of  more 
than  passing  notice  in  this  volume.  A  native  of  Missouri,  she  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Susan  E.  Thomas  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  she  became  the  wife  of 
Hercules  Toung,  a  native  of  Indiana,  who  had  gone  to  Missouri  with  his  parents 
in  his  early  youth.  Not  long  after  their  marriage  the  young  couple  started  across 
the  plains  for  the  northwest  with  a  wagon  drawn  by  four  mules,  bringing  with  them 
their  little  daughter,  Daisy.  They  left  Putnam  county,  Missouri,  on  a  trip  which 
consumed  six  months.  Ultimately  they  reached  a  point  called  Dry  Creek,  near 
Boise,  in  1883,  but  after  remaining  there  for  a  short  time  they  homesteaded  the 
place  upon  which  Mrs.  Snyder  now  resides.  Although  they  met  a  number  of  In- 
dians while  en  route  to  Idaho,  they  found  them  all  peaceable  and  were  unmolested. 
They  fished  and  hunted  while  en  route,  thus  adding  to  their  larder,  but  the  trip 
was  a  long  and  wearisome  one  and  they  were  happy  when  ultimately  they  reached 
their  destination.  There  were  only  two  houses  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  of  their 
homestead  when  they  first  located  upon  the  farm,  but  in  the  following  spring  set- 
tlers fcegan  to  come  and  building  became  brisk.  Mr.  Young  cleared  away  the  sage- 
brush and  began  the  development  of  his  property,  becoming  extensively  interested 
in  the  raising  of  live  stock.  They  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and 
the  labor  bestowed  upon  this  place  has  transformed  it  into  a  very  valuable  and  pro- 
ductive farm,  which  is  now  in  the  irrigated  district,  so  that  they  have  an  abundance 


964  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

of  water.     Sixty  acres  of  the  original  homestead  has  been  sold,  but  ten  acres  of 
adjoining  land  was  purchased,  so  that  the  place  now  comprises  seventy  acres. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Young  occurred  February  24,  1891,  and  his  widow  after- 
ward became  the  wife  of  L.  M.  Snyder,  who  died  on  the  17th  of  November,  1913. 
Mrs.  Snyder  has  three  living  children.  Delia  May  Young,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Harry  Tolleth,  a  merchant  of  Meridian,  has  two  children,  Dorothy  Evelyn  and  Char- 
lotte Irene,  both  attending  school.  Dora  Mabel  Young  is  now  the  wife  of  Leslie 
Aker,  of  Ontario,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  one  son,  Harry  Tompkins,  two  years 
of  age.  William  A.  Snyder,  the  son  of  Mrs.  Snyder's  second  marriage,  is  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  He  operates  the  homestead  farm  for  his  mother  and  in  addition 
to  the  cultivation  of  the  crops  best  adapted  to  soil  and  climate  he  is  engaged  in 
dairying  on  a  small  scale  and  also  raises  hogs,  having  ninety-six  head  on  his  place 
at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Meridian  high  school,  having  there 
completed  the  course  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Snyder  has  long  been  a 
witness  of  the  development  and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state,  where  she 
has  now  made  her  home  for  thirty-six  years.  Great  indeed  have  been  the  changes 
which  have  occurred  in  this  period,  for  at  the  time  of  her  arrival  the  greater  part 
of  the  land  was  covered  with  sagebrush  and  there  was  little  to  indicate  that  the 
work  of  development  and  civilization  would  be  carried  forward  speedily.  The 
results  achieved,  however,  have  been  most  gratifying  and  this  section  of  the  state 
is  today  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  productive,  the  farming  interests  of  the  Snyder 
family  having  brought  to  them  well  deserved  success  as  the  years  have  gone  by. 


EUGENE  PICKETT. 

Eugene  Pickett,  farmer  and  sheepman  living  in  Cassia  county,  makes  his  home 
upon  the  ranch  where  his  birth  occurred  September  22,  1885,  and  where  he  has  spent 
his  entire  life.  He  is  a  son  of  Moroni  and  Frances  A.  (Clegg)  Pickett,  the  former  a 
native  of  Berkshire,  England,  while  the  latter  was  born  at  Tooele,  Utah.  The  father 
came  to  the  new  world  with  his  parents  when  a  youth  of  fourteen  years.  The  family 
crossed  the  Atlantic  on  a  sailing  vessel  which  was  six  weeks  in  making  the  harbor  of 
New  Orleans,  from  which  point  they  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  river  and  thence 
journeyed  across  the  plains,  making  the  long  trip  westward  with  ox  team  and  wagon. 
The  father  afterward  located  a  farm  near  Tooele,  Utah,  obtaining  government  land, 
which  he  cultivated  and  improved  until  1881,  when  he  removed  from  Utah  to  Idaho 
and  took  up  the  ranch  upon  which  his  son  Eugene  now  resides.  He  acquired  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  cultivated  the  place  throughout  his  remaining  days, 
his  labors  resulting  in  the  conversion  of  a  wild  tract  into  rich  and  productive  fields. 
He  passed  away  in  1911,  when  sixty-three  years  of  age.  The  mother  still  survives  and 
is  now  living  with  her  son  Eugene.  Moroni  Pickett  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  in  his  political  views  was  a  democrat. 

Eugene  Pickett  spent  his  boyhood  days  upon  the  old  home  ranch  and  was  early 
trained  to  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  crops.  He  has  had 
no  desire  to 'change  his  occupation  but  has  always  followed  that  to  which  he  was 
reared  and  as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings.  The  orig- 
inal farm  comprised  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  of  which  his  mother  owns  sixty 
acres.  He  inherited  the  remainder,  to  which  he  has  added  until  he  is  now  the  owner 
of  an  excellent  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Upon  this  he  has  erected  new 
buildings  and  added  many  modern  improvements,  having  today  one  of  the  highly  devel- 
oped and  attractive  farms  of  Cassia  county.  He  now  has  eleven  hundred  head  of  sheep 
and  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  and  his  stock  raising  interests  are  constituting  a  mast 
important  source  of  revenue.  He  also  raises  hay  and  grain  and  his  highly  cultivated 
fields  are  producing  good  crops. 

In  1910  Mr.  Pickett  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Mabey,  a  native  of  Marion,  Idaho, 
and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Danalette  (Wood)  Mabey,  who  came  to  this  state  in  an 
early  day.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pickett  now  have  four  children:  Harold,  Ross,  Floyd  and 
Ennis. 

The  family  adhere  to  the  religious  faith  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  Mr.  Pickett  votes  with  the  republican  party.  His  entire  life  has  been 
passed  in  Cassia  county  and  that  his  career  has  ever  been  an  honorable  and  upright 
one  is  indicated  in  the  fact  that  many  of  his  stanchest  friends  are  those  who  have 


MORONI  PICKETT 


MRS.  FRANCES  A.  PICKETT 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  969 

known  him  from  boyhood  to  the  present  time.  He  has  worked  diligently  and  ener- 
getically as  the  years  have  passed  on  to  develop  and  further  improve  his  farm,  thus 
contributing  to  the  agricultural  progress  of  the  district,  and  as  the  result  of  his  labors 
he  is  today  the  owner  of  one  of  the  excellent  ranch  properties  in  Cassia  county. 


HENRY  L.  WICKEL. 

Henry  L.  Wickel  is  the  proprietor  of  a  merchandise  establishment  at  Malta, 
which  he  has  conducted  since  1916.  He  had  previously  been  connected  with  ranch- 
ing in  the  Raft  river  country  for  many  years,  his  identification  with  this  section 
of  the  state  dating  from  pioneer  times.  Mr.  Wickel  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, August  22,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Lemmon  and  Margaret  (Buchwalter) 
Wickel.  He  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  mother  and  the  family  crossed  the 
plains,  making  the  journey  with  ox  team  and  wagon  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  Later 
Mrs.  Wickel  became  the  wife  of  Leonard  G.  Rice,  the  marriage  occurring  at  Parm- 
ington,  Davis  county,  Utah. 

Henry  L.  Wickel  afterward  removed  with  his  grandmother  and  his  two  uncles 
of  the  name  of  Buchwalter  to  American  Fork,  Utah  county,  Utah,  and  there  re- 
sided until  1869,  when  he  went  to  Farmington,  'Davis  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  logging  business.  There  he  resided  until  1879,  after  which  he  made -his  way 
to  the  Raft  river  country  of  Idaho,  settling  on  Cassia  creek.  In  this  district  he  home- 
steaded,  obtaining  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres  on  which  he  built  a  log  house.  There 
had  been  no  improvements  made  upon  his  place  and  the  work  of  development  was 
begun  and  carried  forward  by  him.  converting  his  tract  of  wild  land  into  productive 
fields  and  fine  pastures.  He  still  owns  the  ranch  and  operates  it,  devoting  it  in 
considerable  measure  to  cattle  raising.  On  the  8th  of  February,  1916,  Mr.  Wickel 
purchased  his  present  store  at  Malta  and  has  since  conducted  the  business,  en- 
joying a  liberal  patronage  through  the  intervening  period  of  four  years. 

In  1871  Mr.  Wickel  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Jane  Bigler,  a  native  of 
Farmington,  Davis  county,  Utah,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  W.  and  Cynthia  J.  (Whip- 
pie)  Bigler.  They  have  become  parents  of  twelve  children:  Sarah  R.;  Willard; 
Margaret  J.;  Henry  W. ;  Charles;  Louise,  deceased;  Lemmon  L. ;  Alva,  deceased; 
Quince,  deceased;  Letha,  deceased;  Myrtle;  and  Lewis. 

Mr.  Wickel  votes  with  the  democratic  office,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments  of 
office  have  no  attraction  for  him.  His  entire  time  and  attention  have  been' concen- 
trated upon  his  business  affairs  and  a  life  of  diligence  has  made  him  a  successful 
rancher  and  a  prosperous  merchant  of  Cassia  county. 


C.    F.    BRODERSEN. 

C.  F.  Brodersen,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  residing  in  Payette,  was  born  in 
Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  December  20,  1859,  of  Danish  parentage.  He  ac- 
quired his  early  education  in  his  native  country  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age, 
or  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  compulsory  service  in  the  army,  he  came  to 
America.  His  uncle,  N.  A.  Jacobson,  now  one  of  the  most  successful  horticulturists 
and  ranchers  of  Idaho,  had  preceded  him  and  it  was  his  glowing  account  of  the 
opportunities  offered  in  this  state  that  induced  C.  F.  Brodersen  to  come  directly 
to  Payette.  He  immediately  went  to  work  for  his  uncle,  herding  sheep,  but  being 
unacquainted  with  frontier  life  together  with  his  fear  of  the  Indians,  who  he  felt 
at  any  time  might  decide  to  scalp  him,  he  remained  at  this  job  for  only  two  weeks. 
He  then  went  to  work  for  Johnnie  Thorp  at  a  wage  of  twenty-five  dollars  per 
month  and  was  thus  employed  for  four  years.  Saving  -his  money,  he  purchased 
range  horses,  which  he  shipped  to  Colorado  and  Philadelphia.  With  the  profits 
that  accrued  therefrom  he  purchased  a  tract  of  forty  acres,  which  he  planted  to 
Italian  prunes,  but  after  harvesting  three  crops  he  sold  the  place  and  bought  twenty- 
five  hundred  head  of  sheep,  for  in  the  meantime  frontier  conditions  had  changed 
somewhat  and,  moreover,  he  had  become  acquainted  with  pioneer  life  and  knew 
how  to  meet  any  emergency  that  might  arise.  He  remained  in  the  sheep  business 
for  about  eleven  years,  when  he  had  opportunity  to  sell  to  good  advantage  and  did 


970  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

so.  The  next  fall,  however,  he  was  again  actively  identified  with  the  sheep  industry, 
purchasing  at  that  time  five  thousand  head  of  sheep,  which  he  sold  in  June,  1918. 
During  the  intervening  period  he  purchased  several  tracts  of  land,  one  a  twelve- 
acre  tract  which  he  planted  to  prunes  and  a  forty-acre  tract  adjoining  his  original 
forty.  He  paid  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre  for  the  latter  and  afterward  offered  it 
for  sale  at  ten  thousand  dollars  but  without  a  bid.  He  then  divided  it  into  ten-acre 
tracts  and  sold  it  for  twenty  thousand  dollars.  This  property  lies  two  miles  north 
of  Payette.  Mr.  Brodersen  also  acquired  a  seventy-two  acre  tract  of  land,  whereon 
he  now  resides,  his  home  being  at  No.  1339  Seventh  avenue,  North.  He  became 
owner  of  this  property  in  1904  and  has  since  sold  an  acre  and  a  half.  This,  he 
says,  is  the  only  mistake  he  has  ever  made  in  business.  Upon  his  place  he  raises 
grain,  hay  and  fruit  and  he  is  also  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Payette. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1896,  at  Payette,  Mr.  Brodersen  was  married  to  the  sweet- 
heart of  his  youth,  Miss  Agnes  Crantz,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  joined  him  in  the 
new  world  as  soon  as  he  could  prepare  a  home  for  her.  They  have  become  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Lulu  May;  Ruby  Leanore;  Norah  Emma;  Rudolph  Nicolas; 
Hammond  Frederick,  eleven  years  of  age;  and  Carl  Fritz,  who  is  nine  years  of  age. 
All  save  the  first  named  are  attending  school. 

Mr.  Brodersen  is  a  loyal  American  citizen  and  is  glad  to  be  able  to  live  under 
the  stars  and  stripes.  He  was  born  in  that  part  of  Germany  which  Germany  had 
once  wrested  from  Denmark  and  he  had  no  use  for  the  military  system  of  the 
country.  In  the  new  world  he  has  found  the  opportunities  which  he  sought  and 
in  their  utilization  has  won  success  and  many  friends  and  has  made  for  himself 
an  honored  name. 


MRS.  ALICE  GARLAND. 

Mrs.  Alice  Garland,  of  South  Boise,  is  one  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Idaho, 
having  resided  in  this  state  for  almost  a  third  of  a  century.  She  came  to  the  west 
in  1888  and  for  ten  years  lived  in  Blackfoot,  Idaho.  She  was  born  in  England  on 
the  8th  of  September,  1856,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Margaret  (Rice) 
Odd,  who  brought  their  family  to  the  United  States  when  she  was  a  maiden  of  six- 
teen summers.  The  parents  were  converts  to  the  teachings  of  the  Mormon  church 
and,  crossing  the  Atlantic,  made  their  way  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  where  their 
remaining  days  were  passed.  In  early  womanhood  Alice  Odd  became  the  wife  of 
John  Williams  and  they  removed  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Idaho  and  for  ten  years 
resided  at  Blackfoot.  Three  children  were  born  of  this  marriage:  Charles  H.,  born 
September  21,  1878;  Alice  Eliza,  April  18,  1880;  and  Herbert,  born  February  15, 
1882.  The  daughter  reached  adult  age,  married  and  had  one  child,  but  the  parents 
and  child  have  all  passed  away.  Charles  H.  and  Herbert  Williams  are  well  known 
young  business  men  of  Boise,  the  former  a  carpenter  by  trade,  while  the  latter 
occupies  a  good  position  with  the  Idaho  Power  Company,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  for  more  than  seven  years.  Both  are  married  and  have  children.  Charles 
H.  Williams  has  four  children:  Harold,  Ernest,  Charles  and  Margaret.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Herbert  Williams  have  been  born  three  daughters:  Alice,  Gloria  and  Lorena. 
The  marriage  of  Alice  Odd  to  John  Williams  proved  an  unhappy  one  and  resulted  in 
a  legal  separation.  Later  she  became  the  wife  of  John  Mitchell  and  with  her  hus- 
band removed  from  Blackfoot  to  Boise,  where  Mr.  Mitchell  passed  away. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1907,  she  became  the  wife  of  Charles  Henry  Garland, 
with  whom  she  has  since  lived  happily,  Mr.  Garland  being  an  excellent  man  in 
every  respect.  He  is  a  blacksmith  and  machinist  by  trade  and  despite  his  age — 
seventy-seven  years — he  is  strong  and  vigorous  and  is  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
Boise-Payette  Lumber  Company  at  Barber,  Idaho.  He  possesses  much  natural  me- 
chanical skill  and  ingenuity,  evidence  of  which  is  found  in  his  home  in  the  shape 
of  a  beautiful  wall  cabinet  with  glass  doors — itself  a  work  of  art,  containing  a  large 
collection  of  bright,  glistening,  keen-edged  tools  made  in  miniature  and  of  solid 
steel,  all  beautifully  designed  and  shaped  by  him.  The  whole  constitutes  a  won- 
derful collection  and  is  well  worthy  a  place  in  a  museum.  Both  the  cabinet  and 
everything  in  it  were  made  by  Mr.  Garland  in  his  leisure  moments. 

Mrs.  Garland  owns  a  splendidly  improved  acreage  tract  on  Linden  avenue  in 
South  Boise,  where  she  has  seven  acres  upon  which  are  to  be  found  three  residences, 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  971 

one  of  these  being  a  handsome  modern  home  which  she  now  rents.  There  are 
also  two  cottages,  one  of  which  Mrs.  Garland  occupies,  while  the  other  la  occupied 
by  her  son  Herbert.  Mrs.  Garland  is  a  member  of  the  South  Boise  Presbyterian 
church  and  is  the  president  of  its  Ladies  Aid  Society.  Her  many  admirable  traits 
of  character  have  gained  for  her  the  warm  friendship  and  kindly  regard  of  all  who 
know  her. 


COLONEL  ELIAS  MARSTERS. 

Colonel  Ellas  Marsters  is  a  veteran  auctioneer  of  Ada  county  and  a  farmer 
whose  ranch  is  situated  at  Onweiler,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Meridian.  He 
divides  the  time  between  his  two  business  interests,  being  senior  partner  in  the 
firm  of  E.  Marsters  &  Son,  general  auctioneers,  in  which  connection  they  have  at- 
tained places  of  leadership.  The  father  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having 
occurred  about  six  miles  north  of  Plymouth,  in  Marshall  county,  on  the  22d  of  June, 
1860,  his  parents  being  Saul  and  Nancy  (Clark)  Marsters.  The  father  was  also  a 
farmer  and  auctioneer.  In  fact  three  generations  of  the  family  have  been  suc- 
cessful auctioneers,  all  having  been,  as  it  were,  "to  the  manner  born."  Saul 
Marsters,  likewise  a  native  of  Indiana,  was  one  of  twins,  his  brother  being  Paul 
Marsters,  who  became  a  physician,  practicing  at  different  periods  in  Missouri,  Illi- 
nois and  Nebraska,  eventually  locating  at  Steele  City,  Jefferson  county,  Nebraska. 
His  twin  brother,  Saul  Marsters,  as  indicated,  followed  farming  and  auctioneering 
throughout  his  entire  life  and  passed  away  at  Stillwater,  Oklahoma,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  Nebraska  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  They 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Colonel  Marsters  of  this  review  was  the 
fourth  child  and  youngest  son.  He  and  two  sisters  are  now  the  survivors  of  the 
family,  the  sisters  being  Mrs.  Belle  Pearson  and  Mrs.  Etta  Latta,  both  of  whom  are 
residents  of  Nebraska. 

When  Colonel  Marsters  was  but  five  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  a 
farm  near  Rantoul,  Illinois,  and  he  there  remained  until  seventeen  years  of  age, 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jefferson  county,  Nebraska,  there  making  his 
home  until  1897.  In  that  year  he  arrived  in  Ada  county,  Idaho,  where  he  has  since 
lived,  and  throughout  the  entire  period  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  ranching 
and  to  general  auctioneering.  In  the  latter  he  is  associated  with  his  son,  Leo  Ed- 
ward Marsters,  who  also  owns  a  good  ranch  just  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the 
father's  ranch.  The  ranch  of  Leo  E.  Marsters  comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  acres  and  was  purchased  by  his  father  when  he  first  came  to  Idaho  in  1897, 
turning  it  over  to  his  son,  Leo  E.,  when  the  latter  attained  his  majority.  Colonel 
Marsters  began  auctioneering  in  Nebraska  when  twenty  years  of  age,  receiving  his 
first  training  under  his  father,  who  had  become  an  expert  in  that  line.  Colonel 
Marsters  has  likewise  trained  his  son  and  the  family  name  has  ever  been  a  synonym 
for  excellent  service  in  the  field  of  auctioneering.  The  present  firm  now  has  more 
than  ninety  per  cent  of  the  sales  in  Ada  county  and  they  are  called  to  all  parts  of 
southern  Idaho  and  southeastern  Oregon  as  auctioneers.  Their  methods  are  not 
those  of  the  old-time  auctioneers,  loud  and  boisterous,  but  they  maintain  the  quiet 
and  dignity  of  the  modern  business  man  who  seeks  to  make  sales  through  the  cor- 
rect presentation  of  the  merits  of  whatever  he  is  handling. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  1883,  at  Steele  City,  Nebraska,  Colonel  Marsters  was 
married  to  Miss  Addle  Ames,  a  daughter  of  Edwin  H.  and  Marion  Ames,  who  now 
reside  in  Boise  at  the  ages  of  eighty-five  and  seventy-four  years  respectively. 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Marsters  have  but  one  living  child,  Leo  Edward,  but  lost  three 
children — Perry  E.,  Earley  and  Nancy  Ann,  the  first  two  being  ten  years  of  age 
when  called  to  their  final  rest,  while  Nancy  Ann  was  but  two  years  old. 

Colonel  Marsters  and  his  son  had  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  large  general 
sales  in  the  year  1918,  handling  more  sales  than  any  other  firm  in  Idaho.  In  pol- 
itics Colonel  Marsters  is  a  republican,  giving  stalwart  support  to  the  party,  and  for 
two  years  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  and  for  one  year  as  deputy  United  States  mar- 
shal under  Marshal  Shad  Hodgin.  He  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  under  J.  D.  Agnew. 
He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  an  elective  office,  but  he  stands  loyally  for  every 
cause  in  which  he  believes  and  in  all  matters  of  citizenship  maintains  a  progressive 
attitude.  He  is  fond  of  hunting  and  other  outdoor  sports  and  owns  some  fine  hunt- 


972  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

ing  dogs.  His  business  has  made  him  widely  known  not  only  in  Ada  county  but 
throughout  southern  Idaho  and  he  is  always  a  welcome  guest  in  every  home  in 
which  he  is  known,  due  to  his  genial  disposition  and  his  sterling  personal  worth. 


MRS.    AMELIA  EISLEY. 

For  thirty-eight  years,  or  since  1881,  Mrs.  Amelia  Eisley  has  resided  upon  the 
farm  which  she  now  occupies.  She  is  therefore  numbered  among  the  old  settlers 
in  the  neighborhood  east  of  South  Boise,  her  place  being  situated  a  mile  and  a  half 
east  of  the  Garfield  school.  She  was  born  in  Wood  county,  Ohio,  December  18,  1844, 
and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Amelia  Calkins,  her  parents  being  David  and  Margaret 
(Marsh)  Calkins,  who  were  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  of  Nova  Scotia 
respectively.  When  she*was  two  years  of  age  her  parents  removed  to  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  and  when  she  was  a  maiden  of  twelve  they  became  residents  of  Sauk 
county,  Wisconsin,  settling  in  a  home  near  Baraboo  which  was  the  home  of  Ringling 
Brothers,  the  well  known  circus  men.  There  when  seventeen  years  of  age  she  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  Henry  Foster.  In  1866  they  removed  to  Colorado  and 
there  Mr.  Foster  was  killed  by  lightning  on  the  13th  of  June,  1875,  when  forty 
years  of  age.  On  December  31,  1876,  she  became  the  wife  of  William  Bubb,  of 
Kansas,  who  died  July  1,  1905.  On  the  4th  of  January,  1912,  she  married  John 
Eisley,  who  passed  away  August  26,  1917.  There  were  five  children  born  of  her 
first  marriage:  Lillian,  who  died  in  infancy;  Clara,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edwin  How- 
ard, of  Nebraska;  William,  who  died  in  infancy;  Edith,  the  wife  of  Daniel  Thrasher, 
of  Montana;  and  Charles  Homer,  who  was  born  three  months  after  his  father's 
death.  Of  the  second  marriage  there  was  born  a  daughter,  Fannie,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Roy  Holden,  and  they  reside  with  Mrs.  Eisley.  They  have  a  son,  Fred 
Holden,  who  is  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Holden  was  born  October  19,  1881, 
and  her  son  was  born  April  27,  1898. 

Mrs.  Eisley  is  a  member  of  the  Nazarene  church  of  Boise.  Her  life  has  ever 
won  for  h.er  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  she  has  come  in  con- 
tact. She  has  been  a  devoted  wife  to  three  husbands  until  death  has  separated  them 
and  has  been  a  most  faithful  and  affectionate  mother  to  her  six  children.  She  is  a 
remarkably  well  preserved  woman  of  seventy-five  years  and  is  pleasantly  located  on 
a  farm  southeast  of  Boise,  where  she  can  enjoy  the  freedom  of  outdoor  life  and  at 
the  same  time  the  advantages  of  city  life  are  most  easily  attainable.  The  farm  on 
which  she  resides  was  purchased  at  the  time  of  her  removal  to  this  state  from 
Colorado  in  1881  and  embraced  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres.  The  place  now 
comprises  but  ninety-six  acres,  a  forty-acre  tract  having  been  deeded  to  Mrs.  Eis- 
ley's  son,  Charles  Homer  Foster,  a  well  known  dairyman,  who  passed  away  July 
15,  1915,  when  about  forty  years  of  age. 


HON.  CECIL  L.  WEEKS. 

Hon.  Cecil  L.  Weeks,  serving  his  first  term  in  the  state  legislature  and  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  majority  side  of  the  house,  is  also  well  known  as  a 
prominent  sheepman  and  farmer,  making  his  home  at  Caldwell.  He  was  born  on  Eagle 
island,  in  Ada  county,  Idaho,  December  9,  1880,  a  son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Frances  (Ingle) 
Weeks.  The  father  passed  away  at  Portland,  Oregon,  April  5,  1919,  and  the  mother 
died  when  her  son  Cecil  was  but  seven  years  of  age.  The  family  comes  of  English 
ancestry  on  the  paternal  side,  the  grandfather  having  come  to  the  United  States  from 
Canada  and  established  his  home  in  Iowa.  From  that  state  Joseph  E.  Weeks  removed 
to  Idaho  in  1878. 

Upon  the  home  farm  near  Star,  in  Ada  county,  Cecil  L.  Weeks  spent  his  youthful 
days  and  acquired  a  common  school  education.  He  has  been  a  farmer  and  sheepman 
throughout  his  entire  life  and  for  ten  years  he  resided  in  Wilder.  In  1917,  however,  he 
removed  to  Caldwell  but  is  still  the  owner  of  two  ranches  near  Wilder.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Harvey  &  Weeks,  his  associate  in  the 
business  being  a  resident  of  Boise.  This  firm  has  extensive  sheep  interests,  running 
thousands  of  head  of  sheep  upon  their  ranch.  From  his  boyhood  Mr.  Weeks  has  been 


HON.  CECIL  L.  WEEKS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  975 

deeply  interested  in  the  sheep  industry  and  followed  the  line  of  his  inclination  and 
ambition  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  sheep  raising,  which  he  is  now  conducting  on 
a  very  extensive  scale.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Idaho  Wool  Growers  Associa- 
tion and  he  is  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Wilder,  while  at  Smiths  Ferry 
he  has  mercantile  interests. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1905,  in  Boise,  Mr.  Weeks  was  married  to  Miss  Alta 
O.  Origgs,  of  the  capital  city,  who  is  also  a  native  of  Ada  county.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: Leon  Lester,  horn  November  25,  1906;  and  Helen  Josephine,  born  December 
2,  1915. 

Mr.  Weeks  gives  his  political  endorsement  to  the  republican  party,  of  which  he  has 
always  been  a  stanch  advocate,  and  in  1918  he  was  elected  on  the  party  ticket  to  the 
state  legislature  by  a  large  majority  although  he  did  not  seek  the  office.  He  was  made 
chairman  of  the  appropriations  committee  and  is  serving  on  several  other  important 
committees.  He  has  introduced  several  bills  that  have  passed  both  houses  and  although 
this  is  his  first  term's  service  in  the  legislature  and  in  fact  the  first  public  office  that  he 
has  ever  filled  he  is  recognized  as  a  leader  on  the  majority  side  of  the  house  and  has 
been  most  active  in  shaping  legislation  during  the  fifteenth  session  of  the  general  as- 
sembly. Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  in  those  lodges  and  in  every  rela- 
tion of  life  in  which  he  is  known  he  commands  the  high  regard  and  respect  of  his 
fellow  townsmen  by  reason  of  his  devotion  to  duty,  his  capability  in  business  and  his 
progressiveness  in  citizenship. 


GEORGE  PENINGER. 

George  Peninger  is  a  pioneer  ranchman  residing  five  miles  southwest  of  Boise, 
on  the  Boise  bench.  He  came  to  Idaho  with  his  wife  and  one  child  in  the  year  1881, 
removing  from  California  to  this  state.  Mr.  Peninger  Is  a  native,  however,  of  Illi- 
nois, his  birth  having  occurred  about  sixty  miles  west  of  the  capital  city  of  Spring- 
field on  the  21st  of  October,  1845.  His  parents  were  John  and  Charlotte  (Hight) 
Peninger.  The  father  died  when  the  son  was  only  a  small  lad.  He  was  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  while  his  wife  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  represented  one  of  the 
early  Pennsylvania  Dutch  families.  The  mother  also  passed  away  during  the  early 
boyhood  of  George  Peninger,  who  was  thus  left  an  orphan.  He  was  reared  in  the 
family  of  William  R.  Morrison,  an  uncle  by  marriage,  and  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  and  in  the  Presbyterian  University  at  Lincoln,  that 
state.  Previous  to  the  completion  of  his  course  in  the  university,  however,  he 
served  for  about  five  months  in  the  army  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-ninth  Illinois  Regiment,  near  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  when  still  a  boy 
in  his  teens.  When  hostilities  ceased  he  was  in  North  Carolina  and  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield,  Illinois.  As  a  boy  he  often  saw 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  heard  him  in  his  famous  debates  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 

In  1866  Mr.  Peninger  left  Illinois  and  went  to  Missouri,  but  after  a  year  or  two 
continued  his  journey  across  the  country  to  California.  He  remained  in  that  state 
for  several  years  engaged  in  various  pursuits  and  while  there  residing  he  was  mar- 
ried on  the  10th  of  February,  1880,  to  Miss  Winifred  Alice  Carter,  who  was  born 
at  Chinese  Camp,  a  mining  town  of  California,  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  on 
the  21st  of  January,  1862,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  Leonard  and  Mary  (O'Con- 
nell)  Carter.  The  father  was  of  English  birth,  while  the  mother  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  her  birth  having  occurred  on  the  Emerald  isle.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Captain  John  O'Connell,  who  served  in  the  British  army  and  was  killed  in  battle 
in  Hindustan. 

In  the  year  1880  Mr.  Peninger  came  to  Idaho,  his  wife  and  little  child — their 
firstborn,  George  Carter  Peninger, — remaining  in  the  east  until  1882,  when  they, 
too,  came  to  Idaho.  The  family  first  lived  in  the  Wood  river  valley  for  a  short 
time  but  in  December,  1882,  removed  to  Boise  and  have  lived  in  the  city  and 
vicinity  throughout  the  intervening  period.  They  continued  in  Boise  for  several 
years,  but  later  Mr.  Peninger  took  up  a  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  homestead 
just  across  the  road  from  his  present  home  and  five  miles  southwest  of  Boise.  This 
was  during  the  first  administration  of  Grover  Cleveland.  The  tract  of  land  was 
covered  with  sagebrush  and  he  faced  the  difficult  and  arduous  task  of  clearing  and 


976  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

developing  the  property.  After  a  few  years,  or  in  1896,  he  took  up  a  homestead, 
and  he  and  his  family  located  thereon  and  continued  its  further  development  and 
improvement  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  valuable  tracts  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  be  found  between  Boise  and  Meridian.  In  1911  Mr. 
Peninger  sold  that  property  and  immediately  purchased  his  present  home  place 
just  across  the  road  from  the  homestead,  a  farm  somewhat  smaller,  embracing  only 
forty  acres.  This,  too,  is  one  of  the  best  of  its  size  in  the  Boise  valley  and  its 
splendid  appearance  indicates  the  careful  supervision  and  the  practical  and  pro- 
gressive methods  of  the  owner.  , 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peninger  have  been  born  but  two  children.  The  elder,  George 
Carter,  is  married  and  resides  in  Riverside  valley,  Canyon  county,  Idaho.  The 
daughter,  Jessie  May,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  W.  Culver,  of  Emeryville,  California. 
They  also  reared  an  adopted  son,  Robert  William  Sherier,  who  is  now  eighteen  years 
of  age  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  household  from  the  age  of  nine  months. 

Mr.  Peninger  is  a  republican  in  his  political  views.  He  proudly  wears  the 
little  bronze  button  that  proclaims  him  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  post.  His  wife  is  connected  with  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and 
the  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees.  They  are  well  known  residents  of  Ada  county,  where 
they  have  made  their  home  for  thirty-nine  years,  therefore  witnessing  much  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  community,  while  along  agricultural  lines  Mr. 
Peninger  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  general  progress  and  improvement. 


W.  E.   STUART. 

W.  E.  Stuart,  a  stockman  living  in  the  Falk  district  of  Payette  county,  was 
born  near  his  present  residence  at  Falk,  Idaho,  December  29,  1868.  His  father, 
William  Stuart,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  on  coming  to  America  about  1850 
took  up  his  abode  in  Illinois.  He  afterward  removed  to  Missouri  and  in  1864 
came  to  Idaho,  settling  at  what  is  now  known  as  Falk.  In  Illinois  he  had  married 
Sarah  Ellen  Ackels,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  crossed  the  plains  from  Missouri 
with  an  ox  team  and  four  cows,  which  they  drove  as  a  team,  and  also  a  four  horse 
team.  They  experienced  all  of  the  troubles  and  hardships  attendant  upon  such 
a  trip  in  those  early  days  and  were  six  months  on  the  way.  In  Idaho  the  father 
engaged  in  the  live  stock  business  and  was  considered  one  of  the  most  prominent 
stockmen  of  the  state.  He  owned  thousands  of  head  of  cattle  and  at  one  time 
owned  thirty-one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the  Payette  valley.  He  was 
a  man  of  upright  character  and  genuine  worth,  was  fearless,  and  it  was  said  of 
him  that  when  the  Indians  stole  his  horses  he  always  brought  them  back.  He 
died  on  the  18th  of  October,  1895,  while  his  wife  passed  away  at  Blackfoot,  Idaho, 
in  January,  1901.  They  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  of  whom  tour  are. 
living:  Emma  B.,  now  a  practicing  physician  of  Portland,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Minnie 
Patten,  of  Falk,  Idaho;  Mrs.  Nellie  Meldrum,  of  Victoria,  British  Columbia;  and 
W.  E.,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm  and  early  became 
familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  raising  stock.  He  was  yet 
a  youth  in  his  teens  when  he  became  an  active  factor  in  the  development  of  the 
stock  raising  interests  of  his  father.  Today  he  is  the  owner  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  excellent  land  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of  cattle 
for  beef.  The  residence  which  he  occupies  was  built  by  his  father  in  1893  and 
overlooks  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Payette,  being  about  seven  miles  southeast 
of  New  Plymouth.  He  also  has  a  summer  home — a  log  cabin,  located  in  a  pic- 
turesque spot  on  Squaw  creek,  in  the  mountains  of  Idaho. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1902,  Mr.  Stuart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
Carter,  of  Arkansas,  a  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Martha  (Daniels)  Carter.  Her 
father  is  still  living  in  Ontario,  Oregon,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Her  mother 
died  while  crossing  the  plains  and  her  father  became  one  of  the  well  known  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuart  have  a  daughter,  Alta,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  eighth  grade  of  the  grammar  school  at  the  age  of  twelve  years. 
She  has  many  interesting  relics,  found  in  Idaho,  and  a  fine  fossil  specimen  from 
Oregon.  She  also  has  the  bullets  taken  from  two  bears  which  were  killed  by  a 
friend  of  her  father.  She  possesses  likewise  a  collection  of  pestles  which  were  used 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  977 

by  the  Indians  to  crush  their  grain,  and  she  has  an  old  rifle  and  two  powder  horns 
which  were  given  her  by  an  old  Indian.  She  is  very  fond  of  these  souvenirs  and 
takes  great  delight  in  listening  to  the  stories  of  which  they  are  the  visible  evidence. 
She  has  the  photographs  of  her  grandparents  on  both  sides  of  the  family,  which 
she  prizes  highly  and  which  are  most  interesting  mementos  of  bygone  days. 
She  is  a  girl  of  most  attractive  personality,  a  splendid  type  of  the  western  life 
that  thrills  everyone  that  comes  to  know  aught  of  this  section  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Stuart  is  a  man  of  commanding  figure,  affable  and  genial,  and  he  has 
a  host  of  warm  friends  in  his  section  of  the  state.  Here  he  has  spent  his  entire 
life,  witnessing  the  marvelous  growth  and  development  of  the  region,  and  he  has 
always  borne  his  full  share  in  the  work  of  progress  and  improvement. 


ANTON  GORECZKY. 

Anton  Goreczky,  conducting  an  extensive  business  under  the  name  of  the 
Boise  Sash  and  Door  Factory,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  industrial  enter- 
prises of  the  city,  was  born  near  Vienna,  Austria,  June  8,  1861.  He  was  very 
young  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  and  his  father  afterward  remarried,  but 
home  surroundings  were  uncongenial  and  when  a  lad  of  but  thirteen  Anton  Goreczky 
left  home.  He  served  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  to  a  cabinet  maker  and  after- 
wards worked  as  a  journeyman,  visiting  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  while  in  the 
meantime  he  was  promoting  his  knowledge  through  attendance  at  night  schools. 
On  the  5th  of  March,  1878,  he  was  drafted  for  military  service,  but  not  wishing  to 
become  a  soldier  under  the  Austrian  government,  he  ran  away  and  sailed  for 
America,  landing  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  July  9,  1878.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Calumet  county,  Wisconsin,  where  for  four  and  a  half  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  cabinet  maker  by  Henry  Woelker,  during  which  period  he  practiced  the  closest 
economy  as  well  as  industry,  so  that  at  the  end  of  that  time  his  cash  capital 
amounted  to  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He  then  determined  to  engage  in 
farming  and  removed  to  Morton  county,  Kansas,  where  he  preempted  a  homestead 
on  which  he  resided  for  two  and  a  half  years  and  at  the  same  time  worked  at  the 
cabinet  maker's  trade.  Kansas,  however,  suffered  from  a  grasshopper  scourge  and 
extensive  drought  and  he  was  able  to  make  nothing  off  of  his  land.  Placing  the 
farm  in  charge  of  his  father,  who  had  come  to  the  new  world  several  years  after  the 
arrival  of  the  son,  the  latter  then  removed  to  Trinidad,  Colorado,  where  he  was 
employed  at  cabinet  making  for  a  year.  Later  he  went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  where 
he  worked  at  carpentering  and  cabinet  making  for  four  years,  and  again  he  care- 
fully saved  his  earnings. 

It  was  in  February,  1891,  that  Mr.  Goreczky  arrived  in  Boise,  where  he  took 
up  the  work  of  contracting  and  building,  erecting  many  of  the  leading  business 
houses  and  fine  residences  of  the  city.  After  two  years,  such  had  been  his  success, 
he  was  able  to  erect  a  planing  mill,  which  he  operated  with  profit  until  1901,  when 
a  disastrous  fire  completely  destroyed  his  entire  plant.  The  characteristic  courage 
and  determination  of  Mr.  Goreczky  here  came  to  the  front  and  he  rebuilt  his  mill, 
erecting  a  two-story  modern  brick  structure  with  ten  thousand  feet  of  floor  space. 
He  has  developed  and  equipped  a  splendid  plant.  His  mill  yard  covers  nearly  an 
entire  city  block  and  has  adequate  switching  facilities  for  its  shipping  department. 
Mr.  Goreczky  has  carefully  studied  every  phase  of  the  business  and  has  learned  the 
secret  of  success — the  accomplishment  of  maximum  results  at  a  minimum  expendi- 
ture of  time,  labor  and  material.  As  proprietor  of  the  Boise  Sash  and  Door  Factory 
he  has  built  up  a  business  of  extensive  and  gratifying  proportions  and  in  addition 
he  is  the  owner  of  much  valuable  city  realty,  together  with  one  of  the  fine  homes 
of  Boise. 

In  1891  Mr.  Goreczky  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Sutty,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  town  in  which  her  husband's  birth  occurred.  They  have  become  parents  of 
two  children:  Oscar,  now  bookkeeper  and  general  manager  for  his  father;  and 
Elsie. 

Mr.  Goreczky  has  always  been  a  republican  where  national  questions  and 
issues  are  involved  but  at  local  elections  casts  an  independent  ballot,  nor  does  he 
feel  that  he  must  bow  to  the  dictates  of  party  at  any  time.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman 

Vol.  II— 62 


978  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

Catholic  church.  His  life  illustrates  what  can  be  accomplished  through  individual 
effort  and  determination,  for  starting  out  in  the  business  world  when  a  lad  of  but 
thirteen  years  without  capital  or  influential  friends  to  aid  him,  he  has  steadily 
worked  his  way  upward  and  his  business  and  property  holdings  are  the  visible 
evidence  of  his  life  of  v/ell  directed  energy  and  thrift. 


Z.  SANFORD  GWALTNEY. 

Z.  Sanford  Gwaltney,  president  and  manager  of  the  Idaho  Electric  Supply  Company 
of  Boise,  came  to  this  state  from  Salt  Lake  City  in  1915  and  on  the  21st  of  September, 
1917,  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  company  of  which  he  has  since  been  pres- 
ident and  manager.  His  life  story  had  its  beginning  at  Fort  Branch,  Gibson  county, 
Indiana,  March  30,  1885.  He  is  a  son  of  James  H.  and  Serelda  (McDonald)  Gwaltney, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  that  state  and  have  now  passed  away. 

Z.  Sanford  Gwaltney  was  reared  in  Gibson  county  and  studied  electrical  engineer- 
ing in  Purdue  University  of  La  Fayette,  Indiana,  in  which  he  remained  a  student  for 
two  and  a  half  years,  leaving  that  institution  in  1906,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  afterward  spent  five  years  in  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  was  treasurer  of  the 
United  Electric  Company.  Later  he  lived  for  three  years  at  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he 
was  manager  of  the  Salt  Lake  Electric  Supply  Company,  and  in  1915  he  came  from 
Utah  to  Boise.  The  Idaho  Electric  Supply  Company,  Ltd.,  was  incorporated  in  1908 
and  the  business  has  since  been  carried  on  under  that  name  save  that  the  word  "Lim- 
ited" was  dropped  September  21,  1917.  The  capital  stock  is  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
This  is  the  largest  concern  in  Idaho"  dealing  in  electric  supplies.  The  officers  of  the 
company  are:  Z.  S.  Gwaltney,  president;  E.  A.  Boyd,  vice  president;  R.  L.  Walker,  sec- 
retary; and  G.  M.  Jeffery  treasurer.  They  conduct  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business 
in  automobile  and  electric  supplies  and  their  trade  extends  over  a  wide  territory  for 
they  handle  a  most  extensive  line  and  their  business  methods  are  such  as  commend 
them  to  the  patronage  and  support  of  the  general  public. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1918,  Mr.  Gwaltney  was  married  in  Boise  to  Miss  Virginia 
O.  Turner,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Gwaltney  belongs  to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club. 
He  is  also  a  Mason  belonging  to  Idaho  Commandery,  No.  1,  K.  T.,  and  is  a  Noble  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  and  an  Elk  loyal  to  the  teachings  and  purposes  of  those  organizations. 
He  is  actuated  in  all  that  he  undertakes  by  a  progressive  spirit  that  never  stops  short 
of  the  successful  accomplishment  of  his  purpose,  and  the  determination  and  energy 
which  he  has  displayed  in  the  conduct  of  his  business  affairs  has  placed  his  house  in  a 
position  of  leadership  in  its  line  in  the  state. 


FRED   M.    HARRINGTON. 

Fred  M.  Harrington,  interested  in  live  stock  raising  and  farming,  was  born 
in  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  in  1875  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  American 
families.  His  great-great-grandfather  in  the  paternal  line  was  a  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812.  His  grandfather,  Gamaliel  Harrington,  was  a  Baptist  minister  who 
rode  the  circuit  according  to  the  old-time  practice  of  the  ministry  and  covered  a 
large  area  near  Shiocton,  Wisconsin.  He  attained  the  notable  old  age  of  eighty- 
three  years. 

His  son,  Jerry  Harrington,  father  of  Fred  M.  Harrington,  was  born  in  Warren 
county,  New  York,  in  1837  and  in  1856  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wisconsin, 
settling  first  at  Calumet,  where  they  lived  for  four  years  and  then  removed  to 
Shiocton.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  became  an  infantryman  of  the  First 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  attached  to  the  famous  Iron  Brigade, 
and  thus  he  served  until  honorably  discharged  because  of  disability  on  account 
of  illness.  He  was  sent  home  it  was  thought  to  die,  but  nature  triumphed  over 
disease  and,  recovering  his  health,  he  enlisted  in  the  spring  of  1864  in  the  Fourth 
Wisconsin  Cavalry  and  was  with  his  command  on  Sherman's  flank  during  the 
march  to  the  sea.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who  aided  in  the  capture  of  Jeff  Davis. 
This  was  preceded  by  a  detachment  of  Michigan  cavalry  and  of  the  Fourth  Wiscon- 
sin Cavalry  mistaking  each  other  for  southern  soldiers  and  firing,  with  the  result 


Z.  SANFORD  GWALTNEY 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  981 

that  several  of  the  Michigan  boys  were  killed.  After  this  the  two  commands 
joined  forces  and  were  together  at  the  capture  of  the  president  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy.  Mr.  Harrington  also  participated  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness 
and  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  was  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run.  He  died  in  1907,  his  death  being  a  great  blow  to  his  son  Fred,  for 
they  had  always  been  the  closest  companions.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Cynthia  B.  Torrey,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  became  a  resident 
of  Wisconsin  when  eighteen  years  of  age.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1866,  she 
became  the  wife  of  Jerry  Harrington  and  her  death  occurred  on  the  10th  of 
December,  1916. 

When  Fred  M.  Harrington  was  but  a  year  old  his  parents  returned  from 
Shenandoah,  Iowa,  to  Shiocton,  Wisconsin,  and  there  he  attended  the  graded 
schools  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  after  which  he  assisted  his  father  in  farm  work 
to  the  age  of  nineteen.  At  that  time  he  was  married  and  entered  the  live  stock 
business  and  farming  and  also  engaged  in  the  produce  business  on  his  own  account 
in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until  March  13,  1908.  He  then  came  to  Caldwell 
and  here  entered  the  butchering  business,  in  which  he  continued  for  five  years, 
being  associated  with  W.  Grant  Ward  under  the  name  of  the  Idaho  Meat  Company. 
At  the  same  time  they  were  engaged  in  shipping  live  stock  and  farming.  Mr. 
Ward  owns  forty  acres  Just  east  of  Caldwell  and  Mr.  Harrington  forty  acres  south- 
west, just  outside  of  the  city  limits,  and  together  they  own  and  cultivate  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Owyhee  county,  on  which  they  raise  stock  and  hay,  at 
all  times  raising  a  large  number  of  cattle.  In  the  spring  of  1913  they  disposed  of 
their  interests  in  the  butchering  business  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Baker,  Ward 
&  Harrington  they  are  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  live  stock,  making  ship- 
ments mostly  to  Seattle,  although  a  portion  of  their  shipments  go  to  Alaska. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1895,  Mr.  Harrington  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Kransus,  of  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  and  they  have  had  four  children: 
Irene,  who  is  director  of  the  dining  hall  of  Reed  College,  Portland,  Oregon;  Hazel, 
the  wife  of  Alois  A.  Davis  of  Berros,  California;  Dora,  deceased;  and  Clara,  a  student. 

Mr.  Harrington  is  an  athletic  man.  He  is  more  than  six  feet  in  height, 
weighs  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  and  has  always  greatly  enjoyed  foot- 
ball, baseball  and  boxing.  He  was  for  five  years  *a  member  of  the  city  council 
and  is  interested  in  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his  section 
of  the  state.  His  business  activities  have  been  carefully  and  wisely  directed,  and 
his  success  is  the  direct  and  legitimate  outcome  of  his  labors. 


B.  C.  BERTLESON. 

Since  1909  B.  C.  Bertleson  has  been  the  owner  and  occupant  of  his  present 
farm  property,  which  is  situated  nine  miles  southeast  of  New  Plymouth.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  city,  August  7,  1869,  his  parents  being  J.  C.  and  Carrie  (Skaan- 
ing)  Bertleson,  who  were  natives  of  Denmark.  They  were  driven  out  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein  by  the  Germans,  for  Mr.  Bertleson  was  a  soldier  in  the  Danish  army  when 
Germany  conquered  that  country.  They  came  to  America  and  after  six  years  re- 
turned to  Denmark,  where  they  resided  for  ten  years,  when  once  more  they  emi- 
grated to  the  new  world.  They  made  their  way  across  the  country  to  Nebraska, 
where  Mr.  Bertleson  homesteaded  and  there  followed  farming  for  fifteen  years.  In 
their  family  were  seven  children,  five  of  whom  were  daughters,  the  brother  of 
B.  C.  Bertleson  being  Pete  Bertleson,  who  came  west  with  him  in  1888  and  passed 
away  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  in  1905.  Two  of  the  sisters  are  yet  living,  one 
being  a  resident  of  Missouri  and  the  other  of  Seattle,  Washington.  Both  are 
married. 

B.  C.  Bertleson  attended  the  schools  of  Denmark  and  of  Nebraska.  He  became 
a  resident  of  Idaho  in  1901,  settling  in  the  Payette  valley,  where  he  purchased  the 
Nicholas  ranch,  which  he  later  sold  and  then  made  investment  in  his  present  place 
of  two  hundred  acres  in  1909.  This  is  pleasantly  situated  nine  miles  southeast  of 
New  Plymouth,  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  and  productive  district.  Here  Mr.  Bertleson 
is  engaged  in  sheep  raising  and  has  about  eighteen  hundred  head.  He  likewise 
has  about  twenty  head  of  other  stock.  He  came  to  Idaho  after  first  going  to 
Oregon  and  has  never  regretted  his  determination  to  become  a  resident  of  this 


982  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

state,  for  here  he  has  found  good  business  opportunities  and  in  their  utilization  has 
won  for  himself  a  creditable  position  as  a  representative  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Payette  county. 

In  1901  Mr.  Bertleson  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Zufelt,  a  daughter  of  Harmon 
and  Minerva  (Johnson)  Zufelt,  who  were  pioneers  of  Arizona,  where  Mrs.  Bertie- 
son  was  born.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  six  children:  Lloyd 
C.,  Warren  C.,  Jay  G.,  Lorena,  Mona  Letta  and  Ada  Delia,  all  yet  under  the  paren- 
tal roof. 

Mr.  Bertleson  has  been  keenly  interested  in  irrigation  problems  and  in  the 
question  of  bringing  water  into  the  arid  districts  and  in  1915  and  1916  was  a 
director  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  ditch,  while  for  the  past  eight  years  he  has 
been  a  director  of  the  Enterprise  ditch  and  is  now  commissioner  of  the  Canyon 
county  drainage  district,  No.  1. 


CHARLES   P.   ADAMS. 

Charles  F.  Adams,  identified  with  the  commercial  interests  of  Boise  as  the  sec- 
retary, treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Idaho  Candy  Company,  was  born  in 
Tipton,  Iowa,  July  23,  1886,  a  son  of  Francis  W.  and  Ella  R.  (Reichert)  Adams. 
The  father,  who  devoted  his  life  to  merchandising,  passed  away  in  1904,  but  the 
mother  survives  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Spencer,  Iowa.  Charles  F.  Adams 
was  one  of  three  children  and  has  a  sister  living,  Laura,  now  the  wife  of  J.  H. 
McCord,  a  banker  of  Spencer,  Iowa. 

In  his  native  town  Charles  F.  Adams  was  reared  and  he  supplemented  his 
public  school  education  by  a  course  in  Cornell  College  at  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1906,  winning  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and 
Civil  Engineer.  For  a  year  he  was  in  Cedar  Rapids,  where  he  followed  civil  en- 
gineering, and  in  1907  he  removed  to  Hollywood,  California,  where  he  occupied  the 
position  of  bookkeeper  in  a  bank  for  six  months.  He  afterward  spent  a  year  and  a 
half  as  bookkeeper  and  teller  in  the  National  Bank  of  California  in  Los  Angeles 
and  in  May,  1909,  he  left  California  for  Idaho,  becoming  a  resident  of  Boise,  where 
he  conducted  a  real  estate  business  until  August,  1910.  He  then  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  Idaho  Candy  Company,  a  large  concern  of  which  he  has  since  been 
the  secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager.  The  business  has  been  developed  to 
extensive  proportions,  being  now  represented  on  the  road  by  four  traveling  sales- 
men, and  the  trade  is  today  the  largest  in  their  line  in  the  state.  Their  methods 
measure  up  to  the  highest  standards  of  commercial  ethics  and,  recognizing  the 
fact  that  satisfied  patrons  are  the  best  advertisement,  they  have  put  forth  every 
effort  to  please,  not  only  in  the  standard  of  their  manufactured  products  but  also 
in  the  treatment  accorded  patrons. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1910,  Mr.  Adams  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  Ambrose,  of 
Nevada,  Iowa,  of  whom  he  had  been  a  schoolmate.  They  have  one  son,  Charles 
Ambrose,  who  was  born  April  30,  1911.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Adams  is 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  he  also  has  membership  with  the  Elks,  with  the  Boise  Com- 
mercial Club,  with  the  Country  Club  and  with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
for  among  his  ancestors  in  the  paternal  line  were  those  who  fought  for  American 
independence.  His  interests  and  activities  have  ever  been  broad  and  varied  and 
his  support  can  be  counted  upon  for  any  measure  or  plan  that  looks  to  the  benefit 
and  upbuilding  of  his  adopted  city. 


ELMER  C.   LOOK. 

A  highly  improved  farm  property  is  that  owned  and  conducted  by  Elmer  C. 
Look,  who  has  forty  acres  in  the  Fargo  district  near  Wilder,  whereon  he  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  sheep  raising.  He  was  born  in  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota, 
December  7,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  W.  H.  and  Emily  (Harvey)  Look,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Maine,  in  which  state  their  ancestors  had  lived  for  several  genera- 
tions. The  great-grandfather  of  Elmer  C.  Look  in  the  maternal  line  was  Governor 
Carver,  the  first  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  one  of  the  passengers  on  the  May- 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  983 

flower.  In  1882  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Look  removed  from  the  Pine  Tree  state  to 
Minnesota.  There  the  father  engaged  in  farming  until  1906,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Idaho,  settling  on  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  in  the  Fargo  district  of 
Canyon  county.  He  sold  that  place  in  1909  and  now  lives  in  Caldwell,  where  he  la 
connected  with  the  Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  which  he  was  the 
organizer.  It  is  called  the  Canyon  County  Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
and  has  over  five  million  dollars  worth  of  policies  in  force,  a  business  that  has 
been  developed  within  ten  years,  the  average  cost  per  year  being  a  dollar  and  sixty 
cents  per  thousand  dollars.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Look  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren: John,  Lee  and  Margaret,  who  were  born  in  Maine;  and  Grace  and  Elmer  C., 
who  are  natives  of  Minnesota. 

The  last  named  was  reared  in  his  native  state,  where  he  early  became  familiar 
with  the  best  methods  of  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  crops,  for  his  time  waa 
devoted  to  farm  work 'when  he  was  not  busy  with  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom. 
After  coming  to  Idaho  with  his  parents  he  secured  a  relinquishment  claim  of  eighty 
acres  from  his  brother  in  1907  and  has. since  resided  upon  this  property,  which  is 
located  in  the  Fargo  district  near  Wilder.  Today  it  is  all  under  cultivation  but 
when  he  located  upon  the  tract  it  was  covered  with  brush  and  there  was  no  water 
available.  There  was  a  long  and  weary  wait  of  three  years  before  the  land  was  of 
any  real  value,  which  was  not  until  water  was  secured  for  irrigating  purposes.  But 
at  length  the  irrigation  project  was  put  through  and  with  the  addition  of  water 
the  soil  responded  readily  to  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  Mr.  Look  in 
addition  to  developing  his  land  is  engaged  in  raising  sheep  and  now  has  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  head  upon  his  place.  His  is  a  splendidly  improved  farm  property. 
He  has  two  wells  on  the  farm  and  a  fine  water  system.  There  is  a  substantial  resi- 
dence and  good  barns  and  outbuildings.  There  is  both  hard  and  soft  water  on 
the  place  and  he  has  a  septic  tank  under  ground  for  the  sanitation  of  all  offal  water. 
He  uses  the  latest  improved  machinery  to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  fields  and  in 
addition  to  his  sheep  he  keeps  a  small  herd  of  cattle.  He  likewise  acts  as  agent 
for  the  Canyon  County  Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  and  thus  adds  in 
no  small  measure  to  his  income. 

In  1910  Mr.  Look  was  married  to  Miss  Mildred  Crowe,  of  Minnesota,  a  daughter 
of  F.  M.  and  Etta  (Day)  Crowe,  the  former  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  the  latter 
of  Minnesota  but  now  residents  of  Wilder,  Idaho.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Look  are  widely 
and  favorably  known  in  the  locality  in  which  they  make  their  home,  their  circle 
of  friends  being  almost  coextensive  with  the  circle  of  their  acquaintance.  Mr.  Look 
is  a  most  progressive  citizen,  and  his  enterprise  and  ambition  have  carried  him  into 
important  business  relations. 


JOHN  HILLMAN. 

While  death  has  called  John  Hillman,  there  are  many  who  remember  him  as  a 
substantial  citizen  and  representative  agriculturist  and  stock  raiser  of  Madison 
county.  He  was  born  at  Herriman,  Utah,  in  February,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Ira 
K.  and  Emma  (Baker)  Hillman,  who  were  natives  of  Missouri  and  of  England 
respectively.  The  father  went  to  Utah  with  the  early  representatives  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  there  operated  a  farm  throughout  his  re- 
maining days.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1888. 

John  Hillman  was  reared  and  educated  in  Utah  and  became  pump  man  and 
engineer  at  the  Ontario  mine  at  Park  City,  Utah.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  many 
years.  About  1885  he  removed  to  Bingham  or  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  settling  in 
that  district  which  is  now  Madison  county.  He  filed  on  land  fourteen  miles  from 
Rexburg  and  there  left  his  family  while  he  went  to  Montana  and  worked  as  an 
engineer  in  connection  with  mining  interests  until  about  1900.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  farm,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  throughout  his  remaining  days. 
He  passed  away  in  June,  1915,  and  thus  was  terminated  a  life  of  usefulness  and 
activity  that  had  commanded  for  him  the  respect  and  goodwill  of  his  fellowmen. 
In  addition  to  the  development  of  his  land  he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  thorough- 
bred horses.  His  farm  property  embraced  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  part  of 
which  was  irrigated,  and  the  success  which  he  had  achieved  enabled  him  to  leave  his 
family  in  comfortable  financial  circumstances. 


984  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1881,  Mr.  Hillman  was  married  to  Miss  Ellice  Hawley, 
a  daughter  of  C.  B.  and  Mary  Ann  (Allred)  Hawley,  who  were  natives  of  Canada 
and  of  Missouri,  respectively.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  raiser  of  horses  and 
other  live  stock  in  Utah  until  1884,  when  he  came  to  what  is  now  Madison  county, 
Idaho,  purchasing  land  at  Sunnydell.  This  he  continued  to  cultivate  throughout 
his  remaining  days,  his  life's  labors  being  terminated  in  death  in  May,  1909.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  October,  1914.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hillman  became  the  parents  of  six 
children.  Maude  is  now  the  wife  of  Willard  Tarbet,  a  sheepman  residing  at  Rex- 
burg,  Idaho.  Genevieve  is  attending  school  in  California.  John  I.  is  principal  of 
a  high  school  at  Jerome,  Idaho.  Benjamin  I.  is  operating  the  old  home  farm  at 
Sunnydell.  Clarence  L.,  of  Rexburg,  who  is  now  acting  as  deputy  sheriff,  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  United  States  army  in  May,  1917,  and  was  mustered  out  eighteen 
months  later  or  in  November,  '1*918.  Errol  Hawley,  who  also  enlisted  for  military 
service  in  May,  1917,  remained  with  the  army  for  seventeen  months  and  was  then 
mustered  out  in  Virginia  in  September,  1918.  He  had  spent  six  months  in  France, 
held  the  rank  of  sergeant  and  is  an  expert  rifleman. 

Politically  Mr.  Hillman  was  a  republican,  giving  earnest  support  to  the  party 
and  its  principles.  Mrs.  Hillman  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  church  and  since  her 
husband's  death  she  has  removed  to  Rexburg,  where  in  1919  she  built  a  fine  home 
that  she  now  occupies. 


M.  J.   DEVERS. 

M.  J.  Devers  is  occupying  a  fine  home  in  the  Devers  addition  to  Caldwell,  which 
he  platted.  He  has  for  many  years  been  classed  with  the  progressive  farmers  of  his 
section  of  the  state  and  has  also  been  closely  associated  with  the  development  of 
irrigation  interests.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  February  22,  1864,  'and  is  a  son 
of  Andrew  Devers,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United  States  on  a  sailing 
vessel  and  was  six  months  en  route.  He  located  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  and  there 
passed  away  in  1889  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Bridget  Flynn,  was  also  born  in  Ireland  and  they  were  married  before  com- 
ing to  the  new  world.  She  passed  away  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  in  1913  at  the 
notable  old  age  of  ninety-four  years. 

M  J.  Devers  attended  the  common  schools  to  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  then 
decided  to  provide  for  his  own  support,  first  hiring  out  to  carry  water  for  contract 
laborers  at  twenty-eight  cents  per  day.  Later  for  a  time  he  drove  a  mule  team  and 
subsequently  became  time-keeper  for  men  who  were  working  in  the  mines.  He  next 
went  with  a  number  of  men  who  were  making  coal  breakers,  but  after  three  days 
his  mother  had  him  discharged  and,  taking  him  home,  started  him  again  to  school. 
The  work  of  the  school  room,  however,  proved  irksome  and  after  a  brief  period  he 
again  abandoned  his  textbooks  and  secured  a  position  as  delivery  boy  in  a  general 
merchandise  store.  He  later  entered  a  wholesale  store  as  shipping  clerk  and  then 
became  collector  for  the  firm,  remaining  until  1886,  when  he  came  west  with  the 
intention  of  going  to  Alaska,  but  his  brother,  P.  A.  Devers,  who  was  living  in  Caldwell, 
Idaho,  persuaded  him  to  remain  here.  His  brother  had  preceded  him  to  Caldwell 
several  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1887  M.  J.  Devers  went  out  with  a  surveying  party  that  surveyed 
the  Sebree  ditch,  now  controlled  by  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Ditch  Company,  of  which 
he  has  become  the  president.  He  was  in  the  clothing  business  from  1905  until  1914, 
conducting  his  interests  under  the  name  of  the  Caldwell  Clothing  Company,  and  was 
in  the  lumber  trade  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Idaho  Lumber  Company  for  a  few 
years  following  1910.  He  exercised  his  desert  claim  of  preemption  rights  on  four  hun- 
dred acres  at  Ten  Davis  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad,  which  farm  he  still  owns 
and  operates,  carrying  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  also  raising  sheep  and 
cattle,  but  gives  his  attention  principally  to  hogs.  He  takes  great  pride  in  his  farm, 
which  is  a  very  attractive  place,  forming  one  of  the  most  pleasing  features  of  the  land- 
scape. The  trees  which  he  planted  are  now  tall  and  stately,  standing  as  silent  sentinels 
to  the  march  of  time.  In  years  gone  by  deer  crossed  his  place  in  great  numbers  and 
there  was  every  evidence  of  frontier  life.  He  was  the  first  to  raise  clover  seed,  which 
he  threshed  with  a  horse  power  threshing  machine  and  sold  for  nineteen  cents  a 
pound  in  1895,  the  yield  being  about  six  bushels  to  the  acre.  About  one-half  of  this, 


M.  J.  DEVERS 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  987 

however,  was  lost  in  the  threshing.  He  has  likewise  been  identified  with  real  estate 
activity  in  that  he  platted  the  Devers  addition  in  the  northeast  section  of  Caldwell. 
where  he  has  since  sold  a  number  of  lots.  He  now  has  a  fine  home  in  that  addition, 
which  is  one  of  the  attractive  residence  sections  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Devers  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May  E.  Kelleher,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  Kelleher.  of  Caldwell,  who  was  living  retired  from  active  business  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  December  25,  1896.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Ellen  O'Brien,  is  also  deceased.  Mrs.  Devers  was  born  in  Joliet.  Illinois,  and  by 
her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  a  daughter.  Honore  T.,  who  is  on  the  stage 
with  a  stock  company  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  and  has  also  been  in  the  movies. 
She  was  born  on  the  ranch  and  is  an  ardent  exponent  of  the  virtues  of  Idaho  and 
has  a  great  love  for  the  sagebrush  country.  She  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  her 
father  took  her  back  to  Pennsylvania  and  showed  her  the  district  in  which  his  boy- 
hood was  passed. 

The  experiences  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Devers  have  been  indeed  broad  and  varied. 
Dependent  upon  his  own  resources  from  an  early  age,  he  was  as  a  boy  a  collector  for  an 
Insurance  company  in  Pennsylvania  who  asked  him  to  put  up  a  bond,  which  he  refused 
to  do,  whereupon  they  inquired  if  his  parents  would  not  put  up  a  bond  and  Mr.  Devers 
replied  that  he  would  not  ask  them  to.  Notwithstanding  this,  he  was  given  the  posi- 
tion and  in  this,  as  in  every  other  relation  of  life,  was  most  faithful  and  trustworthy. 
Throughout  his  entire  career  his  word  has  been  as  good  as  any  bond  solemnized  by 
signature  or  seal.  He  was  the  president  of  the  American  National  Bank  of  Caldwell, 
which  failed  through  the  dishonesty  of  its  cashier,  but  the  stockholders,  largely 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Devers,  saved  one  hundred  per  cent  to  the  depositors. 
This  one  act  is  characteristic  of  his  entire  life.  Men  have  come  to  know  that  what  he 
says  he  will  do;  that  his  promise  is  as  good  as  any  written  contract  and  that  he  values 
his  own  self-respect  and  the  esteem  of  his  fellowmen  more  than  wealth  or  position. 
While  he  and  his  wife  now  reside  in  Caldwell,  they  have  a  deep  seated  love  for  the 
old  home  farm,  which  Mr.  Devers  says  he  will  never  let  go  out  of  the  family.  He  is  a 
fine,  genial  gentleman,  always  hospitable,  always  courteous  and  always  loyal  to  any 
trust. 


W.   F.   HOWARD. 

W.  F.  Howard,  a  leading  live  stock  dealer  of  Idaho,  makes  his  home  at  Cald- 
well, near  which  city  he  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  pure  bred  cattle  and  hogs,  of 
which  he  has  owned  some  of  the  finest  in  the  west.  He  was  born  in  Pontiac,  Liv- 
ingston county.  Illinois,  September  19,  1868,  and  there  attended  the  graded  schools 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  afterward  devoted  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  W.  F.  Howard,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  state.  He  continued  with 
his  father  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  but  in  the  meantime  the 
family  removed  to  Kansas,  where  they  lived  for  four  years,  afterward  returning 
to  Illinois.  The  mother  of  W.  F.  Howard,  Jr.,  who  in  her  maidenhood  was  Miss 
A.  E.  Hays,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  died  in  1915. 

On  attaining  his  majority  W.  F.  Howard  of  this  review  left  home  and  be- 
came foreman  of  the  city  gas  plant  at  Pittsburgh,  Kansas,  where  he  remained  for 
a  year  and  a  half  and  then  returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Illinois.  Three  years 
later  he  married  and  began  raising  live  stock  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he  removed  to  Idaho,  making  Roswell  his  des- 
tination, and  since  1901  he  has  continued  a  resident  of  this  state.  He  ha?  devoted 
his  attention  to  general  farming  and  to  the  raising  of  pure  bred  stock,  including 
Percheron  horses,  shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs  for  breeding  purposes 
only.  At  present  he  is  devoting  his  entire  energies  to  hogs  and  cattto,  his  sons, 
however,  continuing  the  raising  of  pure  bred  horses.  Mr.  Howard  has  owned  some 
of  the  finest  stock  in  the  west  and  ships  throughout  the  entire  northwest  section  of 
the  country.  He  owns  Sammy,  the  grand  champion  Poland  China  boar  of  the 
northwest,  also  the  sow  Silver  Bell,  likewise  a  Poland  China  grand  champion  of 
1917,  and  Hannah's  Big  Molly,  grand  champion  in  1918,  which  he  has  since  sold. 
Lady  Roswell,  another  fine  bred  sow,  he  sold- at  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1918  for  three 
hundred  dollars,  the  highest  price  ever  paid  for  a  sow  west  of  the  Rockies.  He 


988  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

has  sold  thirty-one  head  of  hogs  since  August  1,  1918,  at  an  average  of  seventy-six 
dollars  and  ninety-three  cents  each.  There  were  six  purple  ribbon  winners  at  the 
State  Fair  at  Boise  in  1918,  Mr.  Howard  carrying  off  every  one  of  the  prizes  of- 
fered. He  has  thirty-two  head  of  pure  bred  shorthorns  and  was  the  first  man  in 
Caldwell  to  sell  cattle  on  the  halter.  At  one  time  he  owned  a  team  of  four  Per- 
cherons,  weighing  from  two  thousand  to  twenty-one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  each, 
and  a  stallion  weighing  twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  He  has  done  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  improve  the  stock  raised,  and  standards  have  been  largely 
promoted  through  his  efforts.  He  is  now  the  vice  president  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards. 
He  owns  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  near  Roswell  and  eight  acres  within  the  city  limits 
of  Caldwell. 

In  1894  Mr.  Howard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Namine  Umphenour, 
of  Pontiac,  Illinois,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two  daughters  and  four 
sons:  Henry  Merle,  a  lieutenant  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Engi- 
neers, who  joined  the  colors  as  a  private  when  twenty-three  years  of  age  and 
won  his  promotion,  having  two  years'  experience  at  Moscow  and  seeing  actual 
service  on  the  border;  Frank  Leslie,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  who  is  married  and 
follows  farming;  Delia  Fern,  a  stenographer  in  the  Caldwell  Flour  Mills;  Seymour 
Brant,  aged  twelve;  and  Edgar  Judson,  aged  nine,  both  of  whom  are  attending 
school;  and  Emma  May,  .who  is  the  youngest.  The  children  all  possess  musical 
talent  of  an  instrumental  and  vocal  character,  which  they  have  inherited  from 
their  father.  Music,  therefore,  is  a  continual  feature  of  their  home  and  adds 
much  to  the  delight  of  their  guests. 

Mr.  Howard  ranks  with  the  wide-awake,  alert  and  enterprising  business  men 
of  his  section,  who  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  prominent  stock  breeders  of  the 
west  but  is  also  a  director  of  the  Western  National  Bank  of  Caldwell.  His  plans 
are  carefully  formulated  and  promptly  executed,  and  whatever  he  undertakes 
he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion. 


JOHN  B.  NEWPORT. 

John  B.  Newport,  actively  interested  in  farming  in  Canyon  county,  near  Notus, 
was  born  in  Dallas  county,  Missouri,  September  18,  1865.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  there  to  the  age  of  seventeen  and  when  a  youth  of  eighteen  years  he  came 
to  Idaho,  arriving  in  Caldwell  on  the  8th  of  March,  1884.  He  has  since  been 
identified  with  the  northwest  and  has  become  an  active  factor  in  the  farming 
and  stock  raising  circles  of  Canyon  county.  He  went  to  work  for  C.  P.  Lee  and 
W.  L.  Williams,  farming  in  the  Dixie  country,  about  three  miles  south  of  the 
present  site  of  Notus.  After  four  months-  he  began  work  on  the  Nat  Graves  ranch 
for  Charley  Simpson.  Nat  Graves  was  at  that  time  a  large  horse  raiser  in  this 
section  and  later  sold  his  interests  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  returned 
to  Arkansas.  In  the  fall  of  1885  Mr.  Newport  was  taken  ill  and  was  unable  to 
engage  in  work  until  the  following  spring,  when  he  once  more  took  up  farming, 
being  thus  active  until  1886,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Buffalo,  Dallas 
county,  Missouri.  He  remained  there  for  more  than  a  year  and  then  once  more 
came  to  Idaho,  taking  up  his  abode  at  his  present  location.  He  has  dug  potatoes 
in  fields  that  are  now  the  streets  of  Parma  and  he  has  witnessed  almost  the  entire 
development  and  growth  of  this  section.  After  eighteen  months  he  went  to  Puget 
Sound  and  was  there  employed  in  the  lumber  woods.  In  the  following  spring  he 
removed  to  Tacoma,  Washington,  where  he  worked  in  a  sawmill  until  July.  He  was 
next  in  the  Palouse  country  and  took  charge  of  the  threshing  outfit  of  George 
Clughnean.  thus  working  until  November  13,  1890,  when  he  again  visited  his 
old  home  in  Missouri.  He  had  received  a  letter  from  his  sister  stating  that  if  he 
wished  to  see  his  mother  alive  he  must  come  immediately.  She  lived,  however, 
until  the  following  June  and  in  February  Mr.  Newport  returned  to  Idaho,  where  he 
secured  a  position  with  M.  R.  Jenkins,  who  was  farming  near  Middleton.  Six 
months  later  he  again  went  to  the  Palouse  district  in  Washington  and  took  charge 
of  a'threshing  outfit  for  Jake  Arrowsmith.  In  November,  1891,  he  went  to  Portland, 
where  he  remained  during  the  winter,  and  in  1892  went  by  steamer  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. When  the  harvest  season  was  on  he  took  charge  of  a  combined  header  and 
harvester,  with  thirty-two  mules,  for  Thomas  Pope,  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley. 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  989 

near  Stockton,  California.  After  the  threshing  season  was  over  he  hauled  and 
loaded  grain  at  Willow,  California,  for  about  fifty  days  in  the  employ  of  Jim  Boyd 
and  then  returned  to  the  employ  of  Thomas  Pope  to  put  in  his  fall  grain,  remaining 
with  him  until  November,  1892,  when  he  returned  to  Parma,  Idaho.  Here  he  worked 
on  the  Goodhue  ranch  until  the  fall  of  1893,  when  he  began  operating  the  threshing 
outfit  for  Stockton  Brothers.  In  the  spring  of  1894  he  rented  a  ranch  and  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account  for  three  years,  during  which  time  the  profits  of  his 
labor  brought  him  sufficient  capital  to  enable  him  then  to  purchase  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  near  Notus,  where  he  continuously  cultivated  his 
fields  and  raised  stock  until  1911.  In  that  year  he  rented  the  farm  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  Notus.  At  one  time  he  had  as  many  as  two  hundred  head  of  stock  on 
his  place  and  his  farming  and  stock  raising  interests  were  most  carefully  and 
successfully  conducted.  At  Notus  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement 
business  until  1915,  when  he  sold  out  and  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
sale  of  threshing  machinery  for  Altman  &  Taylor  of  Mansfield,  Ohio. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1893,  Mr.  Newport  was  married  to  Miss  Dora  Stock- 
ton, of  Parma,  Idaho,  who  died  May  28,  1911,  leaving  three  children:  John  L., 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  who  is  now  married  and  conducts  a  garage  at  Wilder; 
James  M.,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  a  fireman  on  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad; 
and  Lolo  V.,  who  is  attending  the  high  school  in  Caldwell.  On  the  17th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1916,  Mr.  Newport  wedded  Mrs.  Lillian  (Powell)  Culbertson,  the  widow  of 
Jesse  Culbertson,  of  Baker  City,  Oregon,  who  by  her  former  marriage  had  a 
daughter,  Jessie  June,  now  ten  years  of  age.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newport  has  been 
born  a  son,  Paul. 

Since  first  coming  to  the  northwest  when  eighteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Newport 
has  in  many  ways  been  identified  with  the  development  work  west  of  the  Rockies 
and  is  familiar  with  all  the  phases  of  pioneer  life  and  of  subsequent  progress  and 
improvement  here.  He  has  always  been  an  industrious  and  energetic  man  and 
whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  the  direct  result  of  his  own  labors. 


EDWARD  HEIGHTSMENN. 

Edward  Heightsmenn,  who  carries  on  dairying  and  general  farming,  about 
ten  miles  southeast  of  New  Plymouth,  was  born  in  Ohio,  October  24,  1861,  a  son 
of  Stephen  and  Barbara  Heightsmenn.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Germany  and 
came  to  America  in  early  youth.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Mexican  war  and 
thus  did  active  military  duty  for  his  adopted  country.  In  Ohio  he  was  married 
and  in  his  family  were  six  children. 

Edward  Heightsmenn  was  educated  in  Ohio  and  when  a  young  man  went  to 
Missouri,  while  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  he  came  to  Idaho,  settling  in  Idaho 
county,  near  the  town  of  Denver,  taking  up  a  homestead  at  Cottonwood.  After 
about  two  years  he  removed  to  Mount  Idaho,  now  Grangeville,  and  there  he  followed 
farming  and  carried  on  his  trade  of  carpentering. 

While  there  Mr.  Heightsmenn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  Lamb, 
a  native  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  and  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  <  McGill)  Lamb, 
who  came  to  Idaho  in  1877  by  way  of  San  Francisco,  journeying  from  the  Golden 
Gate  to  Lewiston,  Idaho,  and  settling  at  Mount  Idaho,  where  the  father  followed 
farming.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heightsmenn 
became  the  parents  of  three  children:  Barbara  E.,  the  wife  of  E.  L.  Plumber, 
of  Vale,  Oregon,  and  the  mother  of  one  child,  Doris  M.;  Frederick  C.,  fifteen  years 
of  age,  who  is  attending  school;  and  Dorothy  A.,  likewise  in  school. 

In  1905  Mr.  Heightsmenn  removed  from  Mount  Idaho  to  his  present  location  ten  and 
a  half  miles  southeast  of  New  Plymouth,  where  he  rents  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  and  carries  on  dairying  and  general  farming.  He  owns  a  place  of  twenty- 
three  acres  three  miles  west  of  New  Plymouth  and  also  owns  ten  acres  in  Ontario, 
Oregon,  and  a  residence  in  that  town.  He  has  about  sixty  head  of  cattle,  some  of 
which  he  uses  for  dairy  purposes  and  some  of  which  he  raises  for  beef. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heightsmenn  are  familiar  with  all  the  experiences  of  pioneer 
life.  The  first  meal  eaten  in  a  hotel  by  Mrs.  Heightsmenn  was  at  L.  P.  Brown's 
hotel  at  Mount  Idaho,  a  picture  of  which  is  in  this  history.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Heightsmenn  have  witnessed  the  entire  transformation  of  the  state  from  the  early 


990  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

mining  days  to  the  present  time,  when  Idaho  is  largely  a  rich  farming  country. 
Mrs.  Heightsmenn  was  urged  in  her  early  girlhood  to  teach  the  Indians  as  she 
speaks  the  Nez  Perce  language  and  is  familiar  with  the  character  of  the  red  men. 
At  one  time  Mr.  Heightsmenn  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Idaho  county,  but  he 
has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking,  preferring  to  concentrate 
his  efforts  and  energies  upon  his  business  affairs,  which  are  most  wisely  and  care- 
fully conducted.  Those  who  know  him  esteem  him  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  and 
he  well  deserves  classification  with  the  representative  pioneers  of  Payette  county. 


COLIN  McLEOD. 

Colin  McLeod,  who  is  extensively  engaged  in  sheep  raising  in  Idaho  and  makes 
his  home  at  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Ardgay,  Rosshire,  Scotland,  February  27,  1880. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Ina  McLeod,  the  former  a  farmer  by  occupation,  now  de- 
ceased. The  mother,  however,  still  survives. 

It  was  in  1899,  when  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years,  that  Colin  McLeod  came 
to  Idaho  from  Scotland  and  entered  the  sheep  industry  at  Rockville  with  Finley 
McKenzie,  by  whom  he  was  employed  for  six  years.  He  then  began  business  on  his 
own  account  in  partnership  with  John  Bruce,  having  ten  thousand  head  of  sheep  at 
the  outset.  Their  camp  was  at  Jump  Creek,  eighteen  miles  south  of  Caldwell,  but 
Mr.  McLeod  disposed  of  his  interests  there  in  1915  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
entered  into  partnership  with  W.  J.  Hodgson  and  purchased  the  outfit  of  John  Archi- 
bald north  of  Boise,  including  fifteen  thousand  head  of  sheep  and  about  twenty-five 
hundred  acres  of  land.  They  now  have  about  thirty-five  thousand  head  of  ewes  and 
lambs  and  own  over  seven  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Ada,  Gem,  Boise  and  Owyhee 
counties.  They  give  employment  to  an  average  of  forty-five  men.  They  expect  to  cut 
sixteen  hundred  tons  of  hay  in  1919  and  usually  buy  each  year  between  twenty-five 
and  thirty-five  hundred  tons.  Their  annual  payroll  amounts  to  more  than  forty 
thousand  dollars.  In  the  spring  of  1919  they  shipped  six  carloads  or  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand  pounds  of  wool.  Mr.  McLeod  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  progressive  and  enterprising  young  sheepmen  of  Idaho  and  is  doing  much  to 
improve  the  conditions  of  the  business  in  this  state. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1907,  Mr.  McLeod  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Purser,  a 
native  of  England,  who  came  to  Oregon  with  her  parents,  Frank  and  Eliza  (Good- 
year) Purser,  when  four  years  of  age.  Her  father  and  mother  removed  to  Caldwell, 
Idaho,  about  twelve  years  ago  and  live  in  a  beautiful  home  on  Kimball  avenue,  near 
the  McLeod  residence,  Mr.  Purser  having  practically  retired  from  active  business. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLeod  have  been  born  three  children:  Constance  E.,  Eleanor  Rose 
and  Ruby  Helen,  all  of  whom  are  in  school.  The  family  occupy  one  of  the  finest 
homes  in  Caldwell,  on  Kimball  avenue,  erected  by  Mr.  McLeod  in  1910.  It  is  built 
in  an  attractive  style  of  architecture  and  furnished  with  every  modern  convenience  and 
comfort  that  refined  taste  suggests. 

Mr.  McLeod  deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished.  Starting  out 
in  the  business  world  as  a  sheep  herder  on  coming  to  the  United  States  as  a  youth 
of  nineteen  years,  he  has  since  steadily  and  persistently  worked  his  way  upward, 
making  time  and  effort  count  for  the  utmost,  and  he  is  today  one  of  the  successful 
sheep  raisers  'of  the  state.  His  interests  are  being  gradually  developed  along  com- 
mendable lines  and  he  has  done  much  to  improve  conditions  and  promote  prices  for 
the  sheepmen  of  Idaho. 


GEORGE  BARKER. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  ago  George  Barker  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm 
which  is  still  his  place  of  residence  and  through  the  intervening  period  he  has 
converted  a  wild  tract  into  richly  productive  fields,  from  which  he  annually  gathers 
large  crops.  His  place  is  situated  on  Big  Willow  creek  in  Payette  county,  not  far 
from  the  city  of  Payette.  Mr.  Barker  was  born  in  western  Kansas  on  the  15th  of 
October,  1874,  a  son  of  C.  T.  and  Ellen  (Bowler)  Barker,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Illinois  and  removed  to  Kansas  in  early  life.  The  father  there  followed 


COLIN  McLEOD 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  993 

the  occupation  of  farming  until  1886.  His  wife  had  died  the  previous  year  and  he 
then  went  to  Baker  county,  Oregon,  with  his  son  George,  who  was  then  about  twelve 
years  of  age.  Father  and  son  followed  farming  there  for  nearly  two  years  and 
then  removed  to  Long  Valley,  Idaho,  where  Mr.  Barker  took  up  a  homestead,  resid- 
ing thereon  until  1903.  He  then  removed  to  Washoe,  Idaho,  where  he  is  now 
living  retired. 

George  Barker  accompanied  his  father  to  the  west  and  is  familiar  with  every 
phase  of  the  state's  development  and  improvement  since  that  time.  He  removed 
from  Long  Valley  to  the  Payette  valley  in  1889  and  entered  the  employ  of  Ben 
Bivens  as  a  farm  hand,  working  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Willow  creek  for  a 
period  of  about  five  years.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1895,  he  took  up  his  abode  on  a 
homestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  owned  and 
occupied,  and  later  he  acquired  forty  acres  adjoining.  This  land  was  all  wild  and 
undeveloped  when  it  came  into  his  possession,  but  through  his  efforts  it  has  been 
highly  cultivated  and  improved,  being  supplied  with  all  the  accessories  and  con- 
veniences of  a  model  farm  of  the  twentieth  century.  Today  he  has  fifty  acres 
planted  to  alfalfa  and  seventy  acres  to  wheat,  barley  and  rye.  His  alfalfa  crop 
yields  about  six  tons  to  the  acre.  He  likewise  keeps  a  few  head  of  sheep,  cattle, 
horses  and  hogs.  His  fine  residence  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  modern  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  He  keeps  a  fine  roan  Durham  registered  bull  for  breeding 
purposes  and  his  stock  is  of  high  grade.  In  addition  to  his  home  place  he  also 
owns  a  desert  claim. 

In  1899  Mr.  Barker  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  L.  Johnson,  a  daughter  of  Cal 
nnd  Nannie  (King)  Johnson,  who  were  among  the  most  prominent  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  the  state  and  own  a  fine  old  homestead  on  the  Payette  river.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barker  have  four  children:  Helen  Margaret,  Carrie  Ellen,  William  Clayton 
and  Clifford. 

Mr.  Barker  has  served  on  the  school  board  and  is  desirous  of  giving  his 
children  the  best  educational  opportunities  possible.  He  stands  for  progress  and 
improvement  in  all  things  relating  to  the  welfare  of  the  community  and  his  enter- 
prise has  been  a  valuable  factor  in  advancing  public  good. 


FRANCIS  M.   HAMMER. 

Francis  M.  Hammer,  a  farmer  and  live  stock  grower  of  Boise,  whose  farm  lies 
on  both  sides  of  Upper  Warm  Springs  avenue,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above 
the  Natatorium,  came  to  Idaho  in  the  fall  of  1864  from  Grayson  county,  Texas, 
and  through  the  intervening  period  of  fifty-five  years  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
northwest.  Mr.  Hammer  was  born  in  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  March  10,  1844. 
and  has  therefore  passed  the  seventy-fifth  milestone  on  life's  Journey  but  is  still 
hale  and  vigorous.  His  father  was  John  Hammer,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  the 
mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eleanor  Grier.  Both  died  in  Texas,  to  which 
state  the  family  had  removed  from  Illinois  in  1854.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Hammer,  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  The  same  military  spirit  was  shown 
by  Francis  M.  Hammer  when  during  the  Civil  war  he  joined  Company  H  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  Texas  Cavalry  in  the  Confederate  army,  serving  for  two  years.  It 
was  immediately  afterward  that  he  came  from  Grayson  county,  Texas,  to  Idaho, 
where  he  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1864.  He  left  Grayson  county  on  the  back  of  a  mule, 
thus  traveled  north  to  Council  Grove,  Kansas,  spent  a  few  weeks  there  and  subse- 
quently joined  a  wagon  train  of  seven  or  eight  wagons.  They  were  driving  five 
hundred  head  of  cattle  and  the  whole  outfit  set  out  for  Idaho,  reaching  Boise  just 
four  months  later.  About  one  hundred  head  of  the  cattle  were  sold  at  Denver, 
Colorado,  but  the  rest  were  brought  to  Idaho.  Mr.  Hammer,  then  only  twenty 
years  of  age,  was  in  the  employ  of  Leonard  Fuqua,  who  together  with  his  brother, 
William  Fuqua,  owned  the  cattle.  Mr.  Hammer  made  the  trip  to  assist  in  driving 
the  herd.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Idaho  he  went  to  the  Grand  Ronde  valley  of 
Oregon,  where  he  spent  two  years  on  a  ranch.  In  1867  he  again  came  to  this 
state,  spending  four  years  in  Owyhee  county,  in  and  near  Silver  City,  where  he  was 
employed  at  teaming  and  at  general  sawmill  work.  In  1871  he  returned  to  Oregon, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  live  stock  business  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  site 
of  Vale.  In  1877  he  once  more  came  to  Idaho  and  it  was  then  that  he  purchased 


994  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

his  present  farm  just  above  the  Boise  city  limits.  He  made  investment  in  one 
hundred  and  six  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  three  thousand  dolars.  A  few 
years  ago  he  sold  forty  acres  of  this  tract  for  seven  hundred  dollars  per  acre 
and  since  then  has  sold  smaller  portions  of  it  but  still  has  forty  acres  of  the  original 
property,  which  with  its  improvements  is  probably  worth  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars.  Since  1877  Mr.  Hammer  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  and  to 
the  raising  of  beef  cattle  and  horses.  In  recent  years  his  three  sons,  John,  Francis 
M.  and  Jetse,  have  been  associated  with  their  father  in  the  breeding  and  raising 
of  cattle  and  horses  and  have  many  hundred  head  on  hand  always.  The  cattle 
and  horses  are  grazed  much  of  the  time  on  a  ranch  of  one  hnudred  and  sixty  acres 
which  Mr.  Hammer  owns  about  six  miles  from  Boise. 

Mr.  Hammer  was  married  in  Baker,  now  Malheur  county,  Oregon,  in  1874, 
to  Miss  Amanda  Thomson,  who  was  born  in  the  Willamette  valley  of  Oregon,  a 
daughter  of  James  Thomson,  a  pioneer  of  that  state,  who  removed  to  the  northwest 
from  Arkansas  prior  to  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammer  have  now  traveled 
life's  journey  together  for  forty-five  years  and  they  have  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Theirs  is  a  notable  family  record  inasmuch 
as  the  circle  has  never  been  broken  by  the  hand  of  death.  The  children  are: 
Ralph;  Etta,  now  the  widow  of  George  Richardson  and  for  the  past  six  years  a 
trained  nurse  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital  in  Boise;  John;  Francis  M.;  Fred;  Jesse,  who 
served  with  the  United  States  forces  on  the  Rhine  in  Germany,  being  a  member  of 
the  Second  Idaho  Regiment;  and  Eva,  the  wife  of  John  Sykes.  Ralph  is  a  resident 
of  Mackay,  Idaho,  where  he  is  engaged  in  mining,  and  John  and  Francis  M.  are 
acting  as  their  father's  assistants  in  the  farming  and  live  stock  business,  as  was 
their  brother  Jesse  before  he  entered  the  army.  Fred  also  is  at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hammer  is  a  democrat  but  has  never  been  a  candi- 
date for  office.  His  attention  has  always  been  given  to  his  business  affairs  yet  he 
is  not  remiss  in  the  duties  of  citizenship  and  cooperates  heartily  in  plans  and 
measures  for  the  public  good.  His  entire  business  career  has  been  marked  by 
progress,  resulting  from  close  application  and  energy  well  directed. 


SAMUEL   HUGH    PROCTOR. 

Samuel  Hugh  Proctor,  a  rancher  and  sheepman  residing  at  Kimberly,  Idaho, 
was  born  in  Decatur,  Illinois,  May  10,  1868,  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Dorcas  (Smith) 
Proctor.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  his  native  state  and  he  is  indebted 
to  the  public  school  system  of  Illinois  for  the  educational  opportunities  which 
he  enjoyed  and  which  qualified  him  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties. 
When  his  textbooks  were  put  aside  he  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  and 
raising  live  stock,  in  which  business  his  father  was  engaged.  While  in  Illinois 
he  raised  a  number  of  fine  race  horses  and  also  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  stand- 
ard bred  horses.  He  was  at  one  time  the  owner  of  Rex  Orator,  with  a  record 
of  2:17%.  He  was  often  called  upon  to  act  as  judge  of  races  and  has  always 
been  recognized  as  an  authority  upon  the  value  of  fine  horses.  In  the  winter 
of  1892-3  he  went  to  Labette  county,  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in  dealing  in 
cattle  and  hogs,  feeding  cattle.  He  afterward  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  until  December,  1913,  arid  then  came  to  Twin  Falls  county,  Idaho,  where 
he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  1914.  To  his  original  pur- 
chase he  added  eighty  acres  and  took  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm,  which  still  re- 
mains his  place  of  residence.  He  has  an  excellent  ranch  property  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  much  of  which  he  has  brought  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, so  that  the  place  annually  produces  good  crops.  He  is  also  interested  in 
the  Pocatello  Security  &  Trust  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers, 
and  he  has  interests  in  oil  lands.  His  attention,  however,  is  chiefly  given  to  his 
ranching  and  live  stock  interests  and  he  is  now  handling  registered  Rambouillet 
sheep,  Shorthorn  cattle  and  P'ercheron  horses,  having  one  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  registered  sheep.  He  has  three  bands  of  sheep  in  the  hills  and  is  one  of  the 
well  known  stockmen  of  his  section  of  the  state. 

In  1894  Mr.  Proctor  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  L.  Miller,  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Charlotte  Miller.  She  passed  away  in  1907,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  two  children,  Charlotte  D.  and  Hugh  Miller.  In 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  995 

1917  Mr.  Proctor  was  again  married,  bis  second  union  being  with  Miss  Cuba  A. 
Ni block,  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  daughter  of  Basil  and  Margaret  (Yeager) 
Niblock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proctor  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Twin  Falls  county, 
where  his  operations  as  a  ranchman  and  sheepman  have  brought  him  prominently 
to  the  front  in  business  circles.  In  politics  he  maintains  an  independent  course, 
voting  for  men  and  measures  rather  than  party.  He  concentrates  his  efforts  and 
attention  upon  his  business  affairs  and  in  all  that  he  undertakes  manifests  a  most 
progressive  spirit. 


E.   G.   DICKERSON. 

E.  G.  Dickerson,  who  is  conducting  a  transfer  and  auto  livery  business  in 
Parma  under  the  name  of  the  Parma  Transfer  Company  and  is  also  actively  identi- 
fied with  farming  in  Canyon  county,  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  August  29, 
1869.  He  was  but  a  young  lad  when  his  parents  removed  with  their  family  to 
McLean  county,  Illinois,  and  there  he  acquired  his  education.  He  afterward  took 
up  the  occupation  of  general  farming  arid  stock  raising  in  connection  with  his 
father,  with  whom  he  was  thus  associated  until  1890,  when  the  parents  removed  to 
Washington  county,  Iowa,  as  did  also  E.  G.  'Dickerson  and  his  wife.  He  there 
followed  farming  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  a  resident 
of  Marshall  county,  Kansas,  but  his  parents  remained  in  Iowa.  In  Marshall  county 
Mr.  Dickerson  devoted  three  years  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  then  became 
a  resident  of  Neosha  county,  Kansas,  where  he  again  followed  farming  for  three 
years,  after  which  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  made  his  way  to  the  north- 
west with  Parma,  Idaho,  as  his  destination.  Here  he  purchased  the  business  of 
the  William  Leigh  Transfer  Company  and  changed  the  name  to  the  Parma  Transfer 
Company.  In  this  connection  he  conducts  a  general  transfer  and  auto  livery  busi- 
ness. He  and  his  brother,  who  has  been  associated  with  him  for  the  past  four 
years,  also  own  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  within  a  mile 
of  the  town  of  Parma.  Mr.  Dickerson  likewise  buys  and  sells  horses  and  mulea 
and  raises  a  few  sheep.  He  has  another  brother,  F.  L.  Dickerson,  who  has  about 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  four  miles  south  of  Parma,  planted  mostly  to  wheat, 
and  be  is  likewise  engaged  in  stock  raising,  having  fifty  head  of  cattle,  forty  head 
of  sheep  and  twenty  head  of  horses.  In  the  year  1918  F.  L.  Dickerson  was  chair- 
man of  the  county  democratic  committee. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1892,  E.  G.  Dickerson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Clara  Dodds.  of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Jesse  Earl,  twenty-six  years  of  age,  who  was  with  the  United  States 
geographical  survey  until  November,  1918,  when  he  volunteered  for  service  in  the 
American  army  as  a  member  of  the  sanitary  department.  He  was  discharged  after 
the  signing  of  the  armistice  and  returned  to  his  old  position  with  the  geographical 
survey.  Raymond  Wilson,  eighteen  years  of  age,  is  attending  the  Agricultural 
College  at  Corvallis,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Dickerson  early  learned  the  value  of  industry  and  thrift,  and  as  the  years 
have  passed  he  has  most  carefully  directed  his  labors  so  that  his  diligence  and 
perseverance  have  constituted  the  foundation  upon  which  he  has  built  his  success. 


JAMES  W.   LYNCH. 

James  W.  Lynch,  residing  at  New  Plymouth,  whero  he  follows  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  was  born  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  December  28,  1860,  his  parents 
being  Thomas  and  Johanna  Lynch,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  on  coming  to  America 
settled  first  in  Illinois  and  afterward  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  the  father  home- 
steaded.  The  old  log  house  is  still  standing  on  the  farm  where  James  W.  Lynch 
was  born.  His  brother,  Thomas  T.,  and  a  sister,  Margaret,  are  the  owners  of  the 
old  homestead  and  are  numbered  among  the  richest  farming  people  at  Shell  Creek. 
Platte  county,  Nebraska.  The  parents  were  devout  members  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  passed  away  in  that  faith  on  the  old  homestead. 


996  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

James  W.  Lynch  supplemented  his  public  school  education  by  a  course  in  a 
business  college  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  He  afterward 
became  connected  with  mercantile  interests  in  Platte  Center,  Nebraska,  and  was 
thus  engaged  for  six  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  banking  business 
and  for  fifteen  years  was  connected  with  the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  that  place. 
Following  the  failure  of  the  bank  in  1898  he  removed  to  Idaho  to  recoup  his  for- 
tunes and  started  again  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  as  a  sheep  herder.  After  two 
years,  through  bis  own  efforts  and  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  who  had  conducted 
a  millinery  business,  he  had  gained  a  start  and  was  in  possession  of  five  hundred 
head  of  sheep.  He  then  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  firm  of  Lynch  & 
Phillips,  his  partner  being  his  brother-in-law.  In  the  meantime  they  had  acquired 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  after  a  time,  in  order  to  carefully  culti- 
vate their  land,  they  sold  their  sheep  and  are  now  giving  their  entire  attention 
to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  to  general  farming,  including  the  production  of  hay 
and  grain.  They  have  fifty-five  acres  planted  to  fruit  and  in  1919  sold  about 
seven  thousand  boxes  of  apples  at  fifty  dollars  per  ton.  Their  grain  yield  was 
about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  in  wheat  and  they  sold  about  two  hundred  tons  of 
alfalfa  in  1919.  The  place  upon  which  Mr.  Lynch  and  his  family  now  reside  com- 
prises twenty  acres  near  New  Plymouth.  It  was  cultivated  mostly  in  1919  by 
Mrs.  Lynch. 

It  was  on  the  12th  of  September,  1894,  that  Mr.  Lynch  was  married  to  Miss 
Phoebe  Phillips,  a  daughter  of  Sirvillian  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Divet)  Phillips,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  died  in  1908  but  the  mother  is  now  living  with  Mrs.  Lynch  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  Mr.  Phillips  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  built  the  first  house 
in  New  Plymouth.  His  father  had  been  a  pioneer  of  both  Nevada  and  California. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lynch  have  two  children:  Irl  J.,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  who  is 
an  electrician;  and  Delphine  E.,  who  is  still  in  school.  Mrs.  Lynch  is  a  lady  of 
innate  culture  and  refinement  who  presides  with  gracious  hospitality  over  her 
home,  making  it  the  center  of  a  cultured  society  circle.  Their  residence  is  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence,  commanding  a  delightful  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 


C.  S.  WELLS. 

C.  S.  Wells,  who  is  successfully  following  farming,  his  place  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  being  pleasantly  and  conveniently  located  a  mile  and  a  half  north- 
east of  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Lucas  county,  Iowa,  July  9,  1868.  The  following 
year  his  parents  removed  with  their  family  to  Missouri,  where  he  acquired  his 
education,  pursuing  his  studies  to  the  age  of  eleven  years,  when  he  began  to  provide 
for  his  own  support.  Through  the  succeeding  five  years  he  worked  as  a  laborer. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  became  an  employer  and  since  that  time  has  been 
farming  for  himself.  In  1883,  accompanied  by  his  mother  and  brother,  he  removed 
to  Nebraska,  where  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  remaining  for  five  years 
in  that  state,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  the  family  went  to  Kansas,  where 
C.  S.  Wells  again  devoted  his  attention  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  and  also 
took  up  the  business  of  raising  live  stock,  in  which  he  continued  for  fourteen  years. 

It  was  in  1903  that  Mr.  Wells  and  family  arrived  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  and  he 
purchased  his  present  farm,  it_  being  the  Hi  Jobe  estate.  The  property  is  located 
a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Caldwell  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the 
farm  is  planted  to  blue  grass  and  white  clover.  The  broad  fields  appear  as  level 
as  the  floor  and  nothing  more  beautiful  was  ever  seen  in  the  blue  grass  region  of 
Kentucky.  In  addition  to  the  production  of  crops,  Mr.  Wells  raises  grain  and 
live  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  shorthorn  cattle  and  registered  Percheron  and 
standard  bred  horses.  The  draft  stock  and  cattle  which  he  has  on  his  farm  are 
worthy  of  special  mention.  Mr.  Wells  is  meeting  with  very  substantial  success  in 
the  development  and  improvement  of  his  farm,  as  he  carries  on  general  agricultural 
pursuits  and  stock  raising. 

In  1893  Mr.  Wells  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Walker,  of  Iowa,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  five  children:  Luella  Fern,  Jessie,  Rachel  May,  Everett 
James  and  Edna  Marguerite.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  April  20,  1916. 

In   the   years   of   his   residence   in   the  northwest   Mr.   Wells   has   made  steady 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  997 

progress  and  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous  business  men  of  Canyon  county.  He 
deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  has  accomplished,  as  he  started  out  in  business 
life  empty-handed  when  a  young  man.  From  that  time  forward  he  has  been 
dependent  entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  labors,  and  his  progressivenese  and 
energy  have  enabled  him  to  wrest  fortune  from  the  hands  of  fate  and  win  a  place 
among  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  section  in  which  he  has  chosen 
to  make  his  home. 


JOHN  BIVENS. 

John  Bivens,  a  farmer  of  Fruitland,  was  born  in  Pike  county,  Missouri,  May 
27,  1854,  his  parents  being  David  M.  and  Honor  (Reyley)  Bivens,  the  former  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Illinois.  However,  the  mother  went  with 
her  parents  to  Missouri  and  was  married  there.  David  M.  Biveng  was  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  devoting  his  entire  life  to  that  occupation.  In  1862  he  came  to  Idaho. 
crossing  the  plains  with  the  Atchison  train,  of  which  he  was  a  lieutenant.  They 
passed  through  Idaho  the  same  year  and  went  to  Oregon,  laying  out  the  site  for 
the  town  of  Union,  located  between  Baker  City  and  La  Grande.  In  the  fall  of 
1863  they  returned  to  Idaho  and  settled  near  Falk,  in  Payette  county.  They  had 
but  one  encounter  with  the  Indians  in  crossing  the  plains,  one  of  their  company 
being  killed,  but  the  Indians  paid  a  heavy  score  for  the  life  they  took.  With  the 
return  of  the  Bivens  family  to  Idaho  the  father  established  a  stage  station  at 
Weiser  and  also  one  at  Falk,  where  later  the  family  made  their  home.  In  1864 
the  William  Stuart  family  also  located  in  the  same  locality  and  the  Stuart  and 
Bivens  families  established  the  first  school  in  southern  Idaho.  Both  families  were 
connected  with  the  cattle  business  on  an  extensive  scale  and  as  the  ranges  were 
open  they  had  thousands  of  head.  Each  spring  saw  them  on  the  road  east  to  the 
nearest  railroad  station  in  Nebraska  with  hundreds  of  head  of  cattle  which  they 
had  prepared  for  the  market.  In  1876  David  M.  Bivens  made  a  trip  to  Mexico  and 
brought  back  with  him  some  alfalfa  seed,  thereby  introducing  the  crop  into  this 
state.  To  raise  that  product  it  was  necessary  to  have  water,  so  accordingly  his  son, 
John  Bivens,  began  the  building  of  an  irrigation  canal,  which  at  that  time  was 
called  the  Bivens  and  Pence  ditch,  but  is  now  known  as  the  Lower  Payette  ditch. 
They  built  about  sixteen  miles  of  ditch  and  the  system  has  since  been  extended  until 
the  ditch  is  now  thirty-four  miles  in  length  and  serves  more  than  two  hundred 
farmers.  At  one  time  in  the  early  days  the  family  received  a  great  scare  about 
the  Indians.  A  man  was  seen  lying  in  the  sagebrush  apparently  dead  and  it  was 
reported  to  the  settlers  that  Ben  Bivens  was  out  there  dead,  with  the  addition  that 
no  doubt  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  The  settlers  went  out  in  fear  to  hunt  for 
the  body  but  upon  reaching  'the  spot  found  the  man  alive  and  beside  his  camp  fire. 
He  had  been  drunk  and  was  sleeping  off  his  intoxication.  Ben  Bivens  was  found 
at  his  camp  in  good  health.  The  day  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Bannock  war  John 
Bivens  was  carrying  the  mail  from  Payette  to  Indian  valley  and  while  stopping  at 
Sand  Hollow  to  eat  his  lunch  an  Indian  overtook  him  and  pulled  a  gun  on  him,  but 
Mr.  Bivens  managed  to  get  his  horse  between  himself  and  the  Indian  and  get  out 
his  own  gun,  whereupon  the  Indian  decided  to  engage  in  conversation.  He  then 
rode  along  with  Mr.  Bivens  to  the  Indian  valley.  Mr.  Bivens,  however,  was  con- 
vinced by  the  actions  of  the  Indian  that  trouble  was  brewing  and  advised  the  set- 
tlers to  that  effect.  During  the  Bannock  war  the  Indians  stole  a  large  number 
of  horses,  many  of  which  belonged  to  Mr.  Bivens,  who  was  one  of  a  party  of  ten 
who  pursued  them  through  the  Indian  valley  to  Council  valley,  at  which  place  five 
of  the  party  started  on  the  return  trip,  while  the  other  five  followed  the  Indians 
into  the  Weiser  canyon.  One  of  these  men  was  William  White,  who  was  captain 
of  the  party,  and  all  were  killed  but  a  Mr.  Keetley,  who  was  badly  wounded  and 
was  without  ammunition.  He  saw  there  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  roll  over 
the  rocks  and  down  the  river  bank  into  the  river,  and,  swimming  up  the  stream 
instead  of  down,  he  thus  saved  his  life.  The  Indians  made  a  close  search  for  him 
but  he  managed  to  evade  them.  He  remained  in  hiding  until  after  dark  and  then 
worked  down  the  stream  in  the  water,  never  touching  the  bank,  for  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles  and  extending  over  a  period  of  three  days.  Although  severely 
wounded  he  immediately  went  to  the  fort  and  reported  the  trouble  with  the  In- 


998  HISTORY  OF  IDAHO 

dians.  A  message  was  sent  to  the  lieutenant  governor  of  Boise,  Mr.  Bivens  acting 
as  messenger  alftl  making  the  trip  alone.  He  delivered  his  message  to  the  governor 
and  troops  were  dispatched  to  Payette,  where  Peter  Pence,  Mr.  Bivens  and  ten 
other  men  accompanied  them  to  the  scene  of  the  murders  and  buried  the  dead  white 
men  but  found  no  Indians.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Bivens  passed  through  all  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  these  pioneer  times  and  the  troubles  incident  thereto.  The 
father  died  in  1883  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  the  mother  passed  away  in 
1899  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years,  the  death  of  both  occurring  in  the 
Payette  valley.  During  the  Bannock  war,  while  a  freight  train  of  about  twenty 
wagons  were  camped  under  a  bluff  just  north  of  New  Plymouth  on  the  Payette 
river,  they  were  surprised  by  the  Indians,  who  attempted  to  steal  their  horses  and 
did  succeed  in  getting  ten  head.  A  battle  followed,  Mr.  Pence  and  Mr.  Bivens  being 
of  the  posse  who  pursued  the  Indians.  In  the  morning  they  found  traces  of  blood, 
which  assured  them  that -their  weapons  had  not  missed  their  aim.  They  tracked 
the  Indians  by  their  footprints  and  one  among  them  made  a  print  eighteen  inches 
long.  He  was  known  as  Big  Foot.  In  the  morning,  at  the  top  of  a  bluff,  they  found 
three  newly  made  graves.  They  followed  the  Indians  to  Indian  Grove,  north  of 
Weiser,  and  there  found  the  horses  grazing.  Here  Mr.  Pence  ordered  caution. 
They  formed  a  circle  around  the  Grove  and  when  the  Indians  found  they  were 
trapped  they  made  a  run  for  their  horses  and  in  the  skirmish  that  followed  two 
Indians  were  killed,  but  they  got  away  with  six  of  the  ten  horses.  Big  Foot  was 
so  swift  a  runner  that  he  could  outrun  a  horse  and  so  ran  the  six  horses  into  the 
Snake  river  and  swam  them  across,  carrying  his  rifle  on  the  back  of  his  neck,  and 
as  soon  as  he  reached  the  opposite  shore  he  discharged  his  rifle  at  his  pursuers. 
Such  were  some  of  the  conditions  which  the  early  settlers  faced,  making  the  history 
of  that  period  a  lasting  memory  to  all  who  participated  therein. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1884,  Mr.  Bivens  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Stuart, 
who  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  and  in  1882  came  to  the  Payette  valley 
to  be  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Nesbit.  She  passed  away  at  Payette,  July  6,  1918. 
She  had  become  the  mother  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased,  Walter, 
John  and  Albert.  The  three  living  are  as  follows:  George  S.,  who  was  with  the 
Ambulance  Corps  of  the  United  States  army,  is  still  in  France.  The  engine  was 
blown  off  his  car  but  he  was  uninjured.  Emily  F.  is  at  home.  Jessie  E.  is  the  wife 
of  Alonzo  H.  Heap,  who  is  a  farmer  near  Falk.  He  was  born  at  Montpelier,  Bear 
Lake  county,  Idaho,  bis  parents  having  been  pioneers  of  this  state.  By  her  first 
husband,  J.  P.  Schall,  Mrs.  Heap  had  a  daughter,  Josephine  E.  Schall,  who  is  now 
a  pupil  in  the  sixth  grade. 

Mr.  Bivens  is  living  on  a  ranch  of  twelve  acres  at  Fruitland  and  has  witnessed 
notable  changes  in  the  country  and  its  development,  bearing  his  part  at  all  times 
in  the  work  of  general  progress  and  improvement.  He  made  government  surveys 
and  helped  to  survey  the  railroad  from  Weiser  to  Salmon  Meadows.  He  furnished 
the  meat  to  the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  Company  when  they  were  building  the 
line  through  this  state.  In  connection  with  the  public  life  of  the  community  he 
has  also  figured  conspicuously.  He  served  on  the  school  board  of  Payette  and  for 
two  terms  represented  his  district  in  the  territorial  legislature,  aiding  in  framing 
the  early  laws  of  the  commonwealth. 

It  is  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Heap,  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  interesting  ma- 
terial concerning  her  father  and  pioneer  times.  Mrs.  Heap  was  born  at  Payette 
and  there  acquired  her  education.  Having  been  reared  in  Idaho  when  it  was  a 
frontier  region,  she  relates  many  an  interesting  story  and  reminiscence  concerning 
the  early  days.  She  tells  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ward,  who  was  a  broncho  buster, 
and  while  breaking  a  horse  the  hackamore  came  off  and  he  naturally  therefore 
could  not  manage  the  animal.  He  accordingly  called  to  Mr.  Bivens  and  an  Indian 
buster:  "Oh,  please  corral  me."  Every  time  that  he  would  attempt  to  get  off  the 
horse  would  strike  at  him  with  his  front  feet.  One  day  when  Mrs.  Heap  had  been 
riding  she  passed  the  house  of  Tom  White,  who  was  sitting  on  his  front  porch 
loading  his  old  muzzle  loader  gun.  She  asked  him  what  was  up  and  he  replied: 
"A  bear  has  eaten  all  of  my  pigs  and  now  he  has  begun  on  the  garden,  so  I  am 
going  after  him."  That  night  they  heard  the  man  shooting  and  after  waiting  for 
a  long  time  for  his  return  went  out  to  look  for  him.  They  found  him  all  out  of 
breath.  He  said  that  he  had  been  kicked.  In  the  morning  they  found  the  bear 
dead  and  when  they  skinned  him  they  found  his  hide  so  full  of  carpet  tacks  that 
they  could  hardly  get  it  off.  This  accounted  for  the  kick,  for  instead  of  loading 


HISTORY  OF  IDAHO  999 

the  gun  with  shot,  in  the  dark  the  man  had  used  a  package  of  carpet  tacks.  Payette 
county  certainly  owes  much  to  the  Bivens  family  for  what  they  have  done  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  this  region  and  there  is  no  one  who  has  been  more 
closely  associated  with  the  district  from  pioneer  times  to  the  present. 


ALEXANDER  BLESSINGER. 

Alexander  Blessinger,  deceased,  was  for  many  years  a  valued  resident  of 
Idaho.  He  came  to  this  state  during  the  period  of  its  pioneer  development  and 
shared  in  the  hardships  and"  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  and  improvement 
of  the  frontier.  He  was  engaged  in  freighting  in  the  early  days  when  there  was 
constant  danger  of  Indian  attack  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  his  wife  was 
threatened.  In  his  later  years  he  became  connected  with  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing and  met  with  substantial  success  in  that  line  of  business.  He  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster, Pennsylvania,  November  17,  1836.  His  father,  John  Blessinger,  was  one 
of  the  farmers-  of  that  place,  but  when  his  son  Alexander  was  but  four  years  of  age 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  Indiana,  settling  near  Indianapolis,  where  he  again 
devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  passed  away  at  Charluttesville, 
Indiana,  May  2,  1858,  while  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Brown, 
died  at  Charlottesville,  June  3,  1847,  when  but  thirty-seven  years  of  age. 

Alexander  Blessinger,  reared  in  Indiana,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  early  became  familiar  with  all  branches  of  farm  work.  In  1859  he 
went  to  Missouri  and  in  the  spring  of  1860  crossed  the  plains  with  ox  team  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  at  Dayton,  in  the  Willamette  valley.  There  he  worked  for  his  uncle, 
Sam  Brown,  upon  a  farm  until  1861,  when  he  went  to  the  Caribou  mines  of  British 
Columbia.  His  success  there,  however,  was-  limited  and  the  only  gold  which  he 
found  he  had  made  into  a  ring,  which  his  son,  W.  G.  C.  Blessinger.  now  wears. 
He  aftearward  engaged  in  freighting  from  Umatilla,  Oregon,  to  Silver  City,  Idaho, 
until  the  Indians  became  so  troublesome  that  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  work 
as  he  was  in  fear  of  his  life.  In  1864  he  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Boise  basin  and 
there  engaged  in  mining  with  good  success  for  a  year. 

In  1865  Mr.  Blessinger  returned  to  Dayton,  Oregon,  and  was  there  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Maria  McClellan,  who  was  born  at  Fairfield,  Illinois.  July  29, 
1847.  She  crossed  the  plains  with  her  parents  by  ox  team  in  1850,  the  family  home 
being  established  near  the  present  city  of  Portland,  Oregon.  After  his  marriage 
Mr.  Blessinger  rented  and  cultivated  his  uncle's  farm,  remaining  thereon  until  1867, 
when  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Boise  and  purchased  what  was  known  as  the  Strode 
place.  He  also  engaged  in  freighting  from  Kelton.  Utah,  which  at  that  time  was 
the  nearest  railroad  point  to  Boise,  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  While  engaged  in  freighting  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  the  Indians. 
He  and  his  companion  teamsters  were  going  into  camp  one  evening  at  the  place 
where  Glenns  Ferry  is  now  located  when  they  saw  a  band  of  Indians  approaching 
on  their  side  of  the  Snake  river.  Mr.  Blessinger  entreated  his  companions  to  ferry 
their  wagons  across  the  river  and  make  camp  on  the  other  side  but  only  one  man 
took  his  advice.  The  rest  of  them  remained  and  that  night  their  horses  and  mules 
were  stolen,  their  wagons  burned  and  it  was  only  by  mere  chance  and  fast  run- 
ning that  the  men  were  not  murdered.  Mr.  Blessinger  and  the  companion  who  took 
his  advice  and  ferried  across  the  river  with  him  saved  all  of  their  goods  and  stock 
as  the  Indians  did  not  cross  the  river.  Mr.  Blessinger  continued  to  engage  in 
freighting  until  about  1880,  when  he  removed  from  the  Strode  place  to  the 
Picayune  Smith  place,  where  he  farmed  and  also  conducted  a  dairy  for  three  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Boise  and  conducted  the  Walla  Walla  corral,  where  the  team- 
sters kept  their  horses  and  mules.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he  sold  the 
business  and  removed  to  the  old  home  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres, 
which  he  purchased  from  Isaac  Newton  for  four  thousand  dollars.  Upon  this  tract 
of  land  he  carried  on  general  farming  and  also  the  raising  of  stock  for  beef.  His 
business  affairs  were  carefully  and  wisely  directed  and  he  was  regarded  as  a  man 
of  enterprise  and  sound  Judgment. 

As  the  years  passed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blessinger  became  the  parents  of  fifteen 
children:  Lauretta,  the  wife  of  H.  L.  Tucker,  of  Boise,  who  is  the  owner  of  several 
houses  in  that  city  which  he  rents;  Charles  Elsworth,  fifty-one  years  of  age,  who 


1000 

married  Carrie  Higgins  and  lives  at  Ola,  Idaho;  Edward  Alexander,  who  died  De- 
cember 5,  1877;  John  Franklin,  who  passed  away  on  the  9th  of  December  of  that 
year;  Ray  and  Minnie,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  now  conducting  the  home 
farm,  while  the  latter  died  in  infancy;  Anna  Hester,  the  wife  of  Edward  Wanke, 
living  upon  a  farm  adjoining  the  homestead;  Ida  May,  the  wife  of  Steve  S.  Blore,  of 
La  Grande,  Oregon;  Lucretia,  who  resides  upon  the  home  farm  and  takes  care  of 
her  invalid  brother;  Walter  Grannis,  thirty-six  years  of  age;  Lottie,  who  became 
the  wife  of  David  A.  Stubblefleld,  of  Boise,  and  died  in  1912;  Ella  Amanda,  the 
wife  of  Arthur  D.  Shelton,  a  farmer  living  near  Lake  Lowell;  Benjamin  Harrison, 
thirty-one  years  of  age,  who  married  Goldie  Rudisill,  of  Mountain  Home;  Ollie 
Myrtle,  the  wife  of  Qassius  E.  Powell,  of  Manette,  Washington,  who  was  in  France 
with  the  Fourteenth  Division  of  the  Railroad  Engineers;  and  Fred,  who  died 
in  1896. 

Death  again  severed  the  family  circle  when  on  the  13th  of  February,  1918, 
Alexander  Blessinger  passed  away,  all  of  his  living  children  being  present  at  his 
bedside  when  he  breathed  his  last.  The  wife  and  mother  had  departed  this  life 
September  30,  1913.  Mr.  Blessinger  had  been  an  active  supporter  of  the  repub- 
lican party  and  was  twice  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  He 
attended  the  convention  which  nominated  John  T.  Morrison  for  governor  and  was 
a  great  friend  of  the  Morrison  family.  There  was  no  phase  of  frontier  life  in  the 
northwest  with  which  Alexander  Blessinger  was  not  familiar,  having  from  1860 
been  a  resident  of  this  section  of  the  country.  He  lived  to  witness  its  wonderful 
growth,  development  and  transformation  and  at  all  times  bore  his  part  in  the  work 
of  general  improvement  and  progress.  His  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  were 
most  interesting  and  presented  a  clear  picture  of  conditions  that  were  here  found 
more  than  a  half  century  ago.  His  labors  were  indeed  a  factor  in  the  development 
of  Idaho,  and  his  worth  as  a  man  and  citizen  was  widely  acknowledged. 


EDWARD  KONRAD. 

Edward  Konrad,  the  manager  of  the  shoe  department  of  the  Golden  Rule 
Store,  was  born  at  Denver,  Colorado,  July  26,  1881,  his  parents  being  Henry  and 
Barbara  (Kessler)  Konrad,  both  now  residents  of  Boise,  where  they  have  made 
their  home  since  1892.  -The  father  has  devoted  his  entire  life  to  the  shoe  trade. 
He  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaking  in  early 
life.  He  has  since  given  his  attention  to  the  business  and  for  twenty-seven  years 
he  was  the  owner  of  a  shoe  store  in  Boise  and  is  now  a  shoe  salesman  in  the 
Golden  Rule  Store.  His  thorough  understanding  of  the  trade  enables  him  to  give 
splendid  service  in  this  connection  and  his  unfailing  courtesy  and  tact  and  his  judg- 
ment concerning  the  value  of  shoes  have  enabled  him  to  render  most  valuable 
service  to  the  establishment  and  its  patrons. 

Edward  Konrad  of  this  review  left  high  school  when  eighteen  years  of  age  and 
entered  a  shoe  store  in  Boise.  For  a  period  of  twenty  years  he,  too,  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  shoe  trade  as  a  salesman  and  for  eight  years  as  manager.  It  was 
in  1912  that  he  became  the  manager  of  the  shoe  department  of  the  Golden  Rule 
Store  in  Boise  and  has  since  made  good  in  this  capacity.  His  record  is  marked  by 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  firm  which  he  represents  and  his  work  has  been 
most  satisfactory  to  the  company.  Even  before  he  left  school  he  was  employed) 
in  shoe  stores  during  vacations  and  his  entire  business  activity  has  been  in  connec- 
tion with  the  shoe  trade. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1908,  Mr.  Konrad  was  married  to  Miss  Etta  Ballinger,  of 
Peoria,  Illinois,  who  was  born,  however,  in  Chenoa,  that  state.  They  now  have  one 
son,  Edward  Wayne,  who  was  born  March  1,  1914. 

Mr.  Konrad  turns  to  fishing  and  hunting  for  recreation,  greatly  enjoying  a  trip 
into  the  open.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  He  belongs 
to  the  Boise  Commercial  Club  and  is  interested  in  all  of  the  purposes  of  that  organ- 
ization for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city,  the  development  of  its  business  interests  and 
the  adoption  of  higher  standards  of  civic  service. 


INDEX 


Abercromble,    Y.    H 635      Barnes,   N.   B. 


Ackerman,   B.   P. . 

Acker  ma  it,    W.    P.  . 

Adams,    C.    F 

Adams,    H.    I 

Adams,    W.    J.    N. 
Alleluia  tin.     R.     C. 

Albert,   M.    P 

Allen,    O.    H 

Allen,    O.    W 

A  Union,    J.    C 


615 

640 

982 

696 

621 

136 

890 

639 

140 

347 

Allred,    R.    W Ill 

Almond,    F.    W 411 

Alvord,    D.    D 756 

Ames,    J.    A 444 

Anderson,    Alfred 455 

\nderson,   O.   P 844 

Andrews,    O.    T 181 

Archabal,    J.    B 106 

Arregui,    Bernardo 513 

Ash,    R.    M 931 

Ash,    Sarah    E 929 

Ash,    W.    G 930 

Ashley,    A.   E 735 

Athay,    W.    L 676 

Atkin,    Bertha    L 17 

Atkinson,    E.    B 717 

Atkinson,    Reilly     560 

Avey,  O.   H 450 

Baker,    J.    A 895 

Baker,    J.    L 865 

Balderston,   Stella   B 50 

Ballantyne,    Zachariah,    Jr 369 

Ballif,   J.   L.,   Jr 682 

Ballou,  C.  0 671 

Bandel,   C.   A 611 

Barber,   O.   H 316 

Barber,   W.   J 647 

Barbour,    Ira    622 

Bardsley,  J.  L 881 

Barker,   D.   L 889 

Barker,  George    990 

Barnes,    H.   W. 820 

Barnes,    J.    F .962 


761 

Barry,  E.  W 778 

Bates,    M.    P 147 

Bates,    O.    P 855 

Baxter,    C.    P 743 

Bell,    R.    H 412 

Bell,    R.    N 378 

Bee,  W.  F 687 

Bennett,    B.    L 597 

Bennett,    J.    A 807 

Benson,    H.    A 182 

Berry,    J.    A 636 

Bertleson,    B.    C 981 

Bettis,   H.   S 171 

Bicknell,    R.    F 94 

Bieri,   W.   G 591 

Bigler,   R.  L 712 

Bivens,  John    997 

Black,    R.    L 288 

Blackburn,  John    628 

Blackwell,  J.  C 183 

Blaine,  S.  E 110 

Blessinger,  Alexander   . . .-. 999 

Bliss,  A.  H 876 

Blue,   H.   G 151 

Blunt,    W.    H 857 

Blyth,  John    656 

Bodle.    H.    G 414 

Boone,  W.  J 205 

Boor,    J.    H 957 

Bossen,   O.    E 578 

Bourne,   J.    T 219 

Bowen,    F.    D 809 

Bower,    Edith 176 

Bowerman,    G.    E 354 

Bowles,  H.  E 549 

Bowman,   J.  C 719 

Bowman,  J.   M 304 

Bradbury,   W.   A 133 

Brady,   J.   H 163 

Brandes,  Fred    813 

Brasie,  N.  E 430 

Breckon,    W.    F 779 

Bridger,  J.  A 872 

Bridges,    T.    M 211 


1001 


1002 


INDEX 


Broadbent,    H.    M 146 

Brodersen,    C.    F 969 

Brossard,    L.    A 795 

Brown,   S.    T 648 

Bruce,  W.   S 73 

Bryant,  H.  H 598 

Bryon,    William     413 

Buerki,    R.    C 808 

Buhn,    G.    O . .  688 

Burnham,    S.    E 777 

Burt,    C.    L 952 

Burton,  W.   S 230 

Bush,   A.   L 723 

Bussell,  J.   S 408 

Butler,    E.    E 950 

Buxton,  John    810 


Cahoon,  M.  R. . 
Caldwell,  A.  F. . 
Caldwell,  G.  H. 
Campbell,  D.  D. 


736 

62 

364 

676 

Campbell,  H.   E 707 

Campbell,   W.    M 514 

Cannon,    Miles    182 

Carr,    R.    F 471 

Cate,   A.   W 265 

Catlin,   T.    C 142 

Cavaney,   P.  E 360 

Chamberlaine,   Alward    5 

Chandler,   J.   J 623 

Chapin,   George    562 

Cheney,   Homer    951 

Child,   J.   L 700 

Church,    D.    W 250 

Clark,   A.   W 779 

Clark,    Ethel    T 508 

Clark,  J.   R 515 

Clayton,   F.   J 199 

Clifford,    H.    H 206 

Cline,    C.    M ...147 

Coats,    F.    I 322 

Coffin,    H.    N 123 

Coffin,    M.    A 538 

Cohn,    Jacob    268 

Collins,    L.    C 175 

Collister,    George     1 35 

Colpin,    E.    E 417 

Coltman,  W.  J 115 

Colvin,   J.   F 442 

Comstock,   R.   J 100 

Conner,    W.    B. 956 

Conover,    J.    B 580 

Conway,   M.   P 773 

Conway,    W.    H 900 

Cook,   J.   W 792 

Coughlin,    C.    T 247 

Coughlin,   W.   J 247 


Coughanour,  W.  A '. 402 

Cox,    Lida 328 

Craig,    V.    T 351 

Creasey,  F.  J 924 

Creese,    L.    D 473 

Crichfield,    F.   W 720 

Critchfield,    L.    A 612 

Crowley,   C.    E 122 

Crowley,    O.    F 665 

Crowley,  S.  G. 449 

Cruzen,    A.   R 324 

Cuddy,    W.    L 542 

Cummings,    R.    N 329 

Cusick,    O.    H 617 

Cuthbert,   George     567 

Dabell,    A.    K 797 

Dalrymple,    Henry    865 

Dalton,    H.    E 713 

Davidson,    W.    B 472 

Davis,  D.  W 238 

Davis,    E.    G 212 

Davis,    E.    H 44 

Davis,    F.    H 547 

Davis,    F.    L 236 

Davis,    Nofear    371 

Davis,  T.  J.,  Jr 44 

Davis,  T.  J.,  Sr 38 

Davis,    W.    M 86 

Day,   E.  W.   M 477 

Day,    G.   A 336 

Dayley,    J.    L .754 

Delana,    B.    F 116 

Delana,    E.    S Ill 

Denman,    J.    L 694 

Dennis,   S.  W 10 

Devers,    M.    J 984 

Dewey,  W.  H 474 

Dibble,    Barry 833 

Dickens,    Joseph    920 

Dickerson,    E.    G 995 

Diehl,   L.   E 489 

Dion,  J.  P 376 

Doerr,   J.  G 723 

Donaldson,  Gilbert    •.  < 730 

Donaldson,    John    816 

Donaldson,    Mary    E 286 

Dorman,   H.    W 913 

Dougherty,    W.    T ;..  624 

Driggs,  B.  W 381 

Driggs,    D.    C 592 

Driscoll,   Dean    115 

Duckworth,   James    377 

Dunlap,   R.  H 97 

Dunning,    D.    A 432 

Dunten,    B.    J 944 

Durfee,   H.   D 956 


INDEX 


1003 


Eagleson,  A.   H 538 

Eagleson,    E.    G 294 

Eagleson,   J.   W 208 

Eames,   W.    L 869 

Eastman,   Bernard    207 

Eastman,   H.    B 12 

Easton,   W.  J 375 

Edlefsen,  J.   L 489 

Kisley,   Amelia 972 

Eldred,   C.    H 846 

Elmer,   C.  A 317 

Eoff,    Alfred    666 

Eustace,   M.    H 502 

Evans,  J.   M 606 

Ewing,   J.    A 271 

Ezell.  G.   R 561 

Falk,   L.  J 232 

Falk,  Nathan    26 

Falk,   Ralph    520 

Farrell,    P.    S 543 

Finley,    F.    E 370 

Fisher,    F.    M 237 

Fisher,    G.    H 574 

Fisher.    H.    L 695 

Fisher,  J.    B 955 

Fletcher,    G.   W. 134 

Floed,    Fred 591 

Flower,    W.    A 443 

Forbes,    J.    H 507 

Forbes,  W.   F 562 

Ford,  J.  C 194 

Fowler,    E.    F 254 

Fowler,  Emma  M 627 

Frazier,   W.    L 261 

Freehafer,    A.    L 45 

French,    C.    L 383 

French,    P.    P 406 

Froman,    G.    W 478 

Frcsig,    Mikkel    940 

Fry,  G.   W 884 

Galligan,  Jay   907 

Gamble,   C.   S 893 

Gardner,   George 795 

Garland,  Alice    970 

Gee,    W.    E 201 

Genoway,  C.  V 559 

Giesler,  C.  W 503 

Gilbert,    E.    P 876 

Glenn,    J.    T 480 

Glougie,  C.  A 372 

Goodfriend.    Henry    127 

Goodwin,    M.    H 584 

Goreczky,   Anton    977 

Gorman,  D.   M 196 

Grandjean,    Emile    394 


Graves,    D.    J 

Gray,  Charles  M. 
Gray,  Clyde  M.. 

Gray,    J.    J 

Gray,    W.   R 

Green,    A.    S 

Gregory,    R.   S... 

Griggs.  J.   F 

Groom,  Percy  . . . 
Groome.   J.   F 


Grossman,    H.    A 474 

Grow,   J.   L 615 

Gudniundsen,    I.    J 479 

Gwaltney,    Z.    S 978 

Gwinn,    M.    B 58 

Haga,  O.   0 17i' 

Hagelin,    F.    A 213 

Hahn,   C.  J 79 

Hahn.    N.    P ttl 

Hailey,    John    Ill' 

Hale.    H.   Q 363 

Hall,   A.   W 430 

Hall,   H.   W 826 

Hall,    W.    J 316 

Hammer,    F.    M 993 

Hanna,   H.   D 495 

Hannah.    V.    D 690 

Hannifan.    Patrick    905 

Hanson,   Alma    340 

Hardin,    J.    W 939 

Harper,  T.   E 57 

Harrington,  F.   M 978 

Harris,    D.    R 

Harris,    H.   G 

Harris,    T.    K 

Harroun,    W.    C 826 

Harshbarger,    M.    M 2!»9 

Hart,   J.    H UM 

Hart,  J.    W 32 

Hartley,  R.   1 516 

Hartson,  C.   H 435 

Harvey,    Albert    899 

Harvey,    A.    H 

Harvey,   G.    W 

Hasbrouck,  H.  J 560 

Hawley,  J.  H 3 

Hawthorne,  H.  M 719 

Hayes.    R.    J 202 

Healy.   Wflliam    297 

Heath,    Albert    714 

Heath,    F.    J 657 

Hedden,  Edward    702 

Heightsmenn,    Edward 989 

Heigho,  E.  M 266 

Heine.    A.   L 128 

Henry.  J.  W 687 


1004 


INDEX 


Herrington,  Edwin   670 

Hetherington,    B.    J 724 

Hickey,    J.    S 23 

Higgs,   A.   A 516 

Hill,  G.  E.,  Jr 306 

Hill,    J.    C 448 

Hillman,  John    983 

Hindman,   A.   C 231 

Hitchcock,   R.    G 677 

Hitt,  G.  R 36 

Hodges,  Arthur   243 

Holden,  A.   C 737 

Holden,   W.   H 35 

Hollingshead,    T.    C 266 

Homer,   A.    R 165 

Homer,    W.    H 382 

Hooker,   H.   J 456 

Hoover,  E.  M 225 

Home,   P.   F 268 

Howard,  W.  F 987 

Howell,   W.   H 618 

Hubbard,    David    839 

Huebener,   G.   C 327 

Hulet,    Sadie    P 395 

Hunt,    F.    W 148 

Hunt,   R.   S. 154 

Kurd,  C.  E 883 

Hurt,    E.    G 857 

Hyde,    W.    S 803 

Idaho    Sanitarium    279 

Ish,    G.   H.,   Jr 471 

Isham,  A.  F 554 

Jack,  W.  T 510 

Jackson,   J.    M 509 

Jackson,   Jesse  M , 465 

Jefferis,   J.   T 484 

Jenkins,  W.  G.,  Jr 896 

Jensen,   Martin    858 

Jensma,  C.   P 875 

Jessup,    A.    A 169 

Johnesse,    F.    E 946 

Johns,    W.    H 828 

Johnson,    E.    G .396 

Johnson,    E.    W 559 

Johnson,   F.   F 70 

Johnston,   P.    G 328 

Jones,  J.  D 140 

Jones,    L.    C 67 

Jones,   O.   M 486 

Jones,  R.   1 496 

Jones,  Judge  Robert  O... 399 

Jones,   Robert   0 175 

Jones,    T.    D 658 

Jordan,  Frank  W 104 

Judd,  A.  W 759 


Keefer,    Joseph    103 

Keelen,    T.    J 370 

Keith,   W.    S 808 

Kent,   John    735 

Kimball,    R.   C 654 

Kimery,    W.    H 503 

Kimple,  W.  W • 348 

Kincaid,  W.   A 418 

King,  H.   E 519 

King,   T.    0 945 

Kitching,    A.    C 878 

Knepper,    G.    E 300 

Knickerbocker,  F.  H 105 

Knight,  H.   G 491 

Knollin,  A.   J 46 

Knox,  Douglas   339 

Knox,   Frank    766 

Knudsen,   M.   H 485 

Kobs,    F.    W 838 

Kohler,    F.    S 400 

Konrad,  Edward 1000 

Kroeger,  Theodore    653 

Laird,   James    190 

Laird,   S.  Henry    771 

Laird,    V.    R 664 

Lambing,   I.   S 466 

Langroise,  W.  C 749 

Larsen,   H.   P 958 

Larsen,   Nephi    884 

Larson,   E.   L 706 

Latimer,    J.    B 460 

Laughlin,    J.    T 256 

Lawson,    Susie   R 389 

Layng,    Bessie    455 

Leavell,   B.   F 497 

Lee,   L.    A 366 

Lee,   Thomas  B 911 

Lee,  T.   Bailey   537 

Lee,  W.  A 152 

Lemp,    B.    L 844 

Lemp,   H.   F 214 

Lemp,   John 18 

Lind,    C.    E 828 

Lindsey,  W.  A 689 

Little,    S.    D 926 

Littler,    F.    L 754 

Look,    E.    C 982 

Louis,    R.    A 139 

Lowe,    G.    H 705 

Lowell,    J.    H 51 

Lowrie,    D.    S 641 

Luther,   M.   0 565 

Lyman,    W.    B 664 

Lynch,  J.  W 995 

Lyon,  H.  A 235 


INDEX 


1006 


McCalla,    L.    P 11 

McCarthy,  C.  P 66 

McCarty,    W.    N 838 

McCornick,   H.  A. 565 

McCue.    J.    J 442 

McCutcheon,    O.    E 244 

McDougall,    D.    C 253 

McGirr,    H.    J 109 

McGlinchey,  John   280 

McGuffln.    E.    M 712 

McKown,    J.    L 390 

McLaughlin,    J.    H 870 

McLeod,   Colin    990 

McMillan,    Thomas     426 

McMillan,   William    555 

McMurray,  John    169 

McPherson,  J.   C 929 

McVicar,    W.   A 497 

Macbeth,  Ravenel    737 

Mace,   C.   P 822 

Macey,  C.  K 298 

Madsen,  F.  C'. 759 

Magee,    L.   J 342 

Magel,    B.    F 429 

Malcom,    E.    T 541 

Maloney,  John    648 

Marion,  A.   G 699 

Marsters,   Elias    971 

Marsters,    L.    E 943 

Martin,   Frank 63 

Martin,    Paris    249 

Martin,    Retta    F 309 

Martin,    T.    L 437 

Mason,  R.  P 158 

Mathias.    E.    S 780 

Meholin,   M.   P 79 

Merrell,   L.   C 346 

Messecar,    H.    F 907 

Mespersmith,    W.    G 856 

Mickels,    Arnold    863 

Miller,    C.    J 708 

Miller,    F.    A 672 

Miller,    J.    E 462 

Milliner,   C.   M. 866 

Mintzer,    Abraham    864 

Mitchell,    C.    E 544 

Mitchell,   Rebecca    774 

Mock,  F.   G 586 

Monroe,   Finley    323 

Moody.   Anna    M 99 

Moon,    C.    R 718 

Moore,   C.   C 544 

Moore,    C.    W 74 

Moore,  T.   E 387 

Moran,  Thomas   871 

Morgan,  W.  M 16 


Morrison,  J.  K. 
Morrison,  J.  T. 

Moss,   A.    B 

Munns.  H.  A... 
Murphy,  A.  L. . 
Myers,  A.  J 


938 
291 
384 
623 
819 
334 


Neal,    B.    F 658 

Neal,    L.    H 677 

Nenbitt,  G.   F 951 

Nesbitt,   J.    F 684 

Nesbitt,  M.   S 762 

Neth,    Peter    827 

Newberry,    A.    A '. . .   335 

Newcomer,   R.   G 365 

Newport,   John    B 988 

Nichols,  Mrs.  J.  K 725 

Niday,    J.    L 431 

Nielsen,    L.   J 871 

Nilsjon,    Mary    E 491 

Noble,    Ernest    423 

Noble,  Robert   76 

Norton,   A.    D 832 

Norton,    J.    F 831 

Numbers,    J.    R 447 

Oakley.    W.    S 520 

Oberholtzer,  C.  M 414 

Obermeyer,    Lewis    748 

Obermeyer,    William    789 

Oldham,  S.  P 604 

Oldham,  W.   B 237 

Oliver,    W.    T 785 

Oppenheim,  B.  W *. 419 

Orford,    E.    V 784 

Onne,    S.    W 958 

Ostner,    E.    C 850 

Over.    C.    B 

Overmyer,    I.    F 443 

Owen,    E.    A 104 

Owen,  E.  S 726 

Oylear,   G.   W 583 

Paine,    C.    E 919 

Paine.    Lura    V 190 

Parish.  W.  W 675 

Parker.   O.   H 242 

Parkin,   George    738 

Parsons,   F.   H 248 

Parsons.  J.   W 850 

Patch.    L.    V 184 

Patterson.    H.    G 755 

Payne.   F.   L 845 

Paynter,    I.    N 834 

Peasley.    E.    H 420 

Peck,   A.    D 468 

Peck,   C.   G 97 


1006 


INDEX 


Pence,    J.    T 92 

Pence,    Peter    274 

Peninger,    George    975 

Perrault,   Joseph    211 

Peterson,    J.    H 128 

Peterson,  P.  T 93 

Pfost,    J.    E 429 

Pickett,    Eugene    964 

Pinkham,    Joseph    52 

Pittenger,   F.   A 195 

Pixton,  J.  C.,  Jr 855 

Platz,    J.    F 901 

Plowhead,   W.   T 171 

Pomeroy,   C.  W 74 

Poole,    C.   W 193 

Poole,    Zina   H 572 

Pope,    J.    P 218 

Potter,    J.    R 815 

Powers,    H.    B 837 

Pride,    A.    W 851 

Proctor,  S.  H 994 

Prouty,    Carl    , 634 

Purcell,    T.    J 744 

Quirk,   P.    H 731 

Rathbun,    D.    E 87 

Read,    B.    H 696 

Reddoch,   C.   F.... 87 

Redfield,    Ethel    E 31 

Reed,   F.    R 303 

Reed,    J.    L 784 

Regan,  J.   M 532 

Regan,    Timothy    6 

Regan,   W.    V 393 

Ressler,    Henrietta    467 

Reynolds,   R.   A 801 

Rhodes,  -D.   L 432 

Riblett,    Frank     568 

Rice,   J.   C 25 

Richards,  J.  H 160 

Riches,  G.  B 700 

Ricks,  Alfred 605 

Ricks,    Nathan 130 

Ridenbaugh,    Mary    E 341 

Rife,    Otis    843 

Rigby,    L.    Y 571 

Riggs,   H.   C.,   Sr 642 

Riggs,   H.   C.,  Jr 791 

Riggs,    S.    D 334 

Ringer,    W.    F 943 

Ririe,  David 345 

Ritter,   G.    T 436 

Roberts,    C.    H 633 

Roberts,    G.   H 129 

Robertson,    W.    F 791 

Robinson,    H.    W 693 


Robinson,    J.    W 578 

Robison,    William    659 

Rockwood,    A.    J 492 

Rogers,    C.    E 542 

Rose,    C.    E 159 

Rose,    L..  G 918 

Rose,    R.    E 753 

Rowland,    M.    T 760 

Ruick,    N.    M 407 

Runyon,   H.   H 595 

Rust,    G.    H 441 

Salisbury,    Lucy    H 157 

Sande,    A.    M 460 

Sargent,    Mollie    E 118 

Sawtelle,   B.   L 472 

Schildman,    H.    H 170 

Schreiber,    A.    F 567 

Scott,   T.   R 490 

Seeley,  F.  E 917 

Severson,   Hyrum    869 

Seymour,  W.  R 798 

Sharp,    C.    E 804 

Shaw,    C.    R 217 

Shaw,    N.    R 906 

Shaw,    P.    A 878 

Shaw,    R.    B 767 

Shearer,    G.    H 579 

Shelton,    R.    E 278 

Sheppard,   Bradley    663 

Sherman,    E.    B 672 

Shinn,  Juneau    448 

Shinn,    W.    P 550 

Shriver,   C.   E 603 

Shurtleff,   W.   L 352 

Shurtz,    R.    E 521 

Siddoway,    J.    C 786 

Sidenfaden,   William    567 

Sims,   E.    E 424 

Skillern,    F.    W 616 

Sloan,    H.    J 548 

Small,   E.   M 654 

Smeed,    J.    W 840 

Smith,    A.    W 925 

Smith,  C.  A.,   Jr 353 

Smith,    C.    F 877 

Smith,    G.    W 681 

Smith,   M.   C 852 

Smith,    R.    H 646 

Smith,    T.    B 504 

Smitherman,    W.    G 950 

Smoot,    I.    A 166 

Snell,    F.    M 226 

Snell,   G.   D 262 

Snow,    A.    F 461 

Snyder,  Mrs.  L.  M 963 

Snyder,    W.    S 814 


INDKX 


1007 


Southworth,    W.    J 521 

Sovereign,   O.   H 923 

Spangenberg,    P.    H 548 

Spivey,    James     725 

Spofford,    Juclson     498 

Springer,    A.    L 707 

Springer,   J.   S 121 

Springer,  W.   D 312 

St  fford,   G.    D 750 

Stahl,  J.   H 789 

St  a  nd  rod,    D.    W 259 

Stanton,   A.    D 57 

Stark,    William 321 

St.   Clair,   Clency    467 

Stein,   Edward    522 

Steunenberg,  A.   K 678 

Stewart,    James    L 318 

Stewart,    S.    M 717 

Stockton,    Edward    887 

Stoehr,    William    629 

Stone,   W.   B 790 

Strong,    E.    A 765 

Stuart,    W.    E 976 

Sullivan,    I.    N 68 

Sullivan,   W.    E 69 

Summers,   C.   E 846 

Sundberg,   G.   Q 15 

Sundles,   A.   H 961 

Sutton,    A.    O. 358 

Sutton,    D.    J. 436 

Swain,   A.   J 914 

Swann,    Esther    J 611 

Sweet,    W.    N 330 

Syms,    H.    J 711 

Tait,    H.    E 815 

Talbot,    E.    A 908 

Tallman.    M.    H 767 

Taylor,   C.   J 640 

Taylor,   J.    T.,   Sr 920 

Terhune,   C.   A 483 

Terrell,   R.   M 117 

Thatcher,   R.   D 229 

Thomas.    T.    V 761 

Thompson,    A.    S 347 

Thompson,    F.    P 424 

Thrailkill,   L.   W 273 

Tipton,    S.    L 99 

Titus,   C.   B 765 

Torrance,   K.   E 741 

Touret,    F.    H 412 

Tucker,   S.    G 937 

Tyer,    W.    H 454 

Tyler,    J.   W 388 


Uehren,    Frank    178 

Utter,    Stephen    98 

Valker,    E.    W, 

Van  Deusen,   D.  H 630 

Van    Reuth,    Felix    768 

Van  Tassel,  O.  M 37 

Vernon,    H.    A 553 

Walden,    L.    H 310 

Walker,   J.    F 833 

Walling,  J.  J 80 

Walmsley,    F.    J 

Ward,  C.  T 321 

Warren.    E.    C 31 

Waymire,   C.   H 701 

Weaver,    A.    E 480 

Weaver,    H.    J 771 

Weaver,  Nella  M 201 

Weeks,    C.    L 972 

Weeks,  J.   E 902 

Weirman,    J.    F 882 

Wells,  C.   S 996 

Wells.    H.    G 461 

Wennstrom.   G.   S 335 

West,    H.    M 863 

White,    C.    W 931 

White,    F.    C 660 

White,   J.   K 311 

Whitehead,    D.    S 683 

Wickel,   H.   L 969 

Wiley,   H.   0 358 

Wilfong,   H.   E 814 

Wilkerson.    W.    R 

Wilkie.    R.    S 357 

Williams,    Dow    L'42 

Willson,    H.    L 473 

Wilson,    A.    H 834 

Wilson.    A.    P 151 

Wilson,    B.   F 1L'2 

Wilson,   J.    H , 141 

Wilson,    R.    C 255 

Wilson,   R.   G 31 

Wilson,   Silas    188 

Wilton,    W.    W 742 

Wismer,    A.    E 772 

Witthoft,    H.    A 820 

Witty,    W.    H 157 

Wolfe.    Brittomart    56 

Wood,    Fremont    220 

Wood.    H.    F 682 

Woodcock.    T.    P 849 

Woodmansee.    C.    H 64 

Worthington,    A.    C 796 

Wright,    E.    M 453 

Wyman,    F.    T 81 


1008  INDEX 

Yates,  J.  B ". 438      Young,    R.    A 783 

Yeomans,   E.  W 802      Younie,   Alexander    177 

York,   L.    A 508 

Young,    H.    A 888      Zimmerman,    G.    F 406 

Young,    J.    T 82 


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